North Carolina has its own giant-buck story this fall. Field & Stream reported on October 13 that a bowhunter named Graham Smith took a 23-point non-typical whitetail on September 13, the second day of the 2026 season. He had been after the deer for about five years.
The buck is estimated to be about 9.5 years old. That is very old for a wild whitetail, and few bucks in the Southeast live that long. Field & Stream says it carries a rough Boone and Crockett green score of 191 5/8 inches. Under the Buckmasters system it grossed 203 3/8 inches. The article does not say which county the deer came from.
A five-year chase that ended in September heat
According to Field & Stream, Smith first saw the deer in 2022, when it was already a mature buck. In late October and early November of both 2024 and 2025 he saw it in person several times but never got a shot he was willing to take. Looking back, he told the outlet he was glad he passed on those chances.
Conditions on the day he finally got it were rough. The heat index was 104 degrees, with only a slight breeze. Smith was hunting a big hardwood stand, with a cutover behind him and oaks in front of him. Several does, a fawn and two small bucks walked past first. Around 7:30 p.m. the big buck came in with a smaller 8-pointer. Smith shot it with his bow at 25 yards on a quartering angle.
“I keep thinking how blessed I am,” Smith told Field & Stream. Plenty of hunters in this state would say the same about a deer like that.
Where the buck stands in the books
Buckmasters scorer Wayne Cox measured the rack in late September. Field & Stream reports that the Buckmasters score makes it the No. 2 bow-killed irregular whitetail Buckmasters has ever scored in North Carolina.
For comparison, the biggest Boone and Crockett non-typical on record in North Carolina is Don Rockett’s 1998 buck from Person County, which scores 228 4/8 inches. Smith’s deer won’t top that one. Still, any buck near 190 inches is a rare animal anywhere in the Southeast. It is rarer still when it was taken with a bow in early-season heat.
Keep in mind that the 191 5/8-inch figure is a green score. Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young require a 60-day drying period before an official entry score. Antlers usually shrink a little as they dry, so the final number may come in somewhat lower.
What North Carolina hunters can take from it
GUN Crusade’s take: The most important part of this story isn’t the score. It’s the patience behind it. A few lessons stand out for those of us still hunting this season:
- Passing a shot can pay off. Smith let several encounters go by because the shot wasn’t right. A clean, ethical shot is worth more than a fast one.
- Old bucks don’t just happen. A deer doesn’t reach nine-plus years without good habitat, careful pressure and hunters willing to let younger deer walk. If you hunt a lease or family land, talk with the other hunters about what you want to shoot and what you’ll let go.
- Don’t write off the early season. This buck died in mid-September heat by a cutover with oaks nearby. Early bucks are often on predictable food and cover patterns, and Smith hunted that kind of setup.
- Heat changes your plan after the shot. On a 104-degree day, venison spoils fast. Have a plan in place before you climb: a way to get the deer out, ice, and a processor who is open.
The rut is on its way across much of North Carolina, and late October and early November are when Smith had most of his sightings of this deer in past years. If you have a deer you’ve been after, stay patient and be honest with yourself about the shot. Keep a written record of where and when you see him. Whatever the outcome, enjoy the time in the woods with family and friends.
If you take a big buck this fall, contact an official measurer for Boone and Crockett, Pope and Young or Buckmasters about scoring, and check the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s rules on reporting your harvest.
