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. Behind them was a solid 10-pointer, so he stood up and grabbed his bow. This is one big deer. That anxiety would have been a lot worse had he known the full extent of the bucks antlers. Id have him on camera morning and evening. 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. The buck was definitely dead. Taking any deer with a traditional bow is an accomplishment, but shooting a giant buck with a traditional bow can be a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Over the next couple weeks, Watson followed him, moving from spot to spot, but he only caught glimpses on trail cameras. Score: 155 inches. Matt Reed tagged his biggest whitetail buck ever on Kentucky's September 3rd archery opener, after eying the buck all summer. My thermals would be rising. I cant wait to see you again and tell you about this one., Jacob Latimers Kentucky BuckScore: 170 inchesDate of Kill: Sept. 30, 2021Location: Montgomery County, Ky.Weapon: Compound bow. He used briars and small cedar trees as cover as he went. 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. Then, later in the season, he finally crossed paths with the deer one last time. Watson has been bowhunting on his familys 450-acre farm since he was 10. It walked down a trail, turned broadside and offered a 20-yard, slightly-quartering-to shot opportunity. The moment Moreland got photos of a buck with wide, heavy antlers and what looked like 15 scoreable points, he made the decision to target only that deer. So I went ahead and let the bow down to the ground, climbed over and onto the climbing sticks, he says. A slight southwest wind swept across the landscape. The colossal deer has a 25 2/8-inch inside spread, two tines over 13 inches and superb mass. 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. biggest deer ever? So I guess Im back to hunting the 100-inch 8-points, but I know I will be more selective and start passing on the promising ones, he said. A little after 5 p.m., we heard running from the creek bed behind us. Where Lefty was bedding this day was almost impenetrable, so I opted to take a turkey seat and hunt off the ground.. After the initial congratulations were over, the brothers walked to the spot where the buck had dropped. I was trying not to pass out. I was super excited. I couldn't get a shot.'. He was getting photos of the giant, which he would later discover carried a rack scoring over 190. Of course, a multi-year quest for any buck is emotionally taxing. Stacy Fowler -- 212 6/8 non-typical muzzleloader kill -- Scott County 2. Although the arrow hit a little high, striking the spine but went through both lungs. With his head down, did I hit an antler? Yes, the two most giant bucks ever didn't fall to the bullet or arrow of a hunter. It was about 100 yards . Site by Gray Loon. He was running away from me, and it was a snap shot. I knew he was a shooter, but I didnt really see all that he had. The doe came by, and I knew he was fixing to come right past me.". She milled around the stand within 20 yards while the buck stood at 40 yards, antsy. One young buck the family called Lefty frequented the area. Jacob Latimer first learned of this buck during the 2020 deer season. As I entered the road where hed been, I started looking in the direction he ran and immediately saw him lying there, he said. Minutes ticked by, the sun started its visible ascent and Latimers thoughts turned back to the big target buck. That's the beauty of hunting. We werent cutting tracks from Lefty like we had in the past, Lee said. Ryan was shooting a 2-blade Rage broadhead. "But he evaded me. Bobby Cleveland has covered sports in Mississippi for over 40 years. Hunting public land, he killed a buck in the Natural State that would make a Midwesterner swoon. Beka lives on a small Southern Ohio homestead with her husband and three-year-old daughter, Isabella. 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. The day before Halloween, Johnathan saw the buck chasing a doe at 4:30 p.m., but the buck stayed out of range. Fortunately, the boy was able to take him, resulting in a great first whitetail and sparing the big one's life. The buck ran about 35 yards, and Lucas watched him fall. "I keep cameras up nine months of year on the 300-acre block of woods I'm now in charge of managing," he says. However, some just keep growing. He was bowhunting from the ground with some natural brush around him. []. Skis are easily the most efficient way to cover snowy ground on foot in winter. This deer had a track that was undeniable. I called my dad at 7:45 a.m. and told him what had happened." but then, within seconds the archer heard him crash to the ground. So I was pretty nervous when I started that walk across that field.. I still cant believe it. He was 28 yards, quartering away, when he stopped. The first year was challenging, as they had to learn how deer used the property. He was a good-looking, 150-class 10 . There were bucks going everywhere at one time, and I actually shot at another deer and missed. 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. It was a very sunny day with temps in the mid-50s. 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. My dad started taking me when I was three years old. Ryan did have one other encounter with the buck that season, but it was while he was taking his 7-year-old cousin out for his first-ever deer hunt. I shot the exact hair on the deer that I was aiming for, says Moreland. He threw up his head and was looking around. 'I remained in the stand for several minutes to gather my thoughts and calm down, ' Mikell says. No more long nights checking every single cellular picture coming through. Spencer Neuharth Mar 1, 2021. Instantly, my mind started in on me, he said. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. The buck spun and took off into thick cover. In July, Lee found a track that looked like Leftys. The buck was at 50 yards and closing. . "This was one buck that didn't have ground shrinkage, but had ground growth," he said. Throughout the day, we saw a few bucks that I rattled in, one being a nice 4-year-old, Kamps said. Lee, Im not going to be able to hunt with you this year, his father said. He was hunting on the edge of a hayfield between a bedding area and food source. Mississippi County is in the far-northeast corner and borders both Tennessee and Missouri. . Being a right-handed shooter, this was an impossible shot. A coyote ran out of a nearby thicket and spooked the buck past his stand, but with no possibility for a shot. The majority of these came from Maverick (28), La Salle (24), Webb (23), Dimmit (20) and Kleberg (11) counties. It was sunny and 40 degrees with a north-northwest wind. After graduating from college, the West Memphis, Ark., native moved to Jackson in 1992 to begin his career. I finally decided to take a chance and take off work. The deer closed within range, and Jared took the 27-yard, quartering-away shot. When the buck stopped in an opening about 35 yards away, Watson drew his pin and let go. And 11 years later, he is still shooting a trad bow. . Stephen Tucker's non-typical record once the largest hunter-killed non-typical in the country was taken in Sumner County in 2016 and is the fourth largest non-typical of all time. 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.. We purchased more cellular trail cameras. 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. It was overcast with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. We thought that maybe he had been killed, but when we checked cameras [in] mid-February, he had returned in late December. Nick continued to watch several bucks harass does throughout the morning, but chose not to take a shot at them. In 2012, Ryan hunted this deer exclusively. 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. This buck is known as the Missouri Monarch. Jake Murdaugh is a rancher who spends much of his time living the agricultural lifestyle. As I walked up to him, it started dawning on me how big the left horn was. Ryan went back to school for the next week of class heartbroken over the buck having busted him. We estimate he was 7 1/2 years old. But luck was on the side of Kyle Heuerman and his girlfriend Jennifer Weaver when they put an arrow through this 196-inch Illinois brute. When the Washington Blade caught up with Gisele Barreto . "I started getting pictures of him on my cameras. I had a shooting lane through the pine trees. Supposedly could be the heaviest whitetail ever taken. We couldnt believe what we were looking at. I leaned Dads .25-06 against the tree and tried to collect myself, he said. He knew something was wrong. I hunted him pretty hard, but never encountered him.. The state archery record is a 188 5/8 buck from Pawnee County which was killed by Gunner Womack of Morrison two years ago. Non-Typical: 312 inches. Much to his surprise, he turned, and there stood Lefty about 70 yards away. County Sex Count; Arkansas: Antlered: 1699: Arkansas: Button Buck: 156: Arkansas: Doe: 1410: Ashley: Antlered: 1495: Ashley: Button Buck: 301: Ashley: Doe: 2418 . Literally a 600-yard radius. Field Dressed Weight: 431-Lbs. In an instant, the shaft had passed through him. The hunt kicked off with slightly warmer weather, but the rut was just starting, and he hoped for a positive outcome. . He decided to leave work early, hiked into the woods, and climbed the same tree he had done so many times before. Ive been hunting all my life, Murdaugh said. He never looked back; he just kept walking. I took one last look at his antlers, couldnt believe what I was looking at, and then took aim. Chase Watson shot the biggest buck he's ever killed two weeks ago while hunting from a treestand on his family's farm in Arkansas. I took a picture and texted it to my dad. In the meantime, the Moreland brothers continued their own search. I started getting pictures of him on my cameras. "The buck I missed was the sixth one to run through there that morning," said Hooper, a former Jackson resident now living in Benton, Ark. Arkansas resident named Stan Whitt, . They dreamed of another season hunting this big deer. If he had any chance of killing the deer with his 50-pound Toelke Whip longbow, Johnathan was going to have to get the buck in close again. 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And I knew I would get to do some duck hunting, now that the buck was dead. He was hunting an area mixed with crops, hardwoods and thick cover. He logged many days on stand from dark to dark until mid-November. The way I see it, this deer was my deer the good Lord made sure of that.. "I hunted every weekend in 2013," Ryan recalls. The buck had morphed into a world-class bruiser right on Ryan's home turf. After the 60-day drying period, he again taped the rack. Then, a big deer walked out of the timber to his left. It was a long 4-year process, but it paid off.". After the day Id hunt him, he would always show up the next afternoon. This photo isn't great so don't be confused by the extra antler on the bottom left; it's from an adjacent deer . Clickhereto read about other big bucks killed this season. Follow along as the unbelievable story of Arkansas's New Longbow State Record unfolds!Watch as some of the most rare occurrences ever recorded on film during. I said, did you hear my shot? He said, yeah, what did you get? I said, Im not sure but its the biggest Ive ever seen here. All the highlights rushed back in the pre-dawn minutes leading up to legal shooting light. The 200-yard shot hit its mark. Rarely do you see a buck with a drop tine, let alone two of them. I purchased a lifetime license before leaving there.. He went to the mock scrape I set up earlier in the fall and started pawing the ground, Martinson said. March 3, 2023 |Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes, March 1, 2023 |Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes, The story of Preston Halls two-year quest for a monster buck on state ground. This deer is one of the biggest that I have ever seen and one that could hold the record for a very long time! "I got down after 15 minutes and went to the truck and went and brushed in the duck pit," the bowhunter recalls. He wasnt hunting that day so I asked if I could borrow his.. Part of the beauty (and difficulty) of hunting with traditional equipment, is that you have to hunt close. Date of Kill: Aug. 22, 2021. Later, Watson began hunting him two days after the archery season began. Estimated Weight On Hoof: 540-Lbs. Biggest buck ever killed in fl? It later taped out at 186 3/8 inches. 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. I unhooked from the rope attaching me to the safety harness, and I made it two steps down. He arrowed a 5-year-old giant. He bolted and was jumping over treetops in the clear cut and finally after 80 yards he jumped into one last fallen treetop and stopped, he said. 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 stage now was set for him to truly blossom into a world-class trophy. 'I'm sure the entire encounter only took a few minutes, but it seemed an eternity. Whitney Reeds Oklahoma HammerScore: 166 inchesDate of Kill: Nov. 23, 2021Location: Garvin County, Okla.Weapon: CVA Cascade in .308 Winchester. A couple hours later, Kamps returned with a tracking party. Arkansas hunter Tres Jackson took this big whitetail on a muzzleloader hunt in Pope County, Ark. 10. Subscriber Services. 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 farm seems different now. Even though he was in the tall weeds and stuff, I could see his body and his vitals. Several years ago, Lee was able to purchase the property right next to his father, and they both began hunting there. Its hard to put into words. Mississippi Sportsman Frequently Asked Questions, Mississippi Sportsman Big Buck Photo Contest. 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. Everything seemed to be right until the buck slammed on the brakes. Surprisingly, one camera took 50 to 60 pictures of the monster within a few days. The Boyett buck sits at . Knowing the buck was too far away for a shot, Murdaugh carefully stalked down the fence line toward where hed last seen the deer. The deer had fallen, but gotten back up and continued running. They were very happy for me to take this buck. Courtesy of onX Hunt, here are the eight states in the USA with the highest deer density: Mississippi: 38 deer per square mile. After a while, this deer emerged, and slowly worked toward the blind. It's a mirror-image 180-inch mainframe 4x4 with 34 inches of non-typical points. 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. 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. The agreement has not been finalized . Does it get any better than that? The following table contains some of the largest whitetail deer in Arkansas. Discover the Most Dangerous (Deadliest) Animals in Arkansas; WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. A few minutes later, his friend, David, who was also in the tree, said he heard something in the bottom. He was well outside his ears, and one of my brothers saw it, too, and he agreed that it was just a 6-point. Arkansas doesnt jump to top of mind as a big-buck destination, but that didnt stop bowhunter Preston Hall. ", His first knowledge of this deer came in 2010, when Ryan was just 15 and the buck is believed to have been 3 1/2. My brother said, Dude, you just got a B&C buck! Wilson said. It was followed by 10 more does, and behind them was a huge whitetail buck that Murdaugh had never seen. He waited until the deer got behind a tree and started to move, but Lefty heard him, and stopped cold in his tracks. I settled the crosshairs where I needed to place the bullet and steadied the rifle. "The buck was right in the middle of the block of timber. The bucks probably started thinking about the looming rut just ahead. Again, Moreland tried to call his buddy with the tracking dog again, but couldnt reach him. Countrywide, it isnt often you get to hunt in August, let alone with a rifle. Alex Laffey, Dion Laffey, and Eugene Heisler, all from Eau Claire, have been charged with multiple wildlife violations.