Kentucky Bowhunter Arrows 178-Inch 14 on Opening Day

Sit tight or move? That was the question racing through Isaiah Greene’s mind as he sat in his stand on the opening evening of the Kentucky season. The buck he was after was a true trophy, one of the biggest Greene had ever gotten on camera. The trail he expected the buck to follow was only 20 yards away and Greene was terrified that the deer would get too close before he could draw and shoot without being spotted. That is, if he even showed up at all.

Greene debated switching stands mid-hunt, but decided to stick it out where he was. Image by Isaiah Greene

The buck was a familiar one. Greene had been watching him for three years on his trail cameras. An old and very visible scar on the buck’s leg identified him from year to year. Last year, the buck sported an odd unicorn antler sprouting from the base below his brow tine.

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This summer, Greene had his cameras out in hopes that the buck had made it through the winter. He soon got photos of a massive 6x6 with a couple kicker points. As he studied the photos, he recognized the scar. It was the unicorn buck from the year before, only without the extra point.

Greene had watched the buck on trail camera for a few years. Image by Isaiah Greene

Greene watched the buck all summer and his buddy Ryan helped him hang a stand. Greene thought it needed to be farther from the trail, but Ryan insisted that the location would give him his best shot at the buck.

In the days leading up to season, the buck was a regular every evening right before dark. His habit was to come in and immediately run off any does or small bucks that might be milling around before feeding.

Greene was in his stand early on opening day, but was once again questioning its placement. As a backup, he had placed his climber another 15 yards behind him just in case he decided to move. He texted Ryan only to find out that he had just shot his own target buck. As the two texted back and forth, Ryan reassured Greene that he should stay in that stand and stick it out.

The big buck featured a 6x6 frame with two additional kickers. Image by Isaiah Greene

As evening approached, a steady parade of does and young bucks made their way in front of Greene’s stand location. “I was so close that I didn’t want to risk any extra movement that might spook one of the deer that were hanging around. I’d been holding my bow for hours so I didn’t have to reach up and grab it if he came in,” Greene said.

As darkness neared, four does and a young buck came in. An errant thermal caused them to spook a little, but they didn’t go far. After a few minutes, they settled down to feed. All of the sudden, the deer threw their heads up and looked up the trail before scattering. Greene knew what that likely meant, as he’d watched the same thing happen on his trail camera for days.

Greene’s good friend and hunting buddy Ryan also scored a great buck on opening day. Image by Isaiah Greene

He drew his bow before the buck even appeared. The big buck stepped out at 40 yards and then made its way to 25 before stopping, quartering slightly to the hunter.

Greene steadied his breathing the best he could, placed the pin low on the buck’s shoulder and released his arrow. The shot looked good and the buck whirled and disappeared into the timber. Greene heard what sounded like a thud, then the woods got quiet.

Greene gave the buck some time, then climbed down to search for his arrow. When he pulled his headlight out of his pack, he realized it had been turned on the whole time, and the batteries were nearly dead. He walked over to the spot where the buck had been standing at the shot, but couldn’t locate any sign. To make matters worse, his phone was also dead. Greene walked out to his side by side to charge his phone and call Ryan. “Come quick and bring lights,” he told him.

The two started back in and soon found the blood trail. The buck had only gone a few yards before crashing into a tree, explaining the thud Greene had heard from his stand. The big buck was a symmetrical 6x6 with two scorable kickers. A quick green score session came up with a massive 178 inches, making it Greene’s largest buck to date.

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