In the field, the right technology can make all the difference. Derrick Reding's story is a testament to how Tactacam REVEAL cameras revolutionized his hunting strategy and led to his most successful bow hunt yet. Utilizing the REVEAL app, Derrick meticulously patterned a magnificent 145-inch, 11-point Kentucky buck, capitalizing on precise data to plan his moves. His gripping experience unfolds with early morning check-ins, tense moments of waiting, and a heart-pounding moment-of-truth that showcases the blend of patience, skill, and cutting-edge technology. Here, Derrick shares his unforgettable experience of tracking and harvesting his biggest bow buck to date.
"Tactacam REVEAL's have helped me in more ways than one. From being able to pattern a deer without disturbing the area to knowing if your target deer is on a corn pile at 4:30 in the morning when you're trying to slip into the blind. In 2022 I killed my biggest bow buck to date, a Kentucky 145 inch 11 point from a Redneck Hay Bale Blind. This deer showed up on camera the third week of season hitting my corn pile going from bed to feed. I knew it was going to be a matter of time before the deer switched his pattern so I had to make quick work of things. He normally showed up right at daylight going back to bed from the bean field and in last 15-30 minutes of daylight going from bed to feed so with the wind right I finally made the attempt to go in and hunt him the morning of September 18th. I told myself I was going to be in the blind 45 minutes to a hour before his arrival."
"While walking in I pulled out my phone opened the REVEAL app to check and make sure he wasn't in front of the blind on the corn pile but low and behold he had beat me to the punch and was there nearly a hour before his normal time. At that point I was inside of 75 yds from to the blind so I had no other choice but to wait until he and all the other deer moved off the corn pile. I was threading a needle while trying to slip in on the trail we had cut through the woods that led to the back of the blind but managed to get in without spooking any of the deer. I elected to go ahead with the morning hunt because he had shown up twice after leaving the corn pile in the morning. With no luck of seeing him reappear I slipped out and made the decision to get back in the blind early that afternoon. Deer movement came early that afternoon and it come on strong. 30 minutes into my set I was seeing deer so I knew in my gut it was going to go down. The does started to filter out then the bucks. 20 minutes before dark I look up and see a buck that was running with him appear. He's continuously looking back and is super nervous. All of a sudden he appears. I pull out my Vortex rangefinder and range him at 20 yds. I picked up my Mathews V3X come to full draw anchored the pin squeezed off and let the Grim Reaper eat!! The Gold Tip had hit its mark right behind the shoulder and the buck bolted off into the woods!! The excitement hit!! I started sending the most famous text a hunter can send ‘BBD!!’ Here come the phone calls. Friends were loading up and headed to meet me back at the truck so I slipped out and went back to wait on them. After discussing the shot and with the deer being slight quartering to we elected to give him close to a hour and a half before attempting to track him. We instantly picked up good blood. The track job wasn't no more than 80 yds where we found him bedded in a log jam. He wasn't leaving that bed but with him still being alive from what looked to be a single lung and liver shot I gave him a follow up shot to put him down for good. The excitement set in that I had just killed my biggest bow buck to date!!!"
Photo credit goes to my buddy Zach Wilhite