NC hunter kills giant 10-point buck

Giant 10-point buck green-scored 171 3/8 inches

Karen Nielsen of Burlington, NC killed a giant 10-point buck in Alamance County on Nov. 5, 2022 during an evening hunt. She shot the buck with a Wolf .50-caliber muzzleloader from 25 yards away in a wooded area.

The buck has been green-scored at a whopping 171 3/8 inches.

Nielsen had never seen the buck on the hoof, but she did have trail camera photos of it. Another nice 8-point buck had also been showing up on camera, and at first, Nielsen thought that’s the buck she’d shot.

“I was beginning to think I wouldn’t see anything that day when I was hearing a deer moving around in front of me, making noise. Not a blow or a grunt, but like it was irritated and maybe winding me,” she said.

Sitting still and quiet, she listened and watched, then suddenly realized a deer was in her bait pile.

“I lowered my glasses and looked through my scope and watched it. When it raised its head, I could see it was a buck. I thought it was the nice 8-pointer we have on camera, and decided to take him,” she said.

She realized she was shaking and took a few breaths to calm herself down as she looked through the scope.

“I realized I was aiming too far forward, so I adjusted. I reminded myself to take a deep breath, to let it out as I squeeze the trigger and to not flinch, and to listen to what way he goes,” she said.

“You got the big one”

She squeezed the trigger and heard the giant 10-point buck go to the right. Then she heard what sounded like the deer stumble going away from her.

“Then, nothing. I texted my husband and sons. Then I waited for about 40 minutes. I got down from my stand and crossed the creek, looking for blood. About that time, my family showed up and we all started looking,” she said.

They didn’t find anything for about 20 minutes. But luckily, her search party came through.

“We’d been looking for 20 minutes for the blood when my 7-year-old granddaughter and son see it at the same time,” she said.

As her granddaughter yelled “Grandma, I see your deer,” her son also yelled “Mom, you got the big one.”

At first, Nielsen thought they were kidding, but it was true. She’d made a clean heart shot and the deer had dropped within 15 yards of where she’d shot it.

Karen Nielsen said having so much of her family present made her special hunt even more special.

It was a special moment for her, especially with so much of her family present.

“We took pictures in the woods, got him loaded on our side-by-side, and then met the rest of the family at the house for more pictures,” she said. “My phone started ringing pretty quickly as the news spread. I am over the moon that this happened.

“It is a wonderful feeling when your husband, sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are beaming with pride and happiness for you. I will never forget it,” she said.

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Bag-A-Buck

Congratulations to Nielsen, who is now entered in our Bag-A-Buck Contest and in the running for these monthly prizes and the Grand Prize package:

Monthly winners will receive:

The Grand Prize winner will receive: