Big Buck Tales

Stuart Everett Buck

Stuart Everett Buck

By Rusty Johnson

Stuart Everett almost quit deer in 2014. After three seasons of pursuing a photogenic whitetail with a rack that seemed to double in points each year, he got an eyeblink of an opportunity and never fired a shot. The episode left him keenly aware of how much money he'd spent and how many hours he'd devoted to be able to touch those antlers. His obse... READ MORE

Dann Hughes Buck

Dann Hughes Buck

By Savannah Hughes

For my dad, getting up early on a cold morning, layering himself in camouflage and then sitting in a deer stand or duck blind rates right up there with breathing. He lives for (and because of) it! Half his wardrobe is camo, and I guarantee that he gets his money's worth out of it all. It does not make sense to some people why Dad and other hunters... READ MORE

David Melton Buck

David Melton Buck

By Mike Handley

It was no small miracle that five Alabama men didn’t drown in the Tombigbee River back in 1956. Since none of them are alive today to tell the story of what happened 52 years ago, it isn’t known whether their johnboat was aluminum or wood, although it must’ve been powered by an outboard motor. The river is simply too strong to nav... READ MORE

Kody Skinner Buck

Kody Skinner Buck

By Kody Skinner

My girlfriend, Chelsey Keylor, and I spent the evening of Oct. 30, 2010, in an elevated box blind, watching a food plot. We’d barely settled in when three does came onto the field and began browsing. "Do you want me to record them?" asked Chelsey, who was operating the camcorder on her very first time in the deer woods. "No, that’s ok... READ MORE

Wayne Zaft Buck

Wayne Zaft Buck

By Kevin G. Wilson

It seems fitting that Alberta, Canada, the birthplace of Buckmasters' Full-Credit scoring system, has yielded the new No. 1 Typical in the BTR's compound bow category. The five-year reign of the Sam Collora Buck from Iowa came to an end on Oct. 8, 2001, when Wayne Zaft of Spruce Grove, Alberta, arrowed a 205 7/8-inch 13-pointer during an impromptu ... READ MORE

Clifford Pickell Buck

Clifford Pickell Buck

By Buckmasters Online

In mid­-October, 1968, Wichita bowhunter Clifford Pickell took several shots at a gorgeous buck. Only one of his arrows hit it, high in the shoulder. Cliff crossed paths with the same buck in November. He was disappointed there was no opportunity for a do-over, but happy the deer had survived their first encounter. Their third meeting occurred on... READ MORE

Richard Pauli Buck

Richard Pauli Buck

By Klaus Lebrecht

Prior to the 1983 gun season, Richard Pauli of Peoria, Illinois, saw this huge-antlered buck twice while bowhunting and once at night when he drove into a pasture to attend to some cattle. His headlights illuminated the deer drinking from a pond. Richard headed out on opening morning with a particular stand in mind. En route, he crossed a fence and... READ MORE

Pat Bates Buck

Pat Bates Buck

By Mike Handley

Pheromones and estrous doe scents might be akin to Cupid’s arrow, but whatever Pat Bates pours on bushes is more like Thor’s hammer. One whiff of the concoction will turn bucks into white-eyed defoliators, or, if they’re big and stupid enough to do battle with flora in front of Pat, into wall art. The retired firefighter from Al... READ MORE

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