Jody Beth Walker did her best imitations of a doe, a rock and a bush to lure a 19-pointer into her sights in 2014.
The huntress from London, Kentucky, a widowed mother of two, accepted an invitation from her boyfriend's grandparents to hunt their property in Morgan County on opening day of rifle season.
She left work on Friday, Nov. 7, and drove three hours to arrive in time to do some scouting.
"I found five good scrapes on a flat, with a ledge rising about 40 feet. Atop the ledge was a very large rock I thought would make a great vantage point," she told Ed Waite, who penned her story for Buckmasters magazine.
Jody saw the sunrise from that rock the next day, but she wound up moving down the bluff and lying prone next to a fallen tree. She'd spilled some estrous doe scent on herself, and a spike had come too close for comfort, which made her realize her only retreat was a 40-yard jump.
Scooting under the fallen tree made her feel more secure.
"I'm not sure how long I laid there before I saw the big buck," she said. "When I did, I thought: You're crazy, girl. You have buck fever or something. NO WAY is that big buck standing out there at 200 yards, watching you here in this hidey hole!"
Way.
Jody stared at the deer-thing for more than 30 minutes before an ear twitch finally confirmed it was a whitetail. Even then, she wondered if she'd imagined it.
"I knew it really was a deer when it lifted a leg to take a step," she said.
After making the long poke, an exhausted Jody slumped over her .270. There was no need for a follow-up shot. When she calmed down, she called her hosts.
The buck's BTR composite score is 182 1/8 inches.