Hunter: Melinda Hortman
Points: 8 (4L, 4R)
County: Taylor
Season: 2019-2020
Hunt Story
I got home from work around 4:00 with the intentions of working in the barn. My husband suggested I go and sit in the stand, and with a little hesitation, I was in the stand by 4:30. Around 4:45 does began to cross the field with small bucks chasing them. I had a doe behind me blowing every time the wind shifted. After the third time hearing her blow, I slowly turned around to my right, and saw the buck walking out of the woods. As I grabbed my rifle, he stopped and looked at me, then proceeded to run down the road next to the wood line. He then turned into the field headed for the pines, and I whistled to get him to stop. He was about 20 feet from the pines when I got a clear look at his size and took the shot. He ran into the pines then I heard him fall. My husband was hunting in another stand and texted me, \"Was that you?\" and I replied \"Yes.\" I waited a few minutes before I climbed out of my stand to look for my deer. It was beginning to rain harder and I wanted to get him loaded up and back to the barn as soon as possible. About the time my husband drove up, I found him. The buck ran about 50 feet from where I shot him with my Remington .223. With a pounding heart and shaky hands I was elated that it was indeed the deer I was hunting.
