Bradford Southwood with his giant 22-inch wide typical 10-point from Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of Bradford Southwood.)

September 25, 2026 By Clifford Neames

“I had been watching this deer for a couple of years”, Bradford Southwood says about the over-sized buck he tagged during Kentucky’s archery opener. “He was running with a bigger deer that I was after back in 2024, so I had good history with him.” 

Bradford was getting pics of the deer frequently, then found his sheds after that season. “I knew he had potential so I decided to give him another year or two to see what he might turn into”, he adds. “And I was after a different year during the 2025 season too.”

Bradford wasn’t the only seeing the buck. His wife, Ashley, spotted it several times and his shed dog, Ruger assisted in locating the sheds from the 2025 season. The giant was on his cameras all summer and Bradford was ready to hunt it as soon as the season opened.

“I had an old salt lick at the edge of a cedar thicket, and he was showing up there mornings and evenings”, he adds. “I set out a climbing stand a week before the opener hoping he would not change that pattern.”

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Opening day was off the charts hot, but Bradford made an all day set that ended with no sightings and a thunderstorm. After sitting in the sun all day, he decided to take Sunday off, and the big buck showed on camera late that day…

The massive typical was daylighting on cameras frequently. (Photo courtesy of Bradford Southwood.)

“As soon as the storm passed and the rain stopped, there he was”, Bradford continues. “He came back Monday at 11:00 AM too.”

The deer was winning at hide and seek, but not for long! 

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Bradford climbed the tree for another sit at 2:00 PM on Labor Day. The action didn’t begin until three hours had passed, then two does came in followed by a spike. Another hour passed and a good ten point appeared. He would have been an easy target at just 20 yards, but with all the action Bradford felt his target buck would show before long, so he let the bigger buck walk. Soon, a 7-point and two more does joined the crowd around his stand, and all at once the bucks began staring off to the right.

“I looked over there and saw a tail flicker, then saw horns”, he smiles. “When he moved, I knew it was him so I grabbed my bow and stood up.”

The big deer moved in cautiously, stopping to throw his head up and check the air. He turned to the left, but it was too late as the arrow cut through him stopping against the opposite shoulder.

Bradford had several years of sheds and trail camera pictures of this buck when he decided to take him at 5-1/2-years-old. (Photo courtesy of Bradford Southwood.)

DONE!!!

“I watched him tear out of there, then heard a crash”, Bradford finishes. “Then I called Ashley, to tell her I got him!”

The 5 ½-year-old buck’s superwide velvet covered rack spans 21 7/8ths inches, has 6-inch bases, great long tines and upswept beams. It hasn’t been scored yet, but with that much going on does it really matter?

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