Cole Barfield: The Kid Setup

Colt Barfield with his first buck of the 2022 season.

I’m really not sure how he does it year after year now. It is hard enough for me to get a glimpse of a mature buck when I am hunting by myself, but somehow my friend can put his THREE kids on great bucks (and turkeys)… and get them all ethical shots at their targets. The planning starts well before hunting season. He thinks about all the details to enable his children the best opportunities for success.

Cole Barfield has killed plenty of big deer in his time in the woods, but these days he no longer takes a weapon. It’s all about his kids. He laughs when he says that people don’t see all that goes on behind the scenes. I do know that it takes hours and hours of committed time in between his busy schedule as an attorney and realtor, but his kids are priority. He hunts multiple properties in Randolph and Terrell counties and makes certain not to overharvest in any one area.

There are many incredible hunting stories to recount about his kids, so I will focus on just the 2022 deer season. Let’s begin with his middle child, Colt, 9. On Oct. 28, Cole and Colt sat in a spot in hopes of seeing a big 9-point moving through the area. (Cole has a system of coin flips to determine which of his children hunt first.) That afternoon I received a text with a photo of an awesome 130-inch 9 point and a smiling boy displaying the impressive antlers. “Wow!” I thought. “Cole has done it again.” Little did I know that this was just the beginning of a banner season.

Cole’s hunting schedule was limited because of all three kids playing ball, but Cole still found a few days to sit with his kids in the stand. On Nov. 12, Cole sent me a picture of his 6-year-old son smiling behind a pretty 7-point that he had killed… and this was Cade’s first deer! Cole was on a roll, but the season was far from over.

Cade Barfield with his first deer ever.

Sunday, Nov. 20 proved to be a truly special day for the Barfield boys. Shortly after sunup, Colt, the 9 year old, shot a buck that would make an experienced trophy hunter jump up and down. At 7:07 a.m., I received a text from Cole. “Colt got the wide 9-point,” the message read. I knew which buck he was talking about but had no clue just how big this deer actually was. The antlers had long, sweeping beams that measured 26 inches and mass that is only appreciated in person (and a bonus kicker off the main beam to actually make it a 10-point). A picture cannot do this 150-inch buck justice. How did Cole do it again?

Colt Barfield with his second buck of the 2022 season. This 150-class buck would make most grown men smile.

While I pondered the incredible hunting season my friend was having, I got another text from Cole that afternoon. “Cade got the wide 8,” the text said. Cade, the 6-year-old boy, made a giant leap from his first buck a week earlier to this 130-inch 8-point. Both Colt’s and Cade’s hunts that day took place on the same stand. Now, both boys were tagged out. Could Cole get his 11-year-old daughter a nice buck?

Cade Barfield’s second buck was quite a bit bigger than his first.

This last buck would prove to be the toughest of the season for Cole. Though his daughter, Rachel, has killed several big bucks in her hunting career, Cole felt the pressure like never before to get his daughter a nice buck. The pair hunted hard, chasing after a special 10-point that Rachel was itching to get a shot at. In her patience, she let many bucks walk. Unfortunately for Rachel, on Sunday, Nov. 18, Cole’s cousin killed the big 10-point while hunting a short distance up the creek. The hunting got more difficult for the two as the Christmas holidays approached.

I had all but given up on the hope that Rachel would get a buck this season, but then it came. On Friday afternoon, Jan. 6, I got a text message from Cole. “Rachel just shot a big 6,” the text said. I could not believe it. Rachel finally got her buck, a beautiful, old, cull 6-point that made that sweet girl smile big. Even though this buck was one of her smaller bucks in terms of antler size, she was over the moon with excitement. She had to earn this mature buck, and she knew how to appreciate it.

So, that wraps up a truly memorable deer season for the Barfield family.

Rachel Barfield and her buck capped off an incredible season for her dad, Cole Barfield.

On The Shoulders Of Giants With Andrew Curtis

Andrew graduated from UGA in 2006 with his undergraduate degree in Animal Health and from UGA’s veterinary school in 2010. His passion for fishing and the outdoors began when he was a young boy spending time with his grandfather at Lake Oconee. Now he enjoys passing on what he has learned to his two young boys at their home on the Alapaha River. Turkey hunting and south Georgia river fishing are among his favorite pastimes, but his main interests involve mentoring kids in the outdoors while spreading the Word of Jesus. Andrew has discovered the joy and power in writing and hopes to benefit others through his words.