Granville County bowhunter scores big trophy buck

trophy buck

Trophy buck outsmarted him a few times leading up to fateful day

Jacob Edwards made his first bow kill, a 156 6/8-inch, 10-point Granville County trophy buck on Oct. 2. He had a long history with this deer, including thousands of trail camera photos. He killed the buck on a tract of land he purchased just last year.

Edwards put in plenty of time getting the buck into range. It had eluded him on numerous occasions this season, despite his efforts. But when the temperature dropped 10 degrees in a 24-hour period, he knew he had a strong chance of getting a shot at the deer.

“I’ve been tracking and feeding this 10-point stud all year long with Ani-Logics products. And I had him on several trail cameras,” he said.

Through the trail camera photos, Edwards developed a pattern on the buck’s movements. But each time conditions looked right, the big deer gave him the slip.

“I had so many close encounters with this deer. He outsmarted me a few times when he came too early or a little too late,” he said.

But the hunter kept at it, feeling like October — or Bucktober as he prefers to call it — would bring about the ideal conditions to finally kill the deer. He looked at more than just the calendar though. The temperature, wind direction, and atmospheric pressure all pointed to a good day for deer movement on Oct. 2. Finally, he checked his Drury Outdoors Deer Cast app.

Long wait pays off for hunter

“With the 10-degree temperature drop, a good wind, great pressure…I had a good feeling. My Deer Cast app said ‘Great.’ And it did not disappoint,” he said.

Edwards would have hunted that day anyway. But all these signs gave him a boost of confidence when heading to his blind, especially knowing he had a favorable wind.

He got set up that day around 3:50 p.m. Hours later, a couple of does came in with some fawns. Then at 6:50, a 4-point buck walked into the clearing. And this deer began acting skittish. Edwards knew it was time to get ready.

“The 4-pointer came in and was acting nervously. So I knew something was up. Once he walked away, the big boy walked in,” he said.

Edwards took aim, released his arrow, and watched as it hit its mark. The trophy buck ran about 50 yards before going down for good.

Needless to say, he was pretty excited about the kill, especially since its the first deer he’s ever killed with a bow.

“There’s no better deer to kill for a first time bow kill,” he said.

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Congratulations to Edwards, who is now entered in our Bag-A-Buck contest, making him eligible for a number of great prizes, including the grand prize which includes a 2-day, two-man hunt at Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge. Click here to view the Bag-A-Buck gallery or to enter the contest yourself.

About Brian Cope 2726 Articles
Brian Cope is the editor of Carolina Sportsman. He has won numerous awards for his writing, photography, and videography. He is a retired Air Force combat communications technician, and has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at brianc@sportsmannetwork.com.

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