Maybe it's a good thing that Michael Schumann and his sons, Dillon and Matthew, thought they were hunting a 180-inch buck on their ground in Randolph County, Mo., in 2013.
Had they known the whitetail they nicknamed The 180 would actually gross more than 200, life away from a deer stand would've been even more unbearable.
They'd been watching the deer since 2010, when Michael first saw it browsing along the edge of some CRP in late September. Its rack might've scored in the mid-140s, he said, which meant it was probably 3 1/2 years old.
He let it go on about its merry way.
The Schumanns saw the buck twice the following year, both times when the rack was still encased in velvet, and it was at least 10-15 inches bigger. Ditto for 2012.
It wasn't seen again until the summer of 2013, when it gained the nickname.
Matthew was bowhunting about four days before the state's rifle season opened when the buck came to within 8 yards of his tree. Before stepping into the clear, however, it winded the hyperventilating hunter and did a lightning-fast 180.
On Nov. 16, opening day of rifle season, Michael and Dillon saw the sunrise from a deer blind. The wind was howling, and neither really expected to see anything.
At a quarter past 7:00, however, Michael spotted a deer at the edge of some CRP, about 300 yards distant. After glassing it, Michael calmly said to Dillon, "Don't get excited, but here comes The 180."
When the animal was 100 yards closer, Michael yelled to stop the deer, and Dillon took the shot.
At the rifle's report, the buck - with holes in both lungs - kicked hard and ran directly back into the CRP. It didn't go far.
The 17-pointer - a mainframe 6x6 with an extra 10 6/8 inches of abnormal growth - is No. 8 among Missouri's rifle-felled Semi-irregulars. Its BTR composite score is 202 3/8 inches.
Braggin’ Board
Send your 2014 big buck photos to mhandley@buckmasters.com. Please include hunter’s name, where the animal was hunted, and its score (if known). Remember: The BTR has no drying period.