Trophy Buck Profile
Spring 2014
By Josie Filkens
The Sulfur Creek Buck
Monday Dec 2, 2013 was no ordinary morning for me! It was opening day of the 2013 deer gun season in Ohio and I was woke up by my husband in the early hours to go shoot a buck. He was up getting ready to head to work. I did my usual, “I am to tired and I don't feel good” but he said “its the first day of gun season and you better get your butt in the tree”.
I got up, curled my hair, put on my make up, earings, and wedding rings. I also had to make sure I had my pink on which is my favorite color and headed out the door. I arrived at my tree stand and was set up by 6:15am. It was still dark out.
While sitting in my tree stand I had a million things run through my head. Things I want to do, things I need to do, song lyrics, and those were just a few of them. I also thought to myself, "come here big buck". I hope I see something, anything. Just then I heard something running there the pine trees to the left of me. It was a doe, she was moving at a pretty fast pace. I had my fingers crossed because I could see something following her. I had my gun up and safety on. She went about 40 yards and stopped. I looked back to the left of me and saw a buck with a nice rack with his nose to the ground, following her scent. He went about 40 yards and stopped right where the doe had stopped earlier. I pulled my gun up and clicked the safety off. I pulled the trigger. Bang! The buck didn't move. Bang! Still no movement. Bang! The buck tucked his tail and took off in a full sprint. He ran across a sulfur creek and jumped up on the bank going away from me. Then he stopped and I watched him fall down the bank and into the creek!
I called my husband from the tree stand and said, “I shot a buck!” Of course his first question was how big? I told him maybe an 8 point but it was hard to tell. He told me to wait a few minutes before I got out of my stand. I was so excited I could hardly wait. Five minutes seemed long enough to me so I climbed down. I walked slowly towards the deer. I was looking for blood. As I walked toward the sulfur creek I could see him laying in the water with his rack sticking out.
Oh my! Oh my! I am in trouble, I thought as I grabbed my head . He was an 11 point buck with a crab claw and 19 inch spread! I was jumping up and down in the middle of the woods, yelling yoohoo!
I am 30 years old and this was my very first buck ever! I have been bow and gun hunting for 3 years now and I had taken a monster with my very first shot at a buck!
The morning of Dec 2, 2013 was no ordinary morning for me. I shot an 11 point buck!