Truck-Buck 2019-20: Week 17 Winner Warren Hershberger

Week 17: Warren Hershberger, 143 7/8 typical bow-kill
County: Hart        Date: Jan. 8, 2020

“I grew up in an outdoor family,” said Week 17 winner Warren Hershberger, 36, of Hartwell. “My brother started bowhunting about 15 years ago and convinced me to try it, and ever since I’ve been hooked. I’ve hunted exclusively with a bow since then. The challenge of getting a mature whitetail to within bow range is what hunting is all about for me personally.

“The story of this buck for me began in July and August when I got several pictures of him in velvet. I knew then he was very good buck to be a typical 8. As a lot of bucks do, he disappeared after losing his velvet, and I didn’t get a picture of him until Christmas morning at 2 a.m. Knowing he was back in the area, I put out a few more cameras and tried to pinpoint where he might be vulnerable.

“On New Year’s morning, I got a picture of him 20 minutes after legal shooting light heading toward a spot where I thought maybe he was bedding. The morning of Jan. 5, I went in several hours before daylight and hung a stand at a pinch point where he could be killed without smelling me. I saw a lot of deer that morning but not him. I still felt confident because none of the deer smelled me, and it was an area I had stayed out of the entire season up until this point.

Week 17: Warren Hershberger, of Hartwell, was bowhunting in Hart County on Jan. 8 when he killed this 8-pointer that netted 143 7/8.

“On Jan. 8, I had the same wind I needed and was in the tree well before daylight. I saw a few small bucks the first hour and a half, and around 8:40 I saw him just out of bow range. After about 5 minutes of catching glimpses of him, I saw several does walking right to my tree. At that point I put my release on my string because I knew he would be right behind. Thirty seconds later he gave me a slight quartering-to, 20-yard shot. I put the arrow where I wanted, but I was a little concerned I only hit one lung and liver. Knowing I needed him to bed down, I snuck out of the woods and gave him around four hours. Some hunting buddies who are a lot better at tracking then I am came back with me, and we found him approximately 125 yards from my tree.

“Finding my target buck with my buddies was a culmination of a lot of hours in the tree, strategizing and imagining what that moment would be like, and it didn’t disappoint. I’m so thankful for my brother convincing me to try hunting with a bow. I can’t imagine hunting any other way.”

Warren’s now has the No. 1 bow-buck ever recorded from Hart County, and it ranks No. 9 of Hart’s all-time list.

Warren will be shooting in the finals to win a new Silverado pickup truck from longtime Truck-Buck sponsor John Megel Chevrolet. He has already won a $1,140 Browning deer rifle and a prize package which includes Antler Addict Mineral and 4S Draw from 4S Advanced Wildlife Solutions, a safety harness from Hunter Safety System and a Shoot-Out shirt from Realtree.

GON’s Official All-Time Hart County Buck Rankings