Hunter: Darien Lee
Points: 9 (5L, 4R)
County: Tift
Season: 2024-2025
Hunt Story
This buck, nicknamed Kicker 8 for the pronounced kicker off his left G2, has been a familiar buck to us over the past two seasons. Thanks to a heavy FRM protein diet through this past spring and summer, he truly flourished this year, adding impressive tine length and mass—just in time to make our shooter list at the 5.5 years old threshold. As is typical of mature South Georgia bucks, Kicker 8 was highly elusive, rarely moving during daylight hours. After several days of hunting him hard, I decided to take a break—and of course, that was the day he made an appearance at my primary stand, a solid hour before dark. It was disheartening; I feared I’d missed my only chance at him for the season, or perhaps forever, as we were in the “seeking phase” of the rut when bucks tend to roam widely. To my surprise and relief, it wasn’t the end of the story. Four days later, after patiently targeting him with no recent camera sightings, I caught a glimpse of a mature buck entering my plot on the afternoon of Friday, the 15th. One look through the binoculars, and I knew—it was him. The excitement was overwhelming, and “buck fever” set in fast. At 54, I’d argue that buck fever intensifies with age, as experience teaches you just how rare these moments are. My crosshairs were bouncing all over, and I quickly whispered a prayer: “Lord, please help me.” With steadied nerves, I held my breath and made the shot—a perfect, lethal hit at 145 yards. This harvest wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment of my fellow hunters and neighbors to a shared management plan. Letting bucks like Kicker 8 “go and grow” is no small effort, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who played a role in allowing this remarkable buck to reach full maturity.
