The excited hunter reached for his cell phone. Now 25, hes taken three whitetails, all over 140-inches in the last 15 years. Just $1 per month , After a month of dogging the elusive deer, bowhunter Jonathan Moreland arrows a Natural State giant, By I was just speechless. I absolutely worked my tail off to get an opportunity at this buck. As he left his tree stand to get a better shot at the buck, the strap on one of his climbing sticks broke, and he fell some 17 feet to the ground. It spent some time in the CRP, and then entered the food plot. Thats when the strap on the stick broke.. Your rifle is your most important hunting tool, and knowing how to properly clean and store it when hunting season comes to a close is critical in keeping it in tip-top shape. The deer closed within range, and Jared took the 27-yard, quartering-away shot. Ive dreamed of a deer like this my whole life. He wasnt hunting that day so I asked if I could borrow his.. His late grandfather started JJ Ranch in 1961, but passed in 2009, and its been worked by the family ever since. His father passed away in October. From there it was probably a five-minute ordeal, and he worked every scrape that young 8-pointer had worked, Watson said. Every deer I harvest means something. The following year, he put on significant main beam length. Bryant scored big in 2007 when he took the Oklahoma state record whitetail deer. Fortunately, the boy was able to take him, resulting in a great first whitetail and sparing the big one's life. "I was standing there holding my Mathews Helium bow, and my knees were knocking," Ryan remembers. Despite having broken off a 9-inch tine on his left side when he crashed, there was no ground shrinkage. "I got down after 15 minutes and went to the truck and went and brushed in the duck pit," the bowhunter recalls. He encountered the buck a second time soon after. He waited until the deer got behind a tree and started to move, but Lefty heard him, and stopped cold in his tracks. It was overcast with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. "The buck was right in the middle of the block of timber. And on Thursday, Myers was found guilty of the . This 8 1/2-year-old buck killed by Mississippi hunter Justin Develle on Oct. 22, was ear-tagged in 2018 by the Mississippi State University Deer Lab as part of a buck-movement study. Surprisingly, one camera took 50 to 60 pictures of the monster within a few days. As he waited for the sun to rise, he couldnt help but think of all his memories of the place, as well as the many times his father had taken him hunting as a kid. At 16 yards, Mikell took aim at the giant and released his arrow. This was one buck that didnt have ground shrinkage, but had ground growth, he said. The buck ran about 35 yards, and Lucas watched him fall. This deer is one of the biggest that I have ever seen and one that could hold the record for a very long time! At least I think there were six. Supposedly could be the heaviest whitetail ever taken. He couldnt retrieve his deer since he had to go immediately to the hospital. A week later, he'd make up for that lost opportunity. After the day Id hunt him, he would always show up the next afternoon. WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Sherrod Brown has survived a decade of statewide Democratic losses in Ohio by building a reputation as the rare person in his party who can still connect with the white . I could see his left horn and it looked bloody, and I instantly thought he was still in velvet. Copyright 1998 - 2023 Mississippi Sportsman, Inc. All rights reserved. One young buck the family called Lefty frequented the area. Published Nov 26, 2020 2:00 PM EST. My brother and I counted 28 points, what youd call deer camp points, but the guy who scored it at the taxidermist shop said it was officially 25 points, Wilson, 22, said. My mom, dad and buddy, Trevor, came to the farm to experience the recovery with me, he said. "The doe saw me and started blowing. Besides how big he was, I couldnt keep my eyes off the double drop tines.. He was coming right towards me. Here are all of the results: 1. Give a Gift
This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. The big buck was right behind her. Read other stories about big bucks killed this season by clickinghere. I hunted him pretty hard, but never encountered him.. This deer is special because 8-pointers typically dont get to this level. I sat there for a couple of hours, going through trail camera cards, Hall says. Ryan hunted the buck all season but saw him just one time from the tree stand. Blocker Outdoors Finisher gloves, headcovers and other accessories are available in Mossy Oak Bottomland and Mossy Oak Obsession NWTF camouflage patterns to match various turkey hunting terrain. "I had class on Tuesday and Thursday, so I hunted Friday through Monday. It wouldn't be until spring 2013 that the bowhunter would find the matching sheds and see how big the rack really was. However, the 10-pointer he got was the biggest buck hes ever seen on the property. "When we recovered the deer, his head was leaned on a sapling, propped up. He was hunting an area mixed with crops, hardwoods and thick cover. This is the heaviest whitetail deer ever killed. I glanced over and all I could see was antlers, he said. Site by Gray Loon. He was probably in the 140s.". I started getting pictures of him on my cameras. I noticed on my iPad that it was 1:50 p.m., so I figured Id better keep my eyes peeled in case something came by.. It was followed by 10 more does, and behind them was a huge whitetail buck that Murdaugh had never seen. Jason Lucas didnt have any history with this buck from prior seasons, but he knew this was a surefire target when he first saw it in 2021. The following table contains some of the largest whitetail deer in Arkansas. "All my buddies were expecting me to be jumping up and down when I found the buck," Ryan says, "but I didn't. However, this 4-year quest came to fruition on the most stereotypical whitetail rut day on the calendar for most of North America: Nov. 15. The buck dropped close by, but as Watson climbed down the tree to make a follow-up shot, the strap on one of his climbing sticks broke and he fell roughly 17 feet to the ground. On Dec. 8, 2021, though, he did. Yet, the state Game Commission charged him with poaching, killing out of season what was described as the largest bear ever seen in the county. With a whopping 40 inches of non-typical growth, he has a gross Boone & Crockett score of 215 3/8. He was truly the deer of a lifetime.. The rack gross scores 214 1/8 and nets 212 1/8. 5 Purdue outlasted Wisconsin 63-61. I finally decided to take a chance and take off work. He was just a special deer, and very much a result of patience in both management and hunting. Then, 2020 arrived, and Lefty was back on the farm. He was hunting on the edge of a hayfield between a bedding area and food source. Everytime we go out, we can get our hopes up that the deer crunching the leaves behind the stand we're in is one we have only seen in our dreams until now. The story of Loyd's Arkansas buck shows why effective deer management in many states is creating the potential for record-book . The 34,000-acre lease is owned by a timber company, and is broken into smaller, huntable pieces. "I've pushed a few deer (trailing too soon), and I knew I needed to get my mind off things, so I decided to do something constructive. I was shooting my younger brothers gun, a .308 Howa bolt action. As he left his tree stand to get a better shot at the buck, the strap on one of his climbing sticks broke, and he fell some 17 feet to the ground. This monster Arkansas buck is rumored to gross 212 inches with a net of 195 inches on the Boone & Crockett scoring system and could be certified as the new state record. The deer instantly whirled and ran out of sight . After several minutes of waiting for a shot opportunity, the deer finally turned broadside. That's as big as it sounds. Ryan was shooting a 2-blade Rage broadhead. Still, he only had five or six trail camera photos, and didnt have much hope of seeing the deer. All North American Whitetail subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. I turned in his direction and prepared to shoot. Being in the open, Wilson decided to sit still and let the buck continue to walk in the direction he was traveling, hoping it would cross in front and provide a right-handed shot. Contributor Brad Fenson takes to the grill, to cook up some delicious venison burgers. To our surprise, nothing. The G3 on the right had three stickers and the left G3 had two. I saw a big-bodied deer with extremely wide antlers that day, too, but I thought it was just a 6-point. In this edition of "From The Stand," Pat Hogan explains the importance of being aware of proper clearance when using your bow or crossbow out in the field. Lance Hill brought down this 4 -year-old whitetail much earlier than most hunters have a chance to go hunting. STACY FOWLER Danville, AR The big non-typical buck killed by Stacy Fowler of Danville is the largest deer taken in the Natural State last season. Then, the buck disappeared again for more than a week.. My dads spirits never once faltered.. About an hour into the afternoon hunt, a doe appeared about 100 yards away and walked down through the finger of trees. Dan Taylor, 33, of Shinglehouse, McKean County, bagged a massive 10-point with a 19-inch spread on the opening day of rifle season in north central Pennsylvania. Thank you, Dad, for being my constant in life. Bucks like this in New Hampshire on public land are far and few, Martinson said. Well, not so in this situation. My two boys were familiar with the buck, as they go through pictures with me. Hunting public land, he killed a buck in the Natural State that would make a Midwesterner swoon. A native of Hattiesburg and graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Cleveland lives on Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson with his wife Pam. I was speechless. A week later, deer season opened. And wouldn't you know it not long after the cousins had sat down, the 9-pointer appeared, walking directly behind a good 7-pointer. Around 2:30, Hall heard some deer and spotted two does walking through the water. "I wasn't going to kill him," he says. That beat the record set by Ayecock in 2015 with a Drew County buck . The area I hunt is really brushy and thick, and I couldnt get a good, clear shot. Mississippi County is in the far-northeast corner and borders both Tennessee and Missouri. Jon's no stranger to free-ranging whitetails across the central plains, having guided a number of clients to trophies and harvesting many big ones himself. As I walked up to him, it started dawning on me how big the left horn was. Wardens recently concluded a three-month investigation centered around a 34-point whitetail that was poached this fall in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. A couple hours later, Kamps returned with a tracking party. Everything sank in, and it spurred a conversation a long time coming, Lee said. Ive been putting food plots in, hunting hard and so much more for years, and it finally came together. Put everything together and you have a gross 9-point frame score of 193 6/8. "I've always loved deer hunting," the young sportsman says. The Pope and Young Club's minimum score for world record non typical whitetail bucks is 155 inches, which would be a great deer, likely with a great camp story to match that would only get better with . Lefty fell right there. . It was a long 4-year process, but it paid off.". Ryan is a native of the region and the son of a farmer. "I knew about this buck in 2018," he says. By now the deer was a huge 9-pointer that grossed over 160 inches. It's a mirror-image 180-inch mainframe 4x4 with 34 inches of non-typical points. It was another doe, and the big buck was right behind her. He had cameras at the private hunting lease he hunts with his brother, Josh. | I hit it four times, pointing in each direction once.. but then, within seconds the archer heard him crash to the ground. In retrospect, Watson believes the buck probably died after the first shot. Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. Spicy Buttermilk Fried Goose Breast Sandwich. []. The way I see it, this deer was my deer the good Lord made sure of that.. When you see a photo of a young hunter with a world-class deer, it's tempting to wonder if he or she "lucked" into it, or if perhaps an older hunter did most of the scouting and strategizing. Arkansas Hunter Falls From Tree Stand After Arrowing the Biggest Buck of His Life. My thermals would be rising. No more high anxiety walks up to a world-class deers bedroom. I couldnt see behind me so Im not sure where he came out from but he was walking up out of that drainage ditch. Then there were the two drop tines, with the longest being 7 inches off the left beam. After a quick congratulatory text, Ryan looked up to see a trotting doe. It was an overwhelming feeling. He logged many days on stand from dark to dark until mid-November. The buck was as massive as he'd looked on camera, and the biggest Moreland had ever killed. The day before Halloween, Johnathan saw the buck chasing a doe at 4:30 p.m., but the buck stayed out of range. The biggest buck entered so far was a 195-2/8" behemoth shot in Drew County, Arkansas. MILWAUKEE (AP) Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have agreed to purchase Marc Lasry's 25% stake of the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that puts the value of the NBA franchise at $3.5 billion, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said Monday. . On a morning when the bucks in Scott County were in a serious mood for love, Jason Hooper got a lucky break when he pulled the trigger on the first shooter than ran past chasing a doe. In 2010 the buck was just an 8-point. He passed away the week before, and this was the first time I went hunting after his passing., Jake Murdaughs Oklahoma MonsterScore: 194 inchesDate of Kill: Nov. 28, 2021Location: Pittsburg County, Okla.Weapon: .308 Winchester. I still had no idea about the size of the rack, Hooper said. Ryan Sullivan was only 19 when, during the 2013 season, he arrowed an Arkansas buck of gigantic proportions. Minutes ticked by, the sun started its visible ascent and Latimers thoughts turned back to the big target buck. When they found the arrow, coated with chunks of meat and hair and little blood, they knew the buck was not dead, and backed out. After taking the buck, Travis learned a neighbor had been watching the buck and seeing it on his trail cameras for two years. The bucks probably started thinking about the looming rut just ahead. It followed the large doe group and chased one of them into a nearby cattle working pen. Photo by: Markus Semmler. However, dreams are fueled by high-stakes whitetails, and the passion helped Ryan put his tag on the state's largest non-typical ever arrowed. Hall sure did. I was overcome with emotion when we recovered the big eight. Its hard to justify shooting a spike or forkhorn when you know there is a Boone and Crockett buck in the area. But at his shot, the deer jumped the stream and his arrow hit high. I do know it was not the deer I killed. With the estimated spread credit, it grossed a whooping 193 inches! "About 50 yards behind the doe, there he was. Sub-hed: When the Washington Blade caught up with Gisele Barreto Fetterman this month, she was looking forward to some upcoming travel plans Yeah I'll bet she was!!! About 206,00 hunters used a crossbow and harvested 93,000 deer. During the spring conservation order, you can hunt with outfitters from Arkansas to Saskatchewan. Lance Hill's South Carolina Stud. After showing friends and family the deer, I received lots of congratulatory messages, he said. He was about 50 yards and I was going to have to shoot left-handed, which I didnt want to do.. The 15 Largest Lakes in the World . "At least I think there were six. What Hooper found was a 205-pound buck with long, thick main beams. Trust me: I thanked the good Lord numerous times for this buck and for letting me miss that first buck, he said. The majority of these came from Maverick (28), La Salle (24), Webb (23), Dimmit (20) and Kleberg (11) counties. It made for a wonderful holiday trip to his old home. A mature Missouri buck showcased some serious head gear totaling a staggering 333 7/8 inches, making it the most giant whitetail ever scored. Mississippi Sportsman Frequently Asked Questions. It was sunny and 40 degrees with a north-northwest wind. As luck would have it, the buck didnt show. . Right before Halloween, his trail cams captured good photos of the deer during daylight. Eric Mullina thought it would be a good decision to hunt whitetails with Indian Hill Outfitters last season, and he was right. My brother said, Dude, you just got a B&C buck! Wilson said. They didnt have any encounters with the deer until after the rut. The mammoth rack was 17. I could never get a consistent wind. . It broke the 50-year record held by the #2 Spot! This time he got a gross non-typical score of 261 3/8, with a net of 230 7/8. One day, while Lee was with him at his house, his father confirmed his fears. Watts shot the buck at about 50 yards with a rifle chambered in 6.5mm Creedmoor. We werent cutting tracks from Lefty like we had in the past, Lee said. The W.A. There will be more about this deer in a coming issue. Kamps was hunting along some thick bedding cover with steep bluffs around him. Courtesy of onX Hunt, here are the eight states in the USA with the highest deer density: Mississippi: 38 deer per square mile. Stan Potts doubles down in Montana and Wyoming. During the offseason, he used HuntStand to find and mark numerous stand locations to target this deer. Estimated Weight On Hoof: 540-Lbs. Then the monster buck appeared. All I could tell was that he was a big-bodied deer and had dark horns. . He arrowed a 5-year-old giant. . A slight southwest wind swept across the landscape. Being a right-handed shooter, this was an impossible shot. He stood broadside, eight paces away. Jeremy Martinson had been hunting in the area throughout the season, but on Nov. 1, 2021, he received an opportunity at a huge whitetail. Hunting public land, he killed a buck in the Natural State that would make a Midwesterner swoon. Dr. James Kroll and Haynes Shelton explain why it's important to know your neighbors when operating a smaller deer property. It netted 209 0/8 Boone and Crockett, but grossed 216 2/8 B&C before the mandatory, 60-day drying period. He missed. Although we were in his core area, we knew that if I was going to have a chance to harvest him there, it would have to happen early in the season.. Does it get any better than that? . And he was this time., My emotions were not what I had thought they would be in this moment, Lee continued. The DNR estimated 574,000 hunters spent 8.7 million days afield during the 2017 deer season, and harvested 376,000 deer for a nearly 50% success rate. A hunter in St. Louis County, Missouri, found the B&C world record in 1981. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. During that stretch, Hall finally encountered the buck twice. It later taped out at 186 3/8 inches. He was getting photos of the giant, which he would later discover carried a rack scoring over 190. He was bowhunting from the ground with some natural brush around him. Like many of his fellow Arkansans, Ryan is a deer and duck fanatic. I shot the exact hair on the deer that I was aiming for, says Moreland. I knew he was a shooter, but I didnt really see all that he had. "I hunted every weekend in 2013," Ryan recalls. On Sept. 30, 2021, he was glad of these strategic decisions. biggest deer ever? I killed a lot of deer with a gun before I started bowhunting about six years ago. The big buck walked in front of Lees father while he was hunting, but unfortunately, the deer broke off its entire right side. Spencer Neuharth Mar 1, 2021. Fast forwarding to Sept. 7, 2021, the day brought hot temperatures. Justin Kamps first learned of this deer in 2019, but it wasnt on their radar. It checked a few scrapes and walked toward Lucas location. About 45 minutes later, he heard a leaf crunch to his right. Its pretty common to scroll through your social media news feed this time of year and see various photos of bowhunters sitting behind the monster bucks they have shot. Id have him on camera morning and evening. Gordon Whittington heads north to his personal Missouri farm for some crossbow action. On Nov. 24, Hall launched his boat around 9:30 a.m. and reached his stand half an hour later. Instantly, my mind started in on me, he said. It looked like they were going to get into it, but when the big one got a visual on the doe, he changed moods instantly. Only 22, Wilson knows matching this kill will not be easy, not in Pike County. In addition to the single short drop tine, the deer had two split brow tines one with three splits. That would intimidate most hunters, but he commonly uses a boat to get to and from his best spots. Behind them was a solid 10-pointer, so he stood up and grabbed his bow. I called my dad at 7:45 a.m. and told him what had happened." Fowler's buck scored 212 6/8 making it the #12 All time Non-Typical in Arkansas Matt Howard had the biggest Typical that scored 172 6/8 making it the #44 largest typical in Arkansas to date. Even though he was in the tall weeds and stuff, I could see his body and his vitals. Likewise, the last 200-class buck to break into Boone and Crocket Club's list, which includes gun-hunted deer, was also killed in 2003, and 2000 before that. Buster was a magnificent animal and exceeded our expectations, Kamps said. These are world-class numbers, and there's no doubt the animal fell to a most deserving bowhunter. I would leave late Thursday night, and all my friends ragged me about it. Morelands first encounter with the buck occurred on a hunt early in the season. Typically, in regions influenced by the flood stages of the Mississippi River, the rut is later than the traditional Midwestern rut of mid-November. Its where I untangle my mind., Jason Lucas Illinois WhitetailScore: 168 inchesDate of Kill: Dec. 8, 2021Location: Central IllinoisWeapon: Mathews Triax compound bow. He came to 40 yards and stood by a brush pile. Subscriber Services. In this edition of "Big Buck Profile," Gordon Whittington talks with young whitetail hunter Reid Crawford about his trophy buck taken in 2017. Halls bruiser gross-scored 212 3/8. This deer means so much, Reed said. He had high hopes for the afternoon hunt. That errant shot allowed him to stay in the stand, wait another hour or so and shoot and kill a 183-inch 16-point non-typical with double drop tines. Shortly after the hunt kicked off, a doe popped out of the timber several hundred yards away. Nick continued to watch several bucks harass does throughout the morning, but chose not to take a shot at them. On Dec. 3, 2018, William Lloyd of Wynne killed a 14-point buck in Lee County that netted a Boone and Crockett score of 200 1/8. Both bases were right at 5 inches, and the main beams were 23 inches, Wilson said. People couldnt believe he had drop tines coming off his main beams., Jeremy Martinsons New Hampshire GiantScore: 166 inchesDate of Kill: Nov. 1, 2021Location: Merrimack County, N.H.Weapon: .50-caliber CVA muzzleloader. Lee Dixon and his father have been hunting together for 28 years. Ryan hunted this buck for four years on family property. Lucas drew back, settled his pin, and took the 38-yard shot. The arrow hit its mark, and the huge deer ran down into a ravine. This photo isn't great so don't be confused by the extra antler on the bottom left; it's from an adjacent deer . The eastern boundary of the county is the Mississippi River. We couldnt believe what we were looking at. In July, Lee found a track that looked like Leftys. Then, a big deer walked out of the timber to his left. This big buck was killed in Randolph County, near Maynard, Arkansas during the Arkansas 2020/21 modern gun deer season. The buck was definitely dead. The colossal deer has a 25 2/8-inch inside spread, two tines over 13 inches and superb mass. The stage now was set for him to truly blossom into a world-class trophy. When the buck stopped in an opening about 35 yards away, Watson drew his pin and let go. Taken in Pushmataha County, this deer is nearly 2 inches bigger than the previous record. Hunting with her CVA Cascade chambered in .308 Win., the buck was well within range. Wilson said the buck kicked, but that he heard the bullet hit the deer. County Sex Count; Arkansas: Antlered: 1699: Arkansas: Button Buck: 156: Arkansas: Doe: 1410: Ashley: Antlered: 1495: Ashley: Button Buck: 301: Ashley: Doe: 2418 . . He finished the season with 11 encounters, but passed the buck each time in hopes of it living another year. The deer ran about 200 yards and crashed. Part of the beauty (and difficulty) of hunting with traditional equipment, is that you have to hunt close. The buck turned broadside, and Hall grunted to stop the buck for a top-pin shot. Lefty was gone., Then, our family received news that rocked me to my core, Lee said. The farm seems different now. Hooper waited 15 minutes before starting the recovery. So I was pretty nervous when I started that walk across that field.. Instead, they hunted elsewhere in hopes of allowing the deer to live another year. I enjoyed every day of the hunt, but being successful with this buck made it a hunt I will remember forever, Mullina said. Ontario, 1977. But the big buck, even with a good shot, bounded out of sight. Lucky hat brings nurse Jefferson County monster, 159-inch buck killed by 15-year-old East Rankin Academy student, With hunting season in the books, its time to make plans to bring your bucks to the Louisiana Sportsman Big Buck Contest. It ran 177 yardsan incredible distance for a deer with a 190-grain broadhead inside of him. Dont forget to enter photos of your bucks in theBig Buck Photo Contestto be eligible for monthly giveaways. They monitored the buck for several weeks, and hunted some, but had no luck. I was locked down by the doe that was really close.". I moved 150 yards downwind of his bedding area and started rattling, Lee said. Beka lives on a small Southern Ohio homestead with her husband and three-year-old daughter, Isabella. When I got him he weighed over 300 pounds on the hoof, as suspected. I had no idea the journey our family was about to embark on with this deer, Lee said. It appeared that he was going to come right to me, Hall says. Eight hours later, one of the trail cameras captured photos of the buck, who seemed to be acting as if nothing had happened. Although he doesnt remember the fall, he does remember picking himself up, walking over to the buck, and putting another arrow in him. He stood behind a big pecan tree for about five minutes. Ryan estimated the deer now was 7 1/2 years old. Whitney Reeds Oklahoma HammerScore: 166 inchesDate of Kill: Nov. 23, 2021Location: Garvin County, Okla.Weapon: CVA Cascade in .308 Winchester. Kamps settled the pin and took it. After a wait that seemed like an eternity, the doe finally started walking . BREATHE LIFE! All Rights Reserved. Instead, he recruited another friend to help him grid-search the woods. The deer ran 40 yards and expired. The rack gross scores 214 1/8 and nets 212 1/8. After several tense seconds, the deer offered a quartering-away shot opportunity, and Hill took it. "He stopped at 40 yards, standing behind some trees. Haynes Shelton discusses what to look for when choosing the magnification range when it comes to the scope on your deer rifle. Although the arrow hit a little high, striking the spine but went through both lungs. Like many of his fellow Arkansans, Ryan is a deer and duck fanatic. They both laid their ears back and stood their hair up, Hall says. How to Create an Invisible Fence' Around Your Property to Hold More Bucks, Understanding Non-Verbal Whitetail Communication, Michigan Hunter Shoots 200-class Non-typical After Oversleeping That Morning, How to Find Big Buck Sanctuaries in the Spring, Illinois Hunter Sprints to Close the Distance On 21-point Bedded Buck, How to Develop the Best Fall Food Program for Your Deer, A Whitetail Hunter's Guide to Ballistic Reticles, Iowa Bowhunter Goes Stealth Mode with a Tree Saddle to Bag 194-inch Non-typical, Nebraska Shed Hunter's Wife and Dog Find 6x9 Set One Year After Learning About the Buck, Dr.