Big Morgan County Bucks Lock Antlers During Fight

Rhonda Peppers, of Bostwick, found these bucks locked on Nov. 2. The buck on the right was still alive, attached to a dead buck (left).

It was a typical late Tuesday afternoon for Rhonda Peppers, of Bostwick. It was Nov. 2, and she had come home from work and planned to do some afternoon housework. Her son, Dylan, was 3 miles away in a deer stand, and her husband, Donald, was getting in his truck to head off to work.

“He (Donald) began to pull out of the driveway when he spotted two bucks fighting in the woods,” said Rhonda. “He rushed back in the house and told me to get my gun.”

Rhonda grabbed a .270 and headed out the door.

“We slipped down into the woods, and I got in position to spot the deer,” said Rhonda. “After placing my scope on them, I could see one deer was already dead.”

The Morgan County bucks — a 10- and a 12-pointer — had likely been locked for a few days. The 12-pointer, the dead buck, had been jabbed in the throat by one of the 10-pointer’s tines.

“Due to the pines and lay of the land, I needed to move into a better position,” said Rhonda. “We slowly moved into another spot, and I sat down for the shot.”

Rhonda’s shot connected.

“At the time of the shot, we had no idea how big they were,” said Rhonda. “We rushed over to them and were in shock at what we saw.

“The dead deer was already swollen and obviously had been dead for a few days… We just stood there in amazement over the size of the bucks and the once in a lifetime experience.”

Rhonda’s 10-pointer was entered in Week 8 North of Truck-Buck.

Then, on Nov. 13, Rhonda killed a big 9-pointer on her club in Warren County. To date, it’s the biggest deer taken on the club this year.

Rhonda said she’s been toting the same five bullets for the last four years. This year she got tired of just watching. Now that she’s limited out on bucks, family and friends keep asking for her horseshoe.