Last year was my first year that I was able to hunt this farm, after multiple different locations with trail cameras and trying to figure out what is there and where are they coming from? I got the first picture of this deer on October 3rd 2024. Over the course of 2024 I had multiple trail camera pictures of the deer only at night which was mostly early morning. Knowing that I wouldn’t kill him if that was the only time I had him on camera, I started moving my corn and cameras around the farm to multiple different locations and found a specific place where he was coming in much earlier but still not daylighting.
Fast forwarding to this year 2025. Where I last had pictures of him close to daylight in 2024 is where I set my lock on and feeder in the woods. It only took a month and on July 3, 2025, he showed up on the camera midday. Since then he hung around and my first encounter was September 13 on the first day of bow season. He came in right at the end of shooting light and after drawing back, I could not confirm that I was going to make a good shot due to low light conditions. Throughout the month of September, we had two other encounters, but they were just as I was getting out of the stand. The most frustrating part is due to my schedule at the fire department he seem to have me down to only want to come in on the days I was on shift. After talking to my friends who are also amazing hunters that I look up to we figured I would have to give him a wind that was not good for me or him either, and just trust that it would not swirl in the woods. Finally on October 13 on a rising pressure and Ozonics running the deer came in at 6:16 PM. I had a 28 yard shot which hit him high shoulder, low spine and dropped him with a beast broad head. I immediately grabbed another arrow and was able to punch both lungs with a quartering away shot as he was standing up to seal the deal! All of my life I have dreamed of this moment just like every Hunter does and my dream came true that day! Through the trials and tribulations this deer taught me a lot as a hunter. Patience, hunting the right weather and sometimes you have to just give the deer the wind and let god take over! I owe this to my lord and savior because without him it never would have happened!!!! Also to my amazing wife for putting up with those all evening sits!!! Y’all hunters know what I’m talking about!!! I am so blessed and humbled to take this amazing Buck. After green scoring the deer he was a mainframe 10 with a 1 inch kicker at his base scoring 163.
Hunter’s name: Robert Riggan
Haw River North Carolina
Alamance, NC
10/13/2025
11-point buck
