Big Boy

article by Dan Chason

I am fortunate to have some very remarkable men that I call my friends.  Some I’ve known longer than others but I will say that few men have influenced me more than Scott Self.  Scott is a big man,  standing 6’6”. He is quite daunting in his physique, but the outside hides a man who is taller than that where it matters, and that is in his character.  I’ve known Scott personally a little more than a year and met him in the strangest, most unexpected way.  Scott’s sister, Rhonda Self Pelley is also the pastor’s wife at Rayville Church of God.  She and the Pastor Jimmy have been there over 17 years.  Rhonda was a childhood playmate of my wife in Holly Ridge, so when Scott called and invited us to church we strongly considered it.

Being raised the son of a preacher makes you pretty skeptical and stand-offish towards organized religion.  That’s a whole ‘nother story but understand that not being a regular church goer but still devout in my faith, it seemed the time to let some things go and get back going to church as a family.  I can say that the last year has been the happiest and most joyful the Chason household has been in our 21 plus years together.  We not only joined the church, but I’m an active member of the praise team where Scott plays bass and rhythm guitar.  He is quite talented and I look forward to every Sunday morning when we congregate in worship and good friendship.  Not long after we met, I invited Scott to come join me at the property I’ve managed for over 27 years on a deer hunt.  Growing up in Holly Ridge, Scott was a founding member of the “Brown Its Down” club as deer management meant figuring out how much back strap to put with the gravy.  But Scott got with the program immediately.  Being a farmer, his expertise in weed control, planting and equipment issues was a welcome addition.  He was immediately invited to be a part of our management team.

I guess I had harped on deer management and letting them walk a little hard, as it was apparent one morning on one of the most memorable hunts I’ve ever been on.  It was a cold December morning last year, and neither Scott nor I had pulled the trigger all year and my finger was itching.  We had a lot of deer on camera but we decided we would wait on the right one.  That morning we decided to hunt a big 4×8 stand together where we had game camera photos of a couple of shooter bucks.  Scott is sitting to my right looking at a right of way to his right and a road to his right and I’m doing the same on the left.  I saw some movement and sure enough a nice 8-point steps out of the CRP and heads directly towards Scott’s lane.  Right behind him was a smaller buck and then Mr. Hartford came out.  This massive buck stands broadside in the road at 30 yards and Scott hasn’t moved to reach for his gun.  I’m whispering as loud as I can get away with to “Shoot.”  The deer crossed the road then abruptly turned and walked 10 yards behind the stand and stopped.  We had not bothered to open the rear windows in an attempt to stay warm.

Neither of us could move as the big buck just watched us and slowly walked away.  Scott’s explanation was that he couldn’t get his chair moved but I honestly think he didn’t shoot from utter amazement at the size of this animal. Neither of us killed a deer last year so this year we decided it was time to smell some gunpowder.  Scott and I had three huge bucks on camera with one big one we really wanted to get.  We decided who would hunt where and Scott ended up in the same stand from the earlier stated hunt.  I ended up in the “office” stand which is my personal favorite.  It was opening day of muzzleloader season and right at daylight a great big hog blitzed across my lane and I texted Scott as his main lane intercepts moving critters from my stand and visa versa.  Then right after the hog a nice 8-point crossed and I texted Scott “good’n coming.”  It wasn’t 30 seconds and the bark of his .444 and the sound of the impact rolled through the cutover.  I texted.  No reply.  I texted again…..what did you shoot?  Thinking he had shot the hog,  Scott replies “Dunno….its big.”  That was it.  After much discussion on text he sent the picture.  I have never been so happy in the woods in my life.

Scott is sitting looking down his lanes when that same 8-point walked in his lane.  He got his gun up and didn’t have a clean shot.  Right behind the 8-point Scott sees movement and “horns.”  He squeezed off a round and the big buck was down.  Just how big he was described in a way only Scott could describe,” Brother, all I know is when I got down and started walking to him, he got bigger and bigger.”  When I arrived Scott looked like an epileptic as he decided to get the shakes.  I laughed and we high-fived for a while.  The deer was the largest ever killed on this property since its inception in the 60’s.  The deer scored 162 and had 12 scoreable points.  Other than my kids or grandkids killing it, I felt that it was one of the most rewarding hunts I’ve ever been a part of.  A great hunt with a close friend who was overdue to take an animal of that caliber.  I guess I won’t have to worry about him keeping to the management plan from here on out.  I just hope one day he can help me load one that is at least 163 inches.  Happy New Year!