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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!
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
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
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
Small Town, Big Buck
By Patrick Dunning
Queue the champagne and fire up the cigars. Small Town Hunting's Chris Ashley and Joey Dombroski couldn't make it out of the tree stand before celebrating this 200-plus Mega taken during Kansas' 2022 muzzleloader opener. "I squeezed the trigger and when the smoke cleared, I said, 'Oh my god, where is he?' Joey started yelling, 'You dropped him! You... READ MORE
Throwing Smoke
By Patrick Dunning
Pennsylvania native Jason Diamond drove 16 hours for a showdown with a velvet stud during Kansas' 2022 muzzleloader opener. His personal best buck scored just shy of 200 inches at 197 6/8, with 18 countable points more than an inch. It's the second-largest velvet whitetail ever taken in the state with a muzzleloader. In Kansas, nonresident hunters ... READ MORE
Where There's One ...
By Patrick Dunning
Jacody Downey's pre-season prep paid dividends after getting skunked during the 2022 bow season opening weekend in the Bluegrass State. When a beautiful buck is active on your trail cameras throughout the summer and you're documenting his growth cycle almost daily, you try your best to make it feel safe and secure. The 200-acre stand of hardwoods J... READ MORE
Making Memories
By Patrick Dunning
Father-and-son duo, Robbie and Garrett Ammons, outsmarted two mature bucks during Kentucky's 2022 archery opener and have the velvet to prove it. Four years ago, the Ammons started leasing rights to hunt a farm 60 miles southwest of Louisville in Hardin County. The farm biennially rotates between two of the whitetail's favorite dishes, corn and soy... READ MORE
Beauty and the Beast
By Ken Piper
I've known some outstanding female bowhunters. My ex-wife did everything on her own since one of us had to stay home with the kids, and she had great success. I met Judy Kovar shortly after she was run over by a giant buck in a ground blind and suffered several serious injuries – but that was the exception since Judy usually got the better of... READ MORE
Life's a Dance
By Ken Piper
You won't get the girl or the giant buck if you don't ask permission. I could have written Garth Brooks' hit song “Life's a Dance.” Shy to the point of idiocy, I never could get the courage to ask girls out in my younger days. “What if she says no?” I always thought. Sure, it's a stupid way to think about it, but that didn't... READ MORE
Change of Plans
By Ken Piper
How one trail camera photo turned a meat hunter into a trophy chaser. Meat hunter. It’s a label we all should wear proudly considering the whole idea of shooting deer began with a need for food. Lean, hormone-free protein remains one of the best reasons to hunt whitetails, but who doesn’t like to claim a nice set of antlers now and then... READ MORE
Bucking The Odds
By Ken Piper
Taking a buck north of 200 inches is a rare feat. We call such a deer a buck of a lifetime, although an overwhelming majority of hunters go their entire lives without even seeing such a deer in the woods, let alone taking one. It’s been said your odds of shooting a 200-inch buck are about the same as hitting the lottery. Hud Baker not only sh... READ MORE
Mixing Work and Pleasure
By Ken Piper
Taxidermists get to see and work with a lot of big bucks. They also put their hands on bucks of every age and antler configuration imaginable. That knowledge and experience are partly why Steve Garverick knew he was looking a potentially incredible buck shed when he stumbled upon it while hunting mushrooms in 2016. It wasn’t so much that the ... READ MORE
1+1=357
By Ken Piper
There’s a reason hunters so often use the phrase “buck of a lifetime.” Racks north of 170 inches don’t grow on trees, even in states known for producing monsters. Iowa certainly qualifies as one of those states, but even dedicated and skilled hunters aren’t likely to harvest multiple giants. Then there’s Brady Sn... READ MORE
Who Needs Food?
By Ken Piper
The Keystone State ranks #2 in the nation in hunting licenses sold, and a vast majority of the people who buy them are deer hunters. Still, Pennsylvania isn't known for producing whopper bucks. Yes, there is plenty of habitat, and even a good mix of agriculture, so it might be the high number of hunters that keeps the state from appearing in the re... READ MORE