UPDATE: Since the printing of this article, we have learned that Clinton Thomas Fields was charged by the NCWRC for allegedly hunting unlawfully and unlawfully killing, possessing, and transporting a deer in Moore County.
The case was reported by the North Carolina Judicial Branch on Dec. 11, 2020. Fields has a court date of Feb. 10, 2021. We are preserving the original contents of the article at the request of law enforcement.
Clint Fields – Moore County, NC – 11/23/20
I haven’t hunted much in the past few years but had the itch to get back in the woods this year in hopes of putting some meat in the freezer. No luck during bow season so I set a couple rifle stands up hoping my luck would turn around.
Things started turning around on Halloween night when this incredible buck showed up. Showing up on Halloween and knowing he would scare me to death if I ever laid eyes on him in person, I nicknamed him ‘Spooks.’
He came through the corn several nights for the next few weeks with only two visits in shooting light and I just so happened to be out of town on both occasions.. Talk about sick to my stomach! I wasn’t able to hunt at all the weekend of 11/21–22 so I decided I would get up early Monday morning and hunt a few hours before work.
We had a good rain shower Sunday night and favorable wind Monday morning so I felt really good about my chances. Before climbing in the old box stand overlooking a pasture bottom, I slipped down to the fence line and hung some Tinks on a few branches.
Just after daylight, I saw some movement coming down the fence line which ended up being a small doe. She never stopped and walked on out of sight. Considering this was only the second deer I had seen from this stand, I was feeling really optimistic. No more action until 8am when the logging crew fired up their saws and skidders about 500 yards through the woods from my stand.
At this point, I figured the hunt was a wash and planned to get down at 8:30 to head into work. I wasn’t quite ready at 8:30 and thought 15 more minutes may do it — this is true for every hunter right?! At 8:45 I was looking through my phone and thought, ‘what the heck, I’ll sit till 9 but I am absolutely getting down then!’
It’s 8:55, I had already sat my gun down, closed my binoculars up and was about to climb out of the stand when I looked up and saw something coming down the edge of the creek behind the fence line. I picked my gun up and could see horns through the branches but it took a few more steps before I could tell it was Spooks.
He was mostly behind a tree and branches so I couldn’t get a shot off. For about 15-20 seconds he stood still and I was still holding it together. When he finally stepped out into the corn and dropped his head, the buck fever set on me like never before.
My heart started pounding, I thought my neck was going to explode and I was shaking so bad I couldn’t steady the crosshairs on him for a shot. I had to shimmy down in the little plastic chair trying to brace myself against the wall of the stand while glancing back and forth over the scope to make sure he hadn’t heard me stirring.
After what felt like 5 minutes (was likely 10 seconds) I felt steady enough to pull the trigger. A deep breath, long exhale and smooth squeeze, my Browning .30-06 let him have it! He fell straight to his knees for a few seconds then rolled to his side. Spooks was down!
I’m now shaking uncontrollably and in complete disbelief. How did all that just happen so fast?
After several minutes of trying to calm down and get myself together, I made my way out of the box stand, down to the edge of the field where the buck had dropped.
The trail cam pictures hadn’t done this deer justice—I genuinely couldn’t believe what I was looking at. With 18 scoreable points, a gross green score of 179 1/2 inches and an inside spread of 19-1/2 inches. I had just shot the buck of a lifetime!
I cannot thank the good Lord enough for letting our paths coincidently cross that Monday morning. I also may owe the logging crew some credit for ‘spooking’ him my way!
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