We first saw this buck on camera back in September and named him Mungo. Solid 9 points with two small kickers to make 11 – estimated 5 to 5.5 years old. My wife loves to sit in the blind with me and fully embraces her role as spotter, yardage caller, and chief snack captain. We are still pretty new to all of this. This is only our fourth hunting season and this marks our eighth harvest.
We put around 100 hours into patterning and chasing this buck. We kept moving cameras and blinds around the property trying to figure him out. It is an archery only property with no baiting, so every sighting feels like a tiny win. On November 23 we saw Mungo about 75 yards away. He crossed right in front of one of our other stands, jumped a fence, and disappeared. This was at three in the afternoon with perfect light and perfect conditions, and I was sitting in the wrong stand. I struggled with the disappointment. It was the fourth time I had seen him. The previous three were in light too low to take a shot, and this time the light was perfect but the setup was not.
Kristen stayed positive and kept scanning the woods. The afternoon dragged on and soon it was last light. Maybe three minutes of shooting light left if he happened to show inside 30 yards. We had seen a few does and were watching for any buck that might be trailing them. I was looking off to the left when I felt a tug on my arm and heard a whisper. He was on the right behind us and moving fast.
I grabbed the TenPoint and swung around. He was about 25 yards away. I stopped him with a quick “meah.” His body was still covered by a tree, so I waited. About ten long seconds went by and then he took two quick steps forward. I let the bolt fly. The lighted nock went racing up the hill with Mungo, so we knew it was a hit. We just were not sure about the placement because the last light was fading fast.
We waited 45 minutes and walked to the shot location. There were big pools of blood every few feet. It was a 100-yard track, and he had crashed in some bramble just before an open field.
Long story short, marry an eagle-eyed spotter who cheers you on and gives up her weekends for three or four months a year. God is good.
Hunter’s name: Michael Susong
WINSTON SALEM NC
Guilford County, NC
November 23, 2025
11-point buck
