Wilkinson County Redemption Buck

Britney Cannon, of Macon, connected with this Wilkinson County buck after two seasons of hunting him.

Britney Cannon, of Macon, finally had some luck connecting with a buck her and her husband, Jason, had been after for two seasons. Last season, Britney’s family began leasing hunting land in Wilkinson County and quickly realized they had a trophy buck to pursue.

“Last season I missed him because my bow got caught in the window of the blind. I panicked and he looked right at me, and I ended up shooting under him,” said Britney.

Feeling defeated after this, Britney and her husband continued after the buck every chance they had.

“About a week later, my husband had a chance at him but hit in him ‘no man’s land,’ and then he ghosted us until mid-November,” said Britney.

The couple was glad to know the buck had fully recovered, and they could continue after him. The rest of the season passed with no more chances at their target buck. Fast forward to the 2023 season, and Britney was finally able to get her redemption shot when the buck came into a food plot just before dark on Saturday, Sept. 16.

“I’d been scanning the field with my binoculars when I saw him just inside the woodline,” said Britney. “I just prayed he would come close enough before it was too late to shoot.”

Her wishes came true when the buck made the fatal mistake of coming into the food plot, setting up for a perfect shot.

“I waited for what seemed like an eternity for him to come into my shooting window, but as soon as he did and I could see his shoulder, I pulled the trigger on my crossbow,” said Britney.

Britney saw him run only a short distance before hearing him crash through the pines.

“I called my husband immediately and said ‘I just shot him!’” said Britney. “Then I apparently started mumbling because my husband kept saying I just needed to calm down.”

Britney’s buck story was made even more special because she was able to take down the buck with her father-in-law’s X-Caliber crossbow. Her father-in-law, Andy Cannon, passed away in 2019, but not before Britney gained his love for the outdoors.

“He’s the one who taught me how to shoot, many of my best hunting memories include him,” said Britney.

The buck is estimated to gross in the mid to upper 140s.