In 2019, we took ownership of Myers SpinTech Ranch in South Texas. Along with the land came the whispers of a legend, a 200-class buck that had roamed these grounds for years, elusive as a ghost. Rarely caught on trail cameras, he had never been seen in person by a hunter. As our first year passed without a sighting, we started to believe time had finally caught up with him.

Then, in late February, the impossible happened. The ghost reappeared, still alive, still magnificent, but clearly aging. When he showed up on one of our trail cameras, we knew we had one last chance to pursue him. The plan was set: when the next season arrived, we’d be ready.

Through the offseason, we watched as his antlers grew in velvet, shaping up for what could be another incredible rack. But something wasn’t right. By early summer, his antlers stopped growing. His body weakened, his frame shrank. The once untouchable giant now appeared at our feeders regularly, moving slower, no longer the wary buck he had once been. It was clear...his time was running out.

When the season opened, I was fortunate enough to get in front of him. It was a bittersweet moment when I took the shot, knowing it was the right decision before his health declined any further. When we brought him in, the processor confirmed what we already suspected, at 11 years old, he was too frail for the meat to be kept.

But that buck wasn’t just another harvest. He was a warrior, a survivor who had defied hunters and the harsh South Texas landscape for over a decade. A true legend of the land, gone, but never forgotten.