Rack Report: First Buck Measures 160 Inches

Clayton Shively is a proud father of four children, and all of them enjoy deer hunting. His youngest, Clay (8), shot a 120-inch 9-pointer early this season. That left only Grace (14) without her first deer.

She started putting the guilt trip on me as soon as she found out Clay shot one, Clayton said. She was the only one that hadn't shot a first deer yet.

They went out that next Saturday and sighted in her rifle. She shot like a pro and twelve-ringed three out of four shots. It was time to hunt.

Clayton and Grace headed to the field and sat where her brother, Clay, had shot his buck a few days before. A dry wheat field with a mix of green grass was the stage. Now all they needed was a buck to come waltzing out onto it.

We had a daddy-daughter date, Clayton said. We made a makeshift blind, painted each other's faces and took a selfie.

It was 5:35 p.m. when they settled in and got quiet. Grace decided it was necessary to say a quick prayer about the hunt. They prayed that a buck would step out two hours later at 7:37. That was her request for the Big Man upstairs.

God must have been on a different time zone, Clayton said. A massive buck stepped out less than 10 minutes later.

Clayton glassed the horizon and immediately caught sight of a deer slipping down into a draw. He scanned farther to the left and noticed the big buck walking across the field. Clayton didn't realize how big the buck was though. He hadn't seen the buck before. He asked Grace if she was going to let this deer grow and maybe shoot him next year instead.

Daddy, that buck isn't going to see next year, Grace said.

The buck finally jumped the fence and onto their property, where he immediately worked a scrape and ripped into a licking branch. The buck made his way out into the field and started feeding. He stopped broadside at 180 yards and presented a shot. Grace pulled the trigger. The impact of the shot rippled the big buck's chest. The deer ran 30 or 40 yards and hit the dirt—a perfect heart shot.

I wanted to shoot him as soon as he came out, Grace said. But I had to wait for him to be in position where I could.

She displayed the traits it took to get the job done and capitalized on her one opportunity when it presented itself.

It was a farther shot than I liked for her to shoot, Clayton said. But she shot well while practicing and I was confident in the gun.

It couldn't have worked out any better. Grace shot her first deer, and it was a 160-inch stud to boot. Father and daughter got the job done and had fun hunting this big whitetail.

Have a big-buck story you want to share? E-mail us at [email protected].