|
|
BuckMag Features
NO
Image:
Illinois’ Icicle Buck
By Tom Fegely
Monsters like this aren’t supposed to be around in the second season. Billy Joe Austin knew he and his father, Dennis, and brother, Michael, would probably have the woods to themselves on that miserable morning of Dec. 5, 2003. But none of the Austins were convinced they really wanted it. It was the next-to-last day of Illinois’ second ... READ MORE
It’s Good To Be the King
By Shannon King
And even better to put your tag on one. Ethan is the youngest of my three boys. He turned 7 in December of 2007, and my wife and I bought him a new Browning Bar .243 for Christmas. Just a few days later, the weather in Alabama called for severe storms and possible tornadoes. Looking at the radar, I noticed a break coming before another severe storm... READ MORE
Risk vs. Reward
By Ken Piper
If you seek only the best, be prepared for epic highs and lows. Monster bucks are a rare thing. But you already know that if you’ve spent any time in the woods trying to put your tag on one. And while he’ll be the first to tell you he lives in an area that holds more bruiser bucks than most other locations, Daryl Sidwell is one of those... READ MORE
Only One Buck Would Do
By Lisa Price
Young Texan’s patience pays off in drop tines. Hardworking farmers usually just grin and shrug their shoulders when someone suggests they play hooky for a day or take a vacation. They say things like, “The animals don’t know it’s Sunday,” or “Got to make hay while the sun shines.” So maybe that’s wher... READ MORE
I Got a Buck
By Angie Larson
Sometimes a great day can get even better. "I got a buck, I got a buck, I got a buck!" Say that about eight times in a row real fast and you'll hyperventilate and pass out. After I whispered it about the seventh time, I realized I was about to do just that. Saturday morning, Nov. 3, started out like most hunting weekends: coffee, cheesy grits, good... READ MORE
Tennessee Prize
By Ron Shannon
Persistence pays off with a double-beamed Volunteer State buck. My first day to hunt in 2007 was Sept. 22. It was hot in Fayette County, Tenn., that day. The mosquitoes were bad, and deer weren’t moving — miserable bowhunting conditions. Things got a little better on Sept. 27. After harvesting a doe, I remained in place to see if more d... READ MORE
A Son’s Gift
By Rick Foster
Thirteen seems to be a lucky number for the Foster boys.
One month before my 13th birthday, I shot the largest blacktail deer my father had ever seen. The buck had gone downhill to the point the antlers had regressed to an incredibly large 2 points. The antlers were so wide and deep that they fit around my chest.
I would have never believed that ... READ MORE
The Farm
By E.C. Chapman
In loving memory of Elting Chapman and all hunting dads. My story begins many years ago when I was a boy of 9 or 10. Opening day of deer season in New York was always on a Monday, and my dad always let me stay home from school for that special occasion. Just up the road from our home was The Farm. It wasn’t very big, but it was special to me.... READ MORE
Location, Location, Location
By David Hart
Is the big-bullet versus shot-placement debate finally over? In a typical season, hunters and wildlife managers on the King Ranch in South Texas take about 2,000 deer. Those range from 70-pound yearlings up to the occasional 200-pound buck. The King Ranch’s hunters use virtually every rifle caliber on the market and plenty that aren’t a... READ MORE
Stupid Spots for Super Bucks
By Jeff Murray
Call it smart or call it instinct, big bucks often hide out where we least expect. The first time I tried rattling, I thought I was disturbing the woods and doing more harm than good. I’m not from Texas, so I got into that game a little late. But my awkwardness quickly turned into euphoria when a buck popped into view before I could say Sham-... READ MORE
The Final Frontier
By Russell Thornberry
If you’re going to do it yourself, you might as well go all the way! Several does milled around my ground blind like gray ghosts, emerging at dawn from the vicious Mexican flora of chaparro, black brush, mesquite, cat claw and prickly pear cacti. I watched them through tiny holes between the leaves of the thorn-clad walls of the ground blind ... READ MORE
Heavy or Light?
By Jeff Murray
Speed is a big issue when it comes to arrows, but weight is important, too. It was Nov. 14, 2000-something, and my partner and I both missed easy shots at very nice bucks — but for reasons at the opposite ends of the mistake spectrum. “Bad” Brad missed because, I believe, he shoots too much speed, something like 320 feet per secon... READ MORE
Ohio Public Land Whitetails
By Freddie McKnight
Not all the Buckeye State bruisers are taken on private land. One minute I was watching a pair of yearling does contentedly feeding in my direction. The next, I was watching the largest buck I have ever seen while in a treestand. It was chasing a doe, presumably the yearlings’ mother, and was slowly working my way. It was hard to believe that... READ MORE
Big Buck Bonds Brothers
By Matt Spetts
Some moments in the deer woods will change you forever. It’s interesting how a hunter evolves, especially when, as in my case, that evolution is a direct parallel to the maturation of the individual. I believe that one season, one hunt, one harvest or even one moment can influence a hunter and change his perspective on the sport forever. I ex... READ MORE
Do-It-Yourself Video
By Jeff Murray
How to film your own hunt and look like a pro! The buck responded to my grunt call like a box car freighting on a straight-line rail. He was on a hot trot, non-stop. Of course I panicked. I expected the 12-pointer to freeze, look in my direction, and then look off to the side — like every other buck I’d grunted at. “Handcuff&rdquo... READ MORE
Dear Tom
By Tom Fegely
Insights on hunting that you won’t hear from Abby. Having been the outdoors editor of a 150,000-circulation newspaper in eastern Pennsylvania for nearly 30 years, I regularly used questions from readers in my version of “Dear Abby.” Instead of advising and commenting on affairs of the heart, however, I tried to share information o... READ MORE
Who Really Wins Our Sweepstakes?
By Jackie Bushman
Photo: Billy Sawyer of Crossett, Arkansas, won the 2016 Buckmasters Ohio Hunt Sweepstakes. Billy passed away on April 20, 2017. People often ask if anybody really wins the Buckmasters sweepstakes hunts they see on our TV commercials and on the internet. The answer is a resounding yes! Those hunts are an important part of our television filming sche... READ MORE
After the Shot
By Bob Humphrey
Only fools rush in to track a wounded deer. It was in the waning minutes of daylight, and the dense softwood canopy hastened the dusk. From any other stand, I might already have started packing up my gear, but the one I was perched in had a history of last-minute activity, so I held out to the very end. The nearby snap of a branch seemed too loud t... READ MORE
Heartbreak to Redemption
By Mark Oliver
A bad day at the office takes an unlikely turn for the better for this Buckmasters cameraman. The mighty cottonwoods of Alberta had turned a golden yellow, a hint that winter was just around the corner. Most of the crops had been harvested, and the deer were plentiful. I had been trapped in the office for just over seven months, and when I finally ... READ MORE
The Boys of Summer
By Ken Piper
Why the first week of the season is your best chance to take a book buck with a bow. Late September and early October are when baseball’s boys of summer get serious and compete for their sport’s ultimate prize. If you hunt deer with a bow, I don’t care if you’re the world’s biggest baseball fan, skip the playoffs on TV... READ MORE