Big deer showed up for rare daytime visit.
Chores around the house almost kept Corey Merritt Jr. out of the woods on Friday (Oct. 21) afternoon, but a little encouragement from his parents resulted in the off-duty volunteer fireman killing a huge buck.
“Mom and dad talked me into hunting, and I killed a monster,” Merritt said, aptly describing the 175-pound 11-point Berkeley County buck that has roughed out at 141-inches.
For more than two weeks, the Moncks Corner hunter had his sights on a heavy-antlered trophy buck roaming around his stand on a 1,800-acre hunt-club lease six miles from Lake Moultrie. From trail-camera shots to plenty of big rubs and scrapes, the buck tormented Merritt to the very end.
“This buck even rubbed the tree my trail camera was on,” he said.
The deer made routine visits to the area around his stand but, with the exception of a trail-cam appearance in the middle of the afternoon 30 minutes before Merritt arrived a few days earlier, visits were in the wee hours of the night. This buck was smart, but it was about to make a grave mistake.
After a little encouragement, Merritt joined his parents and girlfriend, Middi Joyce, for an afternoon of hunting. His father encountered the big buck slipping across a cleared right-of-way and heading into the woods.
“The sighting really excited us, knowing the big buck was in the area,” said Merritt, who climbed into his ladder stand overlooking his corn pile in a small cutover surrounded by mature pines at 5:25 p.m. He stayed alert for the next hour, and finally heard the sounds of leaves crackling out in front of him.
“I looked up and all I could see was horns!” Merritt said
The buck was standing on the corn pile at 40 yards, facing Merritt, who held a tight grip on his 12-gauge Charles Daly shotgun and waited for the buck to turn broadside. After 15 minutes the buck finally turned, and, when he did, Merritt loaded his shoulder with a load of 00 buckshot.
“The buck collapsed and began thrashing around. Then, he jumped up, and I shot him again!” Merritt said.
The second shot finished the buck, and Merritt hailed his parents and girlfriend who were sitting stands a short distance away to start the celebration.
Merritt’s buck sported 5 1/2-inch bases and a 19 1/2-inch inside spread.
Keith Yates of Monks Corner green scored the deer at 141 gross Boone & Crockett. Dan Pernell of Pernell’s Taxidermy will be mounting his buck.
Check out more bucks killed this year, and add your own photos, in the South Carolina Sportsman Bag-a-Buck Contest!
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