An hour or so later, at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 22, Hooper would realize his good fortune when a bigger buck, not showing the rutting behavior of the many that had passed that morning, suddenly appeared. Ryan Sullivan was only 19 when, during the 2013 season, he arrowed an Arkansas buck of gigantic proportions. Morelands first encounter with the buck occurred on a hunt early in the season. Hunters in Texas have killed 200 bucks since 2010 that made book. He was hunting hill country in a 65-acre hay meadow, which was part of the larger 160-acre cattle operation. When you see a photo of a young hunter with a world-class deer, it's tempting to wonder if he or she "lucked" into it, or if perhaps an older hunter did most of the scouting and strategizing. He had high hopes for the afternoon hunt. BIG BUCK CLASSIC: Pair of champions earn their crowns - Arkansas Online That anxiety would have been a lot worse had he known the full extent of the bucks antlers. Knowing it wasnt a great shot, Johnathan called a buddy who had a tracking dog. Minutes ticked by, the sun started its visible ascent and Latimers thoughts turned back to the big target buck. He arrowed a 5-year-old giant. At just about any time I could have gone and seen him a mile away in a bean field. Kamps settled the pin and took it. Stan Potts heads to Montana with his rifle in search of a Big Sky buck. He was coming right towards me. Stephen Tucker's non-typical record once the largest hunter-killed non-typical in the country was taken in Sumner County in 2016 and is the fourth largest non-typical of all time. Although Moreland hadnt gun-hunted in years, he made the decision to muzzleloader hunt during Arkansas early blackpowder season. It worked. But this buck would measure much more than that. At least, he did until a buck he'd never seen showed up on one of his trail cameras. That was set to change on Aug. 22, though. It later taped out at 186 3/8 inches. Ryan was shooting a 2-blade Rage broadhead. "I could feel myself starting to sway. It made for a wonderful holiday trip to his old home. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. Kamps was hunting along some thick bedding cover with steep bluffs around him. On Sept. 30, 2021, he was glad of these strategic decisions. With the buck on his right side, Watson spun himself around to get in position. The Best Deer Hunting States in 2022 - Silencer Central 10. I was locked down by the doe that was really close.". As I entered the road where hed been, I started looking in the direction he ran and immediately saw him lying there, he said. The W.A. He threw up his head and was looking around. The biggest buck entered so far was a 195-2/8" behemoth shot in Drew County, Arkansas. It was light and I couldnt really tell the direction. I knew he was a shooter, but I didnt really see all that he had. Copyright 1998 - 2023 Mississippi Sportsman, Inc. All rights reserved. Put everything together and you have a gross 9-point frame score of 193 6/8. On Nov. 4, 2021, that became reality. Being a right-handed shooter, this was an impossible shot. The day before Halloween, Johnathan saw the buck chasing a doe at 4:30 p.m., but the buck stayed out of range. He charged in out of nowhere. They both laid their ears back and stood their hair up, Hall says. We couldnt believe what we were looking at. Typical whitetail record set in state - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette One young buck the family called Lefty frequented the area. Location: Calhoun County, S.C. The buck I missed was the sixth one to run through there that morning, said Hooper, a former Jackson resident now living in Benton, Ark. Im a pretty good rifle shot; for some reason it comes naturally to me, and I dont typically miss. The action was fast and furious right from the get-go. They continued planning, but his fathers health continued declining. What do you think Jimmy would do? Lance asked. Where Lefty was bedding this day was almost impenetrable, so I opted to take a turkey seat and hunt off the ground.. This was a resident buck., Thinking the deer would remain on the property, they decided to not hunt the farm that year. The buck had morphed into a world-class bruiser right on Ryan's home turf. Arkansas Bowhunter Falls From Treestand After Arrowing the Biggest Buck Eight hours later, one of the trail cameras captured photos of the buck, who seemed to be acting as if nothing had happened. Discover the Most Dangerous (Deadliest) Animals in Arkansas; WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Then, 2020 arrived, and Lefty was back on the farm. The wind was just right for the spot he wanted to hunt. After a wait that seemed like an eternity, the doe finally started walking . I called my dad and said, 'It's over. I took one last look at his antlers, couldnt believe what I was looking at, and then took aim. Wilson kills 25-point buck that produces nearly 190 inches green. Ontario, 1977. It brings me to tears thinking of dads face when I told him the news. He hunted hard, but the deer evaded him. After graduating from college, the West Memphis, Ark., native moved to Jackson in 1992 to begin his career. Ryan's foresight and patience were mature beyond his years. Then there were the two drop tines, with the longest being 7 inches off the left beam. Everytime we go out, we can get our hopes up that the deer crunching the leaves behind the stand we're in is one we have only seen in our dreams until now. Lucas drew back, settled his pin, and took the 38-yard shot. He knew something wasn't right and turned around and went straight back. In the Midwest, with ample nutrition and healthy deer numbers, bucks seem more likely to continue to make the big jumps in antler development after 5 1/2. The way I see it, this deer was my deer the good Lord made sure of that.. I would leave late Thursday night, and all my friends ragged me about it. Three does milled around as the sun dipped toward the horizon. 22 Great Bucks from Deer Season 2022 - Game & Fish He was about to come into the main scrape at 17 yards, but right behind him came five does. "The buck I missed was the sixth one to run through there that morning," said Hooper, a former Jackson resident now living in Benton, Ark. Despite having broken off a 9-inch tine on his left side when he crashed, there was no ground shrinkage. "I had class on Tuesday and Thursday, so I hunted Friday through Monday. So I guess Im back to hunting the 100-inch 8-points, but I know I will be more selective and start passing on the promising ones, he said. The first year was challenging, as they had to learn how deer used the property. All North American Whitetail subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. About 45 minutes later, he heard a leaf crunch to his right. Fortunately, when Hooper reached the spot where the deer had been standing, he spotted the body in nearby brush. Many mallards were saved during his absence from the flooded timber. The charges cover violations in October 2014 when Joe Franz was hunting "Palmer," a deer believed to be the biggest whitetail buck ever bagged on video. I've got to be in the stand.'". But Ryan isn't just any hunter. I killed him in the mock scrape I created., The deer ran 30 yards and tipped over. In this edition of "From The Stand," Pat Hogan explains the importance of being aware of proper clearance when using your bow or crossbow out in the field. South Texas' ranches are known to grow some giants; still, this state just barely made the top 10 list for typical bucks. I remember telling them, 'It's going to be a perfect morning in the morning. The cutover has no food sources, other than natural, and it had a small drainage ditch down in this one bottom with one stretch of small pines. We estimate he was 7 1/2 years old. What Hooper found was a 205-pound buck with long, thick main beams. That errant shot allowed him to stay in the stand, wait another hour or so and shoot and kill a 183-inch 16-point non-typical with double drop tines. Bobby Cleveland has covered sports in Mississippi for over 40 years. At daybreak a doe busted through the cedar thicket with an eight-point suitor following close behind. The excited hunter reached for his cell phone. The buck was as massive as he'd looked on camera, and the biggest Moreland had ever killed. The bucks probably started thinking about the looming rut just ahead. '. Much to his surprise, he turned, and there stood Lefty about 70 yards away. "He got to about 25 yards, and I drew when he went behind the tree," Ryan says. Last year, in Arkansas. "I remember the exact time because I got a text from a friend saying that he had killed a buck." The first time, the buck was chasing does and didnt come close enough for a shot. 'I'm sure the entire encounter only took a few minutes, but it seemed an eternity. He was about 50 yards and I was going to have to shoot left-handed, which I didnt want to do.. Subscriber Services. It ran 177 yardsan incredible distance for a deer with a 190-grain broadhead inside of him. His stand location was in a draw between two ridges that led to a destination ag field. I would sit and watch TV and read magazines just hoping for a chance at a buck like this. He was set up in a blind along a fence row between two cut cornfields. With the deer on food sources, Ryan was able to pattern the buck before Oct. 15. I really had no idea.. The buck spun and took off into thick cover. The buck was at 50 yards and closing. Virginia []. Heads of State: All About State-Record Bucks - Realtree Camo He stood broadside, eight paces away. A friend killed a big buck that he entered in the Big Buck Classic, and Watts said the bigger buck was running with it. It's a mirror-image 180-inch mainframe 4x4 with 34 inches of non-typical points. Its pretty common to scroll through your social media news feed this time of year and see various photos of bowhunters sitting behind the monster bucks they have shot. I didn't know he was 214. Then I raised his head to see the right side and almost passed out. I settled the crosshairs where I needed to place the bullet and steadied the rifle. Stacy Fowler -- 212 6/8 non-typical muzzleloader kill -- Scott County 2. My other younger brother was hunting the same property 200 yards away and I called him, he said. Top 10 States for Monster Whitetails - An Official Journal Of The NRA Well, not so in this situation. . Everything seemed to be right until the buck slammed on the brakes. I still have a lot of friends and some family in Mississippi, and the only time I get to come back and hunt is during the Christmas holidays, he said. We called the buck Spider Man because we had hundreds of velvet pictures of him with a spider web in front of the camera.. My mom, dad and buddy, Trevor, came to the farm to experience the recovery with me, he said. Pennsylvania: 34 deer per square mile. He picked up his fathers favorite riflea Sako 85 Finnlight chambered in .25-06 Remington. He was running away from me, and it was a snap shot. The left main beam had palmation, and the last circumferences were as big as the bases. They were very happy for me to take this buck. He went through the patch so fast I just knew he was good but never could really tell what kind of rack he had. State-by-State Hunting Data | Archery Trade Association From there it was probably a five-minute ordeal, and he worked every scrape that young 8-pointer had worked, Watson said. Hunter finally catches up with his 'ghost deer' in Clay County It is my biggest to date. We werent cutting tracks from Lefty like we had in the past, Lee said. Check out these 10 monster bucks that were taken throughout the country. But the big buck, even with a good shot, bounded out of sight. Lefty was gone., Then, our family received news that rocked me to my core, Lee said. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission All told, Moreland would see the buck a total of six times before the deer slipped up. The doe he was following came right beneath my platform.. Konschak was hunting deer in nearby property and said he killed what he thought were . "I keep cameras up nine months of year on the 300-acre block of woods I'm now in charge of managing," he says. Foster buck was killed in Roane County in 1959. Wardens recently concluded a three-month investigation centered around a 34-point whitetail that was poached this fall in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. I hunted him pretty hard, but never encountered him.. Three double-digit tines of 10 2/8 to 13 5/8 inches, plus 7 1/8- and 9 3/8-inch brows and a 21 3/8-inch inside spread, add plenty to this regal crown. About 206,00 hunters used a crossbow and harvested 93,000 deer. He couldnt retrieve his deer since he had to go immediately to the hospital. Fortunately, the boy was able to take him, resulting in a great first whitetail and sparing the big one's life. It spent some time in the CRP, and then entered the food plot. In retrospect, Watson believes the buck probably died after the first shot. Once there, they followed blood and found the deer in a logging road about 75 yards into the tracking job. After all the hard work and patience, it finally paid off., Eric Mullinas Missouri MonsterScore: 174 inchesDate of Kill: Sept. 25, 2021Location: Pike County, Mo.Weapon: Elite compound bow. He settled in for the afternoon sit and waited for deer movement. Jon's no stranger to free-ranging whitetails across the central plains, having guided a number of clients to trophies and harvesting many big ones himself. In July, Lee found a track that looked like Leftys. The state archery record is a 188 5/8 buck from Pawnee County which was killed by Gunner Womack of Morrison two years ago. So I was pretty nervous when I started that walk across that field.. My two boys were familiar with the buck, as they go through pictures with me. Then, in 2020, it made a huge jump, and turned into one of the largest 8-pointers hed ever seen. I finally decided to take a chance and take off work. When the Washington Blade caught up with Gisele Barreto . He decided he would try to take a deer with it. Knowing I couldn't even come to my knees without breaking the little concealment we had, I decided to lie on my left side, using my left elbow for as solid a rest as could be achieved within the slight incline of the old fencerow. I was shooting my younger brothers gun, a .308 Howa bolt action. In addition to being the top non-typical bow buck in Arkansas history, this giant was the state's biggest killed by any hunter, gun or bow, in 2013. The 186-Inch Arkansas Longbow Buck with Seven Lives Michigan: 31 deer per square mile. Clickhereto read about other big bucks killed this season. After the 60-day drying period, he again taped the rack. As he left his tree stand to get a better shot at the buck, the strap on one of his climbing sticks broke, and he fell some 17 feet to the ground. They didnt have any encounters with the deer until after the rut. After a while, I decided to make a few grunts with my Primos Rut & Roar, which I had set on mature buck. Arkansas Hunter Falls From Tree Stand After Arrowing the Biggest Buck The deer instantly whirled and ran out of sight . It followed the large doe group and chased one of them into a nearby cattle working pen. I could see his left horn and it looked bloody, and I instantly thought he was still in velvet. Thats when the strap on the stick broke.. STACY FOWLER Danville, AR The big non-typical buck killed by Stacy Fowler of Danville is the largest deer taken in the Natural State last season. No more long nights checking every single cellular picture coming through. People couldnt believe he had drop tines coming off his main beams., Jeremy Martinsons New Hampshire GiantScore: 166 inchesDate of Kill: Nov. 1, 2021Location: Merrimack County, N.H.Weapon: .50-caliber CVA muzzleloader. He was hunting on the edge of a hayfield between a bedding area and food source. Lightning had struck him for the third time! Big Bucks of Arkansas for 2010 We started game planning, dreaming of getting close to this magnificent animal.. It was a long 4-year process, but it paid off.". He stood behind a big pecan tree for about five minutes. Estimated Weight On Hoof: 540-Lbs. Advertisement. However, every year the buck would become much more random as the Delta rut came closer. Deer: Balancing Expectations for Small Properties, Get to Know Your Neighbors for Better Deer Herd Management, Big Buck Profile: Reid Crawford Kansas Buck, Choosing Correct Magnification for Rifle Scope, Big Buck Profile: Troy Metzger's East Illinois Giant. Of course, a multi-year quest for any buck is emotionally taxing. Supposedly could be the heaviest whitetail ever taken. By 2021, there was no doubt this was the largest 4x4 hed ever hunted. With the estimated spread credit, it grossed a whooping 193 inches! If you have a deer you would like us to consider listing here e-mail us with a picture, story and details. I glanced over and all I could see was antlers, he said. Still, he only had five or six trail camera photos, and didnt have much hope of seeing the deer. I was super excited. About an hour into the afternoon hunt, a doe appeared about 100 yards away and walked down through the finger of trees. They dreamed of another season hunting this big deer. When the buck is adding 20-30 inches of antler per year, the stakes just keep getting higher. And 11 years later, he is still shooting a trad bow.