Hunter: David Slattery
Points: 8 (4L, 4R)
County: Jasper
Season: 2016-2017
Hunt Story
I had taken the day off to extend my weekend for the Doe Days opener, and I wanted to get a bit of time in without a lot of pressure on the property. This was my third day of hunting, and I had seen a few does and two smaller bucks through Saturday and Sunday. Monday, the morning of the harvest, was cool but I knew the temperature was going to climb after sun up. It was a busy morning on the stand since I saw two other immature bucks first thing in the morning. I also heard some hogs moving in closer, and thought I might get a shot at one of them, but they never came into sight. I was on a tripod stand backed up to a privet hedge to help conceal outline. It all happened pretty quickly from hearing then to seeing the buck. He came in from behind me, and when I first saw him, I wasn't able to make out whether he had horns or not. As he passed in front of a large oak tree, I turned and shouldered my rifle. When he passed the oak and I saw his horns, I couldn't believe my luck. He was only 25 or 30 feet from me when I shot. He went straight down to the ground. My shot entered his upper right rib cage and exited through his middle chest.
