Bowhunter Bags Heavy South Texas 10-Pointer

Legends of the Fall’s Bonnie McFerrin knocked down another giant. Image courtesy of Legends of the Fall

Legends of the Fall Co-Host Bonnie McFerrin seems to tag a massive Texas buck each fall, and 2023 was no different. On October 21, 2023, after several days of hunting, McFerrin encountered a heavy-antlered 6 ½-year-old buck. It wasn’t her first run-in with the deer, though. “I have history with this deer,” McFerrin said. “We have trail cam photos of him and had encounters with him while he was chasing some does.”

She’s been hunting the area for the past couple decades, and felt confident she’d find a way to connect on the monarch. Though the weather was quite warm on that late October day, McFerrin nonetheless made her way to the blind. Settling in, she started scanning the mesquite and other thick brush, which tapered down into a drainage that the deer use as a corridor.

Trail cameras played a major role in locating and patterning this deer. “The tactic I used to tag this deer was trail cameras,” she said. “We knew the buck was in the area because we had photos of him. We waited until the wind got right and slipped in there and got it done.”

As the hunt kicked off, a few does and small bucks fed through. She even watched a few javelinas dart in and out of view. Then, the big one stepped into the open.

“When the big buck came out, the other deer around him avoided him,” McFerrin said. After several tense seconds, the deer finally offered a shot. She drew back, anchored down, and settled the pin. The buck turned broadside, and she let it fly. The 25-yard shot struck the vitals. The deer ran out of sight, but the recovery was easy.

Looking back, it was yet another great family experience with her husband, Mike McFerrin, and daughter, Georgia-Kate McFerrin, who was in the blind, filming. Of course, the post-shot celebration was full of hugs and high-fives.

“After I recovered the deer, my daughter and husband told me how excited they were for me and how awesome it was to be in the outdoors together,” McFerrin said. “We are always excited when one of our hit-list bucks hits the ground.”

Of course, it always means more than inches, though. “What an awesome time I had sharing the ground blind with my daughter Georgia-Kate, who was filming me,” McFerrin said. “How excited I was to have an opportunity at the buck I ended up shooting. This deer means memories made in the outdoors and another opportunity to share hunting with others. Deer hunting means time in the deer woods with family and friends, making memories, and sharing time in camp.”

And this hunt put a big cherry on top, in the form of 167 2/8 Texas inches.

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