Lightning had struck him for the third time! I saw him on camera in 2013, and he had grown a tremendous amount. At just about any time I could have gone and seen him a mile away in a bean field. The wind was just right for the spot he wanted to hunt. A little after 5 p.m., we heard running from the creek bed behind us. He missed. Buster was a magnificent animal and exceeded our expectations, Kamps said. It was sunny and 40 degrees with a north-northwest wind. . He was 28 yards, quartering away, when he stopped. In fact, going into 2013 he'd shot two net Boone & Crocketts: one a non-typical scoring over 200, the other a typical from public land. It was very warm for November, extending upward of 70 degrees with a southeasterly wind. I heard a deer walking up the hill in the leaves grunting as he walked, Kamps said. It broke the 50-year record held by the #2 Spot! The G3 on the right had three stickers and the left G3 had two. The Boyett buck sits at . 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. Not only that, but he also got the biggest buck killed in Arkansas during the 2008-09 deer season. Mississippi Sportsman Frequently Asked Questions, Mississippi Sportsman Big Buck Photo Contest. Put everything together and you have a gross 9-point frame score of 193 6/8. Check out these 10 monster bucks that were taken throughout the country. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. I started getting pictures of him on my cameras. 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. However, when it happened, he was focused on finishing the job. Did I gut shoot him? I shot and put the arrow at the back of the ribs, and it went through everything important.". His summer and winter ranges didnt change much. Lefty was gone., Then, our family received news that rocked me to my core, Lee said. I was trying to get another arrow in him, but he kind of flopped over in some brush and I couldnt get another [shot] from the stand.. By the fall of 2013, Ryan was enrolled at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Lefty showed up on camera after a long Tennessee rifle season.. Again, Moreland tried to call his buddy with the tracking dog again, but couldnt reach him. Once there, they followed blood and found the deer in a logging road about 75 yards into the tracking job. A native of Hattiesburg and graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Cleveland lives on Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson with his wife Pam. The gross score evidently makes this the highest-scoring wild whitetail ever harvested on professional video. Ryan estimated the deer now was 7 1/2 years old. Hes got a lot of stickers and stuff.. Bucks this big dont get that way by being stupid. He grabbed his bow, drew back, settled the pin, and took the 22-yard, broadside shot. There was an additional sticker off the left main beam. I called my dad and said, 'It's over. I hit it four times, pointing in each direction once.. He had cameras at the private hunting lease he hunts with his brother, Josh. Skis are easily the most efficient way to cover snowy ground on foot in winter. Ryan says, "I could have killed this deer with a rifle if it had been legal. The arrow hit its mark, and the huge deer ran down into a ravine. Well, not so in this situation. Then there were the two drop tines, with the longest being 7 inches off the left beam. Ryan was shooting a 2-blade Rage broadhead. That beat the record set by Ayecock in 2015 with a Drew County buck . The buck ran about 35 yards, and Lucas watched him fall. And dont forget about theMississippi Sportsman Big Buck Photo Contest, which is free and offers great monthly Sportsman Gear prizes. Stacy Fowler -- 212 6/8 non-typical muzzleloader kill -- Scott County 2. In addition to the single short drop tine, the deer had two split brow tines one with three splits. The deer closed within range, and Jared took the 27-yard, quartering-away shot. It followed the large doe group and chased one of them into a nearby cattle working pen. . To our knowledge, no one had seen this buck, and there are no trail cam pictures of him, Hooper said. Contributor Brad Fenson takes to the grill, to cook up some delicious venison burgers. Discover the Most Dangerous (Deadliest) Animals in Arkansas; WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. I couldn't get a shot.'. Jurassic-era insect found near Arkansas Walmart . He was 19 inches wide.. I was super excited. The action was fast and furious right from the get-go. Watts shot the buck at about 50 yards with a rifle chambered in 6.5mm Creedmoor. I had this weird feeling. Moreland, who always brings his camera along to film hunts, talked to the rolling camera for about 20 minutes before settling into his climber to wait. The buck walked past him inside 20 yards. After the excitement settled, he climbed down, called his friends and waited for them to arrive to assist with the recovery. Supposedly could be the heaviest whitetail ever taken. The day before I killed it, two of my brothers and I were hunting in the same area and they both killed two smaller bucks, you know, like about 100 inches. He'd lost a split G-2, but he'd grown a drop tine and matching split brow tines.". He has trail . Mike Clerkin heads to Buffalo County, Wisconsin to bowhunt whitetails. This was one buck that didnt have ground shrinkage, but had ground growth, he said. It's a mirror-image 180-inch mainframe 4x4 with 34 inches of non-typical points. This is one big deer. The whole time I was in the stand waiting for my brother, I was sitting there thinking that I would go and find just another of those 100-inch 8-points and that Id been seeing things. Where Lefty was bedding this day was almost impenetrable, so I opted to take a turkey seat and hunt off the ground.. I took a picture and texted it to my dad. That anxiety would have been a lot worse had he known the full extent of the bucks antlers. Location: Calhoun County, S.C. He threw up his head and was looking around. Amazingly, the doe blew past and hurriedly got on the upwind side of Ryan and stopped. He never looked back; he just kept walking. Read other stories about big bucks killed this season by clickinghere. Matt Reed tagged his biggest whitetail buck ever on Kentucky's September 3rd archery opener, after eying the buck all summer. Around 6:55 p.m., this giant buck stepped out of the cover and walked toward him. Knowing it wasnt a great shot, Johnathan called a buddy who had a tracking dog. Bottles & 12-oz. Although the arrow hit a little high, striking the spine but went through both lungs. I had a good shot at about 150 yards, and I put the crosshairs behind the last rib on my side and took the shot.. Michigan: 31 deer per square mile. It ran 177 yardsan incredible distance for a deer with a 190-grain broadhead inside of him. It later taped out at 186 3/8 inches. "At this point I started trying to kill him," Ryan notes. On Nov. 1, Moreland got a later start than he had planned, and didnt get to his stand until 12:30 that afternoon. Jonathan Moreland grew up hunting with a compound bow until, one day, he saw one of his fathers old recurves hanging on the wall. but then, within seconds the archer heard him crash to the ground. Much to his surprise, he turned, and there stood Lefty about 70 yards away. We estimate he was 7 1/2 years old. Ryan hunted the buck all season but saw him just one time from the tree stand. He was truly the deer of a lifetime.. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. It was another doe, and the big buck was right behind her. After 38 years of hunting, the dreams of a Booner finally came true, Jared said. He had a little standoff with the 10-pointer, with them grunting at one another. Deer. Moreland, with his Arkansas archery buck. He charged in out of nowhere. Hubert Collins' beast is the biggest buck you've probably never heard of, and one of only two typical whitetails in the Pope and Young top 10 that are not from . Weve been hunting that lease for about four years and the best weve done is a few 100-inch 8 points and maybe 110 or 120. At this point hes probably 30 yards, and this one doe starts stomping, so he turns and starts walking toward them.. We purchased more cellular trail cameras. Knowing I couldn't even come to my knees without breaking the little concealment we had, I decided to lie on my left side, using my left elbow for as solid a rest as could be achieved within the slight incline of the old fencerow. Dad came alive. and the buck followed. Ryan Sullivan was only 19 when, during the 2013 season, he arrowed an Arkansas buck of gigantic proportions. That's based on photos from 2010, when he clearly wasn't over 3 1/2. "My dad started taking me as soon as I could climb a deer stand. Arkansas Hunter Falls From Tree Stand After Arrowing the Biggest Buck of His Life. Nick continued to watch several bucks harass does throughout the morning, but chose not to take a shot at them. Thats when the strap on the stick broke.. Although he doesnt remember the fall, he does remember picking himself up, walking over to the buck, and putting another arrow in him. Official B&C measurer Glen Salow came up with a 'green ' gross score of 258 7/8 inches. The deer ran about 200 yards and crashed. In fact, he wouldnt be able to see the slain 163-inch buck until the following afternoon when his friend brought the deer to the hospital parking lot. From there it was probably a five-minute ordeal, and he worked every scrape that young 8-pointer had worked, Watson said. "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. Stan Potts doubles down in Montana and Wyoming. Rather, there's a short muzzleloader/shotgun season. Now 25, hes taken three whitetails, all over 140-inches in the last 15 years. As I entered the road where hed been, I started looking in the direction he ran and immediately saw him lying there, he said. The shot was 25 yards and I rattled him" into range, he said . Ryan's buck had the genetics and nutrition to continue to skyrocket. Soon after daylight, a spike and small 8-point walked out. Before the hunt, Lance and his dad were talking and couldnt decide on which stand to sit. I saw a big-bodied deer with extremely wide antlers that day, too, but I thought it was just a 6-point. Which begs the question: Why arent more bird hunters using them? His father passed away in October. Its hard to put into words. In the end, Josh walked right up on the buck. His late grandfather started JJ Ranch in 1961, but passed in 2009, and its been worked by the family ever since. What Hooper found was a 205-pound buck with long, thick main beams. The 34,000-acre lease is owned by a timber company, and is broken into smaller, huntable pieces. When it walked into the open, she touched off the 75-yard shot. This season, Murdaugh had the opportunity to cash in some of that knowledge on a huge whitetail. With his head down, did I hit an antler? I didn't know he was 214. Even so, I didn't figure that would matter if I aimed at the right spot and squeezed off a clean shot. I turned in his direction and prepared to shoot. 3 Men Cited for Poaching 34-Point Buck. By 2021, there was no doubt this was the largest 4x4 hed ever hunted. From the Los Angeles Blade, December 12, 2022: Meet the Bisexual Wife of Pennsylvania's New US Senator. The latter was a perfect candidate for the first-time hunter, so Ryan directed his cousin to shoot the smaller deer. "I've always loved deer hunting," the young sportsman says. The larger buck snort-wheezed twice. Jake Murdaugh is a rancher who spends much of his time living the agricultural lifestyle. The doe, however, wanted nothing to do with her pursuer and jumped into a nearby pond in an attempt to flee the buck. 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. 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. The buck was as massive as he'd looked on camera, and the biggest Moreland had ever killed. The area I hunt is really brushy and thick, and I couldnt get a good, clear shot. As I walked up to him, it started dawning on me how big the left horn was. By now the deer was a huge 9-pointer that grossed over 160 inches. 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. The big buck was right behind her. He stopped in a small group of persimmon trees to catch his breath. Lefty fell right there. A friend killed a big buck that he entered in the Big Buck Classic, and Watts said the bigger buck was running with it. Dr. James Kroll and Haynes Shelton explain why it's important to know your neighbors when operating a smaller deer property. This buck means a lot to me because of my grandaddy, Jimmy Hill, Lance said. I only saw him one time on stand while bowhunting in 2011, and he skirted around me at about 60 yards.". I've got to be in the stand.'". With a net non-typical score of 212 6/8 it is also our largest whitetail ever taken with a muzzleloader. He finished the season with 11 encounters, but passed the buck each time in hopes of it living another year. As part of the BuckVentures field staff, they understand whitetails, and it came as no surprise when this 5-year-old deer fell to a Reed. Ryan didn't bother taking his bow that day, as he'd been hunting for seven straight days and hadn't seen the big deer once. Hall sure did. To our surprise, nothing. Eventually, a doe walked right between the two challengers. Copyright 1998 - 2023 Mississippi Sportsman, Inc. All rights reserved. He was bowhunting from the ground with some natural brush around him. Deer: Balancing Expectations for Small Properties, Get to Know Your Neighbors for Better Deer Herd Management, Big Buck Profile: Reid Crawford Kansas Buck, Choosing Correct Magnification for Rifle Scope, Big Buck Profile: Troy Metzger's East Illinois Giant. 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. 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. Hall hunts some swampy ground, and some of it is navigable by water. It was bittersweet. "I was standing there holding my Mathews Helium bow, and my knees were knocking," Ryan remembers. The buck took three steps and bounced back. Arkansas deer usually score around 120 to 130 inches, Moreland says. Many mallards were saved during his absence from the flooded timber. For several years, however, he gave up most of his duck season to lock horns with the world-class buck. He used briars and small cedar trees as cover as he went. My thermals would be rising. The one on the right was 4 inches. Ryan went back to school for the next week of class heartbroken over the buck having busted him. 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. About an hour into the afternoon hunt, a doe appeared about 100 yards away and walked down through the finger of trees. At daybreak a doe busted through the cedar thicket with an eight-point suitor following close behind. He went right to where the doe had been, then turned to follow her.. I remember telling them, 'It's going to be a perfect morning in the morning. During the summer of 2019, the big buck appeared regularly in a few fields close to where Hall hunts. Hunting with her CVA Cascade chambered in .308 Win., the buck was well within range. It ran about 50 yards and expired in the middle of the open field.While the buck scored 166 inches, it was the character that impressed her and others so much. He was hunting near a pond and a small field. I enjoyed every day of the hunt, but being successful with this buck made it a hunt I will remember forever, Mullina said. 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 . Even though he was in the tall weeds and stuff, I could see his body and his vitals. Morelands brother, Josh, had been headed to hunt himself when he heard Johnathan hollering in celebration, and went to investigate. The buck was as massive as hed looked on camera, and the biggest Moreland had ever killed. He went ahead and came in to stay with his doe, and I got the shot off quickly.. The rack gross scores 214 1/8 and nets 212 1/8. . 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. He posted trail cameras, and confirmed it was him. The agreement has not been finalized . 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. Countrywide, it isnt often you get to hunt in August, let alone with a rifle. Purdue clinched the Big Ten regular-season title outright earlier in the day when Illinois beat Lance Hill's South Carolina Stud. It netted 209 0/8 Boone and Crockett, but grossed 216 2/8 B&C before the mandatory, 60-day drying period. Men are terrible with sharing their emotions. And he was this time., My emotions were not what I had thought they would be in this moment, Lee continued. County: Hunter: Date : 221 1/8: non: Washington: Richard Little: I had no idea the journey our family was about to embark on with this deer, Lee said. Beka Garris The bucks probably started thinking about the looming rut just ahead. Fortunately, when Hooper reached the spot where the deer had been standing, he spotted the body in nearby brush. After a while, he looked for the deer and recovered his buck. One day, while Lee was with him at his house, his father confirmed his fears. A hunter in St. Louis County, Missouri, found the B&C world record in 1981. HUNTING TIPS OF A REAL PRO. James Kroll and Haynes Shelton talk about being realistic when it comes to managing a smaller deer property in this edition of Dr. Hunting public land, he killed a buck in the Natural State that would make a Midwesterner swoon. Spencer Neuharth Mar 1, 2021. I hunted him hard all of 2020, but he disappeared mid-October. But thats life in Hills part of South Carolina, and last season, a big deer was waiting for him. [], This is an easy two pot meal, one for the venison stroganoff and one for the starch that can be prepared at home or at the camp. A friend killed a big buck that he entered in the Big Buck Classic, and Watts said the bigger buck was running with it. The firearms seasons are only five days collectively. Im thankful for the knowledge he instilled in me in how to hunt big deer.. I couldnt see behind me so Im not sure where he came out from but he was walking up out of that drainage ditch. He was hunting hill country in a 65-acre hay meadow, which was part of the larger 160-acre cattle operation. I killed a lot of deer with a gun before I started bowhunting about six years ago. He said he knew hed hit the buck based on the deers reaction at the shot, but . Copyright 1998 - 2023 Mississippi Sportsman, Inc. All rights reserved. It took a while, but they started to figure things out. We started game planning, dreaming of getting close to this magnificent animal.. He still has a deep bone bruise on his left heel and a fractured fibula in his right leg. Whitney Reeds Oklahoma HammerScore: 166 inchesDate of Kill: Nov. 23, 2021Location: Garvin County, Okla.Weapon: CVA Cascade in .308 Winchester. Did I hit him in the leg? He hit hard, fracturing a bone in his right leg and . 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. 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. I was trying not to pass out. 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. "The doe saw me and started blowing. I shot a giant, not only with the body size, but the headgear to boot. I was in the wide open, but it worked out. But the bowhunter was wrong. Alex Laffey, Dion Laffey, and Eugene Heisler, all from Eau Claire, have been charged with multiple wildlife violations. It was my best chance to get a shot at this buck before he got off his pattern.. He stood behind a big pecan tree for about five minutes. 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. Neither can most people who hunt this Southwest Mississippi county, which has produced only one non-typical entry in the Magnolia Records Program, a 174 4/8-inch 10-point in 2011. The limited gun hunting and rich Delta soil combine to make this a hotspot for big deer. It was followed by 10 more does, and behind them was a huge whitetail buck that Murdaugh had never seen. "At least I think there were six. He was coming right towards me. All three deer were within 20 yards, and thats when he heard a fourth deer, then a fifth, coming from the same direction. . However, every year the buck would become much more random as the Delta rut came closer. In no specific order at this time. 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. On Friday evening, Nov. 8, Ryan saw the monster for the first time all season. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. Still, they thought they had a good chance of seeing Spider Man up and on the hoof. I purchased a lifetime license before leaving there.. They followed blood about 150 yards to the downed buck. Arkansas doesnt jump to top of mind as a big-buck destination, but that didnt stop bowhunter Preston Hall. A slight southwest wind swept across the landscape. A week later, deer season opened. What do you think Jimmy would do? Lance asked. Arnold, an environmental engineer for Tyson Foods, is an expert bowhunter who hunts in some of America's most . I do know it was not the deer I killed. Kamps was hunting along some thick bedding cover with steep bluffs around him. Everything about himhis frame, tines and beamis exceptional., Lee Dixons Tennessee TankScore: UnknownDate of Kill: 2021Location: TennesseeWeapon: .25-06 Remington. It was a very sunny day with temps in the mid-50s. Eastern Arkansas farm country is home to a growing number of record-book deer. Its where I untangle my mind., Jason Lucas Illinois WhitetailScore: 168 inchesDate of Kill: Dec. 8, 2021Location: Central IllinoisWeapon: Mathews Triax compound bow. . A few minutes later, his friend, David, who was also in the tree, said he heard something in the bottom. Franz finally killed the deer on an Oct . Cole Hartman, of Dundee, N.Y., arrowed this impressive, 10-point buck on Oct. 31 "on our new property located just in Schuyler County. County Sex Count; Arkansas: Antlered: 1699: Arkansas: Button Buck: 156: Arkansas: Doe: 1410: Ashley: Antlered: 1495: Ashley: Button Buck: 301: Ashley: Doe: 2418 . The buck was at 50 yards and closing. And on Thursday, Myers was found guilty of the . After a while, this deer emerged, and slowly worked toward the blind. 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. Heres a look at 10 of the most flexible long-range hunting cartridges. I was just speechless. Bobby Cleveland has covered sports in Mississippi for over 40 years. In retrospect, Watson believes the buck probably died after the first shot. Subscriber Services. 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. 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. Although leery of making any predictions on the buck's score, the bowhunter knew the rack was considerably larger than the 193-inch sheds. 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. He was set up in a blind along a fence row between two cut cornfields. When the buck is adding 20-30 inches of antler per year, the stakes just keep getting higher. He found the matching sheds of the buck from the year before, and he played his cards just right during the multi-year pursuit. 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. For several years, however, he gave up most of his duck season to lock horns with the world-class buck. 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. I had just built a rifle but hadnt set the scope. The hunt unfolded on Nov. 28. All told, Moreland would see the buck a total of six times before the deer slipped up. The 2021-22 deer season is a wrap, and some big whitetails fell between the opening and closing bells. On Nov. 23, they decided to move in. After the initial congratulations were over, the brothers walked to the spot where the buck had dropped. In the meantime, the Moreland brothers continued their own search. He couldnt retrieve his deer since he had to go immediately to the hospital. This time he got a gross non-typical score of 261 3/8, with a net of 230 7/8. Clickhereto read about other big bucks killed this season. When the buck stopped in an opening about 35 yards away, Watson drew his pin and let go. Photo by: Markus Semmler. The terrain is relatively flat, with large sections of agricultural land, swamps, muddy rivers and blocks of hardwood timber. "Apparently, the buck had put on roughly 50 or so inches from last year," Travis said. Arkansas resident named Stan Whitt, . Deer hunting is my peace. After a while, I decided to make a few grunts with my Primos Rut & Roar, which I had set on mature buck. All Rights Reserved. Ontario, 1977. Morelands arrow went in perfectly through the top of one lung, but hit a rib on the opposite side. He came to 40 yards and stood by a brush pile. The way I see it, this deer was my deer the good Lord made sure of that.. He fractured a bone in his right . The biggest buck entered so far was a 195-2/8" behemoth shot in Drew County, Arkansas. [], This is an easy two pot meal, one for the venison stroganoff and one for the starch that can be prepared at home or at the camp. Indiana: 28 deer per square mile. The buck walked to about 20 yards and started raking tree limbs. The buck was running with another good deer, but a cold front on Oct. 16 split them up.