Big Buck 411 Blog

Big Doe Down

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

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

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

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?

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

Scoring Matters

Scoring Matters

By Patrick Dunning

Of the nearly 20,000 entries Buckmasters Trophy Records has recorded since its inception 29 years ago, only 13 mainframe 3x3s have met our minimum requirements (140 inches for firearms taken bucks and 105 inches for bow deer) to earn a spot in the record book. All of the 3x3s were taken with archery gear. BTR doesn’t have a category specifica... READ MORE

Xen Moment

Xen Moment

By Patrick Dunning

29-year-old Xen McAllister's Fayette County Freak was less than an inch shy of cracking Buckmasters Trophy Records' top-10 in the irregular, compound bow category for the state of Illinois. Buckmasters master scorer Bill Alexander measured this 22-pointer at 222 3/8 inches of antler with a 20 7/8 inch inside spread, totaling a BTR score of 243 2/8 ... READ MORE

Buck on the Run

Buck on the Run

By Patrick Dunning

Dani Thomas killed her biggest buck to date in the rain from a hay wagon in October 2022. This Licking County Giant posted over 11 inches of irregular points and scored 194 inches for Buckmasters Trophy Records. Dani now holds the world record in the female, crossbow, semi-irregular category after taking this 12-pointer, which is awesome since it w... READ MORE

Wall of Tines

Wall of Tines

By Patrick Dunning

There's nothing quite like getting access to a hunting property and finding out it has a big buck on it. Last August when John Totzke received permission to hunt a private chunk 40 miles south of Chicago in Will County, he had no idea he'd just awoken a sleeping giant. The landowner said his 70-acre property hadn't been hunted in years and was over... READ MORE

Change of Plans

Change of Plans

By Patrick Dunning

Tuesday morning, Nov. 1, Terry Hollis got two photos of a giant buck at his feeder at 7:17 and 7:20 a.m. When a buck like that is on its feet in daylight, you have to act quickly, so Terry devised a plan to tuck his SxS between two hay bales on top of one of the fields. Another thing about big bucks is you have to be ready to adjust your plan. With... READ MORE

A Crown of Thorns

A Crown of Thorns

By Patrick Dunning

Jeff Humphrey arrowed this multiple forked-droptined beast from a 180 Realtree blind in September 2022. It's the 10th largest crossbow-felled whitetail ever taken in Kentucky, measuring 201 4/8 inches for Buckmasters Trophy Records. Because Jeff isn't a big fan of social media, not many people have seen this giant buck, nicknamed Gnarly, but it and... READ MORE

Right Tree, Right Time

Right Tree, Right Time

By Patrick Dunning

Scared of heights? No problem. A canvas stool against a white oak will do just fine. Three days into Pennsylvania’s 2022 archery opener, 71-year-old David Putt did just that and caught this 16-pointer with his nose down along a gas line in Indiana County. The mainframe 12-pointer scored just shy of 200 inches, with 198 6/8 inches of bone and ... READ MORE

Fuzzy Racks, Beware!

Fuzzy Racks, Beware!

By Patrick Dunning

Realtree's Tyler Jordan got his boots wet in Mississippi during the state's 2022 inaugural three-day velvet season. It's his first deer in the ‘Sip and the second-largest buck harvested on Backwoods Attractions' Testing Grounds property in Yazoo County to date. It only took one afternoon sit to catch this 175-inch giant. "I went to school at Ole Mi... READ MORE

Beginner's Luck

Beginner's Luck

By Patrick Dunning

We all dream of taking a giant buck at least once in our life. Now, imagine you've never killed a buck, period, let alone with a compound bow. Now picture this Georgia giant examining a mock scrape at 30 yards from your treestand. Bryce Spillers sent half of Upson County into a tizzy after word got out of this 18-point toad taken so early in the st... READ MORE

Dad's Buck

Dad's Buck

By Patrick Dunning

Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. After three frustrating years patterning this Ohio Monster, 21-year-old Wyatt Damron arrowed the biggest buck of his life. That same night, his father, Thomas, was rushed to the hospital for an emergency surgery. The procedure was successful, and Thomas is recovering. He hasn't been able to hunt lately, but ... READ MORE

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