Hunter: Terry Phillips
Points: 9 (4L, 5R)
County: Dooly
Season: 2020-2021
Hunt Story
We saw this buck numerous times last season and nicknamed him, "V9," due to the v-shaped characteristic on his left beam between his G2 and G3. My boys and I found one of his sheds over the winter and we had hundreds of pictures of him this summer coming to one of our feeder stations. Year over year, he added quite a bit of mass and tine length. Opening Day afternoon, I was set up on a flat section of hardwoods along the edge of an old clear cut transition line that led to a big cotton field. Around 7 pm, I saw him walk across a ridge top about 50 yards away and then make a 90 degree turn towards me. It was then that I noticed something that I had never seen before while actually hunting...he was still in full velvet! I was able to make a 20-yard shot as he steadily walked through a shooting lane. Unfortunately, I did not get a pass-through and there were only a few spots of blood on some water oak leaves around the arrow. After making a sweep through the woods for a couple of hundred yards ahead, I reluctantly decided to back out. Shortly after daybreak the next morning turned out to a joyful occasion, however. My 15-year-old son and I found him together, what a great moment.
