Cathey’s latest big buck is 10-pointer that scores in 140-inch class
The Cathey family of Anderson has struck again. Daniel Cathey, the middle of a three-generation set of big-buck killers, took down a 10-point, 220-pound buck on Sept. 15, a deer he’s judged to be pushing 8 years old.
Cathey, who along with his father and son have killed quite a few bucks that are in the South Carolina record book, took a buck that he had been watching for 3 years. He and a friend who lives about three-quarters of a mile away had both had their eyes on the buck for some time.
“Even in trail-cam photos from 3 years ago, he was obviously an old buck,” Cathey said. “He was huge and pot-bellied.”
Besides his age and size, what made the buck extra-special was that he had a right shoulder that had been broken, possibly in a collision with an automobile. Cathey said his friend confirmed that he’d seen a huge, crippled buck in the past, and that Cathey’s was definitely the same buck.
Cathey set up on the buck near his bedding area in a dense swamp, between it and the area the buck was feeding. It lived in a relatively small area, competing with a large population of hogs. He was hunting from in a loc-on type stand 18 feet off the ground, shooting a Bowtech bow, Maxima red arrows and G5 mechanical broadheads.
“The shot was at 13 steps, but I spined the buck and had to finish him with a follow-up shot,” Cathey said. “Spine shots often anchor the deer instantly, but (they) are not always fatal and require a second shot.”
Cathey said the buck was in full velvet when he shot, but a lot of the velvet was removed by the buck thrashing on the ground after the shot.
The buck carried 23-inch main beams, 20-inch tines and a 17 ½-inch inside spread. It has been conservatively scored around 143 inches.
“I judged the buck to be 8 years old, but I plan to send the jawbone to the University of Texas to have it aged for certainty,” he said.
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