Two weeks of hard hunting with a lofty goal. Then just one day remains, and HuntStand says to hold off. What to do? This savvy Florida hunter knew the answer.
Hunting hard. Setting a lofty goal and sticking to it. This is the stuff of dedicated trophy hunters, and Florida’s Celeste Lovett can relate. For two weeks Lovett haunted her Georgia hunt lease looking for a mature buck, in the process enjoying encounters with several nice bucks. But maybe her biggest decision came in checking her HuntStand app to find the conditions at her favorite stand, on the last day of the season, would not be favorable until late afternoon. As she had done all season, Lovett held off climbing into that stand until the winds switched, and the rest is history. Here’s how Lovett, in her own words, became our Week 4 Big Buck Alert winner.
“I shot this estimated 4- to 5-year-old buck in Georgia on the last day of our hunt, Nov. 21, the day before my hunting license expired! Every day before we hunt we consult our HuntStand app to see what the wind will be like, to determine the best spots. 
“Because HuntStand showed me that the wind at my favorite spot wouldn’t be right until after 3 p.m., I waited to get down there. At first things were pretty quiet, then a little before 4 p.m. a doe popped out and began browsing on some forbes. After logging her into my HuntStand app, I was watching her really tear up a little bush when a buck popped out of an impenetrable-looking thicket, heading straight for the doe.
“Now, I had been hunting hard both mornings and afternoons for two weeks, during which time I had let a lot of nice 3-year-old 8-points walk. All I was looking for was a fully mature buck, scoring over 125 inches. As soon as I saw this buck, I knew I’d found the one I’d been looking for; he had a mature body, big neck and nice wide rack with good mass.
“Within 5 seconds after he stepped out he was lying on the ground, and I was so relieved! Just a couple of hours before that I had said that even if I didn’t harvest a buck this season, I would be happy because it had been a great season. I’d seen more bucks than ever on my lease. Having him on the ground, though, was so much better! 
“Now he’s at the taxidermist and will grace my wall as my first whitetail buck mount. He’s been rough-scored at 140 inches, and has an 18.5-inch inside spread. I am including a photo [above] of my blind from the spot at which my buck was standing when he was shot; I call it The Watchtower.”
For her Week Four win, Lovett will be sent a Team HuntStand-approved Bino Harness X from ALPS OutdoorZ , a $49.99 value. One of the first product extensions to the popular and successful Extreme line from ALPS OutdoorZ, the Bino Harness X (shown above and below) is the ideal companion for your hunting optics. Designed to keep the pocket close to your chest and reduce the amount of movement you’ll feel in your optics, the Bino Harness X is constructed using extra-tough 1680D ballistic nylon fabric, with an easy-to-use one-handed opening mechanism for quick access. A handy lens cloth is included.
To enter the HuntStand 2017 Big Buck ALERT contest, simply send us a few clear, high-res. digital photos (two to four) of your 2017 buck, along with a brief story of your hunt that explains how the HuntStand app played a part. Be sure to tell us if your buck was known to you or a newcomer, then describe the area where your stand sits, or where the encounter took place, as well as the fateful day’s wind and weather conditions, and of course, the blow-by-blow account of the exciting action as it unfolded. Include your full name, age, successful hunt date and state, weapon used, and also be sure to include your mailing address. Your e-mail subject line should read: Big Buck Alert! Send your photo(s) and requested info to: [email protected]
