Hunter: Brian Adams
Points: 8 (4L, 4R)
County: Franklin
Season: 2023-2024
Hunt Story
The 2023/24 deer season has been really good to our little group of hunters. All of us have seen numerous bucks and no telling how many does and yearlings. And since I am self employed I usually hunt at least 6 days a week if not 7 some weeks. It’s been a good many years since I filled both buck tags and usually try to get several does for the freezer. But this season I took a 7-point that was probably around 5 years old that was fighting off several other bucks for the affections of a doe. This occurred on December 21. I figured this was my buck for the season since I had not seen anything else all season that was larger and we were getting towards the end of the rut I thought. I knew we had larger bucks around, but they get mighty smart towards the end of season. But on January 11, my hunting buddy and me was trying to get a couple of more does for the freezer when I lucked up on this buck. I was hunting a pasture that is probably 150 acres or more and borders a huge swamp. When I got to the stand that morning it was 23 degrees and a fog had risen from the swamp and everything was frozen like it had snowed. I was hunting a tower stand that I built a few years ago and the first hour was pretty cool that morning, but the sun finally got over the horizon and as things started to warm up around 8:30 I saw this deer come running out of the woods about 200 yards from me and as he was coming my way I let him come till he was about 50 yards from me and I gave a loud grunt with my mouth and he stopped. I placed the crosshairs on him and pulled the trigger. Snap. My 308 miss-fired. The deer heard it and took off up the hill towards a group of cattle. I chambered a new round tried to see where he went. Couldn’t see him and thought he was gone, when all of a sudden he reappeared and ran to my right going away from me. He ran all the way to the far wood line. I guess 200 yards or so and finally slowed to a walk. One leap and he would have been in the woods and gone. I took my time and put it on his front part of his shoulder and prayed my gun wouldn’t snap. It didn’t. Did I make a perfect shot? No. I hit him in the neck right below the ears. I guess he was meant to be mine after all. Since this was the last time I would be able to hunt this season I was pretty happy. Not the biggest I have ever taken but the latest and one of the most exciting.
