Velvet buck green-scored 148 net inches
William Johnson of Bamberg, South Carolina experienced an action-packed evening during his first deer hunt of the season on Aug. 21. After laying eyes on nearly a dozen deer in Allendale County and getting ready to seal the deal on a 10-point, he changed his mind when a tall-racked, 195-pound, 12-point slipped into his shooting lane.
Not having placed any trail cameras this season, Johnson didn’t know exactly what the bucks in his area looked like, but he knew he was in a good spot. Sitting in a 16 foot tall tripod, he had a good view of a peanut field and a 200-yard-long lane that been cleared through the adjacent woods, which deer were crossing on their way to a corn pile.
“I got in the stand about 5:30,” said Johnson. “At about 6:30, I had three deer walk out into the lane, two young bucks and a yearling. I watched them for a few minutes, then at 7:30, five more deer came out. It was two does and three yearlings. Around 8 o’clock, I had three bucks walk out. I had my phone out and was videoing a 6-point, when a 10-point came out. I was about to pull the trigger on him when I saw the 12-point.”
This is when the situation got a little hairy. Few hunters will complain about seeing too many deer, but the buck that Johnson had his eyes on was being blocked by two others. He had no choice but to bide his time and wait for an opening.
After sweating it out for a few minutes, Johnson saw an opportunity. The big buck stepped out from behind the others at a quartered angle to Johnson, who squeezed the trigger of his Remington 700 .30-06, and the big buck never knew what hit him. The 150-grain Remington Core-Lokt bullet pierced his neck at 150 yards and he slumped to the ground.
“We’ve had this particular 1000 acres for about five years,” said Johnson. “We have 10 members and the members can take their families. To this day that’s the biggest deer that’s been taken out there.”
While Johnson’s full velvet buck is a trophy on any scale, some of its most remarkable features are the brow tines, which reach 7½ and 8 inches. However, the G2’s are the longest tines, coming in at 10 and 9¾ inches. The main beams are 21 inches long with an inside spread of 17 inches. All in all, the rack earned a gross green score of 154⅝ inches and netted over 148 inches.
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