Big Buck Tales

Ryan Cox Buck

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 Gates Buck

Richard Gates Buck

By Peter Schoonmaker (2008)

The existence of a trophy whitetail is no accident. They possess superior genes. They are surrounded by bountiful nutrition. And their realm possesses several varieties of protective cover. Limited access or private agricultural lands will allow a buck to achieve full body growth and possess a true trophy rack of antlers. And some of these whitetai... 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

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

Brandon Alday Buck

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

Shawn Sears Buck

Shawn Sears Buck

By Ted Rose

On opening day of the 1990 firearms deer season, Shawn Sears was up early enough to get to his favorite treestand before daylight. He had no idea that this foggy, cool morning would produce a lifelong memory and a prominent place in the deer hunting record books. Shawn explained that he had been hunting for a number of years with a bow. He had bee... READ MORE

Michael Rothman Buck

Michael Rothman Buck

By Mike Handley

Michael Rothman knows cold. So convinced that, no matter how early his arrival, he was spooking deer out of a cornfield en route to his shooting house, the deer hunter from Bonnieville, Ky., decided to just spend the night in the box blind. It wasn’t as if there were a Scotty, a Samantha or a Jeannie who could beam, nose-wrinkle or head-bob h... READ MORE

Troy Gentry Buck

Troy Gentry Buck

By Dale Weddle

The sprawling Fort Knox military base south of Louisville, Ky., has long been known for two things. It's where most of our country's gold reserve is stored, and it's the home of the army's most storied Calvary and armored divisions. Not all of the inhabitants, however, wear the old WWII camouflage and carry M-16s - especially during the fall. Fort ... READ MORE

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