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Aim Small, Miss Small
By Patrick Dunning
Alexander Rahmoeller may not be old enough to drive, but he's old enough to hunt, and therefore old enough to etch his name in BTR's record book. The 14-year-old's third whitetail ever claimed Indiana's #4 spot in the semi-irregular category for centerfire rifle deer on opening weekend of his state's 2022 rifle season. And he made it happen all by ... READ MORE
A Bittersweet Ohio Deadhead
By Patrick Dunning
In January 2022, Stephanie Barber shot what would have been Ohio’s #2 overall semi-irregular in the blackpowder category, and the #1 semi-irregular felled by a female in Ohio. That is if she recovered and placed her tag on the whitetail during the state’s deer season. Stephanie got a crack at this world-class buck at 105 yards with her ... READ MORE
200-Inch State Record Taken on Fort Knox
By Patrick Dunning
For the past two years, Kentucky state trooper Colt Stumbo has tagged along with his buddies for a quota gun hunt on Fort Knox’s military reservation in Hardin County. More than half of the U.S. Treasury’s gold reserves are located on Fort Knox, so gaining access to hunt the installation involves a lot of red tape. But once you’re... READ MORE
Kansas Shed Measures 100 Inches!
By Patrick Dunning
Now is the perfect time to be in the woods scouting for next season, and while you're at it, maybe you'll come across another kind of treasure. Last month, U.S. Army Sergeant Jacob Massey found a 100-inch irregular left-side shed antler while on his lunch break on Fort Riley's military installation in Geary County, Kansas. To kill time and be produ... READ MORE
202 Reasons to Smile
By Patrick Dunning
Your first deer is often the most memorable whether it has antlers or not. You remember where you were, who was there and how excited it made you feel. It's like being baptized in water, and almost as spiritual of a moment. The only thing better than getting your first deer is being there for someone else's first. If that isn't a special bond, how ... READ MORE
No. 1 Whitetail in Kansas
By Patrick Dunning
When row crop farmer Darin Williams realized he had a world-class buck passing through the back of his Coffey County farm in June 2022, he figured his best bet at harvesting the deer was if he gave it a reason to stay. Darin now holds his home state’s #1 spot in BTR’s irregular category for crossbow-taken bucks by 7 inches, which puts h... READ MORE
First Buck During an East Wind
By Patrick Dunning
63-year-old David Linn started deer hunting six years ago in management areas and reservoirs near Gas City, Indiana. He went six seasons without filling a doe or buck tag but kept at it after falling in love with the beauty and peace of being in the woods. He had an opportunity with his bow this year to harvest an 8-pointer, misjudged the distance ... READ MORE
Buckeye Beauty
By Patrick Dunning
Jake Whiteman isn't out to etch his name in a record book, and until Ohio's 2022 shotgun opener he was a self-proclaimed freezer filler. Does, button bucks, it didn't matter. If it was brown, it was down. Now, the Ohio native has 210 reasons to let the little guys grow and potentially create memories for other hunters, not to mention one heck of an... READ MORE
Peakaboo with a 200-inch Big Boy
By Patrick Dunning
Ohio native Thomas Clark struck gold on a small piece of land in Stark County, sending a bolt through a 200-inch giant with his grandfather's '94 Huntsman crossbow and a little luck. Two years ago, the Clarks moved into a house on seven acres consisting mostly of overgrown hay fields and surrounded by 180 acres of standing corn or soybeans, dependi... READ MORE
Hunting the Milesville Monster
By Patrick Dunning
Claiming North Carolina's Number 3 spot in BTR's irregular category for centerfire rifle, 24-year-old Preston Allred outdid himself with an impressive 17-point stud that totaled 192 4/8 for Buckmasters Trophy Records. Preston dedicated more time to his target buck this 2022 season than any deer ever before, averaging 4-5 sits weekly, and was beginn... READ MORE
Big Doe Down
By Patrick Dunning
Frustrated from the apparent exodus of bucks at the private chunk he usually hunts, 26-year-old Brandon Rhodes located some interesting ground in Bankhead National Forest just across the Winston County line, went in blind and capitalized on this mangled 28-point antlered doe. "I'd been hunting private land all season, just a small piece, and had so... READ MORE
Buck Tag, Filled
By Patrick Dunning
Ohio has a new runner-up in BTR's Typical category for centerfire rifle. Chad Dial cleaned up opening morning of his state's 2022 rifle season, and this Holmes County hammer missed our #1 spot by 1/2 inch, totaling 195 6/8 for Buckmasters Trophy Records. Chad first became aware of the buck when it was a 2 1/2-year-old 10-pointer. He nicknamed it Sh... READ MORE
Brow Tines and Good Times
By Patrick Dunning
18-year-old Jakob Lewellen was having trouble seeing deer at his usual spot, so he decided to test his luck on a friend's 30-acre parcel. The Clark County property features two rock quarries and is surrounded by a creek with a thick bedding area in the bottom, which is where Jakob harvested this Hoosier hammer in November. "I saw him for the first ... READ MORE
Never Lose Hope
By Patrick Dunning
Nowadays, deer hunters have an arsenal of tools and tricks at our disposal to increase our chances of seeing action. We utilize scent control systems, cellular trail cameras and the latest gear, yet we still come up empty-handed more often than not. It can be frustrating when you invest so much of your time and resources chasing the elusive whiteta... READ MORE
What's Up With the Southern Rut?
By Patrick Dunning
Why does the South's rut occur later than in the Midwest and Northeast, where breeding periods tend to spike in early to mid-November? Truth is, the rut doesn't happen in a neat little package like we would like it to. The rut happens wherever there's a hot doe. And that can vary from county to county, or from one block of timber to another. That ... READ MORE