I posted this in January of 2015, at the time he was my biggest buck and he was first of a run of 12 bucks in Alabama I have shot and mounted in the past 8 years.


I have hunted deer for about 15 years, a lot of it public land, been pretty serious about it at times. I have taken many does and some smaller bucks, but nothing I ever even considered to be a trophy worthy of being mounted. I have had encounters with Mature bucks about 6 times, all but one were on the ground and most within bowrange. But in those close encounters, as with most mature bucks, the bucks always seem to know exactly how to ensure either a sketchy shot or no shot at all. I had begun to think I was snakebit on taking a mature buck worth mounting.

Yesterday, That all changed and the good Lord blessed me. I was going in the morning, but decided to sleep in and spend time with the family. A good buddy was going after church, he text me about mid morning and said "he was shooting to go by 2:30." I'm not going to lie, I was bummed out, and thought it was going to be a bust with us going so late. But, with both of us having young children, and little free time any time we can sneak away in the woods is a bonus.
We both got to the property about the same time, we were hunting opposite sides of a 45ac. Lake that acts as a pinch point. I got ready and started my 20 min walk at 2:30. I walked a short way into the woods and sprayed the end my pull up with doe estrous to drag along. I have to cross a partially submerged dam to get to the peninsula I am hunting on the upper end of the lake, where the upper Dam creates a pinch point where the deer cross to come around the lake. I get across the first dam and stop to respray my rope. I start back slipping up the peninsula ridge easily and quietly along, after about 20 yards I look to my left and see a Doe at 60yds get up from being bedded. I swing my gun and at least 6 deer blow out of their beds around her and run back away from me. The direction they are running, they are going to have to circle the peninsula or swim the lake. I start running to the top of the ridge where I can see down the other side to the lake. I see them sticking close to the bank and running full bore, no shot. I am still 200+ yards from where I am hunting, so I continue slipping in that direction down through a draw and up onto the ridge I am going to hunt. As I am coming up the ridge I see a doe, and drop to one knee and put her in the scope. As we are having a stare down, I start scanning around her and see a chest and large neck come out from behind a big pine. I swing my gun and can only see his face and left base and I can tell it is a good buck. He takes a step and is locked in on the doe who is locked in on me. He is slightly quartering To me and I settle the crosshairs on the point of his shoulder and squeeze the trigger. When the gun goes off all hail breaks loose and 4 or 5 does scatter and he just disappeared. But I hear what sounds like a pig baying LOUDLY. I stand there trying to take in what just happened, look at my phone and it is 3:05. I reload my gun and ease up onto the ridge and a couple more does take off and jump in and swim across the lake and run right by my buddy, who drops one. I am still not sure how good of a buck he is but I am pretty sure he is down. I eased up to him and once I see antlers sticking up from the leaves another doe takes off!
Here is what I walked up to!



He is my best to date! He is a typical 8 with a kicker on his right G2 and a crabclaw on the right beam making him a Nine point. I am thankful to the good Lord for blessing me with such a fine hunt and a great friend to share it with.