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Cooper Redd knew going into Georgia’s opening week that he was after a buck unlike anything he’d ever had a shot at. The 11-point giant wasn’t just the biggest deer he’d ever hunted—it was the kind of once-in-a-lifetime deer that most hunters aren’t fortunate enough to see in person, only online.
“I knew this buck was different,” says Cooper. “I told myself I had to do everything right. I didn’t want him to even know I existed.”
From the start of the season, Cooper built his entire approach around one word: efficiency. He chose his crossbow over a compound, not because he doesn’t love bowhunting, but because he wanted to remove as many variables as possible. “I knew I wasn’t experienced enough with my compound to make the kind of shot this buck might require,” he says. “I wasn’t going to risk it.”
Instead, he used terrain to his advantage. Cooper designed his access and exit routes so he could slip in and out of his hunting spot undetected. A cotton field sat behind the stand, and he banked on mature bucks staying tucked in the thick pines, avoiding open ground during daylight.
The spot he was hunting wasn’t a brand new spot in the Jefferson, County hunting club. Cooper had hunted it the season prior. But this year, he knew a particular buck was calling the area home. His Moultrie Trail Camera was sending plenty of photos at different times of the day and he had a good feeling that this deer was within his reach.
On September 19th, Cooper finally laid his eyes on the buck every hunter in the area was after. “When I first saw him that day, I just couldn’t believe it,” he says. “He didn’t give me a chance, but I knew he was killable.”
Little did he know, that wouldn’t be the last time he would lay eyes on the Jefferson County giant.
On the evening of Sept. 21, Cooper slipped into his Summit Climber around 4:00 p.m. with perfect wind and a unfamiliar gut feeling—a confident one that tonight would be the night.
“Something about the evening just felt right,” he says. “Wind was perfect. I got in clean. Didn’t bump anything.”
Around 6:50, movement caught his eye. Two bucks were weaving through the thicket at 70 yards—his target buck and a solid 8-pointer. Then two smaller bucks appeared and began feeding in front of him.
“The big buck was just 10 yards behind them, watching,” Cooper says. “It was unreal seeing him that close. He eventually came in but stood at an angle with no shot.”
After feeding for a bit, the buck started to walk off. That’s when Cooper knew he had the angle he needed for a lethal shot and let the arrow fly.
The arrow found its mark, but Cooper couldn’t see where it exited, and with thick cover, he didn’t see the buck fall.
“Looking through the scope, I didn’t see blood or the arrow, and my heart sank,” he says. “I thought I blew it. I got out and called a few of my buddies, and we all agreed—if the arrow stayed in, there probably wouldn’t be much blood for the first 20 or 30 yards.”
When he shot the deer was quartering-away pretty hard, and the arrow stayed lodged in the buck since it had nowhere to exit.
“We were right,” Cooper says. “There wasn’t much blood at first, but we knew it could still be a lethal hit.”
After a short track, him and his buddies were able to find his buck piled up not too far from his stand location, showing signs of a perfect heart shot.
He finally got his hands on the buck, the celebration that followed was something he’ll never forget.
“The best part of it all was having my buddies there to help track and find him,” he says. “Then my mom and dad came out too. Having them all there made it that much more special.”
The buck hasn’t been officially scored yet, but its 11-point frame and massive body make it clear this is a deer worth remembering. It also marked Cooper’s first deer harvested in Georgia, and without question, the biggest of his life.
His advice to hunters chasing deer of this caliber?
“Use the land to your advantage,” he says. “Enter and exit without being detected. And don’t force something you’re not confident in. The biggest mistake you can make is rushing a moment you’ve waited your whole life for.”
Cooper may not have scored the buck yet, but in terms of patience, planning, and execution, it was a perfect 10.
Congrats Cooper!
