Buckmasters Magazine

That Explains the Yelling

That Explains the Yelling

By Billy Jeffries

A casual coyote hunt turned into a buck of a lifetime for one vocal Oklahoma man.

I didn’t have great expectations that November day, but I did have some free time, so I decided to spend the evening in the woods about 200 yards from my house.

As I walked out the door, I grabbed my son’s .22-250, thinking my chances of seeing a coyote were better than anything else.

I have a Double Bull blind on a greenfield, and just as I settled in, I heard some commotion up by my house. “You have to be kidding me,” I thought.

Knowing I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the evening while worrying that someone was robbing my house, I gathered up my stuff and headed back. The wind wasn’t right for that blind, so I talked myself into thinking it was for the best.

Little did I know how right I was.

I got home, and it turned out the noise was just someone working in the nearby cemetery. I still had some daylight left, so I headed back out. This time I drove around to the other side of the field where I have another blind.

Feeling better about the wind from the new location, I settled in and got comfortable.

Not long after, I heard coyotes off to the west. That was perfect because that would most likely bring them across the field right in front of me. I checked everything on my T/C Encore and got ready.

To my complete surprise, the first thing I saw was a doe and two yearlings come out into the field. The doe was nervous and kept looking back over her shoulder. We all know what that means!

Sure enough, a buck stepped out moments later. I didn’t even have to think about whether to shoot. This guy was a bruiser.

I immediately dropped the binoculars and quit looking at the buck. I knew if I stared at him too long I could easily get buck fever, and I needed him to move before I could take a shot.

That Explains the YellingThere was one branch in front of the blind and, of course, it was right over the buck’s vitals. I considered shifting to get a different angle, but the yearling was right there looking my way, and I didn’t want to take a chance of spooking it or the doe. I chose to sit and wait.

The buck made its way across the field, nibbling on alfalfa the whole way. When he got to about 75 yards, he lip-curled one of the yearlings. That’s when I took the shot. He dropped immediately, but I scrambled to put another shell in just in case.

The does had no idea what happened, and I ended up having to run them out of the field since I couldn’t sit in the blind and wait for them to leave. I had to get my hands on that buck.

With every step, the rack got bigger and bigger. When I finally reached him, I kept walking around him, screaming at the top of my lungs.

Next, I thanked God and thought about my father and best friend, both of whom had passed away.

After about 10 minutes, I calmed down and called my wife to tell her I shot a monster.

She said, “I wondered why you were yelling down there!”

I still get chills thinking about it.

Editor’s note: Billy’s buck is a true monster. It measures 182 1/8 in the Semi-Irregular category for the Buckmasters Trophy Records and has a composite score (including spread) of 200 7/8 inches.

Read Recent Articles:

Late-Season Bucks: When it comes to hunting in the cold, it’s all about the food.

When the Wind Blows: Strong winds seem to send deer underground, but you can find them.

Snow Tracking Bucks: A fresh coating of white stuff can be like a road map to a big whitetail.

This article was published in the Winter 2011 edition of Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine. Subscribe today to have Buckmasters delivered to your home.

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd