There’s no such thing as a bad snow day when it gets you out of school. But back in January, Tyler and M.J. Christon had what might be the best snow day ever when their father took them hunting and both boys got a buck.
After Marcus Christon, an avid hunter and conservation officer with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, heard his sons school had closed, he picked them up and headed to their treestand.
“My passion for the outdoors crosses over both my professional and personal life,” Marcus Christon says. “I am blessed to have the opportunity to share my passion with my kids and see their love for the outdoors grow as the years go by.”
Since temps were sitting at 16 degrees, it’s a good thing they had a box blind with a heater to fight off the cold. Christon had also seen a big buck around there the week before.
“We sat there for a couple of hours and the deer came out where I’d seen him Friday,” Christon said. “He was about 250 yards and we got excited.”
The buck kept coming closer, but its antlers made M.J. nervous about messing up the shot.
“He was steady coming in,” Christon continued. “He got to about 120 yards and presented a shot. M.J. took the shot and the deer ran about 30 yards and fell over.”
It turned out to be an 8-point with heavy bases and a 20-inch spread.
Tyler wanted to keep hunting. There had been another buck in the field that ran off on the first shot and he wanted a buck of his own.
“He (M.J.) shot that deer at 4:30, so we had plenty of time,” said Christon. “Legal shooting hours weren’t over until about 5:45.”
Right around 5 o’clock, Tyler saw his opportunity when a big 10-point walked into the field, slowly making its way toward them. Tyler took his shot but missed. Fortunately, the buck was confused about the direction of the shot and ran 60 yards closer.
“Tyler took another shot and got him,” Christon says. “Everything worked out perfect.”
“Being a conservation officer with the MDWFP allows me the opportunity to hopefully be a positive influence to the youth and outdoorsmen I have the privilege to interact with on a daily basis. Our greatest desire should be to pass along the outdoor heritage to the younger generation in our state.”
