03/07/2026
With deer season now long behind us in New York, I wanted to share the story of this incredible buck!
It was the first morning of rifle season. I was hunting the edge of a brushy river bottom where a few big oaks rose above a field of goldenrod. The woods were quiet that morning. None of my hunting buddies had seen much, and neither had I.
Around 9:30 I heard a doe blow behind me — she had winded me — and then she came crashing through the brush at a run. Instinctively I turned, thinking something must be chasing her.
That’s when I saw him.
The shot felt good, but I watched the buck run across a small creek and disappear about sixty yards away. When I walked to the shot site, all I found was a small patch of white hair. No blood.
So I slowed down, went back to the fundamentals, and started grid searching.
Eventually I caught a shape across the creek. There he was.
There was nothing particularly special about what I did that morning, but this will likely be the most important deer I ever take. I had spent the morning thinking about my uncle, who taught me how to hunt. Walking up on that buck, with the sun warming the field, I called Ali to say that I could almost hear his voice — gold tooth, thickly Cajun accent — saying, “Baby, that’s a nice buck.”
Grateful for another season in the woods, for the people who made it matter, and to be able to create more opportunity for others to get afield with the team! 🙏🏾🤙🏾
Also shoutout to for this incredible shots! 📸
