Kentucky Velvet Giant Goes 215 6/8 Inches

After his target buck got by him a day earlier, Brandon Epperson made the most of his second chance.

October 07, 2024 By Cam Coble

For Brandon Epperson, 2023 featured a deer season that started out with a bang. The Kentucky resident had placed some cell cams just 200 yards from his own back door on July 11th in anticipation of the September 2nd opener. His expectation were limited due to a large piece of neighboring land being developed, wiping out some prime whitetail habitat in the process.

The very first picture Brandon got was a buck they guessed might go 110 inches, sporting numerous points sprouting in various directions. They figured he was a young deer that needed at least two more years before they’d consider going after him. Getting more pictures though the summer, the buck had morphed into a giant — a buck worth going after when its antlers were fully developed. With land development going on next door, Brandon decided to leave the land behind his house alone as a sanctuary for the deer.

Later in the summer, Brandon and his dad made a trail in the bottom ground, hoping to lead the deer out of an area known for its swirling winds. The buck would show on camera throughout the summer and began using the mowed trails, so Brandon's expectations were high going into the opener. He knew the buck was still in the area.

Not long before Kentucky's opening day, Brandon heard through the grapevine that another hunter in the area had also been getting pics of the same buck. Stepping on the gas, Brandon decided get aggressive with his hunting plans. On Thursday, two days before season, good friends Chris Haubner and Tyler Jackson placed a stand for Brandon in a location they all agreed he should be hunting come opening day. Amazingly, two hours after the stand was placed the buck showed himself on the cell cam. This information led Brandon to set up a Redneck blind at the top of a nearby field.

At 4 a.m. on opening day, he was monitoring the action via his cell cam from an old barn. The buck they were after was there, but left while it was still dark. Slipping in to the blind after the buck left, Brandon hunted until 9 a.m., but all that showed were does that first morning. With temperatures hovering around the mid 90s that evening, Brandon decided to dive into the stand his friends had hung two days prior. Brandon got in early around 11:30 a.m. for the evening hunt, and the early arrival nearly paid off. Around 2:45 p.m, the giant made his appearance, milling around his stands at 20 yards. But with no shot opportunity, Brandon was left to watch the buck feeding away.

Later that evening at 7:45, Brandon looked up and noticed the buck was back for more — this time with his bachelor group that included an 8-point and a fork-horn. The bucks fed in front of Brandon, and finally thinking he had a good chance for a shot, he drew on the giant twice but could never find a shot he was comfortable with. Brandon later explained that all he needed was two steps to the left.

“I was heartbroken," Brandon said of having his target buck so close without getting a shot off.

Eventually, the trio of bucks walked out of sight and gave Brandon an opportunity to leave his perch. The next morning, Brandon decided to sleep in as the hot weather hunting had taken its toll on the bowhunter the day before. Later that day though, he headed to the same stand as the evening before, and was anticipating that his target buck would do the same thing he’d done the past three evenings.

True to form, the buck made his appearance once again around 4:45, and this time Brandon was ready!

“When I left the evening before, I broke off some limbs that were in the way of a shot the previous evening,” he explained.

The buck made his way to the base of Brandons tree, and at just six yards the bowhunter finally was able to send an arrow toward the buck. His shot looked good, but Brandon decided to wait his friend, Cody Kellam, to help with tracking. The blood looked good, and the two cautiously followed to the last place where the buck had went.

"He was laying in a thick honeysuckle fencerow," Brandon said. "He was still alive but in bad shape.”