Hunter: Will Golden
Points: 13 (7L, 6R)
County: Wilkes
Season: 2015-2016
Hunt Story
It was Saturday, November 14th. We had just finished watching the Dawgs vs Auburn game back at camp, and the second half had begun, but I had to get to the woods. I couldn't stand it any longer as we had already been seeing plenty of deer and the rut was on. I made my way to and was hunting the afternoon hunt and hunting a tree I had only hunted for the second time ever. Side note - last year, being the first and only other time I'd hunted in this particular tree, nearly the same exact week of the season, at nearly the same exact time, I shot and killed a 135 0/8" 10-point, which to date was the biggest buck I'd ever harvested. I hadn't seen anything thus far that afternoon, but it was a gorgeous afternoon and just that perfect deer hunting weather. You guys know the weather I'm speaking of. The younger bucks were already chasing and the mature bucks were still cruising on our property, searching for "the one," I suppose. I had my usual "Gotcha Buck" set up: Tinks 69, 50 yards upwind, Tinks #1 50 yards downwind and my drag line, saturated in Bowhunter's Fatal Obsession hanging on a branch directly under me. Again, I hadn't seen anything all afternoon, and then there he was - out of nowhere, he appeared from behind me and crossed the old logging lane I was set up and hunting on, approximately 50 yards to my left and initially, I thought this was one of several other bucks (non-shooters by our club standards), we had trail cam pics of and had been seeing regularly, but as I glassed him with my Nikon binoculars, I noticed a split G-2 on his left and realized immediately, this was not a deer I had seen before. The buck, instead of continuing straight toward my food plot, in his initial direction, turned left and started away from me. I grabbed my Primos Buck Road and hit it twice, and not only did this stop the deer, but just ticked him off and the mature buck did a full 180 and went into a run straight toward my stand set-up. I immediately knew this was a shooter and found him in my scope and attempted a running shot and missed. The buck then turned and ran into the thick stuff behind me. I had already chambered another round, and at the time didn't realize it, but failed to close the bolt on my Remington 700 BDL .30-06, and when I whistled, the buck stopped broad side and in an opening about 45 yards behind me, I squeezed the trigger and nothing. I then, in an obvious panic, ejected and chambered another shell, and the deer hearing the action of the next round being chambered, took off again. I whistled once more as loud as I possibly could and believe I even may have yelled "hey!" or something to that nature and he stopped, once more in a small opening, but now approximately 80 yards behind me. I squeezed again, and this time, smoked him!! Deer down!! What a hunt!
