Jeremy Williams likes to hunt his family\u2019s 500-acre parcel near the Susquehanna River in south-central New York. He goes down to the river often, and last summer he spotted a giant buck near the bank while catfishing. Williams watched where the deer bedded, and then came back to place trail cams in the area. By October, he\u2019d learned the buck\u2019s habits well enough to make his move.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was only 20 yards away from me on Oct. 10,\u201d Williams tells Outdoor Life.<\/em> \u201cBut I was shaking so bad I missed him clean, sending my arrow three feet over his back.\u201d<\/p>\n Eager to redeem himself this season, Williams kept an eye on his trail cams and he kept getting photos of the buck. A few other hunters in the area had spotted the buck, too. But he wasn\u2019t an easy deer to pattern.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d been bowhunting him on [our] family\u2019s land in low, thick areas because I believed that\u2019s where he lived and bedded,\u201d Williams says. \u201cBut as the [2023] bow season wound down, and gun season was about ready to start, I figured I better change tactics to get him.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams decided he\u2019d hunt from a climbing stand on top of a steep hill instead, where he thought the buck might be cruising the ridgelines for acorns. He thought the height might give him an advantage, and he also swapped his compound for a .308, even though he prefers to hunt with a bow when he can.<\/p>\n On Nov. 18, the opening morning of the Tioga County regular season, Williams climbed into his tree. He didn\u2019t have to wait for long. Around 7 a.m., the buck stepped out of the timber only 30 yards away.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was well within bow range when I shot him, and I wish I\u2019d had my bow with me that morning,\u201d he says. \u201cHe only ran about 50 yards, stopped, and I shot again.\u201d<\/p>\n Both hits were good, and Williams waited for a bit before recovering the buck\u2014only the second deer he\u2019s ever taken with a rifle. Williams didn\u2019t weigh the deer after field dressing it, but he estimated its weight around 200 pounds.<\/p>\n![\"ny](\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2023\/12\/01\/ny_redemption_buck_3.jpg?auto=webp&optimize=high&width=100\")