Trophy management was key to both harvests
Barry Bryant of Yadkin County grew up hunting quail and never was interested enough in deer hunting to set foot in a deer stand until about five years ago after he’d turned 50-years-old. That’s when his son Daniel, who had been hunting for around 5 years, decided to get his dad involved. Last month, Bryant killed the second deer of his life, and it was a deer he surely will never forget.
Bryant’s 10-point buck measured over 130-inches when green-scored, and his son killed a big 11-pointer five days later. The Bryant’s said there is no secret to their success; it’s all a matter of managing the deer on their property and encouraging nearby hunters to do the same.
Daniel Bryant hunted the family farm for ten years, never seeing anything more impressive than a handful of 8-pointers with small basket racks. He decided to only shoot does and bigger bucks, and shared his management philosophy with neighboring hunters, asking them to also let the small bucks walk until they reached maturity.
Barry Bryant was all in on his son’s plan. He hunted for three solid years, watching numerous average-sized bucks without so much as raising his rifle. He continued to upgrade his hunting gear, but did not waver from the management plan his son had set out. Finally, last year, he took his first deer, a healthy 8-pointer that he shot at a range of 300-yards.
Happy with that first kill, Bryant still knew a little more patience would let these bucks achieve true trophy status. On Thanksgiving Day, his goal came true. After sitting for a couple of hours that morning, Bryant was about to get out of the stand to prepare for the family’s holiday meal when he saw antlers walk out of the woods into a clearing. He shot the 10-pointer, making the Thanksgiving celebration that much sweeter.
On Dec. 1, Bryant’s son Daniel took off work early to hunt that afternoon. With his dad hunting nearby, Daniel Bryant spotted a doe come out of the woods, followed by an 11-point buck. He shot the 120-class buck at 150-yards.
Daniel Bryant said what began as simply a way to spend more time with his dad has turned into a blessing whose significance is apparent to them both.
“What started off as a way for this father and son to simply spend time together has since turned into the obsession it does with so many. Although we sometimes hunt alone, on both of these days, we were hunting nearby farms and were able to share in the full experiences together,” said Bryant.
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