Carolina deer hunters keep the hits coming
As we enter into the last full month of the 2024 deer hunting season for both Carolinas, hunters across both states have continued putting big bucks on the ground.
Youth hunter bags brute
Fisher Nielsen, 5-years-old of Burlington, NC, killed a whopper buck in Alamance County in late October. His 12-point buck has been green-scored at 146+ inches.
The young hunter, who was hunting in a ground blind with his dad, shot the big buck from 20 yards away with a Barnett 410 crossbow.
After sitting in the blind for some time, and watching numerous deer move in and out of the field, the two decided to pack up and head home, since legal shooting time was about to end.
But just before leaving the blind, they looked up and saw a buck walking toward them. Nielsen quickly got set up again and his dad ranged the buck at 20 yards. Within a minute of spotting the deer, Nielsen pulled the trigger and the deer ran off.
Sure he had hit the buck, they searched and found the arrow, which was covered in blood and what appeared to be guts from the deer. They decided to back out, and went home where they gathered a search party.
First, they found small, pin-drops of blood, but as they continued to look, they found more and more blood. After tracking the buck for 150 yards, they found it piled up and dead.
The young hunter had made a great shot, but because the deer was quartering toward him, the arrow exited through the guts.
“We had no idea how big the deer was until we walked up on him,” said his mom, Brittney Nielsen. “We were all shocked, and he was on Cloud 9, and so were we.”
Lowcountry cryptorchid
Chandler Warren of Moncks Corner, SC killed a 10-point buck in Berkeley County in late October, and it wasn’t your average 10-pointer. The buck was still in full velvet, and had an overall strange-looking rack.
“When I saw full velvet in October, I knew that was odd,” said Warren. “After getting him tagged and to the truck, we realized he was a cryptorchid buck, which means he had no testosterone.”
Warren was hunting near his wife, who was in a different stand close by.
“We were planning on getting out of the stands around 8:30 that morning so we could get some stuff done,” he said. “Taking such a rare deer with my wife made this hunt all the more special. It’s a deer of a lifetime for sure.”
Hank the Tank goes down
Hunting in late October, Brody Aydt of Graham, NC killed an Orange County beast. The 15-point buck weighed 196 pounds and was green-scored at 1665/8 inches. Aydt had a 3-year history with the buck, which he and his dad had nicknamed Hank the Tank.
The buck usually showed up each year right around the rut on two properties that Aydt hunts, and that was the case this year as well
“This deer had a tendency to call my locations home during or just before the rut, as he did this year,” said Aydt. “But this year, he was my No. 1 target, and he was a mega giant.”
He saw the buck the night before he killed the deer, but it was too late for a legal shot.
“He was 15 minutes late, and it was dark and I couldn’t take a shot,” he said. “I was worried sick that it could have been my only opportunity at him.
Aydt played the wind the next evening, when that buck showed up at 6:12 with a few does. The buck made his way to the hunter’s walking path, then stood still for a long 15 minutes.
“He did not move,” said Aydt, “until a doe circled around and almost checked up on him. Then he broke his posture and began his way toward me.”
At that point, Aydt pulled the trigger on his Barnett crossbow and arrowed the deer at 28 yards. The buck ran off, then collapsed.
“I was blessed by God, and lucky enough to be in the right position at the right time and seal the deal on this once-in-a-lifetime, North Carolina buck,” he said.
Pee Dee 11-point is hunter’s first
Cassie White of Hartsville, SC killed a big Darlington County 11-point buck in late September. It’s the first deer she’s ever killed, and she used a heavy dose of patience to get it.
“Cassie hunted the full 2023 season, waiting on the right buck as her first deer,” said her husband, Landon White.
He encouraged her to shoot whatever she wanted throughout the season.
“I told her it was up to her on what her first deer would be, and suggested that a first buck could be whatever she wanted, and didn’t have to be big,” he said. “But she had other plans!”
She didn’t kill a deer at all that whole season.
But her plans paid off when the big 11-point buck showed up during this year’s evening hunt when the couple snuck into a spot they thought had the potential to hold a good buck.
“Sure enough,” he said, “this beautiful 11-point slowly cruised through the trees, not allowing for the right shot. Cassie stayed patient, and waited for him to stop and turn broadside.”
And when the buck finally did just that, she pulled the trigger on her Palmetto State Armory AR15 from 100 yards away.
“She made a good shot, and finally got her first deer,” he said. “The smile on her face when she walked up on him made my whole season worth it for me,” he said. “Now she spends her time telling me where to hunt and how to find big deer!”
Slingbow takes down Rockingham County giant
Sometimes a buck is counted a trophy because of the size of its antlers, and other times, it’s all about the weapon used to kill it. And when it all comes together, it’s a trophy because of both.
That was the case for a big Rockingham County, NC buck killed by Sandy Brady of Reidsville in late October.
Brady shot the buck with a Chief AJ Slingbow, a unique weapon that’s basically a slingshot modified to shoot arrows. And the buck was indeed a trophy, with a green-score of 137+ inches.
“I set out to harvest a mature whitetail with a Slingbow,” said Brady. “It was a personal goal that I really didn’t have the expectations of ever achieving.”
But on this hunt, a mature buck showed up, and things got quite tense for Brady.
“It’s one thing to get close enough to hear them breathe,” he said, “but it’s a whole different level when you have an eye-to-eye stare down for more than two minutes at 10 yards with a mature whitetail buck on the ground.”
Once the buck looked away, Brady fired his Slingbow.
“My shot was actually a few inches back, and a pass through,” he said.
Because he knew it wasn’t a perfect shot, but also knew the deer was hit good enough, he called in Lance Hall with Carolina Crosshairs Thermal Services, a drone service in the Rockingham County area. They found the buck deep in the swamp.
“I’m somewhat at a loss for words on how to describe what this fine animal means to me, and for the opportunity to take him with a Slingbow. Thank you God,” said Brady.
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