Hunter: Robert Stephens
Points: 9 (4L, 5R)
County: Lee
Season: 2022-2023
Hunt Story
I started seeing this deer during muzzleloader season in a different location on the property. The buck was coming to a feeder that I had set up in the woods. I hunted several times with my Muzzle Loader but never saw him. As normal, he would only show up at dark and early morning. It was only a few days before opening day for modern firearms that I set up another hunting stand on a small plot in the woods about 200 yards from where I saw him the first time. We checked cameras on a Sunday morning and realized he had moved to the small plot stand. I now had a daytime picture of him. I hunted that afternoon, lots of small bucks and does, but not him. I went back the next morning and he appeared about 7:40 AM, just getting daylight. I watched him for a few minutes, and decided I would take him. It was about a 70-yard shot through the woods. It was a beautiful clear sunny morning, and I was proud to take such a beautiful buck. We have been trying to trophy manage for over 6 years, and it's starting to pay off. I've been deer hunting in Georgia for over 52 years, and this was a very special day.