Jackson hunter drops 10-point Aiken County hammer

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It was his second buck in three days

Thomas Gordy of Jackson, S.C. killed two great bucks in the first three days of South Carolina’s 2019 deer hunting season. He was hunting on the Cowden Plantation in Aiken County during both hunts.

The second buck, which Gordy killed on Aug. 17, was a true hammer. The 10-point buck in velvet had a 20 5/8-inch spread and weighed 176 pounds. It was the most special one for Gordy because his young son was sitting with him.

And the first buck was a none-to-shabby 9-point, 195-pound “cull buck” with a 19 3/4-inch spread. This buck, which was also in velvet, had everything going for it except for its unusually short tines.

After killing the cull buck on opening day, Gordy decided on day three, he probably wouldn’t take another buck. His son wanted to tag along, so he decided to sit in a stand he knew had some pig activity. He also wanted to be sure the two were sitting where his son could get a cell phone signal to watch a show on his phone in case the hunting activity was slow.

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Thomas Gordy’s cull buck from opening day was in velvet and had a wide, shot-tined rack.

“I told him we probably wouldn’t shoot another deer, but that we had a good chance at getting a pig. When we got to the property, we set up in the quickest stand — a box blind — to get to. It had a good cell phone signal. The blind overlooks a 250-yard long food plot that’s about 50 yards wide,” said Gordy.

Gordy shot the deer from 220 yards away

Pretty soon, a deer showed up looking a little nervous.

“It looked like it was being chased. I thought maybe a coyote or something had it nervous. It hung around for just a minute and left. Then a doe and fawn showed up about 100 yards away. Then around 8:30 p.m., a bachelor group of bucks came into the clearing. I raised my binoculars and saw right away that one of the bucks was a shooter.

“The rack was impressive. It had mass, it was wide. It had everything you look for,” he said.

Gordy traded out his binoculars for his Jarrett 7mm rifle, peered through the Leupold scope, and saw that the buck was staring straight at him from 220 yards away.

“The wind was in my face, so I knew he didn’t smell us. But he knew something wasn’t right. The other deer weren’t paying any attention to us, but he knew something was up,” said Gordy.

Finally, the deer looked away and turned back to the direction it came from. Gordy pulled the trigger, and the buck fell on the spot.

“We started walking down to it about 8:35 p.m., and when we were within 50 yards of it, the deer popped up. I shot it again, and it was over then. I’m really thankful my son was with me on that hunt. The deer’s rack is just incredible. I’m a big guy, and I can just barely close my hands around the base of its antlers,” he said.

Click here to see the big Orangeburg County buck killed by Andy Till on Aug. 17, 2019.

About Brian Cope 2725 Articles
Brian Cope is the editor of Carolina Sportsman. He has won numerous awards for his writing, photography, and videography. He is a retired Air Force combat communications technician, and has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at brianc@sportsmannetwork.com.