Hunter: John Rowell
Points: 10 (5L, 5R)
County: Walton
Season: 2019-2020
Hunt Story
Tons of history with this buck. Fall 2016 have on camera as basket 8 (most likely a 2 year old). Fall 2017 & 2018 he was a 10. This year (Fall 2019) he gained much more mass and grew a little tine length. After Class at letting out the afternoon of 11/14/2019 at 3:15 pm I headed home to Walton for an afternoon hunt. I arrived at the base of my climber at 4:15 and had climbed to my favored position in tree by 4:30. Gun was at base of tree still attached to rope. Before pulling gun to top of stand I looked around to see if I was missing anything before I sat down. I look 150+ yards to my left and see doe trotting across powerline. Without sitting down, I quickly pull rope with gun to top of stand and before I could even chamber a bullet my target buck walks out into the middle of powerline. I quickly chamber a bullet into my 30-06 and put two shots on him. I couldn’t believe my hunt was over before it had even started! Rope still attached to gun, I lower gun back down stand and wait 15 minutes before I take up search. Great blood trail until creek where he had apparently crossed about 75-100 yards from where I had shot him. I wisely called my friend Nick Skinner and his World Class dogs to assist me on the track across the creek. As soon as Nick arrived at 9:30 the dogs had no difficulty picking up the trail and took us straight to the buck! What an awesome experience and a long time coming! Thankful to the Man Upstairs for blessing me with a 21st birthday buck!