It was the fourth hour of 14-year-old Reili Brewer sitting in a deer stand in the bone-cold rain, hunting for deer with her father, Rickey Brewer. The pair had been waiting for whitetails in Bowie County, Texas, the entire last weekend of October. The past few days had been wet and chilly, and by 6:15 p.m. Sunday, her dad had had enough. He went to the pickup truck to warm up. Reili still had some fight left in her and wanted to sit a little longer to see if "Ol Monroe" would show himself.
For three years, Ol Monroe had a target on his back as they pursued him. Trail camera evidence showed him emerging near that location after a soaking rain, and Reili wanted to be there in case he did it again.
It turns out, the teen made the right call. Shortly before 6:40 p.m., back at the truck, Rickey Brewer heard one loud gunshot. "I had just opened a Coke when I heard the gunshot," Rickey Brewer told local news outlet KLTV. "I looked at my phone and saw I had three missed calls. I called her back, and she was just screaming and crying, 'I shot the big one.'"
In the woods, Reili had just leveled the 31-point buck, potentially breaking the state record and delivering the satisfaction of a three-year build up.
The Brewers, who live in Avery, hunt on the Red River Army Depot. Brewer is allowed access to the land through his job, along with other contractors, state and local police, teachers, veterans, and active military. The plot consists of around 12,000 to 13,000 acres of heavy timber and is managed to encourage the growth of the local whitetail deer population, which is completely free-range and not fenced in.
"I knew it was prime time," the 14-year-old huter said. "I was ready to go at around 5 p.m. but thought I might as well wait it out. I was praying and hoping my prayers would be answered. Deer always like some cold weather, and it's harder for them to smell you. It was just the perfect weather."
When Ol Monroe showed up, Reili had been looking down at her phone screen. She looked up and sprang into action.
"My scope was really foggy and I had to wipe it off without spooking him," she said. "My nerves were shot, but my dad's words were with me. I just took a big breath and slowly squeezed the trigger."
Although he has been after this deer for three years, Rickey Brewer was happy that it was his daughter who ultimately harvested the old whitetail.
"I'm super proud of her," he said. "We sat there in the rain and stuck it out, but she stuck it out longer than I did. Just hearing her hollering and screaming, I wouldn't trade it for the world."
A taxidermist in Terrell scored the buck as a 238 1/8, which would easily surpass the current state youth record of 209. After 60 days, the rack can officially be scored.
Reili is quick to credit her dad with teaching her all about hunting: "I owe everything to him," she said. "He sets me up on everything. He's been with me my whole life. It's incredible. I've been in the woods since I was little. I've loved it ever since."
READ MORE: 10 of the Biggest Non-Typical Bucks in History
