Memorable hunts: A 3-year story comes to an end for 14-year-old Gainesville hunter

For 14-year-old Gainesville resident Jaxon Headrick, this year’s youth season ended a hunt that had been building for three years. The son of Tyler and Mandy Headrick, Jaxon harvested his unique 15-point buck while hunting with his dad in Ozark County Oct. 25.  The buck scored 185 3/8 inches and sported an incredibly unique rack, a reward that Jaxon earned after years of watching, waiting and hoping for the right opportunity.

Jaxon and his dad had been keeping tabs on the buck through trail camera photos for three years, watching as it grew from one season to the next. 

“It’s been fun to see his growth from year to year,” Jaxon told the Times. Last year, after admiring the unique rack shape and size, Jaxon found a shed antler, giving him hope that he’d someday have the opportunity to hunt the animal.  

“He stumbled upon it, and when we picked it up, he immediately knew it was the buck they’d seen for so long,” his mom, Mandy, said. 

When early youth season arrived this year, Tyler and Jaxon were ready to try again. After sitting in his blind for about two hours, Jaxon spotted the buck chasing a doe. He took the opportunity and made a great shot, taking the deer down. 

His words to his parents afterward summed up the moment: “I finally brought an end to a three-year story.”

“So proud of this kid and his love for hunting,” Mandy posted to Facebook afterward. “He has put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this deer and we could not be more happy for him!”

She added that she thought his daddy might have been even more excited than Jaxon. For the Headrick family, the impressive rack is a trophy. But the years of following the buck and the moment they finally caught up with him are what make this hunt a story worth telling.