Deer Hunter’s Moment Of Truth Ends With First Three Deer

Take it from a guy who’s been around a number of kids from different backgrounds over the years. Not every young person is cut from a mold that gives them the desire to shoot a deer. That doesn’t mean anything other than it’s just not their thing.

Roger Cosby, of Nicholson, found himself wondering if his son, Nick, was going to turn out to be a hunter or not.

“Nick is 16 years old and never really showed an interest in hunting until this year,” said Roger.

Roger has run a six-person, 305-acre club in Oglethorpe County since 1990. He spends a few days of the year with Nick and Nick’s older brother at the Wilson Shoals WMA gun range. Nick is proficient with a rifle, usually out shooting his dad and brother.

“On our way to the hunting club that morning, we talked, and he even said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to actually take a deer but wanted to make his own mind up,” said Roger. “I told him that the decision was his, at the moment of truth.”

It was the morning of Nov. 17 when the father-son duo climbed up into a tower stand overlooking a food plot.

“At about 7:45, I noticed he was nodding off to sleep,” said Roger. “I started hearing gun shots around the area, so I nudged him and suggested he stay alert because all the gun shots were an indicator the deer should be moving.”

Ten minutes later Nick spotted a mature doe coming toward them, and he readied his Remington .308 rifle.

Nick Cosby, 16, with one of three deer he took in Oglethorpe County on Nov. 17.

“As she moved rather quickly toward us, she looked up at us a couple of times but finally presented a clear shot, and one shot was all it took. She settled about 25 yards behind our stand. Nick had his first deer!” said Roger.

There was no hesitation from Nick at that moment of truth, and he had his first blood on the ground.

“After a couple of minutes of catching his breath, riding the adrenaline rush and giggling, hugging and replaying the event, we both heard a grunt,” said Roger. “With little time to react, a 5-pointer came in and was searching for that doe. The buck circled us a couple of times and really tested Nick’s patience. The buck finally presented a clean shot just three to four paces from where the doe lay. Nick’s aim was true, and just like that he had his first buck! Man we were stoked!”

Roger couldn’t believe what had unraveled in just a couple of minutes. Hours earlier he didn’t know if his son would be able to harvest a deer, and now he had two on the ground.

“A few minutes later we were talking and cutting up with each other and I said, ‘What the heck? Let’s hit the grunt call a few times since the deer seem to be moving.’ Within two minutes, Nick spotted another deer coming in to us. It was a large-bodied 8-pointer that came in and presented a 10-yard shot. Wow, three shots, three deer.

“The morning turned out to be magical for he and I as he harvested a mature doe, a 5-point and an 8-point, all within about a 20-minute time frame. He and I are some kind of proud but most thankful we got to experience this together.”

Want to have your hunt story published? Email a hunt story that’s at least about 750 words, along with at least two good photos, to [email protected].

With just 12 issues a year, not every hunt story will appear in GON magazine. However, hunt stories that meet some simple length requirements and have good photos will be reviewed for online publication and a possible push to social media. Some hunters might even be chosen to appear on the GON Outdoors Podcast.