Hunter: Don Spillers
Points: 11 (6L, 5R)
County: Houston
Season: 2016-2017
Hunt Story
I was hunting an area that we had pictures of this deer for the last three years. I was in a climber in planted pines on Thanksgiving morning. I had moved my stand over about 50 yards from the previous morning into a thicker area where I was seeing a lot of the deer traveling the day before. I was in the stand and had been standing up, and I decided to sit down to check a text from my son. We had planned to sit about 200 yards apart since we only bow hunt to see if we could catch a big buck working through the pines from the oak bottom. I had been sitting for a minute when I heard a noise behind me. I looked back and all I could see was horns coming through the bushes. I eased up and grabbed my bow. By this time the buck was directly under me. I drew back as he walked away from me into a thick area of sweet gums. I realized at that moment I had let a big buck slip by me. I was holding back on the bow at full draw. My only option was to snort wheeze at him. I did and he stopped and turned to the right into a small opening at 30 yards. I took the shot and saw the arrow embed into the deer, and as he ran away the arrow caught in the bushes and pulled out. I still did not know that the deer was a deer we had named Sky Scraper four years ago. I waited an hour, and my son and I went to the area he was standing when I shot him. There was blood everywhere. We proceeded to follow the blood and found where he bedded down and there was lots of blood. He had gotten up and moved 30 yards and laid down again. At this point we heard something run up ahead so we decided to back out and wait. We then decided to call in some tracking dogs. The dogs got on his trail and we found him about 100 yards from the last spot he laid down. He was still alive but could not get up. I placed a second arrow into his side to finish him off. It was at that point my friend and son were yelling that I had shot Sky Scraper. What a Thanksgiving morning hunt. One I will never forget.
