2020 Dixie Deer Classic winners

Dixie Deer Classic
Tory Pegg's buck set one of two new N.C. state records at the 2020 Dixie Deer Classic.

Two new N.C. state records set at 2020 Dixie Deer Classic

Officials of the Wake County Wildlife Club handed out plenty of accolades Sunday, March 1 during the 40th Annual Dixie Deer Classic awards ceremony. Numerous high-scoring trophies stood out, including two new North Carolina state record bucks.

Tory Pegg’s Guilford County buck set the new non-typical archery buck for the Old North State. His buck taped out at 197 4/8 inches. Pegg, of Kernersville, N.C. killed the buck in September with a 10-yard shot from his Mathews bow. Officials scored the buck at 197 4/8 inches.

The once-in-a-lifetime buck shattered the previous record by more than 20 inches. Pegg won the N.C. Best by Bow Non-typical Male category, and also won the Best in Show Award.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Tory Pegg’s Guilford County buck is the new N.C. state record non-typical bow kill.

Tracy McCorkle of Charlotte, N.C. brought the other new record to the scoring table. He killed a Mecklenburg County brute in November during a hunt with his crossbow. The big buck, which officially scored 195 7/8 is the new North Carolina state record crossbow non-typical buck. McCorkle won the N.C. Best by Crossbow Non-typical Male category.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Tracy McCorkle’s Mecklenburg County buck won the President’s Award.

Aside from their 2020 Dixie Deer Classic awards and their spots on the North Carolina record book list, Pegg and McCorkle both also made it into the famed Boone & Crockett Club. That club is reserved for typical bucks which score 170 or higher, and for non-typical bucks that score 190 or better.

Many other hunters killed great bucks in 2019

Drew Hall of Canton, N.C. killed a Granville County buck in November that garnered plenty of attention at the weekend’s show. His non-typical buck scored 183 4/8 inches, just shy of Boone & Crockett status. Hall won the Best by Gun Non-typical Male category.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Drew Hall barely missed the Boone & Crockett Club with his non-typical buck.

The Best by Gun Typical Male category winner, John Henderson, lives in Durham, N.C. and killed his buck in Warren County this past October. The deer scored 156 7/8 inches.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
John Henderson’s Warren County buck scored 156 7/8 inches.

Gary Malone of Snow Camp, N.C. won the Best by Muzzleloader Non-typical Male Award with an Alamance County buck that scored 177 7/8 inches. Malone killed the deer in November.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Gary Malone’s whopper non-typical buck from Alamance County measured 177 7/8 inches.

The Best by Muzzleloader Typical Male category winner was Eric League of Summerfield, N.C. He killed a Rockingham County buck in November. The buck measured out at 151 1/8 inches.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Eric League killed this Rockingham County buck in November.

Trefyn Carter of Trinity, N.C. took top honors for Best by Bow Typical Male. His Guilford County buck from September scored 167 1/8.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Trefyn Carter’s Guilford County buck earned him top honors for Best by Bow Typical Male.

Brandon Johnson of Mt. Airy, N.C.’s Surry County buck scored 150 2/8. The deer earned him the Best by Crossbow Typical Male award. Johnson killed the buck in September.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Brandon Johnson with his Surry County buck that scored 150 2/8.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic youth male award winners

Rocky Mount, N.C.’s Allen Sutton earned the N.C. Best by Gun Typical Youth Male Award with a Halifax County deer he killed in September. Sutton’s buck scored 159 1/8 inches.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Allen Sutton killed his prized buck in Halifax County last September.

Larson Brewer of Oxford, N.C. killed a Granville County buck in November that measured 139 7/8 inches. Brewer won the Best by Muzzleloader Typical Youth Male Award.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Larson Brewer’s award-winning deer came from Granville County.

Colby Richard took the top spot for Best by Crossbow Typical Youth Male Award. The Butner, N.C. teen hunter killed a Granville County, 125-inch buck in December, one day after killing his first bear. He would have likely won an award at the bear scoring table at the show as well, but he shot the bear in the head, damaging the skull to the point of making it ineligible for scoring.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Colby Richard killed this Granville County trophy a day after killing his first bear in Onslow County.

Female award winners

Tootie Morris of Rougemont, N.C. won the Best by Bow Non-typical Female award with her Granville County buck from September. Her 17-point buck, which was in full velvet, officially scored 147 2/8 inches.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Tootie Morris is no stranger to trophy bucks or to Dixie Deer Classic awards, but said each one is precious and memorable.

Lacie Maness of Browns Summit, N.C. took the win in the Best by Gun Typical Female category. Her Alamance County buck from December was her second trophy of the season, and taped out at 147 1/8 inches.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Lacie Maness killed two trophy bucks in 2019, including this one, which won the Best by Gun Typical Female category.

Katie Smith of Roseboro, N.C. won the Best by Gun Non-typical Female top spot. After a last-minute change of hunting stands due to a swarm of wasps at her intended spot, Smith killed a Sampson County buck in October that scored 142 0/8 with a 165-yard shot.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Katie Robinson Smith killed this Sampson County trophy with a 165-yard shot in October 2019.

A Rockingham County brute scored Erica Patterson of Summerfield, N.C. the win in the Best by Muzzleloader Typical Female category. Patterson killed the buck, which scored 141 5/8 this past November.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Erica Patterson poses with her Rockingham County muzzleloader brute.

Warsaw, N.C.’s Barbara McGee took top honors for Best by Crossbow Typical Female with the Duplin County buck she killed on the sweltering opening day of bow season. The 9-point buck measured 130 4/8 inches.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Barbara McGee killed her Duplin County buck on a 90+ degree day during the opener of bowhunting season.

Female youth awards

Lainey Sparks of Pikeville, N.C. was the smallest award winner at the 2020 Dixie Deer Classic, but she sported one of the biggest smiles when receiving her plaque for Best by Gun Typical Female Youth award. Her Wayne County buck from October scored 113 2/8.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Lainey Sparks won the Best by Gun Typical Female Youth Award for this Wayne County buck.

Gracie Michael of Lexington, N.C. took the top spot for Best by Muzzleloader Typical Female Youth. She killed an Iredell County buck in November that taped out to a score of 97 3/8 inches.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Gracie Michael’s Iredell County buck secured the Best by Muzzleloader Typical Female Youth award.

South Carolina award

Taylorsville, N.C.’s Brayden Adams, who hunts south of the border won the Best South Carolina award with a Marlboro County giant he shot with a .25 WSM. The 12-point buck, which scored 150 4/8 inches, was an infrequent visitor to his hunting stand, and showed up in December while Adams was expecting to see a slightly smaller 9-point trophy.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Brayden Adams was waiting on a 9-point buck when this 12-point trophy showed up in Marlboro County, S.C.

Non-hunting category

Payton Hodgin of Roxboro, N.C. was on his way to work at the Catch the Fever fishing rod company when he hit a deer in Person County this past December. His truck, which suffered no damage in the crash, delivered a fatal blow to the buck, which officially scored 164 7/8 to win the unique Best Non-hunting category.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
“I’m going to be late for work” were the first words out of Payton Hodgin’s mouth after hitting this buck, which garnered the top spot in the Best Non-hunting category.

Bear award

A few years ago, the Dixie Deer Classic added the bear category to support the great black bear hunting community of North Carolina. Tim Leary of South Mills, N.C. won the N.C. Best Bear Gun Male award for his Camden County bear he killed in November. The bear measured 20 2/16, which puts it on the Boone & Crockett Club’s two-year list.

2020 Dixie Deer Classic
Tim Leary made the Boone & Crockett Club’s two-year list, and won the N.C. Best Bear Gun Male Award with his Camden County bruin.

 

 

About Brian Cope 2726 Articles
Brian Cope is the editor of Carolina Sportsman. He has won numerous awards for his writing, photography, and videography. He is a retired Air Force combat communications technician, and has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at brianc@sportsmannetwork.com.

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