Hunter: Bruce Douthit
Points: 9 (5L, 4R)
County: Worth
Season: 2020-2021
Hunt Story
After getting busted by a mature doe last week, I decided I would change things up and hunt out of my climber stand overlooking a freshly harvested cotton with multiple scrapes and rubs along the tree line. As I was walking in with my climber on my back, I knew I was coming in a late for the afternoon hunt and sure enough when I rounded the corner where I decided hang my climber, two mature bucks were standing just inside the tree line and busted me. As I heard them running into the woods, I had a good feeling they would come back out shortly. So I decided to hang a doe in estrus scent bomb and stepped back a few yards and sit down along the opposite tree line facing a well used deer trail that I thought they would come out of. Not long after I got settled in on the ground about 40 yards from where I was busted, I just happened to look over my left shoulder to see the tips of antlers coming up over the ridge in the field about 120 yards out. I scrambled to get adjust to this deer before he crest the hill and was eye level with me. Once I got turned around the buck was on a steady trot heading straight toward me. He must have gotten wind of the scent bomb I placed behind me and he was on a B-line toward it. Within a few seconds the buck was close enough to see he was a mature wide buck, so I raised my rifle and hoped he would slow down and turn to give me a good shot. He keep coming straight ahead till he was within 50 yards from me. He turn just slightly to side step a mud puddle along the edge of the field and I knew this was my last chance too take the shot before he was on top of me. I leveled off my rifle square on his chest and squeezed the trigger. I knew I made a good shot when jumped and stumbled off into the thicket too my back. I heard him crashing through the trees and thick under brush. I decided to sit back and listen to make sure he didn’t get back up and run again. After 30 minutes I got up and walked over to where I last saw him before he jumped into the woods. I saw bright red blood splattered all over the underbrush and felt certain I hit the lungs and knew he won’t run very far. Sure enough I found him about 20 yards deep into the thicket.
