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An Illinois Halloween Treat
By Mark Melotik
South Louisiana’s Janie Milioto bagged her first deer at the tender age of 6 and has been getting after it ever since. The latest example of her drive, dedication and whitetail savvy is her jaw-dropping 2023 Illinois bow buck — a long-tined main-frame 10-pointer the hard-hunting 26-year-old called into bow range last Halloween.
Encou... READ MORE
Bowhunting an Internet Legend
By Mark Melotik
One of the first rules of hunting mature bucks? Hunt where they live. That was the thinking of Arkansas resident Josh Hogue when he began hunting a stretch of Arkansas County public land four years ago, on the advice of some veteran local hunters who’d traveled there regularly and come back packing some impressive trophies.
Hogue, 27, is a... READ MORE
Info Sought On Poached 200-plus Iowa Giant
By Mark Melotik
The search continues for the poacher of a giant Iowa whitetail killed August 1st or 2nd in Louisa County, Iowa, along the far-eastern edge of the state not far from the Mississippi River.
Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for the arrest of the perpetrator of the crime involving the high-profile 200-plus-inch deer, which fed regularly in d... READ MORE
An Indiana Mass Monster
By Mark Melotik
Dedicated Indiana deer hunters Robbie Roland and his wife Casie know that certain mature bucks have a knack of eluding hunters. But there is a definite, two-pronged benefit to that elusiveness. With age comes increased antler mass and plenty of inches. And sometimes, a whole lot more than you’d think.
Back in 2021, Robbie noticed a younger... READ MORE
Running Down A Duck-Country Giant
By Mark Melotik
The almost-magical powers of the whitetail rut have helped many of us get the drop on typically reclusive mature bucks. But it was bit of unusually early rutting activity — an unexpected bonus — that seemingly played a part in the taking of one of Mississippi’s best bucks of 2022.
That year, Mississippi’s Steven Ginn and ... READ MORE
A Virginia Fall To Remember
By Mark Melotik
Come the rut, it’s likely you’ll find mature bucks hanging in hot pockets of doe activity. Last fall, Virginia’s Richard Butler was dialed in on some of the hottest rut action in the state.
As proof, Richard, 50, would anchor an amazing buck scoring some 188 inches on Nov. 14 during Virginia’s early muzzleloader season. B... READ MORE
A Va. Public-Land Giant
By Mark Melotik
A 200-inch buck on heavily hunted public land? That lofty dream became a stunning reality last fall for longtime Virginia outdoorsman Dennis Lawson, 54. But he’d known for years he was hunting the right area to get it done.
The thousands of acres of remote public land in and around Bath County might not hold a high density of deer, but the... READ MORE
8 1/2-Year-Old Monarch Falls to Hard Work and a Plan
By Mark Melotik
Can you be too careful when hunting an old, top-end whitetail that has eluded you for several years? Kentucky’s Jeff Deberry, 57, knew exactly the elusive skills of the outsized whitetail he was hunting when his ultra-cautious plan to waylay the brute finally came together last Nov. 11 — opening day of Kentucky’s 2023 rifle season... READ MORE
Remembering a Canadian Legend
By Mark Melotik
Over the years I’ve been fortunate to meet and get to know several avid hunters who have bagged truly outstanding bucks. But maybe one of the most unexpected occurred recently while I was in spring black bear camp in northern Alberta. The week was special not only because many of us bow-bagged some beautiful trophy-sized black bears, but also... READ MORE
A Virginia Giant’s Fatal Mistake
By Mark Melotik
Virginia’s Jessica Burks will likely never forget Thanksgiving day of 2023. It’s because Thursday, Nov. 19 found her in a treestand hunting a buck she had been chasing for the past four years, and year five would finally give her the opportunity she’d dreamed of.
Four years previous on another Thanksgiving day, Jessica had been... READ MORE
Opening-Day Ambush
By Mark Melotik
For Kentucky’s Travis Mays, the third time really was the charm. Last Sept. 2, Mays, 31, closed out a three-year quest for an outsized Bluegrass State buck by arrowing the velvet-antlered brute on a hot and steamy opening day. The buck had read the script that fateful evening — something it had not come close to doing in previous years.... READ MORE
First Bow Buck Joins Club 200
By Mark Melotik
When the first whitetail bow buck of your life measures over 200 inches, where do you go from there? Not a question most of us will wrestle with, but it’s the current reality for Kentucky’s Brock Blevins, 22.
“It all started when I first got a trail cam picture of him back in 2020,” Brock recalled. “We have a cattle... READ MORE
On A Roll In Kansas
By Mark Melotik
Still not convinced you can consistently bag top-end whitetails on small tracts of land? You might change your tune after learning about the incredible streak of success currently being posted by Richard McIntyre, 60, of Kansas.
McIntyre moved out to Kansas 15 years ago from New Jersey, where he’d struggled to find good hunting opportuniti... READ MORE
Two Brothers, Two Big Bucks
By Mark Melotik
There’s nothing quite like a good old-fashioned sibling rivalry. And when the bone of contention is big bucks, well, color us interested.
Over the past two years, Ohio brothers Greg and Richard Patton have been on a roll when it comes to outsized Buckeye state whitetails. Greg, 51, started things off back on Nov. 9, 2022, when he arrowed a b... READ MORE
An 8-Pointer For The Ages
By Mark Melotik
For some dedicated whitetailers there’s just nothing like a record-class 8-pointer, and Maine’s Tim Elsenheimer, 61, would certainly agree. On Oct. 3, 2023, he bagged an 8-point Maine monarch that has rewritten the BTR recordbook. The stunningly clean, massive deer was anchored after an almost unbelievable five-year chase, but then almo... READ MORE