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Ricky Caldwell Buck
By Greg Hicks
“There’s no place like home.” Dorothy said it in “The Wizard of Oz” in 1939. Louisiana’s Ricky Caldwell spoke those same words on the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in 2012. Ricky was born and raised not far from what would eventually become one of the best public hunting tracts in North America. Under his... READ MORE
Jerry Bryant Buck
By Mike Handley
Strangely, the buck didn't react to the loud pop of the crossbow's string. The deer didn't charge off toward parts unknown. It merely stood there, sort of bobbing its head and pawing the ground. "I thought he was just peeved," remembers Jerry Bryant. There was no way that the hunter from Peoria, Ill., could shoot again. He can only cock his 10-year... READ MORE
Jamie Remmers Buck
By Jamie Remmers
"Grab your shoes and coat," my husband, Kent, yelled as he came running into the house. "You've got to see this buck!"
So there I was, in my shoes, coat and pajamas, looking at a magnificent animal through a pair of binoculars. About half a dozen brief encounters like that, during the rut, are all we can expect. By the time rifle season rolls arou... READ MORE
Brandon Alday Buck
By Mike Handley
Brandon Alday's 4-year-old son, Hayes, nearly choked him when the yelling commenced. The boy was getting a free ride on his father's shoulders when Brandon’s flashlight beam fell across the buck he was convinced he’d either missed or maimed.
"I started screaming like a little girl, which scared my son half to death," Brandon laughs. "H... READ MORE
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
Ryan Cox Buck
By Mike Handley
Neither nature’s call nor a need for fuel caused Ryan Cox to suddenly veer off the highway and pull into the nearest gas station on Oct. 16. The 18-year-old from Eagleville, Mo., was on his way back to Columbia from St. Louis, where he’d gone to look at a truck for sale, when his brother, Kris, sent him a photograph via cell phone. The ... READ MORE
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
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