Hunter: Jonny Hollon
Points: 8 (4L, 4R)
County: Meriwether
Season: 2018-2019
Hunt Story
Myself and a couple of hunting buddies were sitting around the campfire Saturday night at our lease wondering what in the world in going on! It is November 10th and we are seeing zero signs of rut activity! We had A LOT of rain that week so maybe that's what holding them up. But we're usually seeing chasing by now. Most of our property is planted pines and we can hear grunting and crashing through the pines when the rut is in full swing but nothing thus far. Sunday morning, I got to the stand about an hour before sunrise and patiently awaited for sunrise. Not to long after sunrise, my phone goes off. It's one of my hunting buddies on my lease, he shot an 8-point chasing a doe! I instantly get fired up thinking "finally, the rut is on"! Well, 8 a.m. rolls around and nothing, not a doe, not a spike, nothing is moving where I am. And I'm thinking to myself, what in the world is going on! It was almost frustrating! Well, 9 a.m. rolls around and still nothing... Knowing that I have to get out of the stand at 9:30 to make it home for family Christmas pictures, I'm thinking to myself "another weekend gone." Then all of a sudden, I see a buck running dead at me at about 50 yards. I raise my gun up and rest it on the shooting rail. He stops at about 15-20 yards in front of me, and "BOOM" I pull the trigger. He runs out of sight in our planted pines and I give him about 20 minutes or so. I get down and have a pretty good blood trail, and I find him about 35-40 yards from the shot! I had three shooter bucks on camera, and I was pretty sure this was one we call "high and tight" when I pulled the trigger. But once I recovered the deer, I don't have a single picture of him on camera. Once I got him back to camp, none of my hunting buddies had pictures of him either. So it is safe to say the rut is on in Meriwether! And also, I was only a few minutes late to the family Christmas pictures. My wife forgave me!
