Trophy bucks continue to fall in Carolinas
Hunters across both Carolinas continued to put big bucks on the ground since last month’s issue, and one in particular caused its share of controversy on our website and social media pages, even though the hunter in the story did absolutely nothing wrong.
Headshot takes down big 12
Ashley Dangerfield of Walterboro, SC killed a 12-point buck in Colleton County with a headshot from her Savage .17 HMR from about 40 yards away.
When we posted this story on our website and social media, we received numerous comments saying it was an illegal and/or unethical hunt. But it is completely legal, in both Carolinas, because the hunt took place on private land, where neither North Carolina nor South Carolina have a caliber restriction on hunting deer on private land.
Many folks pointed out different passages from the regulations booklets from both states, in their minds proving the hunt was illegal, but those passages where taken out of context, such as one that states what size handgun can be used to dispatch a wounded deer during archery-only season.
Another passage erroneously mentioned by others, deals with what calibers are acceptable during primitive weapons season. And still another was from the section about hunting WMAs and public lands.
None were the case for Dangerfield, who was hunting on private land during rifle season in her Game Zone. We’ve had numerous discussions with the NCWRC and SCDNR regarding using small calibers for deer hunting, and despite the insistence of many folks that it is illegal, it is absolutely legal when hunting on private land in both North and South Carolina.
Other commenters said it’s unethical to shoot a deer with such a small caliber, but that’s simply a matter of opinion. Headshots with any caliber are highly effective, including Dangerfield’s .17, from the distance she was shooting.
We congratulate Dangerfield on her big buck, and for shooting whatever legal caliber rifle she feels comfortable with.
This wasn’t the only deer she’s killed with a headshot from her rifle, but it was the first buck she’s killed in several years.
“I broke the ice and my 10-year, no-buck streak, and got my personal best, all in one evening,” she said. “I’m truly blessed and beyond thankful he walked out when he did.”
15-point NC brute
Jonathan Chermak of New London, NC killed a 202-pound, 15-point brute in Mecklenburg County on Sept. 14. He shot the buck with a Hoyt Carbon Defiant bow from 11 yards away.
Chermak was hunting in an elevated stand, and he tracked the deer about 35 yards after the shot.
He had a long history with the giant buck.
“I let this deer walk last year,” he said. “And I had a good history with him.”
Chermak saw numerous other deer during the hunt, but he waited until this buck showed up.
“A lot of bucks came in that evening. Most of them were sparring and getting testy,” he said. “This buck came in confidently, knowing he was the dominant deer.”
The previous evening, Chermak had set the scene, creating a mock scrape and applying some deer lure to a licking branch.
“He walked into the mock scrape I had set up the evening before using Black Widow Deer Lures Branch Butter,” he said. “He stuck his nose to the gel on the branch to work the scrape, and offered a broadside, 11-yard shot. The Swhacker broadheads I use made short work of the harvest and allowed me to see him drop in 35 yards.”
From trail camera photos and previous encounters with the buck, Chermak knew it was a true trophy. However, he was still surprised at just how big the deer’s antlers were once he saw it up close.
“I knew he was a true North Carolina giant from the history and trail cam pics, but when it all came together, it was totally different, seeing a giant 174-inch buck in the flesh at 11 yards with the bow,” he said. “It was an amazing hunt, and one that will be remembered forever!”
Youth hunter’s special buck
Thirteen-year-old Julian Wooten of Rembert, SC killed a 9-point brute of a buck in Sumter County on Sept. 9. The young hunter shot the buck from 40 yards away with a .25-06 Winchester Model 70. Using that rifle made the hunt extra special.
Wooten was hunting from a ground blind when he shot the big buck.
“I went to the stand around 5:30 p.m.,” he said. “I saw the deer around 7, and he was about 40 yards out.”
Wooten said he knew the deer was a shooter, but he didn’t realize just how big it was until after he shot it.
“He didn’t look as big as he actually was when I took the shot,” he said. “My dad and I tracked him about 30 yards, and to our surprise, he was bigger than I thought!”
It’s always special to kill a trophy buck, but Wooten said this hunt was made even more special because of the rifle he used.
“One special thing about this hunt is that I shot this deer with my late granddaddy’s rifle. This was the second large buck for this area that I have taken with that rifle,” he said. “The other one was 2 years ago.”
Another detail that he enjoyed about the hunt is that several friends and family members came to see the buck.
“It’s always nice when friends and family come see the deer too. It’s always an exciting time.” he said.
The Helene buck
Emma Ferguson killed a 192-pound, 8-point buck in Pickens County, SC on Sept. 27, right after the powerful storm Helene hit South Carolina’s Upstate region. It was a buck she’d been pursuing since opening day of archery season.
“I hunted him nearly every day, but he was always out there when I wasn’t,” she said.
And after the storm hit, Ferguson said she knew the buck would be on the move.
“I knew I had to be in my stand, because I knew he would be on his feet. He read the script perfectly,” she said.
With her in the stand, things unfolded perfectly.
“He came in exactly as I had imagined it in my mind many times,” she said. “He turned broadside at 26 yards, and I drew back, still sitting. I made a perfect shot with my Mathews Prima that double-lunged him.”
Her husband met her at the stand, where they tracked about 60 yards before finding the buck.
“He is now known as the ‘Helene Buck,’” she said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by Helene.”
Worth a snakebite
Getting snakebitten while hunting would push some hunters to find another hobby, but that wasn’t the case for Madison Leggett of Harleyville, SC.
“I was hunting on Aug. 31 until dark, and I saw multiple deer. While leaving my stand, I didn’t turn my light on because I didn’t want to spook the deer that were still present,” she said.
That’s when things went bad.
“I stepped on a copperhead and it bit me,” said Leggett.
She spent the next couple of nights in the hospital. Anxious to get back into the woods, she nevertheless rested up according to doctor’s orders.
“I decided to wait a couple of days to hunt,” she said.
During her first trip back to the stand, she saw a nice buck, but didn’t have a clear shot.
She tried again the following day, and things finally came together for her.
“I decided to go back the next day. When I got to the stand, he was already there eating corn. I snuck up the stand and killed him,” she said. “It made the snake bite worthwhile!”
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