A wet and cold couple of days made for an interesting hunt October 11, 2025 in Jacksonboro, South Carolina. With the temperatures in the low 60s misting rain all day and 5 to 10 miles an hour steady winds. I got in the stand around 5 PM. This was a stand that I had not hunted yet this season, but I knew it was in a good spot being on the edge of a swamp with a good funnel between betting area and the closest food source. Within five minutes of being in the stand, I had 2 does walked directly under the stand. and I knew I had chose the right spot not long after a small little four point passed by to my left within 20 yards and shortly behind him was a nice basket rack eight point with his nose to the ground tail up hot on the trail of that four point. A nice doe and two older yearlings passed by shortly after. The 2 yearlings stuck around a little bit grazing on stuff nearby. All of this was within an hour of being in the stand. I noticed the yearlings kept looking back from the direction they came from and within a few minutes, another doe came out. With her tail up she waisted no time bullying the yearlings away. My initial thought was it was their mom, and she had doubled back, but the doe kept looking back where she came from which then led me to believe that she had her own yearlings with her as well. Much to my surprise that was not the case. What stepped out is what the property owners had named Pike Pole. They had named him that because of the large kicker he had off of his left G2 resembling a pipe pole. (a tool firefighters use) He stood at the edge of the thick brush they came from, watching his girl as she grazed nearby. As I eagerly waited watching him at 20 yards. As he stood there I just knew that they both would go back in where they came from and I would not get a clean shot. Thankfully patience paid off and what seemed like 10 minutes (in reality it was probably 2 minutes) his bride decided to continue to my left. As she worked away from him he finally made his move. As he finally cleared the trees and shrubs the ole trusted 30-30 my father gave me when I was 14 did what it does best. With a giant mule kick and about a 10 yard dash, He stopped just 15 yards to my left looking around trying to figure out what happened. His legs became weak as he started to rock back and forth and I watched as he finally fell. First deer of the season. Though he only weighed in at 160lbs we estimated his age of 6.5 years old via his jaw. The old bruiser had broke his left brow tine and the ends of both his main beams but still came in as a 9 point with an 18.5” spread. Proving even the old guys will fall for love.
Hunter’s name: Brian Bishop
Walterboro South Carolina
Colleton County, South Carolina
Oct 11th, 2025
9-point buck
