Shea Harvey, 30, lives in Springhill but his job is with Tejas Completion Service, where he works in the fracking business. His 8 ½ hour trips to west Texas near Midland every few weeks allows him to put his eyes on some impressive bucks along the highway that west Texas is known for.
He works two weeks in Texas and is off a week. During that week off, he is on his deer stand near Shongaloo in Webster Parish as often as he can. Harvey is in a 300 acre lease with a couple of friends. He hunts from a box stand and looks at a shooting lane with a feeder sitting 100 yards from the stand.
No idea
On the morning of Nov. 8, Harvey drove from Springhill to the lease and was on his stand around 5:30 that morning. There was one particular buck that had captivated his attention.
“I had no idea that there was a buck this big on the property until I started getting pictures on my trail camera about a month and a half ago,” Harvey said. “All the pictures were at night, but he was impressive enough that this was the one I hoped I’d have a crack at. I have killed some nice bucks before, but I had never seen one this impressive.”
Not long after daylight, Harvey watched a doe come out of the woods onto the lane and head for the feeder.
“I got my rifle up and watched as she fed, and she was at the feeder probably 15-20 minutes,” he said. “I noticed that while she was feeding, she would occasionally look back toward the woods. I looked to my left and there he was at about 200 yards; I knew from the size of his rack that this was the big one and he was already out on the lane before I saw him. I didn’t give it a second thought as I got my scope on his shoulder and pulled the trigger.”
In his tracks
Harvey shoots a Howa 30.06 and the bullet placement was perfect because at the shot, the buck dropped in his tracks.
“The buck was apparently not interested in the doe, or either he hadn’t picked up her scent yet,” Harvey said. “He came from the opposite side of the lane than where the doe had come.”
The buck was a trophy for sure. Sporting a massive rack of 11 points, the inside spread was an astounding 22 inches wide. Bases were five inches each. Harvey noted that the rack featured palmation as well as being massive. The deer weighed around 220 pounds and was 6 ½ years old. He had the rack scored and unofficially, it measured 162 3/8 inches.
Harvey may see some impressive bucks on his treks to west Texas, but he would be hard pressed to see one more outstanding than the one he found in his scope that morning in Webster Parish.