Hunting is one of my most favorite things to do when I’m not busy with school or playing baseball. I have been hunting since I was 7 years old. I’m very lucky that I have two uncles who love to hunt just as much as I do. My Uncle Tom lives in Sweetwater, Texas, as I do, and has taken me hunting on several places around Bronte, Texas. I shot my first deer when I was 7 years old just north of Bronte, Texas. I shot my second one, a 10-point, at the same place. I shot my sixth deer, an eight-point, on the same place near Bronte and had it mounted. It was unique in that it had a double main beam on the right side. It’s hanging on my bedroom wall and looks great. On Dec. 23, 2009, I shot an eight-point that scored 122 on my own land in Stonewall County (10 miles north of Rotan, Texas). On this hunt I was with my dad and my Uncle Gregg, who lives in Lovelady, Texas, and comes in for Christmas every year a little early for some hunting time. This year at the beginning of bow season, I shot a 13-point where I hunt in Bronte, Texas, that scored 127. I also shot a hog on my place in Stonewall County with my Uncle Tom. Dec. 23, 2010 was the day that I shot the buck of my dreams. It was a cold and foggy morning. I was waiting for my Uncle Gregg, my buddy Addison, and my cousin J.D. to pick me up for our hunting trip in Stonewall County. This would make the third year in a row for me to go hunting with one of my uncles on this day. That morning I just had a feeling that we were going to kill something big, and oh, boy was I right! First we went to a swampy-like canyon to look for some hogs. We saw a couple, but they were just too small. When we got back on the top, there’s a little tank on the other side, so I looked over towards it. I thought I was looking at a monster buck, but it was just a stump. That got me really excited, so I asked my uncle if we could try some rattling, because deer were in the rut. A week before the day I shot my monster, we rattled in a 140-class 10-point, but it smelled us and took off. We decided to go try that spot again and see if that same 10-point would come in and give me a chance at a shot. This place was on top of a canyon and you could see down below. After we found some brush to hide in, my uncle started out by grunting. Then we started whacking the antlers together. About 15 minutes after he started, we heard some movement in the brush, so I got my gun ready—and what do you know—it was a coyote. So, we got back to the pickup and went back to the place near the tank. When we got there, Addison spotted some does so we looked for any signs of a buck. My cousin J.D. said, “Oh my gosh, look at that rub.” We started glassing with our binoculars, looking across the canyon. As I looked up, I saw the buck of my dreams standing there with a doe. I got my Remington Mohawk .243 ready for action. As I pulled the trigger, I knew that I had the crosshairs right on its shoulder. I was pretty confident as it ran off. As we went to go look for the blood trail, my buddy Addison yelled, “I found it.” As I was walking up to it, tears started shedding from my eyes. When I got the antlers in my hands I tried to wake myself up as if it was all a dream. It was an 11-point buck with an 8-inch brow tine with a 4-inch split on the right tine. It was 17 inches wide, but the height and mass were tremendous. It scored 172. What a hunt! We all had a great time, and I can’t think of a better Christmas present.
