8-point buck was an infrequent trail cam visitor for 2 years
Brooks Calhoun of Rockingham, N.C. killed a wide-racked 8-point buck on Nov. 27 in Anson County. The buck sported a 20.5-inch spread.
The 15-year-old hunter shot the buck at 8:45 a.m. with a Remington .270 that belonged to his Papa, who passed away in December 2013. Calhoun was sitting in a ladder stand surrounded by hardwoods and overlooking a creek when the buck offered him a 50-yard shot.
The young hunter’s dad, Dan Wright, was sitting in another stand about 300 yards away when Calhoun shot the buck, which ran about 30 yards before falling over.
“I couldn’t get out of my stand fast enough to get to him to enjoy the moment,” said Wright.
This wasn’t Calhoun’s first deer. He’s killed about a dozen does since he was 9-years-old, but this was his first buck.
“He’s taken the hunter safety course. So he’s been hunting in a stand by himself since 12-years-old. He’s always wanted to shoot a buck, but passed on many waiting on a good one that he could mount,” said Wright. “He’s been taught that killing everything is not important, but hunting for the love of the day.”
Calhoun hunts as often as he can
This year alone, Calhoun had already killed a couple of does. And with the rut in full swing, the youngster was happy to buckle down with a heavy dose of patience and wait on a good buck. It happened for him on Nov. 27.
“He was entered in the Anson Chamber of Commerce Big Game Hunting Tournament and finished fourth overall, and first on that Saturday in the youth division,” said Wright.
Wright is proud of the young woodsman Calhoun has become. And he said he is constantly amazed at the youth hunter’s passion for the outdoors.
“It’s very rare these days to have a kid that loves hunting like Brooks does,” said Wright. “Rain, shine, warm or cold, he wants to go.
“He’s 15 and still wants to hang out with me all the time, which is also rare. As long as we are scouting, putting out corn, putting up stands, checking cams, and of course, hunting,” he said.
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