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Luck of the Draw Recently, I sat down with fellow friend and hunter Ben McClinton, as he shared his story of a successful 2003 rifle season in Scotland county, Missouri. So here it is: The land is situated in extreme northern Missouri, reputedly some of the best whitetail deer hunting in the country. Ben and his family and friends he would be hunting with, drew out for stands they would be going to opening morning. Ben drew a tripod stand in the middle of a large field, which was divided between CRP and a food plot (he didn't tell me what they had planted?!). His luck was with him and the stand he drew, he just didn't know it yet. November 15th, 2003 greeted Ben and the rest of the group with a dark, cool, and damp predawn excitement. At least a couple hours before daybreak, Ben got dressed and checked to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, then loaded the ATV with a small trailer behind it to haul other hunters and equipment to their respective stands. He got dropped off at his stand about an hour before light, which was important so as to keep from spooking any deer that may be traveling around the stand by daybreak. Forty-five minutes after the sun had just started to rise over the field edge, Ben noticed a deer moving towards a small pond in the CRP side of the field he was hunting. The area deer frequently use this pond as a watering hole, and the stand he was hunting was close to 100 yards from the pond. As the deer got closer, Ben noticed it was a buck, and a good one at that! Trying to hold back the shakes from having to watch the buck come across the wide open field straight towards him (I call it buck fever!), Ben couldn't wait to touch the trigger on his .280 Remington. Well, he didn't have to wait long, and at 75 yards, one shot from the centerfire rifle and the buck dropped dead in its tracks! Almost thinking about staying in the stand a few minutes to see if he might be able to see some does and fill his bonus tags, that thought came and went with the wind. He immediately got down and had to touch that buck! After spending a few minutes admiring the big buck, Ben got back into the stand, as he didn't want to leave the spot yet, and he wasn't about to leave that buck! It's no wonder he didn't see anymore deer from the stand that morning, because he never took his eyes of the buck laying below him! This was Ben's first buck, and he is very proud of it. Anyone would be proud of this big boy though. At 10 points and field dressing in at 160 pounds, I imagine Ben was excited about his big buck, and the stand he drew for that morning! by Matt McAnally hunter profile-Keith Pinson | Whitetail Feeding Habits All Year Long | The Ridge Stand by Matt McAnally | Off & Running--J.P. Mahn | Elk Photos | Confidence Doe | Shed Hunters | Chad Goetten Buck | hello M.B.B. Rob | Mud Lick Monster | | Return Home | Taxidermy Shop | Hunting Photo Gallery | KIDS TRAIL! | Wild Hog Mania! | Fishing Photo Gallery | |
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