Smalltown Bucks

Never Give Up

Never Give Up

By Ray Thiel

It only takes a second for an entire season of frustration to turn amazing. The 2018 deer season in eastern Connecticut was slower than normal. After two years where gypsy moth caterpillars ate nearly all the leaves off the oak trees, they just didn’t produce acorns. Unfortunately, on property I have permission to hunt on in Griswold, acorns... READ MORE

Nephew's 1st Buck Leads to Uncle's Bruiser

Nephew's 1st Buck Leads to Uncle's Bruiser

By Rocky Harrell (Cody Harrell's uncle)

I love hunting. The good Lord comes first, and then family, then deer hunting, but I really love deer hunting.  I've hunted in Rutherford County in Middle Tennessee since I was about 8-years-old, but I didn’t take my first deer until I was 10. Hunting in Tennessee was hard at that time. All I saw were does, never any bucks. When I was ... READ MORE

Muley Mission

Muley Mission

By Kevin Stevens

In August of 2009, my hunting buddy Larry asked me to scout a new area we hadn’t hunted before. We took my truck and set off to the well-known G-2 big buck area in Wyoming. When we arrived, Tre Heiner of Double Diamond Outfitters, our guide, had horses ready for us at the trail head. We headed into the hills to scout some big bucks, amazed a... READ MORE

No Limits

No Limits

By Bonnie Olson King

New hunter overcomes challenges to claim her first buck. The 2015 hunting season turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I was 64 at the time and had only taken up hunting in 2012, when I retired from my nursing career due to significant health issues. That fall, I received a crossbow for my birthday, and that was when h... READ MORE

First of Many

First of Many

By Lyndsey Wesner

I’ve had a lot of firsts in the past eight months, so after I caught my first 20-pound king salmon, shot my first 8-point buck with a bow, took my first doe with a bow, and my first doe with a muzzleloader, naturally I expressed desire to shoot my first turkey. My husband Rick said, “It's not easy. They have keen eyesight, and the slig... READ MORE

Thanksgiving Surprise

Thanksgiving Surprise

By Sawyer Johnson

Some of the best hunts don’t end with a filled tag. One of the greatest things about hunting is going out and not knowing what you’ll see or experience. This sense of wonderment is what keeps me out in the mountains, because I might experience something incredible at any moment. On Thanksgiving morning in western Montana, having already... READ MORE

What the Doctor Ordered

What the Doctor Ordered

By William Miley

The best therapy is spending time in a deer stand. I live in Abilene, Texas, but I am from Westminster in Maryland. About 17 years ago, my family attended a church picnic for 4th of July. Someone had set up a bow range as part of the entertainment, and my good friend Rick Ellis told me to give it a shot. I borrowed pastor Ed Conrad’s compound... READ MORE

Blustery Day Buck

Blustery Day Buck

By Krissy Jean Zimmer

The day ended up awesomely, but it didn’t start out that way. On Friday, while at work in the dental office, I checked my weather channel app. It said, “30 mph winds — stay in bed today.” I laughed when I read that. Even my boss Dr. Rahn said, “I bet you won’t get up and go tomorrow.” I considered staying i... READ MORE

A Trip to the Bone Yard

A Trip to the Bone Yard

By Krissy Jean Zimmer

You never forget your first archery buck, even if it happens after you’re a veteran hunter. There aren't a lot of “firsts” when you get to be my age and have been hunting for years, so harvesting my first buck with a bow this past season was extra special. I've been shooting bows for more than 20 years, and during that time I have... READ MORE

The Journey

The Journey

By Richard Benton

My quest to shoot a big buck began when I first hunted in Kansas in 2001. I harvested an 8-pointer that scored 148 inches, and I was hooked. I like hunting in my home state of Virginia, but it’s nothing like the Midwest. I have always had a passion for hunting whitetails. I have been so drawn to and obsessed with it that I pursued an educati... READ MORE

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd