Hunter: Ted Turner III
Points: 8 (4L, 4R)
County: Jenkins
Season: 2023-2024
Hunt Story
It was a rather chilly, wet-feeling morning and I was running a bit behind. Daylight was already creeping in so I knew I had to rush. But I decided it would be a good morning to take a cup of coffee for some warmth later on. I was already late so, why not. It would only take an extra minute. So I made one up and headed out the door. Soon after, I made my way through the timber on my way to the stand. I always glance through the pines when walking to my stands. It's always been a good idea to keep a lookout for some unexpected deer on the way in. Dad taught me this amongst much more over the years. And this morning, it paid off. Down a pine row and around 100 yards from me was a large-bodied deer with some decent antlers. I froze, eased down behind some brush and backed into cover. My desired coffee became a low priority as I tossed it to the ground and swung my rifle from my shoulder. I dialed the scope up to 12 and eased back out to try to see what kind of buck was there. At first, it was hard to tell much. I knew the buck was decent, but how big? We have been selective of our buck harvest for years and always try to make a good judgment on size when we can. Well this morning wasn't going to be one of those mornings. After having no good view of him from my crouched position, I maneuvered over to the next pine row. I tried to look again but still no luck. No matter the position, the low bushes were determined to stay in the way. After a few more moves through the pines and still no luck I decided to go for the last resort. I took position in the middle of the pine row, no cover, and stood up. About the moment I saw him clearly, he saw me too. And I knew that this moment would last at best, a few seconds. As he looked my way he turned and faced me. He stomped and stretched his head up high and gave me a quick glance at a good wide rack of antlers. And in the next moment, turned his head to the side. I knew there was a good enough rack there (and a buck that I'm not certain I've seen before) that it was time to take the shot. I settled the crosshairs into the vitals and squeezed. It wasn't the easiest shot. At this point, I had been crawling all over the ground, free handing the rifle and still had the scope's power on 12. But the shot placement was perfect. He collapsed a bit, and ran. I immediately went down to check for blood but luckily there was no need. He was piled up just past where he last stood. All in all, lesson learned. Even when you're late to the stand, still head on out. You never know when it just might work in your favor.
