Smalltown Bucks

Back to Basics

Back to Basics

By Christopher Kunkel

Michigan bowhunter can’t resist the call to return to archery’s roots. My archery journey started about 18 years ago. Like most new archers, I was introduced to bowhunting through other archers, in my case it was coworkers. My first bow was a used Browning compound with 60 percent letoff. The draw length was 3 inches longer than it sh... READ MORE

Veteran’s Day Dream!

Veteran’s Day Dream!

By Donna Shaver

I was hunting in North Carolina on a very cold Veteran’s Day morning in 2013 with my 73-year-old, handicapped father when the flash of antlers caught our attention. Quickly, as the buck moved through the pines, I lifted my Savage muzzleloader into position and peered through my binoculars as the rack headed toward an opening. “Wow, he h... READ MORE

Hey, This Actually Works!

Hey, This Actually Works!

By Michael Dickerson

There are some things in hunting you have to experience before you believe they’re true. It was opening day of muzzleloader season in McNairy County, Tenn. The days had been getting colder, so I was hoping the rut was about to kick in. I had been scanning several areas for a place my set up my ladder stand and decided on a pine tree in front... READ MORE

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Ghosts of Christmas Past

By Burnell Simmons

Far too many of us take hunting and Christmases for granted. Thirteen years — that’s how long it’s been since I fell 25 feet from my treestand. I survived the fall and the hospital stay and made it home for that Christmas in 2001. It happened at 8:20 a.m. on Dec. 16. I had to walk home from the swamp I was hunting because I had ... READ MORE

A Buck is Coming In!

A Buck is Coming In!

By Lyndsey Wesner

My husband Rick and I recently acquired a new property to hunt in Berrien County, Michigan, so we started preparations by doing our homework. Rick spent countless hours walking the terrain and becoming familiar with the area. He set up trail cams where there appeared to be lots of deer traffic. Once the travel patterns were established, we scoute... READ MORE

Who Needs Fishing?

Who Needs Fishing?

By Quintin Sullivan

Let me preface this story by saying that my son Joseph is one of the best kids on the planet. Sure, I’m biased, but the kid has some amazing accomplishments under his belt, and he’s not even 13 yet. Joseph is an avid fisherman who ties his own flies (and sells them under the name Joe Hunter), and in 2013 alone caught a 7-pound largemout... READ MORE

The Perfect 10

The Perfect 10

By Jeffery Patterson

Call it beginner’s luck or call it fate, but you can add another hunter to our ranks. I got my crossbow from a friend who said he wanted to sew a seed in my life. At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I decided to give this hunting thing a try. I got up at 5:30 on the first day of Virginia’s archery season and was in... READ MORE

Congratulations, Dad!

Congratulations, Dad!

By Aaron Rippstein

Sometimes the best bucks are the ones taken by the people we love. I wanted to share this buck taken by my dad, Rob, on Nov. 4, 2017 in Highland County, Ohio. Growing up in southern California didn’t offer many opportunities to go deer hunting, so when my family moved to Ohio in 1992, my father wanted to try something different. It didn&rsquo... 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

One Old Buck

One Old Buck

By Tim Angel

Not all the best Bucks in the woods have antlers. I was born in Peoria, Ill., where hunting mainly consisted of rabbits, squirrels and pheasants. I now live in the Northwest, where I hunt everything from elk, deer, bears and even cougars. I am sending this letter to share one of the most memorable moments in my life. It involves my grandmother, N... READ MORE

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd