Ryan Thrasher of Fair Play, SC killed a 12-point buck in Oconee County, SC on Oct. 24, 2026.
He shot the buck with a Mossberg .30-06 during an evening hunt while sitting in an elevated stand from 35 yards away.
Thrasher summed up the hunt with these words:
“This story began three years ago when he first showed up on camera during the summer. At the time, he was a big 8-point, and from the moment I saw him, I knew he was one I wanted to hunt. He was actually the reason I decided to get into bow hunting. I bought my first bow with the goal of getting an earlier opportunity to hunt this deer.
But not long after the season opened, he disappeared. He stopped showing up on camera, and just like that there was no sign of him. Still, I couldn’t forget about that deer.In early June of the following year, I put cameras back out, hoping he would return for the summer. It didn’t take more than one picture for me to realize he was back. Over the course of several hundred pictures, I watched him grow throughout the summer, He had developed into a 10- point with tall brow tines and a split brow tine on his right side. At that point, I knew I was looking at the biggest deer I had ever had the opportunity to hunt.
I planted a new food plot and made sure there was plenty of feed available, doing everything I could to keep him around. But once, again, I had the same luck as the year before. In the middle of September, he disappeared.
I spend a lot of time talking with God while I’m in the woods, He had heard plenty about this deer, and I knew if I wasn’t meant to see him again that season, there was a reason. God had a plan, but I also knew I had to put in the work and trust the process.
Going into the 2026 season, I knew I needed to change things up. I planted my food plot again, but this time I decided to put up a new stand a few hundred yards away from it. As summer went on, I started getting concerned when he still hadn’t made an appearance. Then, one August morning, he showed back up on camera. with just one picture, I knew it was him. This time, he had put on an incredible amount of mass and developed 3 kickers off the front, making him a 12- point. There was no question in my mind that he would be the biggest deer I had ever hunted.
I hunted hard throughout the bow season, but he never showed himself during daylight. Every picture I got was at night. When rifle season arrived, I felt a little more confident about my chances. As the temperatures finally began to drop, he made his first daylight appearance one afternoon. That was all the motivation I needed. I knew I had to hunt as hard and as smart as I could until my prayers were answered.
On the morning of October 24th, I headed out to hunt. Unfortunately, deer were already in the area of the stand I had planned to sit, so I had to make a last-minute change. I ended up hunting another stand, and not long after getting settled in, he showed up in daylight at the very spot I had originally planned to hunt.
I knew right then that I had to go back that evening. I didn’t have high hopes of seeing a deer like that move in daylight twice in one day, but I also knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try.
As the evening went on, I watched several deer come through, but none of them were the one I was waiting on. Around 6:30, I heard deer moving through the woods. The deer suddenly turned and began staring. I had a gut feeling he was coming.
I fought to stay calm. Rather than looking at his antlers I kept my focus on his shoulder. Just seconds after stepping into the open, he stopped and gave me a perfect broadside shot. I took the shot, and he ran off into the woods. A moment later I heard him go down.
I immediately called my wife to tell her I had shot him and asked her to help with the recovery. I also called my dad, who was hunting with me that day, to let him know what had happened.
I tried to give him some time before going to look, but with daylight fading and the excitement getting the best of me, waiting wasn’t easy.After about 15 minutes, I couldn’t sit still any longer. I headed in the direction he had run and found him just 30 years from where I had taken the shot.
I was amazed by how much bigger he was in person that he had ever looked on camera. After following this deer for three seasons, watching him grow, disappear, and show back up, I was finally standing over him. As I held those antlers in my hands, I gave the Lord a big thank you for answering a prayer I had been carrying for years.
After 3 seasons of chasing him, countless trail camera pictures, long sits in the woods, and many prayers the moment had finally come. I met up with my family so we could all share the excitement and enjoy the moment together.
Some hunts are about the deer, but this one was about much more than that. It was about patience, faith, putting in the work, and trusting that things happen in Gods timing. This was one hunt I’ll never forget.”
Thrasher is now entered in our Bag-A-Buck Contest, and is eligible to win our monthly prize pack, which includes a set of Ultimate Eyes & Ears Combo from ShellShock Pro, a YETI Rambler bottle, a prize package from Buck Commander and Duck Commander, and a Carolina Sportsman hat, as well as our Grand Prize, a 2-day hunt for two to Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge in Chesterfield County, SC.
