This old buck has all the character with mass, trash and unique beams. (Photo courtesy of Graham Smith.)

September 27, 2026 By Clifford Neames

Deer don’t automatically grow larger racks as they get older, and often a deer at 7 ½ years of age is on the decline. Graham Smith found an exception during his September North Carolina bow hunt, when he tagged the buck, he had been after for five previous seasons.

During his first encounter, he observed a good deer for his area cruising by out of range on Halloween. Two years later, in 2024, Graham found a right side shed from the buck that would have been in the 150-inch range with a match. His interest in this superior deer was building. The buck’s unique rack made him easy to recognize, and he decided to call him King Kong, for no particular reason.

Graham would see the buck twice in the 2025 season, once when it came in behind a doe after shooting hours in October, and again in November when it passed his stand at 100 yards, well out of bow range. Kong’s survival skills were at their peak, and Graham ended that season with memories to digest instead of venison. 

Over the summer of 2026, the now ancient buck added an unexpected tremendous amount of antler. “He was visiting my mineral station consistently all year”, Graham tells us. “But I was surprised to see how big his rack was becoming, since I believed he was 9 ½-years-old.”

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Once he shed his velvet, the giant buck ghosted cameras and created the doubt every hunters experiences when hunting mature whitetail. (Photo courtesy of Graham Smith.)

When the magnum sized buck shed his velvet late in August, his whereabouts became erratic. Graham added more food in an effort to keep him around. King Kong took advantage of the easy supply of nutrition, but Graham knew that could change overnight.

His friend, David, invited him to hunt at his place opening morning, and you guessed it, the big deer hit the bait pile right after daylight!

Graham returned to his place that afternoon and saw plenty of deer, but Kong was MIA.

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He went to another stand the next morning and shot a doe for meat, then headed to church. While listening to the sermon, he prayed, asking for a sign to let him know he would kill the big deer.

“My favorite Bible verse is Mathew 6:6”, he says. “The preacher mentioned it a few minutes later, and I told my wife, That’s my sign! I’m going to the woods!”

Old bucks often have unique character and mass. (Photo courtesy of Graham Smith.)

The first part of the afternoon passed slowly with a pair of does on the bait pile. At 7:30 they left, and because it was getting late, Graham took his bow in hand. He glanced to his left, and spotted two big, bodied deer approaching. Kong was coming in with another buck!

When he got to 25 yards Graham sent a broadhead through his chest, then watched him stumble and fall twice. “Once he was down, I called my wife and my Dad and an hour later we were taking pictures!”

To say this buck has character is an understatement. The right side has points going in every direction. The left G2 looks like a thick trunked tree, and the main beams sweep out then rake back in. Initial rough scoring comes up to 191 5/8 inches, a true blessing! 

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