Nathan Jefferson (left) and fiancé Chloe (right) pose with a pair of impressive Kentucky bucks that were arrowed just minutes apart during Kentucky's 2025 archery opener.
November 15, 2025
By Clifford Neames
Nathan Jefferson and his fiancé, Chloe, opened the 2025 Kentucky bow season in grand style — both killing their personal biggest bucks on the same day!
Nathan had been building up to taking the deer he called “Sticks” for three seasons, even honoring an agreement with a neighbor to pass on it the previous year when he was in velvet at 155 inches. For that sacrifice, he was rewarded with another even larger buck. Chloe was after her first buck with a compound bow.
With his target being somewhat of a wanderer, Nathan sweetened the pot on his property by adding Trophy Rocks and Lucky Buck in an attempt to keep it around.
After honoring an agreement with a neighbor to let "Sticks" have one more year to grow, Kentucky bowhunter Nathan Jefferson caught up to his target buck on Opening Day 2025. Three weeks before the season opened, he placed a lock-on stand overlooking an old logging trail for his hunt. At the same time, he put up a plastic blind on an elevated platform on another tract for Chloe.
They were ready!
“I had two options where he was hanging around,” he said. “I had to choose one of them for the morning, but it didn’t happen then. After discussing that hunt with Chloe, I decided to stick it out there for the afternoon hunt instead of moving to the other spot.”
The action began again at 5 p.m. with a nice 140-inch buck and a smaller buck coming down the road as Nathan kept watch for his target. When they moved off, he thought they we gone. Then, his cell camera notification went off showing they had bedded right behind him!
Jefferson had watched "Sticks" for three years, and his reward was a buck that surpassed 190 inches. It was slow after that, and to pass the time Nathan decided to play a game on his cell phone.
“I was into the game when I heard something walking in the leaves,” he explained. “Then, I spotted the 8-point that ran with Sticks and reached for my bow.”
That move was picked up by one of the other deer, which spooked when he drew his bow, and Nathan held his breath as he watched to see what Sticks would do. Fortunately, the big buck held fast and the 10-yard shot double-lunged him. The long quest to take him was over, but the action wasn’t.
With impressive width and plenty of mass, this will be one Opening Day that Jefferson will never forget. A few minutes later, Chloe informed him that she had just taken “The Big Ten." She also delivered the good news that he was a lot bigger than they thought, pushing the tape into the high 150s. Nathan quickly headed over to help her get it out of the woods before looking for his buck.
After getting her buck secured, they returned for Nathan’s buck and walked up on a monster that surpassed 190 inches. It featured a super wide frame and two walls of long tines still in velvet. It was picture time for sure!
All in all, it was an incredible opening day — one they will remember forever. And now that business was taken care of, Chloe could get back to planning their wedding!
