Change of plans helps hunter bag 12-point buck
Austin Crawley of Orangeburg, SC killed a 12-point buck on Aug. 18, 2024 in his home county during an early morning hunt. He shot the buck from 250 yards away with a Mossberg .308 while hunting from the ground. It was a deer he had never seen before that morning.
Crawley’s plan wasn’t to hunt from the ground, but while walking to his stand, his cell phone received photos from his trail camera that caused him to hold off.
“Prior to getting to the field, I noticed on my trail camera that the field was loaded with deer. And the wind was in their favor,” said Crawley.
Crawley shifted gears, grabbing a dove stool from his truck and finding a spot to sit tight.
“I positioned myself on the opposite side of the field, next to a willow tree on the bank of our pond. I used a dove stool that I had in my truck,” he said.
It wasn’t long before mosquitoes found Crawley.
“I sat there for an hour, quietly being swarmed by mosquitoes,” he said. “But I just had the feeling it would all be worth it.”
And worth it, it was
“It finally began cracking daylight in the sky, and I positioned myself standing behind the willow tree, leaning against a limb,” he said.
A doe tried to ruin the hunt, but Crawley stayed on task.
“I had a doe sneak up beside me along the pond bank at roughly 30 yards and blow twice. You could hear the deer all spook, and they all went to the back of the field,” he said.
By now, it was light enough to shoot. Crawley just needed to find the right buck to target.
“I started scanning the field, seeing more and more deer. Finally, I saw a buck strategically eating at the edge of the field under overhanging oak limbs that make that section a bit darker to see,” he said.
He had a clean shot at the buck, but he was a little bit shaky.
“I was watching him through the scope. I must’ve clicked the safety on and off four times,” he said. “My adrenaline was flowing, and I was shaky. I finally calmed down enough to take a shot, and I hit him hard in the shoulder with the 150-grain Winchester round. He ran roughly 40 yards and piled up!”
Bag A Buck Contest
Congratulations to Crawley, who is now in the running for our monthly prize of a free 1-year subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine, a Sportsman hat, a two-pack of Lowcountry Seasonings, as well as our Grand Prize, which includes a 1-year-subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine, a Sportsman hat, and a 2-day, two-person hunt at Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge in Chesterfield, SC.
See all the bucks entered so far, and upload yours at carolinasportsman.com/bag-a-buck-2024.
