Tennessee Brothers Tag Team a Trophy Velvet Whitetail

Like most brothers, Blair and Carter Moody are competitive. Not just in hunting, but in sports as well, including archery. Fifteen-year-old Blair just became the bare bow/recurve S3DA Champion of Champions and the TN State Outdoor Target Champ. Carter, older by two years, shoots in the compound division and is the reigning 2024 TN State Champion.

While competitive, brothers Blair and Carter Moody love to hunt together. Image by JP Moody

While the urge to compete is strong, the brothers love to hunt together. They take turns, with one on the bow or gun and the other filming the experience. Both, along with their dad, Jon Paul, are Pro Staff members for Buckventures and The Woodsman. The two even video and produce their own YouTube channel, Ricochet and Hatchet, that chronicles their outdoor exploits in the woods and on the water. To say they are passionate about hunting and fishing is an understatement.

With the late August Tennessee velvet season fast approaching, the Moodys were on the lookout for a trophy buck. Time was running out when Carter spotted a shooter in a soybean field on property they had permission to hunt just one day before the Friday season opener. He snuck back in at midday the next day and hung a stand where he’d seen a buck. As evening approached, the wind was wrong to hunt the spot, so the brothers went to a different area. Sure enough, the big buck was back out that evening. And he walked right under the stand Carter had hung earlier in the day.

Carter spotted the buck the day before the TN August velvet season and hung a stand set up the next day. Image by JP Moody

With a better wind the following evening, Carter was back in the stand in hopes the buck would repeat the pattern. But the deer never showed. On Sunday evening, the final day of the short three-day season, it was Blair’s turn to hunt the stand while Carter filmed. Blair had just gotten a new Hoyt Alpha X from his grandparents as a birthday gift. This was his first hunt with the new bow.

Blair was hunting with his new Hoyt Alpha X, a birthday gift from his grandparents. Image by JP Moody

The brothers got into position around 4:30 that evening, with Blair in the stand and Carter hanging from a saddle a few feet over. From the time they climbed in, the brothers had deer moving around them. Just a few minutes after they had gotten settled, a pair of does walked by and bedded at the edge of the beans just 40 yards away. “We had steady deer movement from that point on; we probably saw 30 deer that evening,” Blair said.

While the continuous deer movement made the time pass quickly, the brothers hadn’t seen the buck they were after. Then, about 7:30, as the sun was starting to set, Carter looked up to see antlers coming through the beans. The buck had snuck in on them and was standing just 20 yards away. While Carter had a clear view of his vitals through the camera, Blair, a few feet over, had his shot blocked by a limb and the standing beans.

While Carter had a clear view of the buck’s vitals, Blair’s was blocked by a limb and the standing beans. Image by JP Moody

The buck fed on the beans in front of them for 15-20 minutes without offering Blair a clean shot. “It was at least 15 minutes, but it felt like forever,” he added. Finally, something alerted the buck and he trotted from the beans into the edge of the timber, just 15 yards to the left of Blair’s stand. When the buck came to a stop at 18 yards, Blair drew, quickly took aim, and released the arrow.

“At first I thought I had hit a limb because of the sound, but I think it was just the arrow hitting the buck,” Blair said. At the shot, the buck bolted from sight. The brothers quickly reviewed the camera footage, then reviewed it again and again. They thought the shot looked like it might have been a touch too far back, so they quietly climbed down and found Blair’s arrow.

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There was good blood on both the arrow and the ground, but a quick sniff told them there was also some gut residue. They decided to back out and give the buck some time to expire.

The brothers went home and told their dad about the hunt. After giving the buck more time, the three went back in and picked up the blood trail. The trail was easy to follow, and quickly led the hunters to the buck just 70 yards away. A quick finishing shot ensured the deer was down for good.

Blair’s aim was true and they found the buck after a short 70 yard blood trail. Image by JP Moody

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The velvet was still tight on the heavy 8-point frame, just as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency intended when they started the early 3-day hunt back in 2018, making it a unique trophy not available in many states.