First Trophy Buck
First Big Buck Is A Beauty
By: Ben Lominick
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I had been looking for a good place to put a stand when I came across four scrapes. I decided to build the stand right there on a cut trail about 30 yards away. It was a cold opening morning in Newberry, South Carolina. I was hunting a stand we had just built up at the hunting club. I had been sitting there about an hour, and it was about 7:30 .m. I had seen a few does, but it was a loud morning. The bugs, squirrels and other critters all were noisy. I was just thinking to myself that I couldn't believe how loud it was when everything went dead quiet. I had been staring all morning at a shooting path that my friend had cut when I saw a buck running toward me. Where he came from I don't know, because it was like he appeared out of thin air, but I think he was coming in so fast because I had been grunting and bleating on my call. The buck then stopped behind a tree and started to eat acorns. He was about 20 yards away and I noticed a foot-wide gap in some trees in which I could see the buck. I saw him stretching his neck to get a whiff of the air, and I knew that if he got my scent he would be out of there a lot faster than he had come in. I quickly brought up my gun, looked through the scope, put the buck in my crosshair and gently squeezed the trigger. When I recovered from the recoil and got my eyes back on the spot, all I could see was legs kicking into the air. I sat there for about 15 minutes until I couldn't take it any more. I had to go look to see if I really got my trophy. After I got down I walked over and there he was. I didn't get close because I was scared he would still get up and run off, so I just sat there. About two hours later I saw a few more deer, and not long after that my partner came on the four-wheeler and got me and the deer. I was happier than I can say; it was my first big buck. I now keep a picture of him in my wallet.
Ben Lominick
Newberry, South Carolina
