Big Buck Tales

Jay Pfankuch Buck

Jay Pfankuch Buck

By Buckmasters Online

Of the 42,400 deer Ohio hunters killed on the first day of the 1995 firearms season, possibly the most prized was tagged in Greenfield. Sardinia resident Jay Pfankuch checked the buck at Mitchell’s Sporting Goods. “I’ve been tagging deer for 20-some years, and it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen,” said Mitchell&rsq... READ MORE

Kyle Simmons Buck

Kyle Simmons Buck

By Mike Handley

Because he rarely asks for time off from his job, inclement weather usually dictates when Kyle Simmons can go hunting. The demand for firewood near Spragueville, Iowa, keeps him busy for 60 or more hours a week. But last October, the 24-year-old saw the stars aligning and asked his boss for an uncharacteristically long weekend. Rain had ushered in ... READ MORE

Joseph Shields Buck

Joseph Shields Buck

By Mike Handley

If five antler scorers were to lay their tapes on the antlers of a buck hanging over the late Logan Sewell's mantel in Vidalia, La., they might very well come up with five different tallies. That's because the non-typical rack carries what many would consider as multiple main beams, and the choice of a typical mainframe will affect spread, symmetry... READ MORE

Mikell Fries Buck

Mikell Fries Buck

By Mike Handley

Mature bucks’ antlers might grow a half-inch or more a day during the spring and summer months, but that doesn’t mean they’ll double in size from one year to the next. After all, unless they’re on the downswing, whitetails have to regrow what was shed (or something similar) before adding mass, length or extra points.That was... READ MORE

Larry Reece Buck

Larry Reece Buck

By Mike Handley

Larry Reece was desperate. With shooting light quickly fading and a "decent" buck almost within range (at least it was before it disappeared into a pine plantation), he glanced at the grunt tube in his hand. The 57-year-old deer hunter from Benton, Miss., considered the little gadget long on hype and short on magic. He'd never had a deer respond to... READ MORE

Robert Shadow Buck

Robert Shadow Buck

By Duncan Dobie

"Robert Shadow's '09 Kansas bow tag almost wound up in a drawer rather than on a buck's antlers. He and his son, Alan, had drawn the permits and were looking forward to hunting the "Promised Land," but then along came a double dose of tragedy. Robert's 89-year-old mother passed away in early October. Later that same month, a tornado toppled a large... READ MORE

Blake Voltz Buck

Blake Voltz Buck

By Mike Handley

The only sound worse than the steel-on-brass click of a firing pin punching a dud primer is the raucous laughter of the deer gods, one of whom is surely named Murphy. Just ask Blake Voltz. That’s precisely what happened to the deer hunter from Columbus, Ga., back in 1997, when he was staring through crosshairs at the biggest buck he’d e... READ MORE

Nick Fauber Buck

Nick Fauber Buck

By Rob Meade

For most of Nick Fauber’s life, spending time outdoors meant puttering around a golf course. That was before his cousin, Chris, convinced him to give hunting a try. The first time the Hillsboro, Ohio, golfer traded his clubs for a shotgun, back in 2007, he shot a doe. Chris and Rob Shipley, Nick’s brother-in-law, took him under their wi... READ MORE

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