Hunter will be one of youngest in S.C. record book
Bentley Parker of Conway, S.C. is only 6-years-old, but he’s already killed six deer. And on Nov. 14, he killed an 8-pointer that will make him one of the youngest hunters on South Carolina’s Records List. The Horry County buck green-scored 131 3/8 inches.
The craziest part? Bentley wasn’t even on a hunting trip.
“My husband walked outside to put his boots on for work and heard a ruckus in the field beside our house,” said Lindsey Parker, Bentley’s mom. “Several bucks were in full rut chasing multiple does around and around in the field.”
Chase Parker watched a number of small bucks clashing with each other in between running after does. But then off in the distance, he noticed another buck, and this was no small one. He recognized it right away as a shooter, but the thought of shooting it himself didn’t cross his mind.
Son had been hunting hard for two years
“Our son had been hunting nearly every weekend during the last two hunting seasons chasing a buck of this magnitude. Chase knew this would be a moment none of use would ever forget. He ran inside, yelled for Bentley, and quickly grabbed the 300 Blackout rifle that our son has become an expert marksman with,” said Lindsey.
The buck was still paying attention to the other deer when father and son got back outside.
“My husband got Bentley situated, pushed the safety off, and whispered to him, ‘take your time buddy. Don’t miss,’ and then Bentley pulled the trigger,” she said.
The buck bowed its chest out but didn’t move. Chase inserted another bullet into the rifle and instructed Bentley to shoot again. When he pulled the trigger this time, the buck still didn’t fall or run off, but it did tense up noticeably. Chase was pretty sure his son had hit the deer that time, but he put another bullet in the rifle and had Bentley aim once more.
When the deer still did not show any other visible signs of being hit, Bentley shot once more. This time the buck attempted to run off, but fell after going only a short distance.
Young hunter’s aim was true
Bentley told his father the buck would have three holes in it because he “doesn’t miss,” and he was right. The young hunter hit the buck with all three shots.
“Out of the six deer he has harvested, we were lucky enough to catch four of them on video, but unfortunately this one all happened so fast that we were unable to get this one. Still, it is something that is embedded in our minds forever.
“Now he asks every single person he meets or hasn’t seen in a while if they have seen his big buck, and he tells them he is going to be in the state record book. This is a moment we will cherish forever with our son. This is what our hunting tradition is all about,” said Lindsey.
