BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Wesley Young from Inez may have written his name in the record books by harvesting what could be the new state record for a typical whitetail deer. The impressive 13-point buck he brought down in the steep hollers of Martin County boasts a gross score of 214 inches.
For perspective, Kentucky’s state record set in 2000 by Robert W. Smith in Pendleton County stands at 204 2/8 inches.
“I’ve taken a few good bucks, some with a bow, some with a gun, but none close to this one,” the 20-year-old Young said.
To further appreciate the magnitude of Young’s achievement, one only needs to consider the Boone and Crockett world record. Milo Hanson’s legendary buck from Saskatchewan, Canada, measured 213 5/8 inches in 1993, followed by Dustin Huff’s 211 4/8-inch Indiana deer in 2021. Even James Jordan’s revered 206 1/8-inch Wisconsin buck from 1914 pales next to Young’s contender.
For Young, the trophy harvest followed years of dedication, scouting and faith. His love for hunting began at the age of 5, thanks to his father.
“Dad took me, and I immediately fell in love with it,” he recalled.
Over the years, Young practiced and honed his skills. He set his sights on this deer months before the season opened.
“I started putting cameras out at the end of June and got my first picture of this deer on July 4,” said Young. “I got three or four pictures of him but would lose him between then and September.”
Determined to locate the buck’s core area, Young scoured the hills and hollers, covering 30 to 40 miles in his search. “It was mainly walking country, steep on both sides of this big holler,” he said. “Toward the end of September, I found him again about a mile from where he was in the summer. There was a big thicket that this deer was bedding in.”
Once hunting season opened, Young committed fully to the pursuit.
“I hunted daylight to dark Saturday and Sunday the last five weekends before I killed him,” he explained. His diligence would soon pay off.
The fateful kill came unexpectedly.
Young had gone to work that morning only to find that the deer had been active during daylight hours.
“I had yet to have a daylight picture of this deer the whole time I hunted him,” he said.
Seizing the opportunity that afternoon, he slipped into the woods, walking nearly a mile to reach his hunting spot.
“I probably hadn’t been there 30 minutes,” said Young. “I remember praying, ‘Lord, just let me see this deer.’ Sure enough, it probably wasn’t 15 seconds later that he was over the hill, walking in the holler about 50 yards away. I immediately knew it was him, but I was pretty calm—a whole lot calmer than I thought I would be.”
The deer was moving to pass him when Young let out a snort-wheeze call, stopping the buck in its tracks.
“He came up the hill and stood quartering to me hard,” recounted Young. “I shot him in the chest with a 300 Weatherby with open sights from about 40 yards. He ran toward me, got about 15 yards, and was running. I shot him again and he rolled to the bottom of the holler.”
Scouting—tracking the deer for months leading up to the season—was the key to Young’s success.
“I scouted him more times than I actually hunted him, whether moving cell cams or just walking to find his core area,” he said. “I ran 20 cameras after this deer within a mile radius.”
The result was spectacular.
Young proudly detailed the buck’s measurements: “This deer has 6-inch brow tines. A split off the right brow will be a deduction. He’s got 13-inch 2s, 13-inch 3s, 8 1/2-inch 4s. He’s got almost 27-inch main beams; one is 26, and he carries 4 1/2 inches of mass all the way through his rack. He’s right at 18 1/2 inches wide.”
Young and some of his hunting buddies estimated the buck to be around 5 years old, noting it appeared on several cams from 2021 to 2023.
“He blew up this year into a giant,” commented Young, marveling at how the deer managed to reach such a size in a heavily hunted area.
“I do not know how because a lot of people around the house shoot the first buck they see and don’t let them grow.”
Faith played a role for Young as the hunt presented obstacles.
“Getting to where this deer was without blowing him out was a challenge in itself,” he said. “Several people told me a deer like this would be impossible to harvest, but with Jesus, anything is possible. This taught me a very valuable lesson: no matter how hard something may seem, with the good Lord above, it can be done.”
The potential record-breaker expressed gratitude for the experience, regardless of the outcome.
“It feels awesome, a true blessing,” remarked Young. “I’m praying it sets a record; if not, that’s OK too. This deer is a true testimony of what the Lord has done in my life.”
He will preserve the trophy with a full-body mount by George Howard of Howard’s Taxidermy.
While the hunting community buzzes with the news, Young remains grounded.
“Most have congratulated me,” he shared. “A lot of people are super proud of me, and some are kind of jealous, I believe.”
Young described what the achievement means to him personally as a hunter.
“It means the world. It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I started deer hunting. When I really started picking a target buck it became like a game that I loved playing. I’ve been able to harvest my target buck the last three years in a row.”
Young’s future hunting aspirations are ambitious: “My goal is to harvest my target buck yearly, and it be at least 150.”
There is a 60-day drying period before the official scoring of his deer.