Record Bow Buck: 152 1/8-Inch Twiggs County Non-Typical Giant

Kevin Shepherd, of Danville, with the new No. 1 non-typical bow-buck of all-time from Twiggs County. The 5×8 13-pointer netted 152 1/8 and had 158 2/8 total inches of antler before side-to-side deductions.

Kevin Shepherd has another listing in the all-time Twiggs County record book with a big non-typical bow-buck killed this past season. Recently measured by a certified scorer at 152 1/8 inches, this big boy was killed on the 800-acre property that Kevin’s family used to own around 25 years ago—which they have since leased. He and his family are the only people who have access to hunt this particular tract of land.

Kevin has been hunting since he was around 5 years old, when he began sitting in the stand with his dad, enjoying and learning the way of the outdoors.

“He taught me everything I know about hunting,” Kevin said about his dad.

Growing up, Kevin’s family has always hunted it all: deer, turkey, duck, etc. Now, he shares that love for the outdoors with his children.

“I have always lived in Wilkinson County but have always hunted over in Twiggs County,” Kevin said.

The deer that broke the Twiggs County record for biggest non-typical bow-buck ever “was definitely the biggest that had been shot in my family,” he said. He also noted that “my brother and I have put a couple other bow bucks into the Top 10 leaderboard for Twiggs County.” They now have four bucks in the Top-10.

The overall No. 1 bow-buck for Twiggs County is a typical 9-point buck that netted 148 1/8 inches, killed by Jody Chance, of Danville, during the 2020 season.

Kevin shot this record-breaking non-typical about 10 minutes before dark on Oct. 21, 2024. He says he used a “lock-on stand on a field with a bait site in the corner of it.” His well-placed 22-yard shot had a perfect entry. They began looking for a blood trail, and though it was very sporadic, they tracked sign for about an hour and then backed out once it got too hard to follow.

Kevin and his son, Carson Shepherd, let the monster rest overnight and then came back in the morning to find him with help from Outer Banks Deer Tracking. The record-breaking buck ran “about 350 yards” from where he was shot.

“The next morning, the dogs went right to him. He was laid in some thick brush about 4 feet tall right next to a creek,” Kevin said.

Kevin with his 13-point buck where it was recovered in the woods.

“I’d just like to add that it takes years to grow a deer like that. He was probably 137 inches last year, and we passed him up. It takes a lot to pass up a deer like that. He was 5 years old when I shot him, so we have spent about three seasons watching him and growing him.”

Kevin is pictured with his brother Kyle (left) and his dad David Shepherd (center), who Kevin said taught him everything he knows about deer hunting.

Twiggs County All-Time Bow Bucks