2022’s Deer of the Year

Big bucks, first bucks, white bucks and piebalds

Deer hunters across the Carolinas had another big year in 2022, and helped make our yearly Bag-A-Buck contest the biggest we’ve ever had. More than 300 hunters entered bucks in the contest, which featured monthly prizes as well as a Grand Prize worth thousands of dollars.

Many of our contestants entered trophy bucks that will score high enough to be added to the all-time records lists for North and South Carolina.

Numerous hunters entered their first ever bucks in the contest. A few piebald deer, like Michael Ball’s shown on this page, were also entered, and a few white bucks showed up as well.

Something we always enjoy reading in the stories of our contest entrants is how most hunters found much more than a big deer during their successful quest for that trophy animal.

One hunter with Down Syndrome killed his first deer, achieving a lifelong dream and offering inspiration to many folks. Others found their hunt as a way to reconnect with lost loved ones. Hunters from different generations connecting through their hunt was another common theme. Parent-child hunts, grandparent-grandchild hunts, sibling hunts, husband-wife hunts are always a pleasure to read.

Several hunters killed some truly gnarly-racked bucks. Some hunters entered after successfully completing years-long pursuits of their target deer, with many hours in the stand and in maintaining their property to keep those deer around. Others were trophies for various other reasons.

Some contest entrants simply left their names, leaving us with a bit of intrigue for us to ponder on. Others went into such great detail that we felt as though we were a part of the hunt.

We appreciate everyone who entered this year’s contest to share their stories with us. We regret that we can’t share them all in this issue, and invite you to read them all on our website at carolinasportsman.com/bag-a-buck-gallery.

Exotic deer in the Carolinas?

One of the bucks entered in the 2022 Bag-A-Buck contest was a sika deer from Kings Mountain, N.C. While these exotic deer are not natives of North Carolina, numerous sika deer have escaped from petting zoos and deer farms over the years.

During that time, these deer have established themselves in several counties, even reproducing offspring. According to the NCWRC, sika deer are considered invasive species and can be killed any day of the year. Tagging these deer is not required.