Stella loves to get out in the whitetail woods with her father Alex and this year she bagged an amazing buck with her crossbow. (Photo courtesy of Alex O'Brien.)

October 04, 2026 By Clifford Neames

It doesn’t take a big person to kill a big buck! At only ten years of age, Stella O’Brien is already an ace at shooting world class whitetails. She tagged a 160-inch magnum with a rifle in 2024, in what many would call a lifetime best event. But don’t count this little huntress out too quickly, she slammed an even larger trophy in Missouri’s archery season, on the first day she hunted this year! 

Her and father, Alex, first spotted the 2026 buck two seasons back, when it carried a 130-inch rack. With better bucks around the crab claw buck got a pass and Stella took the bigger ten point with a 6.5 Creedmoor.

In 2025, the deer was a total ghost, and the pair had written him off.

“By 2026 we didn’t even remember him, and we had other properties with plenty of deer to hunt”, her dad Alex says. 

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Stella and Alex are all smiles holding the massive main frame 9-pt with trash and split brows. (Photo courtesy of Alex O'Brien.)

It was so hot when archery opened on September 15th deer hunting was not a real priority. Outside of deer season, Stella plays Volleyball. She was scheduled for a lesson on the 24th, but it got cancelled and a front had moved through ushering in cooler weather.

“My dad suggested we go deer hunting instead, and I said Let’s Go!”, Stella recalls.

One of the farms they hunt is planted in Alfalfa, which is always good during the early season, so the pair headed there.

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“The wind was out of the east, and we really didn’t have a place prepped for that, so we pushed together a make do blind in a fallen tree”, her dad adds. “And 45 minutes into the hunt Stella told me she wanted to say a prayer that she would get a BIG DEER and SOON!”

That kneemail went straight up, but they still had to wait a little longer before the hunt revved up.

About 7 PM, Alex stood up to stretch and spotted some does headed their way. They were followed by some young bucks, then one that looked pretty good. “I told Stella to grab her binos and take a look as I raised up to glance at them again”, he remembers. “That’s when I saw the big one out about 200 yards and I told Stella we have a giant coming, get ready!”

Trying to keep her from getting too excited, Alex suggested taking a few deep breaths to calm down… Stella replied, “I’m ready!”

The next five minutes seemed like an hour, as they waited for the deer to get within range. Then it stopped, and Alex thought it might angle away from their hide.

Stella made a great shot on this unique buck and the her smile says it all! (Photo courtesy of Alex O'Brien.)

“I told Stella it is now or never and watched that red Luminok streak across the 87 yards and bury into the sweet spot”, he smiles proudly.

The buck raced away with its tail tucked tight against its body, then melted into the trees. After fifteen anxiety filled minutes, it was time to retrieve the deer, but the Rage tipped bolt didn’t look that great, so they backed out and went to the truck.

The second recovery attempt led them to a highway of blood-soaked brush, and they spotted the white belly 80 yards away.

When Stella got to her buck, she blurted out, “He’s Humongous!”

Truer words might never have been spoken!

The 6 ½-year-old carries impressive head gear, with stickers on each G-2, and beaded forked brows on massive beams. Preliminary scoring has it at 181 5/8 inches.

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