On Nov. 20, 2022, I harvested my biggest buck to date in Caswell County, North Carolina.
After years of pursuing a deer of this caliber, countless hours in the tree stand, scouting, hanging tree stands, and lots of preparation it finally all came together on a very cold November morning. It was 29 degrees that morning. I saw this date being so cold on the weather about a week in advance and knew I couldn’t miss a morning hunt for this dark horned buck.
I’ve had countless trail camera pictures of this deer and hours of planning to try to put together a pattern and plan on this giant. One reason this buck really stood out to me was his chocolate rack. I couldn’t believe a North Carolina buck had such a dark rack. I’ve never seen one around here before like that.
Typically darker racked bucks are more in the Midwest, but it seems rare to find one in North Carolina, so I had set the stage. My tree stand was hung in a great location between food and bedding, and with a major cold front coming in the weather forecast, I knew it would be time to strike. So that morning, I made my way to the stand early, before sunrise. I snuck in and got setup.
The morning was actually slow. The sun came up and I hadn’t seen a single deer. But, little did I know that was all quickly about to change. I heard some rustling and chasing in the bedding area behind me. As soon as I heard it my heart starting beating because I knew it was a buck as soon as I turned around. This monster made his way out of the thicket. I stood up to turn very slowly and as soon as I did he saw movement and looked at me. I held very still while he calmed back down and as soon as he looked back down to feed I was able to get settled in and take the shot with my .308 rifle.
I shot and he dropped right in his tracks and didn’t take a single step. I immediately was overwhelmed with excitement and joy because I knew he was a great deer! I couldn’t have done it without great family and friends helping and supporting me along the way. I’m so blessed and thankful to have this opportunity as it’s been my dream to make it in Carolina Sportsman Magazine for years since my hunting career began! I feel extremely thankful to God to be able to take such an amazing whitetail!
–Trevor Summers; Gibsonville, NC
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Congratulations to Summers, 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:
- Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge 2-day, two-man deer/hog hunt
- Seneca Dragon Claw airgun/arrow gun combo from Pyramid Air
- Barnett Hyper XP 405 Crossbow
- MAGLITE Field Ops Bundle
- Grey Man Tactical Vehicle Hunting Gun Rack RMP Package
- 3-year subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine
You can be in the running for these prizes too by sharing your story and photo in our Bag-A-Buck gallery.
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