December 5 - Joe Shults

Hunter: Joe Shults
Animal: 130" Whitetail
Location: Illinois
Weapon: Thompson Center Omega .50 Cal

If you look up the word frozen in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Joe Shults and Steve “Coon Dog” Coon. Extremely cold weather was waiting for them as they returned to Illinois for the second gun season.

December 4th found the Team in a tree stand with temps in the low teens and wind chills even lower. The boys had a slow morning with only a few does and a 2 ½ yr old 10-point that Joe elected to pass. Even though the cold weather took its toll on the boys, they stayed in the stand until 11am.

The next morning Joe decided to hunt the same set because of how many bucks they saw in the area during bow season, including the one Joe shot with his PSE on November 9th. Day 2 brought temperatures in the single digits and a wind chill near zero. Luckily, the two didn’t have long to wait this cold morning. All of a sudden a mature 9-point showed up out of no where and the two had to scramble to get ready. As Dog gave Joe the signal to shoot, Joe was unable to do so due to a small tree blocking the vitals. The buck then made the fatal mistake and took 3 steps forward where Joe was able to make a perfect shot with his TC Omega. The buck then ran only 60 yards after the Shock Wave bullet found its mark.

As the 2008 season comes to an end for Joe and Dog they would like to thank their beautiful wives and their children for letting them do what they both love to do – and that’s hunt. "From the both of us, we love you more than you know. Thanks again, Joe and Dog."