Big Buck Tales

Kevin Fitch Buck

Kevin Fitch Buck

By Ed Waite

It was as if the ground opened up and swallowed Kevin Fitch’s buck. One minute, it was on the receiving end of a shotgun slug (he hoped). The next, it was gone. Not fall-down-dead gone. Not running-with-the-wind-and-leaving-a-blood-trail gone. Just gone, leaving the hunter from Norwalk, Ohio, with Rodney Dangerfield eyes and a mouth full of... READ MORE

Travis Cockburn Buck

Travis Cockburn Buck

By Jason Hoffard

Travis Cockburn winced whenever he heard a gunshot during last November’s firearms season in Illinois. He, his brother and father weren’t the only hunters in Williamson County who knew a very large buck was hanging around their 80-acre hunting spot near Johnston City. The Cockburns knew because Trent, Travis’ brother, had decided... READ MORE

Jeff Newton Buck

Jeff Newton Buck

By Jill J. Easton

Jeff Newton’s Bunkie, La., home might still have a big bare spot on the wall if he hadn’t nurtured the 500 acres in Avoyelles Parish he and his brother bought when the Clintons left the White House. After nine years of looking for wall art during the November rut in Illinois, the Louisiana bowhunter decided to shop at home in 2008. "I s... 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

Brad Heuvelmann Buck

Brad Heuvelmann Buck

By Brad Heuvelmann

While hunting after a heavy snowfall about 10 years ago, I ran into an older gentleman dragging out a once-in-a-lifetime whitetail. He had taken the buck early that morning and had been struggling to get the huge deer to his truck. It was about lunchtime, and he was only halfway to his vehicle. I was happy to give him a hand, just for the opportuni... READ MORE

Johnny Thacker Buck

Johnny Thacker Buck

By Ed Waite

When Johnny Thacker called his wife on Nov. 18, 2006, the tremor in his voice prompted her to ask, “What’s wrong?” “I’ve just killed a huge 14-pointer,” he blurted. “Are you sure?” she pressed. “Well, that’s what I think,” he said. “I counted at least seven points on the side I... READ MORE

Bruce Lane Buck

Bruce Lane Buck

By Bruce Lane

Rather than striking out for my deer stand in the pouring rain on Oct. 31, I crawled back under the covers. The storm was supposed to move out by noon, which meant I could still spend half my Saturday in a tree. I’d hung my stand several months earlier, after spotting a huge whitetail bedded on a brushy hillside. The buck’s travel route... READ MORE

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

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.