Rack Report | Kentucky Bowhunter Arrows Massive Opening-Weekend Velvet Buck

C.C. Campbell has been on a streak, taking several good bucks with his bow over the years. Since 2010, six of them were Pope and Young class. Campbell has taken most of the bucks from the same family farm.

Kentucky hunter C.C. Campbell has been on a streak of taking Pope and Young bucks in recent years. Images courtesy C.C. Campbell

This season, Campbell had his eye on a special buck. The deer sported a clean, symmetrical six-by-six rack with sweeping main beams. “I don’t hunt for score or antler size; I’m more likely to hunt a buck that is unusual in some way,” Campbell explained. “I’d never taken a clean six-by-six, so when this one showed up on my trail cameras this past summer, I put it on my list.”

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The buck was no stranger to Campbell. It was on his trail cameras fairly often in 2025, especially later in the year. “He was a six-by-five last year, but you could see a little bump that looked like it could become another point,” he said.

Campbell had been watching the buck on camera and in person for several years leading up to this season.

Campbell elected to pass the buck last year, hoping it would survive the hunting season and winter, and sprout that 12th point in 2026.

When the buck first appeared on the trail cameras this summer, Campbell was delighted that the buck had survived, now a clean six-by-six. He hung a stand in some white oaks near an open power line right-of-way where the deer was consistently on his trail camera. Campbell hoped that if he didn’t get an opportunity at the buck in the early season, it would remain in the area once the acorns began falling.

The buck had been nocturnal most of the summer. However, in the days preceding the bow opener, it began daylighting in the evenings. Campbell hoped the pattern would hold.

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Opening day dawned hot and humid, and Campbell didn’t hunt. Temps soared into the upper 90s, and storms loomed.

“My wife, Kristie, doesn’t like storms,” he detailed. “She doesn’t like me being away from home and out in them. She has always been there for me and fully supports my hunting hobby, so I was easily convinced to wait for better conditions the following evening.”

It turned out to be a wise choice. The deer showed on camera right at the very end of shooting light. “I might have been able to get off a shot, but I might have spooked the buck, too, so it worked out for the best,” Campbell noted.

Campbell skipped opening day due to impending weather and the big buck came in right at dark, probably too late for an ethical shot.

The next evening, he headed to his stand early. He self-films for his YouTube channel, which is mostly about his catfishing trips but also includes some hunting trips, and he wanted plenty of time to position his cameras.

“I climbed up to the stand at 2:45 p.m. The northeast wind was steady and perfect for the location. I was just starting to position my camera when I heard something and looked down. A doe and two fawns were already under me,” Campbell laughed.

Once the deer had passed by, he finished setting up. What followed was an evening most hunters only dream about. “From that point on, I had deer around me almost constantly,” he said. “Most were does and small bucks, but there was hardly a time I couldn’t see at least one deer.”

As darkness approached, a young buck and two does meandered through the timber nearby. Suddenly, a deer began snorting directly downwind of his stand. Campbell slowly raised his binoculars and turned toward the sound, only to see a deer crashing off into a thicket. “I only got a glimpse, but I saw what looked like heavy antlers flashing through the thick cover. I knew for sure it was the buck I was after,” Campbell lamented.

As he turned back around in his stand, he saw the young buck was now staring straight at him. It knew something wasn’t right and slowly began walking toward Campbell, trying to get downwind.

That’s when more movement caught his eye. Another buck was working his way down the hill. It was the big six-by-six, and the deer was nearly within bow range.

The mature buck had heard the other deer snort and could see the young six-pointer on edge. It began to turn back up the trail, easing toward the cover. Suddenly, another mature buck, a heavy 8-pointer, appeared and walked toward Campbell. The big six-by-six instantly locked his attention on the new buck, bristling and posturing. He turned back toward Campbell’s stand.

Just as he was about to leave, another mature buck appeared, drawing the attention of the buck and giving Campbell a shot opportunity.

At 25 yards, the buck stopped head-on, presenting no shot opportunity. After what seemed like an eternity, the buck turned broadside. Campbell slowly drew his bow, settled his pin, and released the arrow.

The buck whirled at the shot, the arrow hitting slightly high and behind Campbell’s aiming point. He watched through binoculars as the buck bolted toward the open power line. After running another 50 yards, the buck stopped, wobbled and fell within view.

Campbell immediately texted his hunting buddies. Friend Blake Shepherd soon arrived to help. Even more special, Campbell’s father, Tody, also joined the recovery. “Dad is 81 years old, and he taught me to hunt,” Campbell noted. “He’s still the first to help when I shoot a buck.”

Campbell was happy that his dad, Tody, was able to come out to help with the recovery.

Another friend, Caleb Mullikin, helped cape the buck and deliver it to Kenny Martin, Campbell’s longtime taxidermist. While the buck didn’t have long tines—the longest was just less than 7 inches—it had 25-inch main beams and a wide, sweeping frame, grossing 150 inches.

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