But big 12-pointer not found until nine days after hunt
Caity Brown is a 22-year-old occupational therapy student at the University of Louisiana at Monroe who has her boyfriend to thank for coaching her through the conquest of a massive 12-point buck that green-scored about 190 inches.
It was Nov. 15 when she and Daniel Echols climbed into a box stand overlooking a food plot on family land in Morehouse Parish. The goal of the hunt was a big buck Daniel had captured on trail cam during the last three months, and he wanted Brown to have a chance at waylaying the trophy.
“Because of her school schedule, this was the only day Caity could go hunting within the next two weeks. Unfortunately, the wind was wrong that morning to hunt this particular stand where cameras had shown the buck hanging out,” Echols said. “Thankfully, the wind shifted to the south that afternoon and we were able to get to the stand around 2 o’clock undetected.”
Soon after the couple got settled in, two small bucks walked out and began feeding on the food plot. Echols had Brown put the scope of her .308 on the bucks to practice where to hold the crosshairs if the shooter walked out.
Moments later, the big buck obliged and stepped into the lane.
“I told Caity the one we wanted was in the food plot and told her to put the scope on him and wait until he turned broadside,” Echols said.
She was able to get the scope on the deer, but a serious case of nerves set in.
“It was hard to keep the crosshairs on him because I was shaking so bad,” she said. “Daniel told me to put the gun down, look at him and take several deep breaths.
“I did and it sort of calmed me down.”
When the buck turned broadside at around 140 yards, Echols told her to put the crosshairs behind the buck’s shoulder and pull the trigger.
She did as she was instructed, and they watched as the deer bolted into thick CRP land adjacent to the food plot.
“I was able to see the impact when she shot and she hit him high in the shoulder. I was a little worried because I had my doubts about this being a lethal blow, and the deer could live quite a while before dying,” Echols said. “I knew, too, in all that thick CRP stuff, he could lay up until he died and it would be nearly impossible to find him.”
Unfortunately, Echols’ hunch was correct.
The deer, or at least what remained of the carcass after coyotes finished it up, was not found until nine days later.
“After searching every day, I knew he was in all that thick stuff somewhere so I got a group of friends and we marked off a grid, determined to search every square inch of the place,” he said. “We had to get down and crawl in some areas, but I spotted antlers sticking up only 100 yards or so from where she shot him.”
The buck was estimated to have weighed at least 250 pounds and carried massive head gear.
The inside spread was the least impressive of the statistics, measuring only 14 ½ inches. But with main beams of more than 24 inches, brow times of 7 and 8 inches, bases of 5 ½ inches and mass and length from his G-2s to G-6s, the rack was scored at Simmons Sporting Goods in Bastrop at 188 1/8 inches. TP Outdoors in West Monroe scored the rack at 194 7/8 inches.
The buck currently occupies the top spot in the women’s category in Simmons big buck contest.
Don’t forget to enter photos of your bucks in the Nikon Big Buck Photo Contest to be eligible for monthly giveaways and the random drawing for Nikon Monarch binoculars at the end of the contest.
Read other stories about big bucks killed this season by clicking here.
