Passionate bowhunter recalls the topsy-turvy search for 153 inch 10 pointer

Texas’ Archery Only season got underway on September 30. I don’t know how your bowhunting has gone so far, but Wesley Waggonner’s 2023 archery season kicked off with one of those emotional rollercoaster rides that every responsible deer hunter had rather not take.

To hear Waggonner tell it, the experience carried him from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows then back to the top again — all in a matter of 36 hours. Topsy-turvy mood swings are pretty typical of what happens to a passionate deer hunter when a good hunt turns into a vexing search and recovery mission.

There are some good lessons about search and recovery to be learned here, regardless of where you hunt with archery gear, crossbow or firearm:

10-50 Comes Calling

Waggonner, 32, is a hardcore archer who has taken more than two dozen deer with a bow and arrow in several states over the years. He was perched in a ladder stand on a 2,300-acre lease in Angelina County on that muggy Saturday afternoon when “10-50” came calling.

The hunter’s dad, Joey, coined the nickname after studying the buck’s thick rack in game camera photos earlier in the month. It was a true 10 pointer he believed to score about 150 Boone and Crockett inches.

The educated guess wasn’t far off. The 6 1/2-year old buck is a dandy. The antlers have been green scored at 153 gross and 150 6/8 net.

In hindsight, Waggonner feels fortunate he was able to put a tape on the rack and learn the score.

“I thought I’d lost him,” he said. “We looked and looked and even brought in tracking dogs with no luck. It was pretty depressing.”

Waggonner said the buck showed up late on the afternoon of opening day, but he didn’t come in on a string. He watched the deer from about 70 yards away as it worked a ground scrape, then reared on its hind legs to lick some overhanging branches.

“It took about 30 minutes before he finally came on in,” he said. “I had plenty of time to think about it and there was still plenty of light to see.”

Waggonner drilled the buck and found his arrow nearby. Judging from the significant blood trail, he felt confident he’d made a pass through shot.

Waggonner returned to camp to get help rather than attempting to locate the buck after dark alone. He and some club members followed blood to a creek crossing about 115 yards way, but the trail played out about 15 yards on the opposite side.

Rather than risk pushing the deer, Waggonner did the smart thing and backed off. That’s when he summoned a tracking dog handler who arrived shortly before midnight. He said the dogs combed the area for about an hour, but never found the animal.

Waggonner was sick about the thought of wounding a deer and not being able to find it.

He replayed the 38-yard shot in his mind so many times he eventually began to question his equipment as well as his shot placement.

“I was up most of the night and was pretty down and out the next day,” he said. “All sorts of things were going through my mind. I wondered if he might not be hit that bad and lived. I kept checking my game cameras with my cell phone off and on, hoping he might show back up at a feeder.”

But 10-50 never did.

The Search and Recovery

Two days later the nightmare was eating Waggonner alive. Any hope of recovering the venison was off the table by then, but the he still felt obligated to resume the search. He met his dad at the lease on Monday morning and they returned to the creek crossing where the last traces of blood were found.

“We owed it to the deer and to the other members in our club,” Waggonner said. “My dad felt pretty confident we would find him.”

The men spread out about 60 yards apart and began making strategic loops around the area. They were just about to the complete the fifth loop when they spotted several buzzards in a tree about 100 yards ahead.

They discovered the remains of 10-50 in some tall grass in a dry slough, about 300 yards from Waggonner’s stand.

“The coyotes got to him first, probably that same night,” he said. “There wasn’t much left, but I’m thankful I was able to recover the antlers and get a look at the hide to see the hit. At first I thought I had hit him a little low, but it turned out I him little far back.”

Search and recovery is never any fun, but it is part of hunting and playing the game responsibly. Hunt deer long enough and sooner or later you will be faced with the task of looking for one that doesn’t fall in its tracks.

Hunters should always put forth their best effort to recover all game, be it a wounded deer or fallen dove. Only a slob will walk away without making sure no stones are left unturned.

--- Matt Williams is a freelance writer based on Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.

com.