Velvet buck stuck its rack in the ground
Hunting in Beaufort County, SC on Opening Day of deer season in South Carolina’s Game Zone 3, Leisel Grayson killed an 8-point buck in full velvet at 7 p.m. She shot the deer with a Marlin .30-30 from about 50 yards away. When she shot the buck, it did a backflip and stuck its rack in the ground. It’s a deer she had some history with, and it was her target buck for this season.
“The buck came in from my left, out of the swamp, through a thick section,” she said. “I could hear movement, but could not see what it was.”
After getting a good look at the deer, it disappeared from view for an unsettlingly long time.
“He finally popped out just to my left, buy almost under me,” she said. “He walked right past me without a care in the world. Then he walked straight out in front of me into the food plot and right behind a tree. He started to walk out from behind the tree, but all I could see was his head before he went right back behind the tree.”
It’s the first velvet buck she’s ever killed, and she almost left the hunt too soon. Thankfully, technology saved her from making that mistake.
“I sat there for a few minutes waiting, and I thought he was gone until I saw a pic come through to my cell phone from my trail cam. He was still there!,” she said. “I was ready to go, just waiting for him to walk out. Finally, after 20 minutes, he gave me my shot. It’s my first ever velvet buck, and first time out on opening day!”
Bag A Buck Contest
Congratulations to Grayson, 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 carolinasportsman.com/bag-a-buck-2024.
