Truck-Buck 2019-20: Ladies Wildcard Winner Juli McCaskill

Ladies Wildcard: Juli McCaskill, 146 6/8 typical
County: Turner
Date: Nov. 2, Week 8

With a buck that netted 146 6/8, Juli McCaskill, of Statesboro, came in fifth place during a very tough Week 8 in last season’s Truck-Buck contest. That score is high enough to win most weeks, and it was high enough to earn the Ladies Wildcard as the best buck taken by a female hunter in the contest that didn’t win a week.

“I grew up in a family full of hunters because my family has some hunting land. However, I lived with my mother who did not hunt, so I was not directly exposed to it,” Juli said. “I was a competitive gymnast and active with school, so I didn’t have extra time for hunting nor did I have the money to buy a rifle, camo, insulated gear, binoculars, etc. Then in college I was very focused on my school work and didn’t make time for much else. I have narcolepsy, so when I wasn’t studying I was sleeping pretty much. I am now a physician assistant, so clearly I didn’t have time or money to start hunting while in PA school.”

It wasn’t until 2013 when Juli met her now husband, Morrell McCaskill, that she started hunting.

Ladies Wildcard: Juli McCaskill, of Statesboro, with her 146 6/8-inch Turner County buck.

“I knew how to shoot, but I didn’t know how to hunt. My husband taught me even more about how to be a better shot and steady my gun. He taught me how to move, or not move, in a deer stand, even though I am still working on this part. He taught me about how deer move, how they chase, how they sound, noises they make and why, and things to look for while in a stand. I wouldn’t have this deer on the wall today if it weren’t for him. My husband actually saw this deer earlier that morning in the same stand. He let him walk and got video of him with the intention of letting me have a chance at him that evening as my first buck.

“That evening he put me out in that same stand. I saw a nice split brow tine buck chasing a doe, but I couldn’t get a shot on him. Then I saw a 6-point feeding in the green strip in front of me. There was a ruckus in the woods, and he kept staring off into the woods. I kept looking with my binoculars to see what he was looking at, and out walks this guy! I saw the left side of his rack, dropped my binoculars and got my rifle up. I got him in the crosshairs and I was shaking like a leaf. I told myself to remember what my husband had taught me about shooting. I tried to calm down, took a deep breath, let it out, and gently pulled the trigger. My husband and father-in-law came to get me and my father in law found him just 15 feet from where I shot him. My husband picked me up and spun me around with tears of joy in his eyes. It was the best hunt ever.”

As the highest-scoring contest buck of the season entered by a female that didn’t win a week, Juli is in the Shoot-Out as the Ladies Wildcard winner and has a chance at the truck from long-time Truck-Buck sponsor John Megel Chevrolet.

As a wildcard winner, Juli has already earned a $250 gift card from Agri-Supply, a safety harness from Hunter Safety System, a multi-tool from Havalon and some Antler Addict and 4S Draw from 4S Advanced Wildlife Solutions.

GON’s Official All-Time Turner County Buck Rankings