Hunter: Stone St. Clair
Points: 7 (3L, 4R)
County: Peach
Season: 2018-2019
Hunt Story
Written by witness, the father (Will St. Clair) of the hunter Stone. November 21, I promised to take Stone hunting on his 10th birthday. We go to a family friend’s property and pick up their son Cory to hunt with us. We get situated in a box stand right before daylight in some pines between an oak bottom and a food plot. Stone had not shot a deer yet and was looking to getting his first deer on his birthday. He had actually determined it was going to be a 10-pointer for his 10th birthday. But being his first deer we were not going to be too selective. After about an hour in the stand, we start seeing some does moving. One walks by on our left side and then walks right in front of our stand about 45 yards away. He was ready to shoot and took a good shot. The doe ran 30 yards and stopped, so I was trying to help him cycle another round in his ride, looked back up and the deer was gone. Cort seemed to think he saw the deer drop there. Since deer were moving, we sat there for a while, and about 10-15 minutes later two more does walk in and Cort makes a great shot from 50 yards away, and we all see the deer go down. So sitting in the stand with two 10 year olds, they start squealing and are excited about putting their hands on their deer. We quickly find Cort’s deer but can’t find Stone’s. We could not find any sign of blood or hair. We determined he had missed. After a good effort of looking with no luck, Stone is upset and I give him the option to keep hunting. He chooses to keep hunting, I agree but expecting there is no way we will see another deer. We get back in the stand, say a quick prayer, and wait. We didn’t have to wait long, literally less than five minutes. I can see about 250 yards away a deer moving. I let the boys know, they get situated. As it comes closer, I see that it is a buck. And I’m thinking there is no way this deer is coming all the way in. It keeps moving, obviously on a trail, and as it is about 150 yards away, I see it is a really nice deer. I get my rifle up because there is no way we are going to let this deer pass. This deer gets about 65 yards away, heading straight for us, then turns to his left. As soon as he turns, my son shoots uncommanded. I initially thought he missed, it was too quick. The deer ran 20 yards, kicked its front feet up and fell down. In couldn’t believe it! We all screamed! High fives, fist bumps, hollars, didn’t do the celebration justice that was exploding in the inside. It was his birthday, we went from a high of killing his first deer, to the absolute low of missing the deer, to excitement of killing a deer of this caliber. As a dad, it was a top 10 day of my life.
