This story starts back in the 80s. The Payne family didn’t have a ton of resources to pay for expensive family vacations, so “Big Daddy” (what we called our dad once he became a grandpa) would load us in the ‘79 Jeep Cherokee and we would head to one of the state parks for the day. One of our favorites was Choke Canyon State Park. Big Daddy loved whitetail deer. He would take us there to see the giant bucks that roamed the park. All of the Paynes’ fondest memories revolve around deer leases and hunting trips. This tradition was passed on to his two boys and grandkids alike.
In 2013, Big Daddy was suddenly taken from us in a freak accident while working in the yard on his little tractor. Only nine months later, his youngest son, Blair, was also taken from us in another unexpected accident. After Blair’s death, family and friends in the small community of El Campo, Texas adopted a motto because of Blair’s friendly attitude, “Find the Happy.”
When we got the email from Texas Parks and Wildlife that we had drawn the youth hunt on Choke Canyon’s North Shore, I knew Big Daddy and Blair had their hands in it and were smiling from above. There were hints and clues that they were with us throughout the hunt. Clue one, we arrived around 10 p.m. to Choke Canyon State Park the night before the hunt. I pulled up to see my name written on window campsite 128 and 130. Having only booked one site, I was a little confused. We decided to park at site 128 because it had a nice oak tree. Big Daddy and I always appreciated a big Texas oak.
The following day, we headed to camp to get ready. We drove the unit, did a little scouting, and picked a spot for a ground blind. After about an hour in the blind, I asked Tripp if he thought we should rattle. He agreed, and we hit the horns together. Tripp said, “Dad, there’s a buck. He’s a shooter.” I could not see the buck, which had snuck up behind us at less than 80 yards. Finally, the buck moved and I caught a glimpse of what I immediately knew was a 150 class or better deer.
The big buck was nervous and moving away fast. As he was about to disappear, I let out a grunt. At 250 yards, he threw up his head and ears and looked back in our direction. In that brief second, Tripp took control. He squeezed the trigger on this .270 Ruger, and we immediately heard “Whop!” The big boy fell.
As we approached the deer, for the first time in my life as a hunter, I was overcome with emotion. I knew how special this moment was for me as the dad and for Tripp as the hunter and how proud his grandpa and uncle would be if they could have been there in person. We got about 40 yards from the deer, and I could see his giant beam sticking out of the grass with 6 big points. I knew if the other side matched, this was the biggest deer anyone in our family had ever taken. We went to load the buck in the truck, and lying under him was a heart- shaped rock covered in blood. We knew it was Uncle Blair letting us know he was there.
The big buck ended up scoring just under 160". We always name our bucks that are large enough to make the wall in this family. Tripp decided to name his deer “Happy” in honor of Uncle Blair. God has an amazing way of speaking to us and letting us know our loved ones are near and that He is always in control of the outcome.
What a truly amazing hunt and experience. Thanks to TPWD for everything y’all do.
We miss you Big Daddy and Blair, but the heads on the wall will always bring back great memories and stories that we will share with Blair’s boys forever.
Texas Deer Hunting
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