Sometimes you can do everything by the book and still come up short. In those situations, all you need is a little luck on your side. And such was the case on Nov. 23, 2009, for 13-year-old Walt Stubbs of Greenville.
Young Stubbs and his dad, Rusty, had done everything they were supposed to in preparation for the 2009 archery season. They had thoroughly scouted their hunting property in Bolivar County by looking for shed antlers, monitoring trail cameras and checking out promising areas for deer sign.
By the time opening day arrived, the food plots were planted and their tree stands were hung. Unfortunately for this bowhunting duo, the early archery season had not produced the results they had hoped to reap from their intense efforts.
But Walt and his dad were not about to let months of preparation and hard work go to waste.
Although the gun season on deer had just opened, Walt was determined to stick with his archery equipment. It didn’t take much coaxing to convince his dad, also a dedicated bowhunter, to pack up their gear and head to hunting camp.
As they approached the food plot where Walt would take a stand, they noticed several deer moving through the woods nearby. Rusty dropped his son off, wished him luck and continued to make his way to the next food plot on the woods road. Once Walt reached the top platform of the ladder stand overlooking the food plot, the action intensified.
“Only a few minutes had passed when I heard a noise behind my stand,” he recalled. “I slowly turned around, and saw nothing but antlers. The big 10-pointer was hooking a small tree only yards away.”
Careful not to attract the buck’s attention, Walt quietly pulled his 52-pound Mathews Mission bow to full draw, centered the sights behind the monster’s shoulder and sent an arrow flying. The 85-grain G5 Montec broadhead found its mark. The big buck made a break for cover but fell short from the lethal wound of the perfectly placed arrow.
Even if it hadn’t been Walt’s first deer with archery equipment, the buck would have still been a trophy in any hunter’s eyes. Sporting 9 points on the main frame and a kicker off the G-2, the buck gross-scored 140 3/8 inches and netted 127 6/8 inches, qualifying it for the prestigious Pope & Young Club Record Book.
But that’s not the end of the story. A short distance away and only minutes after Walt’s buck was on the ground, his dad arrowed a very nice 4 1/2-year-old cull 7-pointer.
Hugs and high-fives were shared as the father and son celebrated a great afternoon of bowhunting success brought about by an effective strategy, plenty of determination and just a little luck thrown in for good measure.
Editor’s Note: This story appears as part of a feature in Mississippi Sportsman’s October issue. To ensure you don’t miss any information-packed issues, click here to have each magazine delivered right to your mail box.
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