--- title: "‘He Looked Like a Moose.’ Missouri Bowhunter Rattled This 221-Inch Buck Into 10 Yards" description: "James Fleener caught the buck the massive 221-inch buck in the perfect rut phase, at the right time and place." date: "2026-11-12" modified: "2026-11-12" authors: - name: "Bob McNally" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/bob-mcnally.md" url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/missouri-bowhunter-rattles-in-giant-buck/" categories: - "Big Game Hunting" - "Bow Hunting" - "Deer Hunting" - "Hunting" - "Whitetail Deer Hunting" tags: - "News" --- # ‘He Looked Like a Moose.’ Missouri Bowhunter Rattled This 221-Inch Buck Into 10 Yards ![giant missouri buck]() *Photo courtesy of James Fleener* It was cold and rainy the morning of November 6th in northwest Missouri. But the bucks were in rut chasing does, and dedicated bowhunter James Fleener was in his tree saddle long before daylight on a 320-acre hunting lease he has with his brother-in-law. “I hunted the spot the evening before, and it was ideal,” Fleener tells Outdoor Life. “I knew there was a giant buck in the area. I had lots of trail camera photos of him. I felt good about that place. I left my saddle stand, climbing sticks and bow in the woods that night to return the next morning prepared for an all-day sit.” Well before daylight he was in a Latitude Outdoors saddle that he used for the first time this year. For him it’s been a hunting game-changer. “I’d hunted that deer about a dozen times, and moved slowly and quietly into the area where I figured the bucks were pushing does,” says the 26-year-old bowhunter from Lawson, Mo. “I’d hunt a spot, then move 100 yards or so to another place, and get my saddle up in another tree fast and quiet.” ![giant buck on trail camera]() *Photo courtesy of James Fleener.* The little maple tree that Fleener hunted from that November 6 morning was near a small pond with a grassy ditch feeding it. That created a natural funnel for deer, and at first light he started seeing does and small bucks. “I cracked together my rattling antlers and pretty soon a small buck came my way,” he says. “I was watching him come to about 50 yards and I looked beyond him and I saw the big buck through my binoculars about 200 yards off.” The buck was on the prowl, apparently looking for does. Fleener grunted loudly at the big buck, but he was far off and it was raining so the deer never heard it. “I grabbed my rattling antlers and cracked them together as loud as I could,” says Fleener, who owns Mid-Mo Trucking Services. “When I did, his head whipped around and he came right to me at a trot. He came fast around a bean field edge. He looked like a moose coming to me at a trot.” Fleener knew the buck was huge, and looked away for a moment to gather himself, so as not to make a mistake when the deer got in range. “He was coming right to me and fast, so I drew my bow when he was almost 100 yards away so he wouldn’t see me move to draw,” he says. “At 10 yards he slowed down to cross the grassy ditch, and I let my arrow fly. “He jumped but never knew what hit him. He moved away at a fast walk, got behind some cover and I thought I heard him crash, but it was wet and rainy, so I wasn’t sure.” ![giant missouri buck]() *Photo courtesy of James Fleener.* Fleener contacted his good friend Mason Chapman and told him he’d shot a great buck. Chapman was hunting nearby, but he immediately went to help his buddy. About 30 minutes later Chapman met with Fleener and they tracked the buck, which ran only 40 yards before falling dead. “When I first saw him up close I was in disbelief,” Fleener says. “This was the first year I’d hunted that lease, and although I knew he was on the property, I had no idea he was really that big.” **Read Next: [How to Rattle in a Buck, Based on Whitetail Deer Research]()** The 14-point whitetail rough scores 221 inches, with an inside spread of about 20 inches. Its rack has a massive palmated antler, with split points on one side. “I’m going to have a full body mount made of my buck, and I’m still in disbelief about the whole thing. “I caught the buck in the perfect rut phase, at the right time and place.” ## Author Bob McNally has been an outdoor writer since shortly after the earth’s crust cooled. He has written 12 outdoor books, more than 5,000 outdoor magazine stories (including many for Outdoor Life) and more newspaper outdoor columns and features than there are hairs on a grizzly bear.