8-point buck was elusive
Christopher Rose of Rocky Mount, NC was hunting with his compound bow in Edgecombe County when he killed an 8-point buck from 25 yards away. He was sitting in an elevated stand when he released his arrow at 6:50 p.m.
For Rose, the hunt was unforgettable.
“Everything about this hunt was amazing,” he said. “Four days prior to the hunt, I lost my father to bladder cancer.”
This left the hunter very little time, and little motivation, to get in the woods leading up to this season.
“I had very little time prior to the season beginning to get everything right in the woods, because I was trying to spend as much time with my father as possible in his last few months,” he said.
He was able to slip into the woods two weeks before the season started to put out some apple-flavored corn. And on the first day of bow season, he hunted and actually had an encounter with the buck.
“I was in the stand for the morning hunt, and he came out around 8 a.m. with a group of does and a small 3-point buck,” he said. “When I moved to stand up in the stand, a doe spotted me and started to blow and stomped her hoofs.”
The deer left
“They were at 60 yards, and then they decided to head back into the woods instead of coming to the corn pile. I was so upset. First time actually seeing him in person and not on camera, and being in a rush, I got up too quick and spooked them,” he said.
Rose decided he’d try again that afternoon.
“Later, I tried an afternoon hunt, and all the does and small bucks came back and got on the corn pile. But the big one never showed back up,” he said. “The disappointment was setting in, worrying someone else got him.”
When Sunday rolled around, he gave it another shot.
“After church Sunday morning, and my son’s baseball practice, I went and got back in the stand at 5:30 p..m.,” he said. “Then around 6:35, the does and the small buck came out into the field. And behind them, the big one came out. This time, I waited until they were all content in the field before I slowly got up to get my bow in my hand to get ready for a shot.”
Would this be Rose’s big chance?
“Sure enough, the small buck turned to come to the corn pile, and came in to about 15 yards,” he said. “The big buck came in to about 22 yards and was on the pile. I slowly drew back on the bow to get him in my sights. I realized once I tried to get to my anchor point that I couldn’t get my kisser button on the bow to the corner of my mouth because my face mask was still up.”
Rose didn’t let that stop him
“I had to hold my draw as I lowered my mask to get set to take the shot. In doing so, he decided he didn’t like something in the area. So he turned around and started to walk away,” he said. “Once again, frustration and nerves began setting in, thinking I might not get another shot. Thankfully, he stopped at 25 yards and I was able to take a shot and send an arrow to him.”
Rose saw that he hit the buck, but he was afraid his aim was a little high.
“I could see it hit him high in front of his back leg,” he said. “He did a mule kick, then ran through the field for about 80 yards, and then went into the woods.”
Now Rose was anxious, thinking he might not find the deer.
“I was worried about my shot placement, but knew the arrow still had a decent shot at getting to his lungs from the angle of the shot,” he said.
Time to look for the buck
“I got my stuff together and let my step-dad know that I just put an arrow in the big one,” he said. “He walked down with me to track the deer, and I told him the whole story. “When we got about 10 yards away from were he ran into the woods, I could see my nock lit up in the woods.”
Finally, Rose was able to get his hands on the deer.
“He was laying there, no more than 10 feet into the woods,” he said. “I prepared another arrow just in case he got up, but it wasn’t needed. He was dead.”
Happy to have harvested the deer, a range of emotions ran through Rose.
“Every emotion possible was running through me: the sadness of losing my dad, the excitement that I just got my biggest buck, first one with a compound bow, and in full velvet,” he said.
Rose then gave thanks to Heaven.
“I took a knee and prayed to God for the harvest of the deer, the food it was going to provide me and my family, and for accepting my father before he passed,” he said.
Bag A Buck Contest
Congratulations to Rose, who is now in the running for our monthly prize of a free 1-year subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine, a Sportsman hat, a two-pack of Lowcountry Seasonings, as well as our Grand Prize, which includes a 1-year-subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine, a Sportsman hat, and a 2-day, two-person hunt at Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge in Chesterfield, SC.
See all the bucks entered so far, and upload yours at www.carolinasportsman.com/bag-a-buck-2024
