Congratulations to Scooter on his 11-point buck in our great wild Mississippi outdoors. I have known Scooter for over 30 years when he was videoing and hunting up at Brown's Point on Kings Point Island north of Vicksburg, MS. I have also hunted, worked, and hunted out of his Dad's deer stand.
Scooter Whatley harvested an 11-point buck on the Homochitto National Forest Tuesday morning before he could get cameras set up to film his hunt. Whatley is a native of Vicksburg and graduated from Warren Central High School. He grew up hunting and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1986, launching a career in videography. His first job out of college was in the news department at WLBT in Jackson.
Whatley is a producer, director, and videographer for the Mississippi Outdoors TV and marketing for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. He has manned a camera at sporting events for ESPN for the last 15 years as well.
The Hunt: Whatley said he went into the Homochitto National Forest with a friend and an Ole Man Climbing Stand with no expectations. His friend had a meeting at 11:00 a.m., so they only had a short time to hunt.
He was hunting blind in an area and found a high ridge overlooking a creek bottom and another bank. Deer would funnel through the site coming from a cutover. Checking the wind, he climbed the hill. Doe was behind him and left the area.
Turning in the stand, Whatley said he saw two bucks coming out of the cutover in the opposite direction and working up the ridge. At 22 steps, Whatley grunted to stop the 11-point buck at a perfect broadside and let an arrow from his Hoyt Torrex bow fly. The deer went as far as 75 yards before going down.
Whatley said it was special because his 18-year-old son Connor Whatley, a student at Hinds Community College, is three to four years into bow hunting. Connor has not killed a deer with Scooter's old Bowtech bow yet but has had a few close calls.
"It happened in a minute from the time I saw the buck. It was that quick. I want Connor to learn from the experience. I want him to have that same thrill. It was so unique. We had no idea what was there," Scooter said, "You get nervous if you have time to watch a deer. You try to not make noise and move at the right time. It happened so quickly that I just stood up, got my bow, and it moved so fast there was no time to get nervous. It's a process. You stand up when he doesn't see you, draw when he can't, pick a spot to stop him and shoot."
The good Lord was with me," he said.
Scooter said the first person he texted after the shot was his wife, Annette Whatley. He called his 93-year-old Dad, Harold Whatley, and then called his son, Connor, to share the news.
"My Dad is 93, and he taught me everything I know about hunting. He was elated," he said.
Way to go, Scooter!!!
