Veteran’s Day hunt produces winning 8-point
Justin Jernigan of Gilbert, SC took the Grand Prize of the Carolina Sportsman 2025 Bag-A-Buck Contest with his Lexington County 8-point buck he killed on Veteran’s Day.
Jernigan, a combat veteran and active duty service member, couldn’t think of a better way to honor his fellow veterans and celebrate Veterans Day than by heading into the woods for some peace and thoughts of service and sacrifice.
His day got even better when a buck he’d noticed on his trail camera a few days earlier showed up and offered him a shot.
“Just before 8 a.m.,, this buck stepped out smelling around. I had spotted him on camera chasing does on my land a few days before, and noticed his interesting dagger-shaped split left brow tine,” Jernigan said.
A broadside shot at 85 yards with his Ruger M77 Mark II .270 put the buck on the ground.
“After taking my shot, I walked back to my house shaking uncontrollably to drink some coffee and tell my wife about it, giving the deer time to find peace,” he said.
He found the deer after a 40-yard tracking job with his brother.
“During this shot and easy track, I recognized the absolute beauty of tracking in the fall colors,” he said. “I think I may put aside time to hunt on or around Veteran’s Day until I’m no longer able. It seems like that week is the perfect mix of deer activity, emotions, life and sacrifice.”
Jernigan wins the Grand Prize, a 2-day hunt for two hunters at Cherokee Run Hunting Lodge in Chesterfield County, SC.
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