6-year-old hunter kills big Alleghany County buck

Practice pays off with Alleghany County buck

Six-year-old Ledger Bass killed his first ever deer on North Carolina’s opening day of archery season, Sept. 12, 2020. The young hunter killed the Alleghany County buck with a crossbow. It is the biggest deer killed at the hunting club he was at with his dad.

You could call it beginner’s luck that such a big deer showed up when it did. But you can’t call the hunter’s shot luck. He had spent the summer getting familiar with his crossbow and learning how to hit his target.

“Ledger had been practicing all summer for when he got an opportunity to shoot,” said Justin Bass, Ledger’s dad.

And he got that opportunity when the big 8-point Alleghany County buck stepped into shooting range of the youngster.

“Ledger had five bucks in front of him right at daylight. And then this big 8 walked in and stuck its head out from behind a pine tree,” he said.

Practice — and patience — makes perfect

And rather than getting overly excited at the presence of so many deer, including the big one, Bass kept calm and gave the buck time to offer him a high-percentage shot.

“He waited patiently for around 3 or 4 minutes for the deer to step out enough to see him broadside,” said Ledger’s dad.

And when the perfect shot presented itself, all the young hunter’s practice came into play. He calmly pulled the trigger, sending his bolt to its target, and connecting just as practiced.

“He made a perfect shot at 32 yards. When Ledger pulled the trigger, he looked up at me and said ‘Daddy, that’s a dead deer.’”

The deer took off, but fell over only 40 yards away. It was a great day for the father-son duo. But the kid’s success was a bit of a blow to some of the more experienced hunters in the club.

“We were both jumping up and down. It’s the biggest deer to come off of the Peach Bottom Hunting Club in Alleghany. Needless to say, we had some jealous grown men,” said Justin Bass.

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Congratulations to Bass, who is now entered in our Bag-A-Buck contest, making him eligible for a number of great prizes, including the grand prize which includes a 2-day, two-man hunt at Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge. Click here to view the Bag-A-Buck gallery or to enter the contest yourself.