Wade Isley killed “Little 10” in Rockingham County
My son 3 years ago told us he wanted to hunt. We have hunted since he was a baby and he has grown up around it. We starting taking him into the woods teaching him the basics and his love and understanding of hunting has continued to grow.
Wade went into the woods several times last year but never shot. He was patient. The beginning of this fall, we started seeing three deer on our trail cameras. He named each one of them Davey Jones, Mega 10, and Little 10. Davey Jones and Mega have not been seen but three times all year in daylight. He knew Little 10, as he called him, was more achievable. My husband and him have hunted all season. The two of them have spent a lot of time in the woods trying to get a shot at one of his deer.
On Dec. 27, 2023, he asked if momma could go with him. It had been raining for the past two days, and just stopped before lunch. I told him we needed to go in early. My son prays every time before he goes into the woods. He has since he started hunting. We prayed and went in at 2:30 p.m. We sat until about 3 o’clock, and a small doe walked into the bait pile. Shortly after that, a small 4-point walked in, followed by three more does. He whispered and said “momma, the Lord blessed us with some deer today.” I just smiled.
Excitement and relief
They all left after about 45 minutes, and it was quiet until about 3:30 p.m. I saw a set of horns from the distance, but that’s all I could see. Wade was getting fidgety, so I asked him to be still, that a buck wasn’t far but I couldn’t see what it was …. The deer took three steps in about 30 minutes. He knew something wasn’t right, but he still came in very cautious. Wade said “momma it’s Little 10!” I asked him if he was going to shoot him and he said yeah. He waited for the perfect shot which seemed like an eternity. He shot with a Savage Axis 243. The look on his face after he shot was a look I will never forget. It was a look of excitement and relief at the same time.
We called dad and his dad tracked him over the river. When we finally got to him, Wade kneeled and thanked God for blessing him with this deer. He killed his biggest deer out of a stand I have hunted for over 13 years with my husband. He killed it on our farm in Rockingham County, NC. And he killed it the day before his 9th birthday. This was a special moment in so many ways. While this deer wasn’t the biggest deer we had had on camera all year, it was one of the three he had spent time and energy watching with his daddy all season. God blessed him with a pretty good birthday present. Dec. 27, 2023 will always be a day to remember for him and myself. I was one proud momma. Wade Isley killed the 10-pointer out of a 15-foot Big Game buddy ladder stand on the family farm in Rockingham County.
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Bag A Buck Contest
Congratulations to Isley, who is now in the running for our monthly prize of a free 1-year subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine, a Mini Maglite, an 18-ounce Yeti Rambler, a two-pack of Lowcountry Seasonings, as well as our Grand Prize, which includes a 3-year-subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine, a 2-day two-person hunt at Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge in Chesterfield, SC, and other prizes to be determined.
See all the bucks entered so far, and upload yours at carolinasportsman.com/bag-a-buck-2023, or email photo and detailed info to images@carolinasportsman.com.
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