Hunter: James McCoy
Points: 10 (5L, 5R)
County: De Kalb
Season: 2018-2019
Hunt Story
This was my second straight morning in the stand after getting off of school for Thanksgiving break to pursue a buck I have been hunting for 3 years. I had seen plenty of deer the first morning, but none were worth harvesting in my opinion. Later that afternoon though, I saw a buck I had been hunting for 3 years. I got into the stand around 6:45 in the morning and within 30 minutes of sitting I had action. Bucks all over were chasing doe. The rut had for sure started, and luckily I got off of school in time to get a long break and hunt. As the sun rose, I could see the bucks and doe running around. Two doe had stopped 30 yards from my stand, and I knew something was happening. Than all the bucks dispersed, and a buck I had never seen and much bigger than the one I had been hunting walked out. He started to chase a doe, stopping at nothing. He chased the doe to my right out of sight, then came barreling back to my left and out of sight. Some other bucks were chasing doe. Then, a doe came walking in from my left slowly with something following it. I saw the rack on the buck when he stopped and looked around for a second and knew he had returned. The doe came in at 20 yards, and I knew he would follow. So, I dialed my single pin sight in at 20 yards and waited. He then came to 20 yards, stopped and started feeding on acorns. I stood up slowly, drew back and hit the buck in the lungs. He then ran 60 yards, bedded down and died. When I retrieved the buck, it was bigger in person than I had believed. His tines were thick along with his rack being wider than any other I have seen in my area. This was truly a trophy buck for not only my area, but also Georgia. I have friends who have yet to kill a buck over 4 points and some who haven’t shot a buck yet. Shooting this buck meant a lot as I can not only rub it in on my friends, but also getting to go out into the wilderness and hunt. Chasing bucks is a hard thing, but when you are rewarded like this it is a great reward for all the hard work you put in. It is a bittersweet feeling, as you finally achieve a goal you have had for so long, but it is one that hurts because you won’t be able to chase the buck again. Being in the wild and having a competition, almost, against man and creature brings joy into my world. This event also lets me enjoy God’s grace in full effect. Experiencing nature in which He intended it and being blessed by being able to harvest such a deer is heart-warming. God’s grace is shown everywhere and especially in my deer I harvested this year.
