Buck was looking for rutting does when it stepped into shooting lane.
Tony Sattler knew a big buck with an unusual rack was in the area; his trail camera had validated it. Sattler also knew that the rut was about to kick in, as his 9-year-old son had downed a big 8-point that was in hot pursuit of a doe Buckthe week before.
So he took advantage of the opportunity on a clear cold morning Tuesday (Nov. 13) to be in his stand.
His hunch paid off because half an hour after daylight, the big bruiser he had seen on the trail-cam photos stepped out. Sattler settled the crosshairs of his 7mm Mag on the buck’s shoulder and squeezed the trigger.
Moments later Sattler was standing over a big 16-point buck – an 18-pointer if two additional stickers measuring just less than an inch long were counted. The deer has been estimated to score in the 150s.
“I’m in the Mossy Break hunting club in DeSoto Parish with several friends, some of whom work with me for Weyerhaeuser Company,” the 40-year-old Weyerhaeuser harvest manager said. “We have a couple of parcels of property in the club, and the 1,200-acre portion I was hunting on is located near the junction of I-49 and US Highway 84 in DeSoto Parish.”
Sattler watched dawn just starting to break over food plot when a doe stepped out shortly after 6 a.m. and fed on the Pennington wildlife mix growing in the green patch before she moved on.
“Then at around 6:30, I saw movement and recognized the big buck I’d seen on my trail camera as it moved across a shooting lane. He was checking the lane to see if a hot doe had recently crossed,” Sattler said. “I don’t think he was following the doe I’d seen earlier but was just testing the air to see if he could pick up the scent of a hot doe.”
The buck was moving at a fast walk, so Sattler had to act quickly if he was to have a chance at the buck.
“He was just about to leave the shooting lane when I grunted with my mouth, and he stopped 150 yards from me. I put the crosshairs on his shoulder, pulled the trigger and the deer took off,” Sattler said.
The fact that the buck didn’t pile up on the spot was somewhat unsettling to Sattler, as he felt confident in his shooting ability and expected the buck to drop.
His nerves weren’t calmed when he climbed down, went to the site and didn’t find evidence of a hit.
However, his fears were unfounded because when he looked in the direction the deer had run, the buck was piled up some 30 yards away.
The 205-pound whitetail sported a heavy rack with 10 mainframe points, with an addition 6 points boosting the deer’s score. Inside spread was 16 ¼ inches, and main beams were just over 20 inches long with bases in the 4- to 5-inch range. The circumference measurements carried all the way up both antlers.
“We rough scored him at over 150 inches,” Sattler said. “I took him to a local big buck contest that only measures outside spread and number of points to come up with a score, and as of now, it’s leading that contest.
“I just happened to be in the right place when the buck decided to make his move, and I’m sure glad I picked that spot.”
Click here to read about other big bucks.
And don’t forget to post photos of your kills in the Nikon Big Buck Contest, which is free to all registered users. Not a member of the site yet? It’s free, so click here to get started today!