Josh Blake of Graham, NC killed a 9-point buck in Caswell County, NC on Sept. 15, 2026.
He shot the buck with a Barnett Spartan XP Crossbow during an evening hunt while sitting in an elevated stand from 18 yards away.
Blake summed up the hunt with these words:
“A little backstory, I am 100% disabled. I started losing my vision in 2018, I have stage 3 kidney disease, type 1 diabetes, double frozen shoulders, and severe neuropathy where I’m numb from the mid shin and down. I went through a phase where I was very low vision. I never thought I would be able to hunt again. Thankfully with eye injections, I’ve regained some vision and been able to drive and shoot again. So just being back in the woods has been a huge blessing.
Jump forward to this season. I lost a small tract of land I hunted the last 2 years, and was put in touch with a landowner that had a large tract of land. He allowed me hunting rights and I help him with the property. I set trail cams end of July and hoped for the best. Almost immediately, a couple large bucks were on camera. I have watched, patterned, and documented one buck specifically. I knew immediately he was my target buck. I put up ladder stands entirely by myself. I cleared shooting lanes. I was as ready as I could be by myself.
My target buck continued to show itself on 2 cameras specifically, even during daylight. I felt very optimistic come opening morning. I hunted the same stand for 5 hours in the morning of September 12th and 4 hours in the evening. Never saw him. I did have several does and fawns come directly underneath my stand, so it did give me confidence in my scent control routine. I checked the weather, watched the wind forcasr, and decided the evening of Tuesday September 15th would be my next sit. I set it up for my mom to get my daughter after school so I could get to the stand and be setup before the deer started moving. I drove to the property, got out my tote with my camo clothes, got dressed, sprayed down, and headed to my stand. I walk everywhere on the property.
I’m all about low impact hunting as much as possible. I climbed up my ladder stand. The weather had broken and was comfortable in the stand, with a slight breeze. The time was almost 7 and I hadn’t seen anything yet. I sat still and just listened. A few mins later, I heard it. That unmistakable, slow walk of a deer. I slowly turned my head to the right and saw a deer walking up the road. That’s when I noticed the antlers. Quick count and I knew immediately this was him. My target buck. He walked past my stand and I slowly moved into position. He was relaxed. Calm. I realized he had no idea I was there. He stopped, head down at 18 yards. I settled in behind his shoulder and let it fly.. thwack! He kicked and took off. Dead sprint down the path, then cut into the thick brush. I watched him plow through briars, wild blackberries, and every thorn between me and him. He disappeared into the bottom. Didn’t hear him crash, but knew I hit him well. Waited about 20 mins and slowly climbed down.
My arrow was sticking in the ground. Lighted nock shining bright. Good blood on the arrow, but my broadhead blades were broken off. Tried to find blood but there was very little to be found. I knew with my lower vision, I needed help. Called a couple good friends to come help me. Took a while, but we found blood. Very little spots. Only every few feet. Then, some more up against some broom straw. We tracked pin sized spots on grass, pine straw, and vegetation, all while pushing through every thorned branch crested in this bottom. Then, nice pool of blood and finally, there he was. Laying no more than 60 yards from my stand. Antlers full of branches, thorns, and plant debris that he picked up on his way to his final resting place. The hunt was over. My arrow had come out the back shoulder, which explained the poor blood trail and broken broadhead.
I had every range of emotion; from pure exhilaration and excitement, fear of losing him, and the sense of relief that came from finally having my hands on him. I had tears in my eyes. Finally. All the hard work. The scouting. The prayer. The dedication to the new property. And at the root of all the emotion, the confirmation that I could still do it. That my health issues didn’t define my life. I didn’t allow them to. I could still do it. I did it.”
Blake is now entered in our Bag-A-Buck Contest, and is eligible to win our monthly prize pack, which includes a set of Ultimate Eyes & Ears Combo from ShellShock Pro, a YETI Rambler bottle, a prize package from Buck Commander and Duck Commander, and a Carolina Sportsman hat, as well as our Grand Prize, a 2-day hunt for two to Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge in Chesterfield County, SC.
