For Brett Thomas, the early morning of August 22 started like any other—until a buck he’d watched for years finally stepped into bow range.
Brett was in the stand by first light, crossbow in hand. At 6:10 a.m., three bucks filtered into view, and trailing behind them was the one he’d been waiting on: a wide 11-point velvet buck he had on trail camera for three straight seasons. “He was behind a young 4-pointer and a tall split-brow 9 I’ve also been watching,” Brett says. “I just kept thinking: don’t miss.”
The encounter almost didn’t happen. On the way in, Brett unknowingly walked past a new bedding area near the road. “They all stood up, but didn’t spook bad. Just slowly walked off,” he says. “I thought the hunt might be over before it started.” But he stuck to the plan and climbed into his usual stand.
Roughly an hour later, the same group of bucks worked back through—and the big one offered a perfect 25-yard shot. Brett let the bolt fly. “I couldn’t see exactly where I hit, but it sounded good, so I felt confident,” he says.
After the shot, he tracked the deer down, then called his dad to help load it up and a buddy to skin it. “This is my first velvet buck and the widest I’ve killed—probably the biggest too,” Brett says. “He’s been around for five years, and it just goes to show: even if they change their pattern or you think you spooked ’em, you don’t always need to change your plan. Let them grow.”
The buck hasn’t been officially scored yet, but with 11 points and a wide frame, it’s a velvet-season trophy Brett won’t forget.
