Hunting mountain whitetails in the early season can be one of the most difficult yet rewarding hunts for whitetail deer.
Tennessee Hunter Tags Special Target Buck After Sunday Churc – North American Whitetail
September 09, 2026By Clifford Neames
“When my friend told me she saw a big buck, I had to go check it out”, says Dylan Pritchett. “So, I climbed up the mountain and put a camera out, but I wasn’t expecting the one that showed up in the pics.”
“I found a bench that looked good, and poured Black Magic all over a stump, then hung a camera”, he continues.
“That same afternoon a bunch of does came in, but right as it was getting dark a monster buck went right to the stump!”
“His rack went straight out and the mass was like nothing I had ever seen.”
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Dylan sent the pic to the landowner. She confirmed it was the deer she had seen, and told him to go after it. Thank You Mam, no arm twisting necessary, for sure! Tennessee is full of high ridges and folks travel there for the scenery and expect to see bears. Big mountain whitetails can be far and few between, so this was an incredible gift, delivered just in time for the early archery season due to open shortly.
Dylan didn’t hunt the first day of the season, so he only had two days to get it done before the season closed again. Saturday’s hunt only yielded a few does and a young buck.
After going to church on Sunday, Dylan debated on going up the ridge again because of the heat. But he suspected this might be his last good chance to get the deer. When he made up his mind to try, his incredibly understanding wife, Alyssa, graciously agreed to watch their two young children, so he could go after the buck.
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Dylan had left his saddle rig on the tree he hunted from the previous day. When he arrived up top the wind had shifted, so he made a quick 70-yard adjustment, giving him a little more edge. Then he settled in and the final watch began.
The action started fast. Two spike bucks were under him as soon as he got set up. “I could hear white oak acorns dropping as I watched them”, he adds. “I had brought a little battery-operated fan which mounted on a limb.” “I don’t think I would have made it through the hunt without it, but it didn’t seem to bother the deer even though I was only 20-feet above them.”
Throughout the afternoon deer would come in and circle his position as Dylan sat perfectly still in the saddle.
“One big doe must have smelled something, but she did the stiff legged stomp and left without alarming”, he continues.
As it got later, Dylan pulled out his binoculars and was glassing another pair of does when he spotted his target buck headed directly to the mineral site. He knew he was going to have to act fast, but his shot was true, taking out both lungs, and the monster buck only went 90 yards before it expired!
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“I was over the moon excited, and started calling everyone”, he smiles. “Then I sat there until my dad and one of my triplet brothers, Logan, showed up to help me get the deer off the mountain.”
The full velvet rack has great beams that sweep way out and matches side to side beautifully. The buck rough scores over 160 inches, a true mountain trophy!
Exposing the Big Game 