Reprinted with permission from GON Outdoor Magazine
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Miles Kearney came to the 2026 GON Outdoor Blast with a goal in mind. Having earned his way into both the Youth Big-Buck and Truck-Buck Shoot-Outs with a 131 6/8-inch Gordon County buck on Dec. 19, the 15-year-old Jasper resident had every intention of winning both. He became the first person to do so in the history of the two events.
He was one of 16 competitors in the Youth Big-Buck Shoot-out on Friday, July 24 and was the last one standing. He edged out Worth County’s Cam Hudson, who killed the highest-scoring buck of all Truck-Buck entries for the 2025-2026 season. Crowning a winner came down to a hitting a mini Nilla Wafer from 25 feet. Both Cam and Miles had multiple shots at the cookie before the latter took it down for the victory, earning a $3,000 shopping spree at Adventure Outdoors and a guided hunt with Woods-N-Water, along with some other great prizes.
In the celebration following that Friday night victory, Miles’ father, Aaron made a comment that turned out prophetic. As Miles’ family and the GON staff were taking pictures to capture the moment, Aaron spoke what seemed like bold words at the time.
“Let’s get a picture in front of your truck,” Aaron said with a smile and as he pointed to the red 2026 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss pickup truck provided by John Megel Chevrolet.
Less than 48 hours later, that truck, indeed, belonged to Miles, who was one of four hunters who qualified for both competitions. Both Miles and Cam made the final group on Sunday at the 37th annual Truck-Buck Shoot-Out. Cam was the second competitor to shoot in that group, taking aim at an egg from 45 feet. Just like the man before him, Cam missed.
Everyone after him, except for Miles, experienced the same thing. Miles blew the egg to pieces and walked back to his seat knowing that only two competitors remained, Jay Maxwell, Week 17 winner, and Ron Register, Runner-up Wildcard winner. When Jay missed, the Kearney crew got excited. When Ron’s shot failed to connect, they burst into cheers.
Miles’ father immediately started reaching out to friends and family members, letting them know what he had just done. But there’s more to Miles than slaying deer and hitting targets. Just over 13 months ago, as a high school freshman, Miles teamed up with Brady Williams to win the Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation Junior State Classic.
He will turn 16 years old in November. At that point, he’ll be able to truly enjoy that Chevy pickup truck that he competed so hard to win. When that time comes, it would appear that no deer or bass is safe.
