Hunter: Jason Johnson
Points: 10 (5L, 5R)
County: Fulton
Season: 2023-2024
Hunt Story
The day before the hunt, my 4-year-old son, Davy, and I cleared out a trail to my tree. I am a big believer in clearing out trails, because I want to be able to get in without even breaking a twig. The next day, on Saturday morning, the entry went as planned and I was able to get into place without spooking anything. I tethered into my saddle and knocked an arrow just before shooting light. The woods smelled like buck tarsal glands. It seemed like it was happening, and it was! At about 7:50 a.m. I saw a doe moving fast through the brush with a big-bodied deer following her closely. All I could see at that moment was a very black tarsal gland on the trailing buck. They covered the ground pretty fast and they both got within 75 yards before starting to head in the wrong direction. At that point I decided to throw a Hail Mary and hit the grunt call. I hit a mature doe bleat followed but two very aggressive and deep buck grunts. The buck stopped for a moment and then broke away from the doe and came down the hill straight towards me. As the deer was rapidly approaching, I could see his antlers more clearly and it became apparent that he was a very good buck. As he was coming, I remember closing my eyes and praying, “God give me peace in this moment and the strength to do my job and seal the deal.” The deer was now standing 25 yards from me and facing me. He was throwing his nose up trying to wind the deer which he thought he had just heard. As he was lifting his head into the air, I realized that he was a beast. I tried to keep my eyes off of his rack, because it wasn’t helping my nerves at all! I had been here in my dreams and imagination many times before, but this time it was real. He then started a brisk walk to his side presenting a 20-yard shot. I drew my bow when his head went behind a tree and I got my sight on him. I tried stopping the deer three times with increasing sound intensity, but it became clear that he was not going to stop. In a split second I decided to shoot him while he was moving. I found a hole through the brush, as it was very thick, and I let her fly. The shot felt perfect and I saw the point of impact on the rib cage as the big brute bounded away. At that moment both of my knees buckled and I dropped into the tree in front of me. I prayed hard for everything to be as it seemed and for a quick and efficient kill. The next few hours were the hardest of my life as I forced myself to stay in my tree and give the deer time. I called my dad, Lee Johnson, who has taught me so much about archery, as well as a few close friends to discuss the situation with them. After waiting for what I felt was a responsible amount of time for the situation, I got down and met up with my close friend Toby Houston who helped me pick up a blood trail. It was now about three hours after the shot as we slowly followed a light blood trail for close to 100 yards. We were both getting a little nervous at the lack of blood, but I was very confident with the shot so we carefully and slowly pressed on. We reached the edge of a creek that had very steep banks where we found sign that the deer stopped for a few seconds. At that point Toby looked over the edge into the creek and said, “there he is!” The sweetest words that I could hear. I was ecstatic and in shock! It turns out the broad-head had gone through the vitals and buried into the opposite side leg bone which prevented an exit, thus explaining the lack of a good blood trail. This day was one of my best and will never be forgotten. I consider myself immensely blessed to have had an opportunity like this with such an incredible deer! Jason Johnson is a dentist in McDonough, GA and his father Lee Johnson is a master taxidermist whose studio, Uniques Taxidermy, has been located in Fairburn, GA, for over 50 years.
