60% Preparation and 40% Luck, George’s Kentucky Buck

The story of my ’26 buck actually starts in the fall of ’25. When I put my cameras out in ’25, that first week was like Christmas. I’m always excited to see what my farms hold for the year. As usual, I was checking my cameras every hour and driving my wife nuts because that’s all I was paying attention to!

After a few days, I got the first picture of a really nice 3-year-old, probably 150”, but you could tell he had some potential! I put him on the do-not-shoot list and prayed the neighbors would do the same. I watched him all year, patterning his movements through each month until he shed his antlers. Then the wait was on for the next season, hoping he would survive and grow into something special.

Fast-forward to ’26. As usual, I put my cameras out and prayed he would be on the same schedule as the year before. After a few days, BOOM! There he was, and he had grown just like I had hoped. I had already developed a plan and hung a stand in hopes of catching him there. It seemed like it took an eternity for the season to finally open, and when it did, I didn’t have the wind I needed to hunt the spot. I patiently waited and watched everyone else kill big deer until I finally got the wind I needed. That patience definitely paid off!

The first night I had the right wind, I went in and got set up early, even though it was 90 degrees. I knew I had multiple bucks coming in and would have to sit and pass on them without spooking them. Just like clockwork, the bucks and does started piling in early. A couple of them were really good bucks that tested my ability to pass on a mature deer, but I had already made up my mind: it was big boy or bust.

As it got darker and darker, I began to wonder if I had somehow spooked him. Just as I was starting to lose hope, I heard a twig snap behind me, downwind. I slowly turned my head and could tell immediately that it was him!

My first thought was, “@&?€#~¥£! I’m screwed!” But I slowly sprayed my backpack with Scent Thief to help block his ability to pick up my scent. He paused for a second, testing the wind, and then walked right under my stand—totally opposite of where he had been coming from!

He circled at about 30 yards and headed to a fresh bag of sweet mash I had put out. I drew my bow as slowly as I could so I wouldn’t spook him or any of the other deer. I settled my pin behind his shoulders and made a perfect shot. He ran about 60 yards and fell over!

Even though it didn’t happen 100% the way I had planned, Scent Thief and a perfectly placed Shwacker helped me put a tag on a beautiful 176” Kentucky buck! I’ve always said success is 60% preparation and 40% luck, and that night was a result of both!

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