Having grown up hunting on a cattle ranch in central Florida, Brian is used to putting up with early-season bugs and heat. That's just what he did on the afternoon of Sept. 19, 2007, when he crossed paths with this 16-point Georgia brute. Brian's 186 7/8-inch megabuck was actually a new state record for 60 days.

I think every serious whitetail hunter fantasizes about having an encounter with a true trophy-class buck. Each of us visualizes where that encounter might take place, what equipment we'll be using, and how we'll handle the emotional stress when and if that encounter does occur.

Last season I was fortunate to have my long-dreamed-about encounter with a buck of a lifetime. While I started out with high hopes of harvesting a great deer with my bow, I was absolutely overwhelmed by what actually occurred on that warm September afternoon.

My hunting adventures began as a young boy in Florida. I was born on a cattle ranch near Okeechobee, Florida. I grew up working cows and riding horses. When the workday was over, I typically found myself hunting deer and hogs in the woods with my brothers. As I grew older, my hunting expanded. My dad became the executive vice president of the Florida Cattlemen's Association in Kissimmee, Florida. While we did not live on a ranch anymore, my hunting expeditions continued on friends' ranches lush with swamps and palmettos.

Post college, my career took my wife and me to Georgia. Even though I was in a new state, I still made annual trips to hunt with my best friend, Bill Lawson, on his family's ranch in central Florida. Along with our other buddy Bill Carpenter, we harvested some great deer. In fact, because of extensive herd and land management, Bill and his dad (Marc Lawson) had one of the best deer populations in the state. Over time, I learned more about hunting from Bill than from anyone I have ever known. Hunting is not just about shooting a deer. It's what you do before, during and after the hunt.

Unfortunately, Bill's family sold their ranch, so it was time to look for new areas to hunt. The next chapter in my hunting endeavors would be with a local friend, Aaron Walker. Aaron and his family let me join their lease in Estill, South Carolina. In 2003 I was fortunate to harvest a 132-inch 8-point (a great buck for that area).

THE ULTIMATE RUSH
Several years ago, I started getting serious about hunting with a bow. Even though bowhunting tends to be more challenging and frustrating, I enjoy the strategy, planning, close encounters, and technical aspects of the sport. Though I have only hunted with my bow for the past four years, I quickly learned one thing: When everything comes together and you let that arrow fly, there is no greater rush in the world!

Over the past several years, I've been hunting in the suburbs of Cumming, Georgia, near my home. Unfortunately, there are many pockets of wooded property being developed, pushing deer into smaller areas all the time. This type of "suburban" hunting has afforded me the opportunity to harvest several mature bucks early in the season with my bow.

During the summer of 2007, I went out scouting whenever the opportunity presented itself. A few times, I watched a bachelor group of bucks late in the afternoon. In July, as I was watching this group feed, I saw a buck that was supporting an impressive set of horns. His antlers were unusually large for that time of year.

I didn't see this group again until late August, when I noticed that one of the bucks had now reached the 140-inch range. He was tall and heavy, and he had kickers everywhere. In early September, right before archery season, I got a brief glimpse of another buck that appeared to be an awesome 150-class deer. I was very excited to have seen two P&Y-class bucks in the area.

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