TTHA Member shares his own Trophy Experience
By Prentice Clemons
Year after year of watching my uncles, Jimmy Spivey and Garland Spivey, taking record scoring bucks in North Texas, I was inspired to hunt in Walker County. On Nov. 30, 2016, I got a text from Garland inviting me on a hunt I have been waiting on for a long time. I went to Wes and Luana Wieder’s Huntsville Whitetail Ranch in Walker County. December 2 was the day. Waking up around 5 a.m., I checked my gear bag, and got my rifle ready for my biggest hunt. Later that day around 3 p.m., my uncles and I made it out to the ranch. It was such a pleasure meeting Wes for the first time, after seeing him in so many trophy hunting photos. As we headed to the blind, we spotted a few big bucks heading up wind. Once we made it in the blind we waited for one to two hours, watching the animal movement. Then I spotted the one I wanted, slowly moving through the brush and trees. As he came into an opening, he stopped. At this time I was hoping he wouldn’t get a whiff of us. But he didn’t, and he continued out into the open. After watching him for 20 minutes, two more bucks showed up out of the blue. So I waited for a clean shot. Once my buck turned and stopped, I shot my biggest buck, scoring 169 1/8. Wes made the cleaning process easy for me. This buck earned me a first place plaque at the 2017 Texas Trophy Hunters Extravaganza in Houston, Texas. I have always hunted in Central Texas, but never have I taken a big buck like my uncles. Every year I couldn’t wait until my uncles sent me photos of their new bucks. I could not wait to show them off, as if they were my very own. I would show coworkers, friends, and many more people. I finally took my own big buck in Walker County.