The ladies made their presence felt during 2013 season, bagging several huge whitetails.
Recent deer seasons have seen North Carolina hunters tag only a handful of decent but not jaw-dropping bucks.
But 2013 was different.
That things had changed became clear when bowhunters started drilling bucks with racks measuring 160 inches or better, topped by two state-record trophies.
Big bucks continued to fall through blackpowder and gun season, with counties in the northern Piedmont at the top of the list as far as producing top-drawer trophies — but some big bucks came from out-of-the-way places.
In any case, here is North Carolina Sportsman’s 15th annual “Deer of the Year” feature that examines some of the Tarheel State’s top whitetails:
Boom time for Boone and Crockett bucks
Boom time for Boone and Crockett bucks 2
All in the family
Rocky hunt results in “Bullwinkle”
Another Rockingham County bow bruiser
Honey of a buck
Double-your-pleasure archery avocation
Wife’s sweet revenge
A lucky Friday the 13th
A Clay County velvet brute
