Near-State-Record Buck Causes Whiplash In Kentucky
By Mike Handley
David Whitaker might be responsible for a man’s wearing a neck brace in Jackson County, Kentucky, but it’s doubtful an insurance claim will be filed.
True, the 60-year-old deer hunter from Berea could’ve used a WIDE LOAD banner across the back of his four-wheeler on Nov. 12, but with or without that designation, nobody would’ve driven past without gawking at the top-heavy whitetail strapped to it. Even if passing motorists paid little attention to yet another — and relatively small — deer being hauled during opening week of Kentucky’s modern rifle season, seeing one of David’s arms holding up the giant rack would’ve unhinged their jaws.
Fortunately, only one vehicle met David as he ferried the animal to his parked truck.
“I think (the driver) about broke his neck when we passed,” he chuckled.
David was oblivious at the time, however. He’d had a tough time loading the deer, and he was trying to come up with the right words to tell his son, Tyler, that he’d shot the buck over which he’d been obsessing, a new runner-up to the state record Typical (by rifle).
Father and son had both hunted their leased ground during the rainy opening weekend. Tyler had to return to work Monday and Tuesday, although he planned to take off the second half of the week. David didn’t hunt Monday, but he returned on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
He rarely misses the first Tuesday of rifle season.
“That’s his hot day,” Tyler advised.
The Whitakers leased the 100 acres three years ago, after Tyler, who was framing a house, heard about it during WWAG’s “Dial & Deal” radio show.
“Dad and I went to look at it, and we agreed it had potential,” he said. The place is remote and heavily wooded, surrounded by hardwood forest.
Six months after setting out trail cameras, they collected photos of two big bucks. The cams were Tyler’s idea.
“I’m old-school,” David said. “Tyler knows all this stuff, about scents and what not. He’s the one who told me the importance of getting scent-free. He also found the land. So, other than pulling the trigger, he’s equally responsible for me getting this deer.”
The 16-pointer David shot had walked in front of Tyler’s cameras numerous times, but it never appeared among David’s photos until a couple of weeks before the rifle opener.
Tyler had been obsessed with the animal. One of his cameras had yielded a clear video clip of the impressive buck with a doe, which his wife posted on Tiktok. The clip quickly garnered more than a half-million views and 100,000 likes in less than a week.
David watched the fateful day’s sunrise from his blind. He’d planned to leave before noon. Tyler had originally chosen the hilltop location for one of his setups, but he later abandoned it because he thought there were too few shot opportunities.
David then claimed the spot for his own.
Soon after daybreak, he spotted an 8-pointer, exactly the kind of buck he would’ve shot before his son convinced him to be more selective. A couple of hours later, a huge-bodied 6-pointer came out from the same area.
Close to 11:30, as David was thinking about leaving, he noticed a nearby tree that hadn’t dropped it leaves, how the tree was blocking his view in that direction. Satisfied the morning’s activity had already peaked, he got out of the blind and began chopping the tree with a bone hatchet.
“I wasn’t trying to be quiet,” he said. “I made a lot of noise.”
When the task was finished, he returned to his blind. Moments later, just before he was going to head to his truck, he saw the monstrous Typical coming up the hill.
The first time David lifted his .30-06 to acquire the approaching buck, he lowered the weapon without firing. He knew how much the deer meant to his son. He had to push the thought from his mind before he could take care of business.
When his brain cleared, the rifle responded to his touch.
When David finally called Tyler on the job site that afternoon, his son asked if he’d shot a deer.
“I did,” he replied.
“Well, how many points does it have?” Tyler asked.
“Well, I think I counted 17,” David answered.
“Dad, did you kill the big one?” Tyler persisted.
“Yes … (pause) … I was kinda afraid to tell you,” David muttered.
“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come to help you,” Tyler said.
“I couldn’t get cell service,” David replied.
“Come to where I’m at, right now,” Tyler instructed him.
David admits he wasn’t thinking straight, and the brain fog lasted far longer than he’d ever have imagined. Wrangling the deer onto his four-wheeler so he could get it into his truck had also taken a toll.
“I was tore up,” he said. “That was the heaviest deer I’ve ever loaded in my life.
“Even when I took the deer to the processor’s and they asked what (cuts) I wanted, all I could say was summer sausage. So I wound up with 124 pounds of summer sausage. Christmas presents, I guess.”
Dale Weddle scored the deer for Buckmasters. It tallied 210 7/8 inches.
Photos courtesy Tyler Whitaker