The Hunter Spotlight Series | Outdoors With Gregg

This week's Hunter Spotlight Series sheds its light on veteran Gregg Kimbell an avid bowhunter who shares a tale of one that almost got away.

By Cliff Cadet | Equalized Outdoors Newsroom

This week's Hunter Spotlight Series features:

Name: Gregg Kimbell

Hometown: Sacramento, California

Currently Residing: Fayetteville, North Carolina

Hunting Weapon of Choice:

• Hoyt VTM 34

• Ultraview UV3XL SE Vertical Hunting Scope Kit

• HHA Tetra RYZ X3

• HHA Tetra Ultraview Microwindage

Gregg getting situated in his tree saddle.

What's your favorite game animal to hunt and why?

"Whitetail. No question. They're smart....they adapt faster than we do...AND they make you earn every single opportunity. That's the hook for me -- the challenge of trying to outsmart an animal that's playing the game 24/7."

Tell us a story about one that ALMOST got away:

"It was early September. One of those quiet, heavy evenings where the air feels thick and the woods are dead silent. I climbed a bit higher than usual, that night...just trying to get a better vantage point over the early-season cover. Honestly? I wasn't expecting much to happen. Then...out of nowhere...this doe starts easing in."

"What's wild is how calm she was. She knew something was up. But since I was tucked away so high, she couldn't pin me. I remember holding my breath and thinking, there's no way she doesn't bust me right here.

"She kept coming until she hit 26 yards. I drew back, settled the pin, and let it fly!

"It felt like a perfect shot coming off the bow. But right as I broke the trigger, she took one of those nervous, early-season steps. The impact wasn't where I wanted it. She bolted into the brush and vanished.

"The adrenaline hit me like a freight train. I scrambled down that tree way too fast...half expecting to find her piled up right there. She wasn't. And because that's just how hunting works...it started raining. Just a light, steady drizzle...but enough to make tracking a nightmare.

"I started picking through the sign. Step by step. Yard by yard. It felt like I was out there for an eternity. But 800 yards later, buried deep in the thick stuff...I finally found her.

"That moment was a total wreck of emotions -- frustration, excitement, and massive relief. That doe taught me more about patience than any successful, 'perfect' hunt ever could. It reminded me: don't rush because your heart is redlining.

"Early season is all about the long game -- patterns, food, and calculated moves. It's predictable until it isn't. But once the rut kicks in??? All bets are off! New bucks show up, deer move at high noon, and the woods just catch fire.

"The crazy part? My biggest deer have always shown up right when I was ready to pack it in and call it a season."

That was this weeks Hunter Spotlight Series be sure to follow Gregg on Instagram: @outdoorswithgregg

Gregg taking in the sunrise and foggy views at a nearby water source.