63-year-old David Linn started deer hunting six years ago in management areas and reservoirs near Gas City, Indiana. He went six seasons without filling a doe or buck tag but kept at it after falling in love with the beauty and peace of being in the woods. He had an opportunity with his bow this year to harvest an 8-pointer, misjudged the distance and left his arrow 20 yards short.
Homemade humble pie was the extent of David's palate. Thankfully he had the support of his son-in-law, Larry, and Larry's father, Bo Steely, who are avid hunters that have consistently harvested mature bucks.
They told David to stay after it, and that his time would come soon enough.
Today, this Hoosier holds Indiana's number 7 spot in BTR's irregular category for Blackpowder entries after tagging his first deer ever, a 219-inch giant, in December 2022.
"I've had permission to hunt this private ground for three years with Larry and Bo, but we hadn't been able to hunt it because we never get an east wind in Indiana," David said. "All our wind comes out of the south, the north and mostly the west. This hunt, you have to have an easterly wind or you're wasting your time.
"Larry had told me if we get an east wind, I better be ready to go. Last year we didn't get an east wind at all, and the year before there was one east wind, but I wasn't able to go. They shot two nice bucks."
The theory is east winds confuse bucks because their patterns are based on winds from other directions. You can slip into an area where you typically couldn't and not get busted.
To capitalize on this wind anomaly, it helps to have data on where a buck likes to bed and feed, along with its travel corridors.
David, Larry and Bo were set up about 200 yards apart, all with a view of a cutover cornfield. David just wanted some deer meat and planned to shoot the first deer he saw, even if it was a doe. Just 45 minutes into the sit, he got a glance at what he thought was decent buck on a hill looking down into the field.
"I texted Larry and Bo, ‘Guys, I got a buck up here.' A minute and a half later, he pops back over the hill, stands there looking at the field we're in, gives a couple sniffs and at that point I'm on him," David said. "It took a step to the south and got out of the brush line. There was as clear shot, and I let him have it at 85 yards."
When the smoke cleared, David had no clue this buck was worthy of any record book.
Larry tracked the deer 15 yards into the woods, turned around to give David a hug and had tears in his eyes.
"Holy cow, Davey, you did it. Do you realize what you just did?" Larry asked.
"I said yeah, I got us some deer meat. He said, ‘No Davey, come look at this rack.'"
"At that point, it hit me and I gave him a hug; we're both standing there like little kids, hugging, jumping and screaming in the woods."
Buckmasters scorer Jim Moore measured this Grant County Giant at 219 inches for Buckmasters Trophy Records. The 19-pointer sports a 7-inch base on its right side and a 24 7/8-inch left beam to go with matching 13-inch P2s.
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