Smalltown Bucks

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Ghosts of Christmas Past

By Burnell Simmons

Far too many of us take hunting and Christmases for granted. Thirteen years — that’s how long it’s been since I fell 25 feet from my treestand. I survived the fall and the hospital stay and made it home for that Christmas in 2001. It happened at 8:20 a.m. on Dec. 16. I had to walk home from the swamp I was hunting because I had ... READ MORE

Countdown to Kansas

Countdown to Kansas

By Carlo Longobardo

I’m a NYC fireman, and I’ve hunted since I was a kid. I’ve made a lot of memories with my father and family members. Now I’m proudly passing on the tradition to my son and daughter. This past fall was the second time I headed to Kansas to bowhunt the rut, and I’d literally been in a countdown for a year. On my first ... READ MORE

No Limits

No Limits

By Bonnie Olson King

New hunter overcomes challenges to claim her first buck. The 2015 hunting season turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I was 64 at the time and had only taken up hunting in 2012, when I retired from my nursing career due to significant health issues. That fall, I received a crossbow for my birthday, and that was when h... READ MORE

Crowded in Kansas

Crowded in Kansas

By Rodney Bryson

Landowner offers advice to help overcome an abundance of other hunters. This past hunting season in Kansas was different from previous years. The weather was nicer, but there seemed to be a lot more hunters. While we’re fortunate to hunt on private land, other hunters have permission to hunt there, too. There were also hunters on the property... READ MORE

The Brow Tine Buck of 2018

The Brow Tine Buck of 2018

By Michael R. Bath

What’s a broken leg to a man on a buck mission? I first saw this 10-point brute on my trail camera, but it was always in the middle of the night. After seeing the brow tines, which turned out to be 8 and 7 inches, I knew this was my target deer, no matter what. After figuring out where he was living during the daytime, nine hunts later I star... READ MORE

My First Deer

My First Deer

By Trentin Meyer

Video games can’t provide life-changing experiences like a first youth hunt can. It was Nov. 8, 2014, opening day of Vermont’s youth weekend. It was my first official youth weekend deer hunt. My dad and I decided to start our hunt in Wilmington and work our way toward Stamford. When we got to Wilmington, I was excited and couldn&rsquo... READ MORE

The Bow Stalk

The Bow Stalk

By Taylor Maas

Never-quit attitude helps Iowa bowhunter recover his biggest-ever buck. October 11, 2017 started similar to most other fall workdays. After getting to the office that morning, I checked the weather throughout the day, trying to decide if and where I should hunt that evening. The wind that evening allowed me to hunt from a stand I had never tried be... READ MORE

Heart of the Hunt

Heart of the Hunt

By Christopher Jecker

Shortened season doesn’t stop concerned son from taking his best buck ever. While I live in Louisville, Kentucky, I hunt in Crawford County, Indiana. Two weeks before gun season, my work and hunting partner, my dad, had a massive heart attack. We rushed him to the ER, where the doctor informed us that he needed to have open heart surgery. A... READ MORE

It’s Great To Be Back!

It’s Great To Be Back!

By Chuck Manetta

Frustrated Florida hunter finally gets back to the deer woods. I was born and raised in Miami, Fla. I grew up in the Everglades and have a piece of land inside the Everglades National Preserve with two hunting cabins. While you might not think of Florida as a whitetail paradise, we had a healthy number of deer back in the day. They weren’t gi... READ MORE

One Old Buck

One Old Buck

By Tim Angel

Not all the best Bucks in the woods have antlers. I was born in Peoria, Ill., where hunting mainly consisted of rabbits, squirrels and pheasants. I now live in the Northwest, where I hunt everything from elk, deer, bears and even cougars. I am sending this letter to share one of the most memorable moments in my life. It involves my grandmother, N... READ MORE

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd