Paris native Johnny Williams served our country from 1966-72 as a U.S. Navy and Vietnam War veteran. In addition to this, Williams has gained plenty of experience in another area of importance to him. Williams, 72, has amassed nearly 50 years of experience as a hunter, which dates back to his first days hunting at age 14.
Changes on the horizon
Up until this hunting season, Williams’ weapon of choice was a 7mm Magnum Rifle. This year, he made the switch to a 6.5mm Creedmoor Rifle. In addition to the first significant weapon change of his lifetime, Williams soon realized he was about to have the encounter of a lifetime as a hunter.
“I was sitting in a stand and was watching several deer around five o’clock. The corn feeder went off at about four o’clock and the stand is 150 yards from the feeder,” Williams said. “I was watching some deer and they all got spooked and left the feeder at about 5:35 p.m. About five or 10 minutes later, this big boy walked out and started eating corn. Of course, deer are naturally getting towards the rut, but they are still a week or two away in south Texas. I was looking at him through my binoculars and what I saw on his head — that was basically it. I took my time until I got the right shot and he dropped right on the spot.”
Setting the stage for a huge arrival
Hunting about an hour outside of San Antonio on a plot of land in B’Hanis, Texas, Williams’ eyes captured the largest deer he had ever witnessed. After he dropped the gigantic deer, Williams inspected his trophy and estimated the 22-point monster whitetail buck to be around 4 ½ years of age.
“It’s the biggest deer I’ve ever seen,” Williams said. “I’ve seen deer like this on the cover of magazines, but I’ve never seen one this big in my life. He’s just a freak of nature.”
To put into perspective how immense the deer is in terms of its size, Williams said his buck scored 223 ⅝, meaning his kill possessed that amount of total horn length in inches. His previous best scored a 176 ¾ (6/8). A buck with a score of 130 is considered a quality trophy buck. In short, Williams’ 22-point buck outscores the average by nearly 100.
What’s next?
Williams waited for this moment after he began hunting about 48 years ago. He plans to celebrate this accomplishment with a shoulder mount and by collecting some delicious backstraps, which he plans to process on his own. Williams said he is donating the remaining venison he collects to Hunters for the Hungry. Donations are collected at the Detroit Deer Processing plant, located at 101 Main St. in Detroit.
Despite the additional work ahead, Williams’ hunting passion still burns as bright as his teenage days, and he remains grateful and humbled by the entire experience.
“I do my own meat so I will take care of processing that,” Williams said. “He (the buck) is in a freezer right now waiting for a taxidermist. It’s the deer of a lifetime for anybody whether it was me or a 15-year-old. It’s just one of those that most people don’t ever see — I just got lucky. That’s what it all boils down to — that and being in the right place at the right time. A 72-year-old man who has been hunting since he was 14 can still get buck fever. I’ve missed a few in my life that I regret, but I just took a deep breath and didn’t miss this one.”
For more information on how to donate meat to Hunters for the Hungry, click here. For more sports coverage, click here.
