Editor’s Note: Mark Davis of Sperry, Oklahoma, a fire fighter for the Oklahoma City fire department, has been a member of the Mossy Oak Pro Staff for 7 years. He’s been deer hunting for 31 years, since he was about 9-years old.
I was hunting with one of my family members in southeast Oklahoma, in an area where I’ve taken some of my largest bucks. We were scouting together during late blackpowder season and had stopped in a river bottom to look for deer signs. I said, “I’ll sit in this bottom for a little while just to see what’s happening.” My partner said, “Okay. I have another area I want to scout. I’ll go up there, while you stay here until dark.”
I only had been sitting about 40 minutes when I heard a lot of commotion in front of me, on the other side of the creek. When I finally could see what was causing the commotion, I spotted a big buck chasing a doe. The rut was in full swing. In a few minutes, I heard deer running behind me. When I turned around to look, I saw the doe running to the right side of the tree where I was sitting, and the buck running on the left side. I couldn’t believe how fast those two deer had crossed the creek, gone up the hill behind me and come down it on my side of the creek. The buck was running so fast and was so interested in the doe that he never saw me in my Mossy Oak camouflage. I got off a shot with my blackpowder rifle, and the buck didn’t travel more than 30 yards from where I was sitting.
The doe stopped and looked at the buck. I thought I probably could reload and take her if I wanted to, but I was so excited about the big buck that the thought of taking the doe quickly went out of my mind. My hunting buddy said, “I heard you shoot. Did you take a deer?” I laughed and said, “Yes, I have a nice buck over here.” We walked about 30 yards from where I’d been sitting and found my buck that scored about 140 on Boone & Crockett. A 140 buck might not seem like a trophy to some hunters, but on the public land I hunt, that buck is a whopper.
Day 2: Mark Davis Says to Go Into the Woods before Daylight and Come Out After Dark
Tomorrow: Mossy Oak’s Mark Davis Tells About Double Downing on Does
