Traveling AccuFit: Blue Collar Deer Hunt | Aiken, SC

Gene O’Kelley, 3rd generation International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) member, purchased a non-resident whitetail tag and heads East to Aikens, South Carolina to sit in a tree stand for a few days in hopes of seeing some pre-rut activity. Gene is hoping to get back to his deer hunting roots and brings the Traveling AccuFit to the stand, which he has adjusted to fit himself. 

“As any avid deer hunter knows, hunting deer in October can be challenging. By this time, they’ve shed their velvet, been pushed around by other hunters, and a large majority of the mature bucks are borderline nocturnal,” says Gene O’Kelley.

But, this 59-year-old lifetime hunter wasn’t about to let a little pressure stand in the way of him getting in a tree stand and doing what he loves.

“Back in my early 20s, deer hunting used to be somewhat of a friendly competition between myself, my brother & friends to see who could get the bigger deer. Flash forward 30+ years, that’s definitely transitioned into something entirely different.” That transition led him to join his hosts for this hunt, the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to bringing together the union community to support conservation. “After a man works a lifetime, he no longer has any interest in finding the biggest deer in the woods but rather pursues the peace, quiet, and simplicity that the outdoors offers. It’s no longer about harvesting or even seeing a deer and it’s all about just enjoying what God has created for us.”

When we asked Gene what he thought of the Model 110 Long Range Hunter with AccuFit he quickly responded, “It’s phenomenal. I have multiple grandkids and after seeing how easy this rifle was to adjust, there’s no doubt that I’ll be purchasing one to help my grandkids learn to hunt.”