Young hunter had just killed his first bear a few days earlier
Fresh off killing a trophy bear in Onslow County, 13-year-old Colby Richard of Butner, N.C. killed a trophy 8-point buck in Granville County. The buck green-scored 131 inches, and made him the hunting king in his family of hunters.
The Richard family is full of hunters, to say the least. In October, his older sister Haylie and their father Anthony Richard tagged trophies of their own while Colby was still on the prowl. But with less than two weeks remaining in the 2019 deer season, Colby’s buck scored an inch better than the two 10-point bucks killed by his sister and dad.
“All season long, Colby has chased this tall-tined 8 pointer,” Anthony Richard said. “But the deer remained nocturnal nearly the entire season except for two mornings when Colby was in school.”
The deer was smart. But not smart enough. The deer started making mistakes, showing up at the young hunter’s stand during daylight. On Dec. 18, Colby checked his camera. The buck had shown up three days in a row during shooting hours. He called to tell his dad he needed to go to the stand the next day.
“We were getting ready to head to the coast for a bear hunt. But I had to go hunt him before we left, the teen told his dad.
That afternoon, Colby climbed into his stand with his crossbow. Late into the hunt, just before dark, the tall-tined 8 pointer showed up.
“He was standing in the brush, but just stood there and wouldn’t come out,” said Colby.
The pursuit goes on hold for bear hunt
The deer stayed in the cover until complete darkness overtook the day. But one thing Colby knew for sure is the buck looked even bigger in the flesh than it did on his trail camera.
He was disappointed he didn’t get a shot, and ready to get back into the stand as soon as possible. But they left the next morning for the bear hunt down east.
“I reminded Colby he would probably keep coming to the stand while we were gone, and that he would get a shot at him the following week. I hoped so anyway. He had been hopeful all season long. But he was extremely excited now after seeing the deer in the flesh,” his dad said.
Upon returning home from the bear hunt, Colby could barely think about anything other than the tall-tined 8 pointer. He checked his camera card, but was disappointed to see the card had malfunctioned. So he had no way of knowing if the deer was continuing to show up on his stand. Still, he climbed into the ladder stand, hoping the buck would make another visit.
As darkness approached, the young hunter picked up movement in the brush. It was the buck, and it stood there just like it had the week before. But this time, the deer stepped into the clearing just 25 yards away. Colby pulled the trigger on his Horton Bone Crusher crossbow, sending the bolt at 325-feet-per-second into the engine room of the biggest buck of his life.
He immediately called his dad.
“I told him I got him. This deer has driven me crazy all year, but I finally got him,” he said.
Be the first to comment