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It was late December 2008, and the plans were to chase some late season whitetails in Brady, Texas. Seven of my friends and family headed for the beautiful Texas hill country.

About 3 p.m., we headed to the blind. My friend Andrew and I settled into a blind on a hill. Not 15 minutes after we got there, I noticed movement to the left of the blind. It was a doe limping badly.



After studying her with my binoculars for several minutes, we decided we needed to take her. Andrew took her with a single shot from a trusty .243 when the doe stepped out in the road. We recovered the doe and climbed back into the blind. We ended the evening seeing a couple more does and a beautiful 8-point buck.

Later that night in camp, we stayed up reminiscing about the hunt. This made us excited for the morning hunt. We awoke to unseasonably warm temperatures. It was 77 degrees and very humid.

We headed back to the same blind. Just before daylight, we could see several deer in the road, but it was still too dark to judge them. Just as daylight was poking through, high winds and cold temperatures blew in. The winds were gusting to 50 MPH, and the temperatures dropped in the low 40s. Due to the wind, only a couple of young does were seen.

We made the walk back to camp, and noticed everyone looking in the back of the my friend Angel's truck. We were elated at what we saw. My friend Luke had harvested a true hill country monster. The buck was 21 inches wide, had 10 points and scored around 140 inches. A true trophy.

After taking the buck into town, we prepared for the evening hunt. Again, Andrew and I went to the blind on the hill. Just before dark, a mature doe stepped out. I decided to take her. I took the doe with a single shot from the .243.

As the weekend came to an end, I laid in bed reminiscing about the hunts that had just unfolded. I thought about how lucky we were to be able to share these wonderful moments together. I thanked the Almighty for the opportunity to hunt and spend my time doing what I love.

I also thanked Him for the three things I cherish every day: big memories, best friends and bruiser bucks.