While in the hospital, he learned about the temporary crossbow permit for injured and disabled hunters. The farmer/landowner doesnt let anybody deer hunt, but he allows me to go shed hunt, Kline says. Huff is just fine with the slow pace of life in the country. He was real broken up last year, but we knew if he could make it through the winter that he would be something special. Were not opposed to that hunter shooting that deerwed actually encourage hunters to remove the buck in those situations. I owe a lot of this to him., Read Next: Utah Hunter Arrows Insane Opening Day Mule Deer. Whitetail hunting strategies for the next generation. All Rights Reserved. Miss a Deer? Then, it happened. The NWTF is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Kline hoped for the best, but expected the worst. We loaded him up and took him to the Golden Pond check-in station. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Sage Marshall joined Field & Stream as an editorial intern in 2018, when he worked at the publications former office in Manhattan. This amazing story chronicles the life of a giant whitetail deer Don named "Mel" after Mel Johnson's world record typical whitetail deer. So, just from knowing the property, I thought that there would be one particular place where a big deer might go to die. To be so close, and to not be able to pull the trigger, that was difficult to deal with.. At SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. The buck slowly walked into bow range. Derek Settle solo hunted a monster buck thats sure to make the record books and is quite possibly the biggest buck ever taken in Kentuckya state that is known for its booners. To have a deer that big in gun range, and not be able to shoot? Ruger's popular American bolt-action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years. I felt like my dad was with me like an angel on my shoulder, he says. That's crazy! Several oaks were already dropping acorns, and there was heavy deer sign. The deer started out as a main-frame 8-pointer, but sported a shiny sticker, too. He shared the good news with them, and then met them at his house nearby. I dropped the phone and steadied my bow. If you took you vacation every year Nov. 9-12, youre in best window for big bucks moving in day. We told them to grab all his sheds off the mantle and meet us in LBL to drag him out. Buy License; Hunt; Wildlife; Fish; Boat; Education; Law . I just couldnt get a good shot at him, and to be perfectly honest, he was standing right on the property line. Reed had in-person encounters with this giant deer in 2019 and 2020. The velvet buck is his best archery buck to date, and one he wont soon forget. There are very few thickets, which makes it challenging to figure out where deer bed. My dad had been marking every scrape, rub, trail, shed and trail camera picture using the Hunt Stand app, so he transferred all that info to the topo map to hopefully figure this deer out. An intensive, four-year pursuit of an elusive buck dubbed "Sasquatch" at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) ended in celebratory tears, hugs, and shared joy between father and son. It is my girlfriend's family's farm, and her uncle hunted occasionally, but, sadly, he passed away five years ago. Published Sep 15, 2021 6:00 PM EDT. "I havent seen one sign of a deer. We ended the season with very few pictures, still none in daylight, and no sight of him while hunting. We are investigating this story and will continue to publish updates as we learn more. 2022 modern gun Posted: . He was an impressive 160-inch 12-pointer. Derek Settle solo hunted a monster buck that's sure to make the record books and is quite possibly the biggest buck ever taken in Kentuckya state that is known for its booners. "As soon as I made the shot, we heard the thud and the deer took off into the beans," he said. But almost immediately, skeptical hunters started asking what everyone was thinking: "Was it a high fence deer?" According to Keating, the 50-point buck was not killed inside of a high fence. CNN . "This involves stand location, cellular trail cameras, making sure your hunting clothes are as scent-free as possible, not contaminating the area around your stand and, most importantly, always hunting the wind.". Gordon Whittington talks with 13-year-old Troy Metzger about the 2016 hunt that landed the young man a monster non-typical buck on this edition of Big Buck Profile. "I stood up and watched him run about 150 yards, falling over just short of a ditch. Eventually he found waterfowl hunting, which has consumed his time in recent years, but he finds his way back to the deer woods every season. As Herman got older, he turned into a bona fide giant. Standard took a deep breath, drew his bow and took the 40-yard shot, hitting the buck square in the vitals. Available in 180- and 200-grain sizes. It had 5-inch bases and carried between 5 inches and 4. On the third day, the buck didnt show at all. It turned out the deer was on a steady evening routine.". The rifle has five caliber offerings, two barrel choices and three different riser stocks. In rare cases, wild whitetails can live for 20 years or more. On Sept. 4, well before daylight, the Arkenaus eased into an elevated Muddy blind positioned on a wood line. Of the elk harvested, 21,000 were bulls. I found a stand I really liked, cleaned up the area around it and placed a camera two weeks before the hunt. If he had hadnt broken a couple kickers and tines, he would have gone over 200. One afternoon Dad hunted a nasty thicket, and right at dusk a big buck came in to hit the scrape. I never showed the trail cam pictures to anybody I knew what he was., Settle recently set up an elevated ground blind on the corner of his property closest to his house. The buck ran a short distance and tipped over. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Stan Potts heads to Montana with his rifle in search of a Big Sky buck. That summer, Dad ordered a topo map of Sasquatchs core area, which was about 3,000 acres. That was four years ago. 2019-2020 Total Harvest Summary 148,395 deer were harvested during the 2019-20 deer season, which is the second highest harvest on record. We began looking for sheds daily again, grid searching the 3000-plus acres. For any game and fish questions or reports call 1(800)272-GAME. We would share trail camera pictures with each other and talk about the deer, Kline says. I got a little concerned, Kline says. He had never seen an animal quite like this one beforeand neither had the rest of the world. At that point, he could tell it was a good deer. 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All the congrats to the hunter on taking that buck, but from our record book standpoint, its not an eligible deer, Spring said in an interview with MeatEater. I was going really slowly. He knew it was a big buck, but he wasnt certain that it was Sasquatch. They watched it feed along as the sun began to dip lower behind the trees. We got there well before daylight to keep from spooking any deer. After seeing those few trail camera pictures of him, we became obsessed with finding Sasquatchs sheds. After several weeks of scouting, hunting and running cameras, we finally got a picture of him about a mile and a half from his summer location. The new 7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge from Hornady is available in three loads (160 gr. My stand was in the top of a tall cedar tree with a good view of the soybean field.". But, its also possible that the old buck succumbed to the stresses of the rut, possibly getting wounded by another buck and going down to infection or coyotes or both. I knew that if I would get the opportunity, I didnt want to be all out of breath and shaky., He stopped for a longer break around 55 yards from the buck. Last year, the buck was 60 yards away, but wouldn't come any closer. Why don't you come out and sit the rest of the hunt with me?". Needless to say, LBL is not for the faint of heart. Weve had him on camera for several years and watched him grow up, Womack said. Guner Womack killed one of the most perfectly symmetrical whitetails. Moments later, Clark squeezed the trigger on his 7mm Magnum rifle, and the biggest buck taken in North Carolina during the 2021-22 season was on the ground. The giant buck hit and killed by a vehicle at Fort Campbell, located in western Kentucky, on July 27 was still putting on bone as evidence by these huge antlers covered in velvet. Hope that's not the case cause I would like to see some better pics of it. Eventually, the buck he was hoping to see walked into the clearing, and Beach took the shot. Few people could really hunt him because of where he was unless he traveled around or went across the road, which he did.. Its a natural corridor. I used that to stay in the bucks blind spot. The 2021-22 deer season is a wrap, and some big whitetails fell between the opening and closing bells. I tried to post the video but it didn't work. Right after Deckard settled in, he spotted the buck in the corn running away from his fathers blind and down into a ravine. All thanks to the good Lord above.". But on Sunday morning it was just me and Dad. seizing and destroying hunter-killed deer brought in . Brian Butcher shot a deer with massive antlers, but he won't let that give him a big head. 3,757 likes. I think Herman was already dead by the time I killed mine.. The illegal killing of a trophy deer in Northern Kentucky led to the arrest of a hunter, Kentucky officials said. However, that isnt always the case. Jason Kline has spent much of his life chasing whitetail deer. The next morning, Sept. 4, brought cool weather and light southerly winds. "I ventured away from deer hunting because of my passion for waterfowl hunting, but there's nothing like harvesting a buck with a bow. I've filmed a lot of deer hunts. Speaking of city deer is that fort Mitchell deer still kickin. If we dont hear about it from the public, then we dont know that theres a case to be made, Gray explained. Settle steadied the bow. The hunt started off slowly, and Kirkpatrick didn't see a deer for the first several hours on stand. We finally found the other side in mid-March. However, his obsession and hard work were ultimately what put us on Sasquatch. "The farm hasn't been bowhunted for five-plus years. Put in his scenario, we would have done the same thing. He continued to get trail camera photos in 2019 and 2020, and even had numerous in-person encounters that were foiled by farmers or trespassers. A total of 159,962 deer were harvested. Giant bucks on opening day were taken by Kentucky bowhunters Jamison Standard and Casey Reed. Ed Arkenau, his son, and their friend Cole had hundreds of trail camera photos of a particular buck in 2019, 2020, and 2021. By mid-October he was gone again, so we started scouting the area with cameras trying to find him. He even started hearing loud music. He was very visible. He eased toward a stand on top of a ridge that tapers down to a soybean field. He turned his head in my direction and turned it back straight. Another field and drain stretched out behind him. Settle says the impressive whitetail has at least 57 scorable points and rough-scored it at 289 5/8 inches B&C. Read Next: Shed Hunting: Secrets of the Shed Masters. Winchester's Nathan Robinson talks features with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. I had an incredible year in 2021, from my dad and I taking trophy-class mule deer on a DIY public land hunt in Wyoming, to killing a buck of a lifetime near home. Hornady's Seth Swerczek goes in depth about the new cartridge with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. At 200+ inches, Huffman's deer becomes the new Kentucky state record for typical bucks taken with a crossbow. Gordon Whittington heads north to his personal Missouri farm for some crossbow action. I thank God that I got to experience the hunt with my dad and to celebrate it with my wonderful family. My dad, Luke (my brother) and I enjoy hunting public land all over the country. There was a wild sapling pushed right up against the trees on the weed line. Beach was ecstatic. This big buck had historically spent the early and late seasons on the Arkenaus property, and spent the rut elsewhere. Kentucky hunter Daniel Deckard didnt expect to start his deer season with an injury, but thats exactly what happened. The fence is broken down right there, and I couldnt see it from where I was.. Only two racks have ever scored higher, and those were both from deer that were found dead in non-hunting situations. Date of Kill: Aug. 22, 2021. A couple friends helped Taylor recover the deer. On opening afternoon, the buck walked in front of Deckards fathers hunting blind, but he wasnt there to kill it. "My heart about beat out of my chest as I watched him make his way in my direction," Standard said. I mean, these guys are so tricky and sneaky.. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Records of North American Whitetail Deer is available for $60 on the Boone and Crockett Club's website; B&C Associates receive a 20% discount. I drive down the bypass all the time and me and my cousin once counted 10 in that grew up ditch at one time. The large soybean field was surrounded by hardwoods, and he was hunting on a peninsula of timber that protruded out into the field. Then, after seven or eight bucks walked through, he spotted giant antlers moving through the timber. This year, while Saturday's number of 20,263 was lower, hunters made up for that on Sunday with 12,126 deer harvested, for a total of 32,389. Here are there stories of those giant bucks. Sasquatch officially has 15 scorable points that make his gross score 193 0/8 inches. Then, the buck started to turn. But the buck took a full step to the right. It was cloudy and cool on Sept. 5. It was on Sept. 4 when Jamison Standard and Casey Reed tagged two of the biggest deer from opening day. Eastons first deer 2021 Posted: 3/19/2022. I heard the same story as you. Then, around 7 a.m., the big deer walked out, and Ed took the 25-yard shot. Your honesty about the situation is more impressive than this genetic freak's antlers. He hung around on the side near camp catalpa last year. Subscriber Services. He drew back, anchored, settled the pin and took the 42-yard shot. "My dad raised me to love deer and turkey hunting," Reed said. Hornady's Seth Swerczek goes in depth about the new cartridge with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Figuring the deer was around 8 years old in the fall of 2020, Kline had been hunting Herman since he was 4 or 5. That number includes about 12,000 bowhunters who registered 3,000 deer. "I could tell he would not get as close as the other buck, but would be crossing my shooting area, so I referenced my orange survey tape.". 4 pointer killed in butler co while hunting with pappy Posted: 11/26/2022. "I still can't believe that I was blessed enough to harvest this mature buck," Reed continued. Jason Kline shows off the beast that he hunted for nearly a decade. That includes the Missouri Monarch and the Hole in the Horn Buck. 'I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,' hunter Neal Kirkpatrick said of the 211-inch [gross] whitetail he killed in late September. 211-Inch Bluegrass Giant Hunter: Neal Kirkpatrick Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Daviess County, Kentucky Method: Compound Bow Score: 211 inches (unofficial gross score) Kirkpatrick arrowed this buck in late September, which is a time when most hunters struggle to pattern deer. However, when Keating found a small hole in the bucks left ear, the illusion of this being a free-range deer started to disappear. You must log in or register to reply here. I rarely hunt with a firearm.". Fortunately for Kirkpatrick, a cold front had recently passed through, spurring deer movement. I came in on his left rear flank.. Just $1 per month , Jason Kline spent years chasing a giant non-typical buck he had named Herman. Everything in my body at that moment wanted to give up, he says. Harvest Comparison by Year. It was broadside and slightly quartering away from Settle. That would be the only time Kline ever spotted the buck from the stand. Neal Kirkpatrick started hunting deer at the age of 9 and credits his grandfather with getting him into the outdoors at such an early age. What is the Most Important Factor in Whitetail Nutrition? Clark's huge buck carried 23. Hope that's not the case cause I would like to see some better pics of it. My dad, Luke, family friend Jason Divita and I covered miles almost every day, and we found one of his sheds in late January. Browning Ammunition has two big-game hunting loads new for 2023 that are effective on a wide range of species: the Max Point and Silver Series. Then, the big deer came back out, now concealed by a bunch of weeds. Before daylight, Standard slowly eased along a low-impact entry route and slipped into his treestand undetected. 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