Mt. Pleasant hunter bags 2 deer, including 130-class buck

Early morning starts equals success for Travis Limbaker

Travis Limbaker of Mt. Pleasant had one of those days that most outdoorsmen only dream of. Multiplied by two. While hunting in Trio on Nov 21, Limbaker put two solid bucks on the ground within an hour of each other, including a 130-class buck that really made his day.

Hunting with his brother-in-law, the two arrived in the dark of early morning and drew straws to see which hunter would get which stand. Limbaker drew the field stand, which overlooks a soybean field while his brother-in-law took another stand deep in a pine thicket down a logging road.

Just after first light, Limbaker saw a big buck, took aim, and squeezed off a shot. The rifle report woke his brother-in-law, who texted Limbaker to inquire about the shot. Limbaker confirmed the shot was his, then got out of the stand to make sure the buck was down for good. Once he saw the buck was dead, he decided it was early enough that he should get back in the stand to see if anything else walks out.

Sitting easy in the stand now, Limbaker knew his hunt was already a success, and that is often when something really special happens when all the stars are aligned properly. In this instance, they were lined up just right for Limbaker.

Less than an hour later, Limbaker spotted a large rack of antlers moving through the broomstraw on the other side of the field. This one was bigger than the first, but it was a good 350-yards away. Not completely comfortable with taking such a long shot, he readied himself with the hopes the deer would come closer. He felt a rush of adrenaline as the deer slowly made his way in range, but then the deer vanished into some brush. Limbaker’s heart sank.

A few minutes (which seemed much longer), passed and Limbaker carefully scanned the edges of the field, hoping to see the buck. Luckily, it appeared, and Limbaker was ready, peering through his scope as the buck moved just a little closer.

At 275-yards, Limbaker felt comfortable with his shot and pulled the trigger. The second buck of his day went down, completing his first deer hunting double-header.

That second buck was an 8-pointer that green-scored in the mid 130s.

“Next time,” said Limbaker’s brother-in-law, “I get the field stand.”

Click here to read about other big South Carolina bucks.