This is not a story about a love affair between a hunter and a trophy whitetail. I never lost an ounce of sleep over this buck because I never knew he existed. I did not camera this deer for the past three years and gather his sheds every turkey season. I never saw him during the off-season, nor was he ever just out of range during a bow hunt. Nope. None of the above. This buck is a result of playing the wind and just being in the right place at the right time despite a rainy, windy afternoon on Friday the 13th.

I almost chuckle as I tell this story…you see while I was hunting, the only thing I was really looking forward to was getting back to camp to change into some dry clothes! My stand selection for this afternoon was based on two things: Wind and lack of hunting pressure.

This particular stand was put up this past summer and it had never been hunted during the afternoon. So, with the wind howling out of the northwest, my only approach to this “yet to be proven” stand was from the south. Unfortunately, the recent rains had made a necessary creek crossing extremely high. I paced back and forth down the creek bank trying to decide on the best place to cross.

I found what appeared to be the best crossing and eased into the rushing stream, hoping that the water level would stay beneath my burlys. It must have been about my third step when I found myself waist-deep in a rushing stream. Well, I had a decision to make: Finish the game or go back and get dry clothes. When I reached dry land, I poured the water out of my boots and elected to press on to the stand.

The temperature was in the high forties on this day, which wasn’t unbearable, but the wind was another story as it continued to howl out of the north, pushing a front through the black belt. When I finally reached the stand, I found myself shivering. I couldn’t help selfishly thinking that my suffering ought to produce a big reward. Regardless, most of my focus was on the sun going down so I could retreat to camp and get in front of the warm fire with some dry clothes.

Then the situation only got worse when the rain set in around 4:30. Thankfully, the rain was short-lived, as it only lasted 15 minutes, but the wind was still blowing strong. I even began to question my knot on the anchor rope for the stand I was sitting in because the nearby pine trees were almost touching the ground with each gust. My spirits were definitely low at this point, but I was comforted by a western sky that pulled together a sunset that will never be forgotten.

As this winter day was slowly coming to an end, I was distracted by a doe and her fawn coming into view. They entered the field from a pine thicket that created a perfect edge next to a large CRP field. Directly behind the doe was the biggest whitetail I have ever seen in the wild. His right side was visible first and the mass of his antlers instantly had my attention.

I immediately went to binoculars to see how big he actually was. He was definitely “the man,” and he was comfortable. He surprisingly left the doe and made his way through the field and started feeding. This ole fella had obviously missed a few meals because he was hungry. His torso appeared lean in comparison to his massive neck, which I am sure was a result of his recent obligations to the herd.

Then I rolled the dice. I got out the video camera and started filming him. He gave me some wonderful footage as he turned his head from side to side, making sure his lady friend was never out of sight. He then fed behind some ash trees that totally blocked my shot. He stayed behind these trees for what seemed like an eternity, and he even stared in my direction for close to a minute.

When this buck finally entered a clearing, I took one final segment of footage and waited for him to once again get comfortable. As soon as I shouldered the gun, the deer turned directly toward me and left me without a shot. Through the scope, I continued to admire his massive non-typical frame as I was forced to play the waiting game until he offered a clean shot. At last, when this deer turned broadside about 150 yards away, I settled in and squeezed.

The bullet found its mark and this trophy didn’t go far. What a memory and what a hunt this majestic whitetail provided for me on this January afternoon.

I am truly blessed by God to have an understanding wife that graciously supports my love of the outdoors. I am also blessed to share a place with friends that respect the sport and are a true joy to hunt with. Like I said before, I was in the right place at the right time and boy, am I thankful for that!