Cody Sparks with his trophy-class whitetail, a 7 by 6, with a gross score of 179 4/8”, 173 lbs., and 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 years old.
I thought I was finished writing big buck stories until Jesse Forsyth reached out. He told me his cousin, Cody Sparks, had taken a great buck in Livingston County. This story became my favorite of the season, and I’m glad to share it with fellow hunters.
Cody is all of 21 years old and has already taken a few good whitetail bucks. They are very fortunate to have a farmer who allows them to hunt his large farm.
On October 29, Cody had plans to hunt, but he also told me he had a date that evening with his girlfriend. Cody had spent a lot of time hunting during the season prior to the 29th and had close encounters with a nice 8-pointer and a good 10-pointer.
Cody’s father told him the farmer had a trail camera photo of a big buck from the night before. Until then, Cody didn’t know about this deer. His dad also said the farmer would be cutting corn, the buck was likely bedded on the property, and Cody should hunt the next day.
Cody hunted all day and hadn’t seen a deer and decided to head in for his date at about 6:30. Cody had cut a trail through a very large, very thick area in order to get in and out of the hunting area. As he was walking through it, a doe appeared just a few yards ahead of him, walking through the thicket. At the same time, he heard antlers hitting the brush in the thicket. Cody knew a buck was following the doe and nocked an arrow.
Within seconds, the buck appeared and looked straight at Cody, offering a straight-on shot into the chest of the buck. Cody released the arrow almost as fast as the buck appeared. Cody heard the arrow hit the deer hard. He knew he had a great buck, but never had a chance to really count antler points.
Cody set his bow down and called his father. Cody said there was no one else he would rather call first than his father. He just happened to be on a date with Cody’s mother. I could not help but smile when he told me his parents were on a date. I thought that was great!
His parents wrapped up their evening and hurried home. Cody picked up his dad, and together they went to track the buck. Cody couldn’t see where the buck ran because of the thick cover, but there was a good blood trail. After about 100 yards, they found Cody’s trophy buck. Even though he knew it was a good deer, Cody was surprised by how big it was. It was a trophy-class whitetail, a 7 by 6, with a net score of 179 4/8 inches. Best of all, he got to share the moment with his father.
The dressed weight was 173 pounds, and they estimated the age at either 4 ½ or 5 ½ years old.
Not bad for a 21-year-old young man who left his blind early for a date with his girl. Needless to say, there was no date that night. Cody said he made it up to his girlfriend the following night.
I really enjoyed talking with Cody. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m hearing from him about another big buck before long.
The author is Jeff Pendergraff, a retired Captain from the Law Enforcement Division of the MDNR.
