On Nov. 1, I was hunting kind of later than usual, so I snuck up to the stand so as not to spook off any deer that may have already been out eating. I looked across the pond and noticed a buck. I saw horns and realized it was a decent one, but I couldn’t get a shot because he was at the edge
of the woods and all I could see were horns. I couldn’t see his body as he entered the woods.
I hurried into the stand, praying he would come back out.
An hour and a half later, a doe and some yearlings came out but kept looking behind them and flicking their tails. Eventually they ran off, but right then the buck stepped out to an open area to eat. He was at a weird angle, and he really wasn’t wanting to stop and get broadside, but I wasn’t letting him get away again. I shot him at 167 yards with a Tikka 308 and then called my brother, Cade Leggett, to come help me look for him. We found some blood, hair and some meat, but he wasn’t bleeding enough to track, so we called for the dog. About 2 hours later, we put the dog, Dixie, on his trail where he entered the woods.
My brother, my nephew, Lawson, and the owner of the dog, Joe Simmons, entered the woods with Dixie. Will Billberry and I were standing around at the shot site looking for more blood. It wasn’t 5 minutes later and we heard Dixie bark. Then shortly after we heard a rustle of leaves and sticks. The buck walked right out on us, not 20 yards away, and we were without a gun!
About a minute later, here comes Dixie. When that buck saw the dog, he came head down straight at me and Will, running over us and knocking us to the ground, Dixie on his tail. Then the buck ran into the pond and Dixie was still on him, swimming around.
The buck was fatally injured and succumbed to his wounds and drowned at the edge of the pond. Luckily, no one was severely injured, and I got my buck! The 9-point weighed 216 pounds and scored 130 1/8.
Leslie Thomas
Dubach, LA
