|
|
New Volunteer State Record!
By Patrick Dunning
Charles Strickland harvested three deer with two bolts on the opening morning of Tennessee’s 2022 archery season during a quota hunt in Davidson County. The 63-year-old’s biggest buck to date stretched the BTR tape to 202 6/8 inches and is the largest crossbow-felled whitetail in the Volunteer State. Tasked by the landowner to take two ... READ MORE
Chess, Not Checkers
By Patrick Dunning
Forty-four year-old Jared Kenner hunts whitetails like he conducts business – diligently. He's killed three deer (all bucks) since he first started hunting at 26 years old, but not for lack of opportunity. He sets his mind on a particular deer and doesn't waver until it's in the bed of his pickup truck. Between owning and operating five compa... READ MORE
Shoot Happens!
By Patrick Dunning
Twenty-year-old Brett Petitt had all but thrown in the towel on his 2022-23 deer season. In every encounter he had with a mature deer, it either wouldn't come within bow range or, if it did, he missed. In fact, in December, he loosed three arrows in a 90-second span, completely missing a confused 10-pointer. "I thought I hit him, but he jumped into... READ MORE
190-inch Pa. Public Land Buck
By Patrick Dunning
Ronald Bencinic's 190-inch 7x7 with double drop tines is the second-largest whitetail ever felled in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, according to Buckmasters Trophy Records. Ronald got it done during a downpour on public land in December 2022. "I knew there was a big buck in the area," Ronald told Buckmasters. "I noticed some huge rubs for three str... READ MORE
Every Inch Adds Up
By Patrick Dunning
Kyle Woodruff's September 2022 buck is Benton County's new #1 and the fourth largest whitetail taken with a crossbow (any category) in Arkansas, according to Buckmasters Trophy Records. Kyle and his brother are self-proclaimed trophy hunters who target mature, 4 1/2-year-old deer and hunt properties, large and small, urban or rural, around the nort... READ MORE
Big Indy Buck Down
By Patrick Dunning
Luck. Fate. Whatever you want to call it, Grant Seitz was in the right place at the right time, twice in two days. He saw this 20-point buck midday from the road in November 2021, grazing in a 60-acre field of unpicked corn on his uncle’s property in Martin County, Indiana. Grant had never seen the deer before, or anything close to its caliber in t... READ MORE
198" Felled in Arkansas
By Patrick Dunning
Stella Sims holds Arkansas' #7 spot in BTR's irregular category for compound bow after felling this 198 7/8-inch bruiser of a buck last November, and it's the largest white-tailed deer (all categories) taken with a compound bow by a woman, ever, in The Natural State. The 18-pointer sports a 21-inch inside spread, and its left antler's typical point... READ MORE
Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky
By Patrick Dunning
Twenty-two-year-old Dawson Mashburn was at the beach celebrating the 4th of July with family friends last year when he received a photo of this Kentucky whitetail in velvet and he noticed its right beam was beginning to split. "I got down there a little late, so I ended up on the couch,"Dawson said. "About 7 a.m. the following morning, July 3rd, I'... READ MORE
Retro Recurve Buck Is Ohio Runner-Up
By Patrick Dunning
Twenty-six years ago, in a world before cell cameras or cell phones with cameras, then 38-year-old Tim Ritchie harvested Ohio’s second biggest perfect buck ever taken with a recurve bow (BTR). And he had no idea about the buck’s status until March 2023. He had his mount measured by an official B&C scorer at an expo in 1998, met the ... READ MORE
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