Female hunter won Dixie Deer Classic youth award in 2015
Morgan Ellington from Reidsville is no stranger to killing big bucks. Last year, she killed a 143-inch buck that took honors at the 2016 Dixie Deer Classic as the largest muzzleloader buck killed by a youth hunter in North Carolina. She struck again this week with another 140-inch class buck with 10 massive points.
Ellington, who is 13-years-old, absolutely loves to deer hunt with her father, Byron Ellington and two sisters on their Rockingham County farm. For weeks, the Elllingtons pursued this 10 pointer along with another good 8 pointer that had been showing up on their trail cameras. But, until recently, these bucks were nocturnal.
“Starting this past weekend, these two bucks started showing up on camera closer to daylight. On Sunday, he was eating on the corn at 7:45am,” Byron Ellington said. “I told my girls we needed to be hunting as much as we can over the next few days because he is starting to show up at daylight hours. We might luck up and have one pop up before dark.”
Byron Elllington figured the buck was trying to replenish and regain his strength after the rut.
On Monday, Dec. 12, Morgan wanted to go hunting that afternoon even though she just had two teeth pulled earlier that day. She wanted to get a good buck and knew with her father’s advice, it would be a good day to hunt.
That afternoon, they watched a ton of deer come into the field including 10 does and a few immature bucks. Then at 5:05 p.m., the big eight pointer walked into the field and Morgan lit up with excitement. She kicked off the safety and prepared to make the shot until her father asked her to hold on a minute.
“I happened to catch a glimpse of a deer coming into the field and asked her to hold back a second,” Byron Ellington said. “Then, he popped his head up and it was the 10 pointer she was really after.”
She waited patiently for the deer to come in from 150 yards all the way to the corn. And at 100 yards, the deer slowed down and stopped broadside just long enough for her to make the perfect shot right behind the deer’s front shoulder with her father’s Remington 7mm magnum.
“He dropped in his tracks and she was real tickled,” Byron Ellington said.
“We saw the most deer we have ever seen in the stand at one time and the most bucks too. But none of the bucks were paying any attention to the does. All they cared about was the corn. I am just glad Morgan was able to get him. He is a fine buck,” he said.
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