Hi, This is my 16 year old son with his first-ever deer with a bow . He has been wanting to hunt all season but with football practice and games he has been busy. I am a firefighter and I work 24-hour shifts so my work keeps me busy. I was at the fire house on a friday nite and Richard called and said he was hunting in the morning all by his self. I said that I would be home by 8 am. I was surprised the next morning when I got home and saw all his gear was gone and that he had walked to our hunting spot. He was back at the house by 8:30 with a big smile we drove over and found this buck 15 yards from his tree.--Richard Miyagawa.
SHARE
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001051.jpg
Hello my name is Garrett Hall and I shot this buck in Maine along with the coyote an hour before in the same tree stand.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001052.JPG
It was the second day of the ’09 gun deer season in Wisconsin and things had been slow beginning back in the bow season. My father and I are dairy farmers so morning sitting is not an option that we have. On this morning when the chores were done we decided to make some small two-man drives. Our first stop showed up nothing, so on to the next. This was a small three-acre woods with a small part swamp. It was a place we never see very much, so hope was low. It was my turn to do the walking. Off I went. I walked down a plowed field toward the woods, as I came over the last little hill I saw this buck and a doe laying in the field about 20 feet from the woods. He was looking back at the woods, and the doe was looking right at me. I put the gun on the buck as he turned to look and made a good shot at 70 yards. He never even rose to his feet. Upon finishing my drive I chased out two more small bucks. It just goes to show you to never give up on slow spots. The buck is a 9-pointer with a 19-inch inside spread. My two kids Colby and Tessa helped me show him off. – DJ Neumann
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001053.JPG
My name is Scott Vuolo and I live in Palos Park IL. I’m in the middle with a 137-inch 10 point which was taken on Saturday, the second day of IL 1st season shotgun 2008. It was taken on 40-acre farm in Kankakee Co. IL with a 12 gauge shotgun. On the left is Mike Zigtema of Monee IL with an 8-point taken on the Friday of Il. 1st Season Shotgun in Will Co. IL. He used a 20 gauge shotgun. Next to Mike is his father Brian Zigtema, of Monee, with a 10-point whitetail taken in Will Co. IL on Saturday evenening of IL 1st season shotgun. It was taken with a .50 cal muzzleloader. Same property as Mike and Dave. On my right is Dave Zigtema of Grant Park IL, with a 9-point whiteail. It was taken in Will Co., IL on Sunday morning of IL 1st season shotgun with a 12 gauge shotgun. Next to Dave is Brad Zigtema, of Monee IL with a mature doe taken with a .357 pistol on Sunday evening of IL 1st season shotgun. This hunt is on film. I started hunting with the Zigtema’s back in 2004 when I met Dave at Crab Orchard Lake during teal season. The Zigtema’s were kind enough to let me hunt their property after the owner of the farm I was supposed to hunt passed away and his daughter didn’t want anyone hunting it. Deer camp at the Zigtema’s is a special time and there were surely some great bucks hanging in their barn this past season. When we took this picture, we all thought that we could be in Outdoor Life!!!!!!–Scott Vuolo
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001054.jpg
I was hunting with my two hunting buddies, Tom and his dad Joe. We knew there was a nice buck chasing a doe nearby. The three of us took different routes to try and sneak on them. I was lucky enough to have taken the right route. First, I saw a doe take off running, the buck was behind her. I grunted at him and stopped him at 40yds. I shot and missed but made my second shot count, a double-lung shot. I never really looked at his rack, so when we tracked and found him close by we were very happy. This deer is the biggest deer I’ve ever shot and has similar rack to a deer Tom and Joe were hunting 10 years prior, that they nicknamed Scooter. It is cool to think I shot a deer that was a descendant of the famous Scooter, a deer I have heard about many times. He unofficially scored 155 inches.–T.J. Swanson
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001055a.JPG
THE ATTACHED PHOTO’S DO NOT SHOW A MONSTER BUCK BY ANY MEANS. BUT WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A DEER DOWN THATS 3 OR MILES FROM YOUR TRUCK? OUR BIKES CAME IN HANDY THIS YEAR BESIDES GETTING US OFF THE MOUNTAIN FASTER. MY SONS HAVE BEEN USING MOUNTAIN BIKES FOR YEARS TO ACCESS TIMBER AREAS OWNED BY PRIVATE TIMBER COMPANIES. MANY OF THE ROADS ARE CLOSED TO MOTOR VEHICLES.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001055b.jpg
ON OPENING DAY (OCT. 03 2009) AROUND 8:00 AM MY SON NATHAN GOT HIS BUCK, A 3×2 BUCK. NATHAN HAD IT ON A POLE TO CARRY OUT BY THE TIME I GOT TO WHERE HE WAS. WE CARRIED IT APPROX. 1.5 MILES ON THE POLE, THE REST OF THE WAY ON OUR BIKES. IT MADE FOR AN INTERESTING PHOTO. IN THE PHOTO IS MY SON (LEFT)NATHAN PARKS, HIS DEER A 3×2 BUCK, AND (RIGHT) MARVIN PARKS. NOTE: IF YOU USE MOUNTAIN BIKES BE SURE THEY HAVE SHOCKS. MY OLDER BIKE DID NOT AND LAST YEAR I DAMAGED THE NERVES IN MY HANDS FROM THE ROUGH ROADS. MARVIN D. PARKS
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001056a.jpg
Hunter: Chance Wait
Age: 14
Location: Moundville, Missouri
Size: 202.4 lbs field dressed – 13 points – Whitetail On October 31, 2009 at around 4:00p.m. my dad and I went to sit in my deer blind so I could take advantage of Missouri’s youth deer season. It was warmer than normal and the rut seemed to have started a little earlier than usual so we felt this would be the perfect chance to hopefully see the buck that I shot at, but missed towards the end of deer season last year (2008). Man did I get excited when after being in the deer blind for only 45 minutes my dreams came true! He came out of the timber about 100 yards to my left and started working over a tree rub. I was getting very pumped up and wanted to take my shot then, but remembering last year and my miss I convinced myself to wait for a closer shot because the buck did not seem to be in a hurry. Luckily, he finished with the tree, turned and started walking almost straight towards me! He got to about 50 yards and started to quarter away towards some does to the Northwest and with one shot that passed cleanly through both lungs I had fulfilled my goal that I had set for myself at the end of deer season last year! He weighed 202.4 lbs field dressed and has 13 points. To add to the excitement my dad was able to get the hunt on video tape and my buck won the Vernon County big buck contest and I won a free shoulder mount. I love second chances!
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001056b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001058a.jpg
Alan Long of Advance, Mo was hunting on opening day of firearms deer season near his hometown. “I got in my stand at 5:15 a.m., and at daybreak I started seeing a few does and small bucks. I did see another nice 8-point buck at about mid-morning but didn’t want to force the shot because of so much thick cover. At 3:00 p.m. this nice 10 point with 2 kickers (one is 1/2″ and one is 1″ long on both G2’s making it 14 points altogether), presented himself for a shot opportunity. I shot him at about 55 yards with a .300 w.s.m. The deer was estimated at 250 lbs and has a green score of 176 2/8″ Boone and Crockett. It has 5 4/8″ bases and was 4 5/8″ at the G4’s. This is an awesome deer for southeast Missouri, for most bucks are 100″ to 120” eight pointers. Making the deer even more special were the “bladed” G2’s that were both over 12″ long and carried those two kickers on each G2. He also had 10″ brow tines. It was well worth not moving out of my stand from 5:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.!–Alan Long
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001058b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001059.jpg
I shot this buck on the second to last day of the 2009 Minnesota rifle season. The weekend had been rainy and the hunting hadn’t been very good. Having already seen deer the weekend before I had last pick of the stands. I was watching a hayfield adjacent to a swamp and a doe and fawn had already come out to feed. About 15 minutes before dark this buck came out of the swamp into the field. When I saw his rack I started to get realy excited but told my self not to look at his rack and to concentrate on making a good shot. I shot him and when he went down I really got excited! I was shaking so bad the boards in my stand were rattling! He was a mainframe eight with inch-long points on the G3’s making him a ten. At the local taxidermists shop they said he would probably score around 140.–Joseph Schmit, Age 16
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001060.jpg
I have only been hunting whitetail deer in Iowa for four years. I took this Pope and Young deer with my Mathews bow on public land. It was my 26 day out in the tree stand. I had let smaller bucks go by, for they did not meet my criteria. Each year I said my buck had to be bigger than last year. I have not had it officially scored yet, still waiting for the drying period to end, but my taxidermist did a rough score and put it around 180. If things go according to plan and I do not get into this years photos, next year for sure?–Rich Hillmer
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001061.jpg
Hi, This is my 16 year old son with his first-ever deer with a bow . He has been wanting to hunt all season but with football practice and games he has been busy. I am a firefighter and I work 24-hour shifts so my work keeps me busy. I was at the fire house on a friday nite and Richard called and said he was hunting in the morning all by his self. I said that I would be home by 8 am. I was surprised the next morning when I got home and saw all his gear was gone and that he had walked to our hunting spot. He was back at the house by 8:30 with a big smile we drove over and found this buck 15 yards from his tree.–Richard Miyagawa
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001062.jpg
Buffalo County Wisconsin
October 10, 2009 BIRTHDAY BUCK ( First night of my season)
My wife and daughter had planned a weekend trip over my birthday which allowed me to spend the weekend at my Buffalo County retreat. This was the first time I was going to spend time in the stand this year and my only hope was to see a deer. The stand I chose was 100 yards from a corn field and looked over a heavily used trail on a side hill that had produced some good bucks in the past years. It was 45 minutes before dark when the first small buck came down the trail closely followed by a second–both looking back and then forward again. I was watching their back trail when I saw his antlers move back in the woods. I was able to glass this buck for a minute and kept thinking my season will be over after the first night. He stopped when he was clear of the woods and was looking back and then forward when I realized I was looking at a 20-inch wide 8-point buck. How do you pass on a 20-inch wide whitetail, he would be a trophy to most hunters. I drew back and waited for him to enter my shooting lane……My Wisconsin archery season was over after the first night in a stand. – Eugene Mancl
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001063.jpg
My Father and I have never shot bucks in the same year, much less big bucks on opening morning.–Rich Schultz
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001064a.jpg
These are photos of my son Dakota Danner’s first deer. He is 13 and it was his second season hunting. Last year he missed a doe. Since Dakota started hunting last year, he and his dad were competing for the first mountable buck. His dad shot an 8-point, 198-pound buck on opening morning and was planning on mounting it. On Sunday morning Dakota saw a buck but he didn’t know how big it was. This was probably a good thing. He was excited and nervous. After shooting the deer he hollered for his Grandpa because no one answered their cell phones. You could hear him hollering “Grandpa I got a deer and its a buck.” The deer was shot on opening weekend in Chetek, Wisconsin. Dakota’s buck was 11 points with an 18 3/4-inch spread, live weight approx 220 pounds. His dad’s 8-point rack fits inside of Dakota’s rack. Technically my husband won the bet but Dakota’s buck will be the one hanging in the house. One of the other men in the hunting party said it was the biggest deer he has seen in the area for years.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001064b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001065a.jpg
Here is a couple photos of my 2009 6×6 167-inch bowkill..my trail cameras helped set up the ambush…it was a classic hunt! MT. STERLING, INDIANA (185-pounds field dressed) – Abraham Hall
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001065b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001066.jpg
My name is Darren Cooney I’m from Sylvan Lake Alberta Canada. This picture is of the mule deer I took in 2009. I took this deer in the foothills of western Alberta after a 3 hour hike up to where I’d seen him earlier in the Afternoon. He made the mistake of stepping out in the clear about 20 minutes before dark. My son in law and I had a long night packing him out but he was worth it. I do not have any measurements of this deer as I have not had any of my trophy’s measured people tell me I should get them measured but maybe someday. I did have the skull and horns mounted with my cougar standing over them looks great.–Darren Cooney
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001067a.jpg
Here are a couple of pictures of my grandsons and me. The first picture is myself, the little fella in the middle is 11 year old Jesse Andrews and the hunter with his hands on the nice mule deer doe is 13 year old Jake Andrews. We are from Sylvan Lake Alberta Canada. This is Jake’s 3rd deer as he took a nice doe and buck in 2008.–Darren Andrews
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001067b.jpg
Sorry no measurements on the deer as I have never measured any of the animals that we have taken and just tell the kids it’s not all about the biggest animal but about the hunt and being out together. We get out hunting everyday that we can in Alberta from Waterfowl to all the different big game. I hope you consider one or both of these pictures for deer of the year as I have been a subscriber to Outdoor Life for 30 some years and the boys come over to the house and scoop all my old issues to take them home with them and spend hours reading them.–Darren
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001068.jpg
I would like to consider this buck taken in Jo Daviess County for deer of the year. Jim Donahoe showed great patience as he allowed 20 other deer including a smaller 10-point buck to pass before taking this magnificent animal. Jim and the other five hunters that hunt my farm instituted a buck management plan 10 years ago. Under this plan they only take bucks in the 140 class or above. This plan has paid off as over the last few years the number of big bucks taken and sighted has increased.–Steve Frederick
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001069.jpg
I’ve been a longtime subscriber of Outdoor Life. My 14-year-old daughter, Hallie Epps, of Corpus Christi, TX shot this mature 11 point whitetail buck in Kleberg County Texas on December 5, 2009. She dropped this buck in its tracks at 125 yards using a Win Mag 250. She’s been actively hunting with me and friends shooting her first deer at 9. This will be mounted and added to her mount collections. Last year, she shot her first wild boar, turkey and blue wing teal duck. For Christmas, I surprised her with a Remington .7mm-08 rifle so she can join me to hunt mule deer in the mountains of West Texas. – Robert Epps
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001070.jpg
I still tremble whenever I think about it. It just seems too impossible to believe. I had been hunting the same posted property for five years. During that time, I never had the opportunity to shoot a mature buck until the 2008 archery season. When I finally had my chance, my arrow went high and left. I hit him, but he quickly ran off. I found the broken shaft of my arrow, but I never found the buck. Fast forward to the 2009 rifle season. It’s the last day of the season and I am once again on the same posted property hoping for a chance to shoot a mature buck. It’s getting pretty late in the day and I started to accept that another year was going to go by without me having a shot at a nice size buck. When all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He was amazing. I aimed. I shot. And I missed. He started to run and it was clear that I would only have one more chance to shoot. My hands were shaking so I braced my gun against a tree and squeezed the trigger. About 65 yards into the woods, I found him lying on the ground. He was a beautiful 8-point buck, but the most amazing thing about him was that he was in full velvet. I’d heard of deer in full velvet, but I’d never seen one before. His antlers were magnificent. But my story doesn’t stop there. After tagging him, I took him home and began to cut him up. During that process, I heard my knife hit metal. Thinking it was a bullet, I cut around it to discover it wasn’t a bullet. It was a Muzzy 90 broadhead. Interesting, I thought, that’s the same tip I use when archery hunting……. My heart started to pound when I remembered that, out of laziness, I had stuck the broken arrow from my 2008 hunting trip in my quiver and had never taken it out. I went into the house, located the broken arrow and compared it to the piece of arrow tip in my buck. It was a perfect match. This was the same deer that I had shot, and lost, during the 2008 archery season. My once-in-a-lifetime buck; he escaped me once, but not twice. And I have both the arrow and the bullet to prove it. Hunter: Stephen Munkittrick
Description: 8 points, Full Velvet, ~250 pounds
Place: Towanda, PA
Year: 2009
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001071a.jpg
Austin Chase, age 10, along with his dad, Sean, were on their way for a late afternoon hunt. Austin was out to fill his youth season tag armed with a Knight muzzleloader when they spotted this buck (a main frame nine point with sticker) in a water way between two standing corn fields. With steady rain and wind, they slipped down a corn row into range where Austin made a 75 year shot with open sights. This is Austin’s third deer but first buck.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001071b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001072a.jpg
I finally shot my first buck!!! I shot him around 9 am, with my dad. He was a 7 point with aprox. 17-inch spread. I am very pleased with him.–Liz Popovich
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001072b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001073.jpg
I was in stand for 2 minutes when this deer came in. I was at full draw for close to 5 minutes before he stepped forward to give me the shot. After a tense search, my 7 year old son went through the cedar trees and stated very calmly, here he is and he is huge! He has not been scored yet, but taxidermist estimated he was around 170-inch and 5 1/2 years old. My stand is less than 100 yards from my mom’s back door!–John Ostrom. Dodge City, Kansas
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001074.jpg
It was pouring down rain. An 11-pointer and 8-pointer came into bow range. I took the shot at the 11-pointer with the rain filling up the peep hole. Shot was good. Deer ran 40 yards and lay down. The 8-pointer went and laid with the dead buck. Rough score 136, weight 195.–Danny
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001075.jpg
I set up two stand positions in Kansas this past September. At that time they were good setups per conditions but came November and I could see deer habits somewhat changed–specifically active trails–that proved to put me out of my effective bow range. The November rut was on! I saw good bucks each day during rut but the bucks were beyond bow reach. My setups were not optimal to the conditions. A ladder stand could not produce because of its location from the now active game trails. My other stand option was a pop-up blind taken north to cover me from heavy rains. The pop-up blind being much easier to move was my last resort. I sat in the pop-up blind over a few days and watched numerous does and bucks work a defined area along a ridge line located at the edge of the draw I was hunting. I investigated the spot on Sunday night and discovered a large scrape. On Monday night the monster (to me) buck appeared but was too far out of bow range at 50 yards. I watched helplessly as the buck moved south along the ridge line to disappear into the night. At that moment I decided to move the pop-up downwind and below the active scrape. I also saturated the new blind area with estrous scent as I had done in the old location. On Tuesday night the bruiser reappeared but where my pop-up last sat! I could no believe my luck. The buck caught wind and was keen on the spot where I previously dispensed estrous scent but now a shot was impossible because I had the pop-up windows closed behind me to shield my silhouette. I anticipated the buck coming from the left, but not so as he came in from my right and behind me! Fortunate for me, my pop-up’s new location was between the old scent pad (where the buck now stood) and his scrape. To my good fortune the buck followed his nose to my new scent pad and on course to his scrape. At 10 feet away he crossed in front of my pop-up and the rest is history. This is my biggest buck ever and my first to harvest from a ground blind! The buck measured over 150 inches with impressive mass and length. I’ve since been invited to return to Kansas and try my skills at harvesting another Kansas giant!–Jim Earley
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001076.jpg
Early summer was an exciting time for my son and I. That’s when we found out we drew deer tags in one of the most sought after units in Idaho. Our hunt would open November 1st and run until November 24th right during the time the big mule deer would be in full rut. My son has hunted with me for several years and has been there when I have shot several bucks. But little did he know, there was nothing that I had shot in the past that would measure up to what we would see this November. We started out opening day scouting, glassing and seeing all sorts of game. One of our highlights of the day had to be our numerous sightings of bighorn sheep in which we saw almost every trip out to our honey hole. The first weekend was rather slow, one small buck, close to 40 doe, and the bighorn sheep. We figured it was too early in the rut for the big boys, so we would try the following weekend. All week we had dreams of large bucks. We talked about it as we drove to the mountains. We had a good idea of where would see them, and as the sun came up that morning we had a nice buck in sight. I told my son he had first shot at any buck. At age 13, I wanted him to experience the thrill that I had several years ago taking my first buck. This buck was a nice buck close to 26 inches wide and big bodied. As my son readied his .243 a doe spooked, and they were gone. He was disappointed, but I assured him there would be others in the days to come bigger than that. That afternoon was filled with more doe and big horn sheep. We went home the next day hoping that buck would return tomorrow with a bigger friend. The next day was again filled with many doe and a small 2 point buck. We had almost given up for the day when we decided to give a lower draw one more look. As we came up the trail we saw three doe, but just after them standing on the hillside was a nice buck. My son and I both drew down on this buck. I asked him if he could see him, and he could not. A young hunter often has problems with the eye relief on a scope. Once again I asked him if he could see him, and he said he could see but couldn’t find him in the scope. As I gave him just a few more seconds to find him, the buck started to turn and run. I fired. The buck reared up and fell back down the hillside. I turned to my son and apologized for having to take the shot, but if I hadn’t of shot he would have been gone. He understood it was his inexperience with the scope that caused his problem. As we got back to the pickup with my 26-inch wide buck he said to me, “You know why I didn’t shoot that buck dad, don’t you?” Amazed and stunned that he would say anything like that, I asked, “Why”? “He wasn’t big enough”, he said. “I want something bigger”, he said with a smile. “Game on”, I said to myself. As talking smack to one of his buddy’s he dug on me for a week with that comment. I felt terrible that whole week about shooting that buck out from under him. Little did I know he would have his day. One week later after a night of light snow, we unloaded from our pickup dressed warm for our hunt in the 15 degree weather. I had thought about that draw all week and knew with the snow the bucks would be back in that draw seeking shelter. We traveled further up from the week before and instantly got into game – many doe on one hillside, no bucks. We walked another ¼ of a mile, and I spotted game high on the hillside feeding up into the warm sunshine. Amongst these deer was a nice buck, big at a far distance. I quickly told my son we need to drop back down wind and work up hill to a rock ledge level to the deer to set him up for a shot. It took us about 15 minutes to do so, but we were out of sight, and the deer had no idea we were even there. It was just like the hunting shows on TV. We were perched amongst the rocks glassing all the deer feeding on the hillside watching this big buck chase a few doe. As I had my son find a good rock to rest the gun on, I watched the buck move from doe to doe, waiting to give him a good shot. As the buck finally tired and went back to feeding he went broadside for my son to take a shot. As I gave him the go ahead there was a long pause, I felt something on my leg. It was my son’s leg just shaking against mine. I asked if he was cold, or just nervous? His response was quick and to the point, “I’m nervous dad! I don’t want to miss this big buck!” I quickly assured him take a deep breath and said, “You have a good shot. Just squeeze the trigger lightly.” Boom! The hillside came alive! There were more deer scattered across the hillside than I thought. Close to twenty doe and a small forked horn ran up the hillside. My son asked, “Did I get him?” But the buck hadn’t moved an inch. I told him to quickly reload and fire again. Boom! The buck still stood there motionless. As I looked again through my glasses amazed that he hadn’t fallen, he took three steps and laid down. I knew it was over. My son was so excited. As we waited for a moment we took the range finder out of my pack, and discovered that he was at 248 yards when he shot. What a great shot for a younger hunter! We trekked over to the buck, and my son came alive with emotion. This was a big non typical buck 25 inches wide. He started counting points, and I knew I was in trouble. He got the bigger buck! I had him beat in width, but this nice 3×5 non typical buck just set the bar extremely high for my 13 year old son to top in the years to come. As we headed out of the canyon with his trophy, I once again spotted three Big Horn Sheep looking down from a high ledge. We stopped and watched them, and I thought to myself about how many memories we have made this year together hunting in this great state of Idaho. Josh Kratzberg – Age 13
Kevin Kratzberg – Father
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001077.jpg
My son Lukas Huggins, 14, shot this 19-inch wide, 4×4 Whitetail buck in Oregon with his Traditions .45 cal. Hawkins Muzzleloader. This is his first whitetail buck and Muzzleloader Harvest. After many previous attempts at other bucks, Lukas made a two-hour stalk and ended up making a very good shot on this buck.–Ed Huggins
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001078.jpg
My name is Matt Donlon. I am 14 years old. I harvested my first deer this year. November 18. Opening day of Connecticut shotgun season, private land. At the same time last year three deer walked passed me, but I got buck fever and didn’t get a shot. I didn’t see anything else that year. This year, though, I was determined to fill my tag. I got in the stand about half an hour before sunrise. An hour later, 7:10, I saw a large buck about 40 yards away. His neck was swollen and outstretched with his nose tight to the ground sniffing for a hot doe. I took a deep breath, raised my Mossberg 12 gauge pump, aimed and fired. I knew it was a good shot. He turned 90 degrees and ran about 100 yards out of site. He dropped in front of my dad who was further north of me. I thought it was a six-point, but when my dad called me on the radio he said it was an eight-pointer. After the longest hour of my life I walked up toward my deer. When I approached the deer I saw how huge it was. When I counted it was a whopping 10 points! It was tough to drag out but we managed. When we got to the check station it weighed in at 165 pounds dressed. It was the biggest deer that day. We brought it to Northeast Taxidermy and I can’t wait until I get it back. I’ve always dreamed of my first deer being big and it came true.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001079a.jpg
This 9-point buck was harvested with a compound bow in Lake County Illinois on public hunting land. It was taken on November 3, 2009. The rack is 18 inches wide and scores about 140. As you can see by the picture, this deer has a huge body and weighed over 250 pounds. All my buddies were at work so as a last resort I called my wife to help me get it out of the woods and in the back of my truck. She doesn’t hunt so needless to say she wasn’t real happy about helping. It cost me several dinners out! With bucks like this running around, it proves that there still is good hunting to be had on public hunting grounds.–Robert Flood
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001079b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001080a.jpg
Hello my name is David Zorzi I am 14 years old I shot this buck this year in the Ruby Mountains with the help of my Dad & Uncle. He has a spread of 26 inches and is a 4×3.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001080b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001081a.jpg
Watching the Ohio State-Michigan football game with my Dad has been a yearly tradition for over 40 years. Instead of being in the woods on one of the hottest days of the 2009 archery deer season in Scioto County, Ohio I was with my 85-year-old dad cheering on the Bucs and feeling blessed that I could enjoy this event with my best friend and the person that taught me the value of the outdoors and hunting. When the game was fairly secure, my Dad said “get going, go get the big buck.” He was well aware of the big fellow I had been watching for the last three years via trail cameras. At that moment finishing the game and celebrating with Dad, his wife Stella and my grandson Aaron was the most important thing I could do. The hunt could wait. At 4:10 p.m I was pushed out the door with an order to be careful hauling the trophy out of the woods…laughter. Because I knew I would be getting in the woods late on this particular day I planned to hunt an area about 300 yards from my house. I chose this area because the deer I was hunting had been caught on my trail camera each of the last three years on November 21. One other significant fact in my favor was that he always showed up a few minutes after 5:00 p.m. I was set up with bow in hand by 4:40 p.m. when nine does seemed to just materialize. They were uneasy and didn’t stay around very long, disappearing as fast as they appeared. I was certain the does’ behavior was not coincidental. Seconds later I heard heavy steps approaching from the creek below only to stop by a main trail 40 yards away. I knew the deer was a few feet from the trail but I couldn’t see a hair, a flick or an antler. After a couple of minutes I thought the deer reversed his trail and was heading back to the creek. I was wrong. He was circling downwind when he stepped into a slight depression that allowed me to see the width of his nearly perfect rack. If he continued the path he was taking he was going to come to an opening 21 yards away where I make a yearly community scrape. At that moment I thought, “I know why bow hunting is hard on old men”. My heart rate had to be 180 and there was no doubt in my mine that the buck could definitely hear the bass drum in my chest. Just for a moment I closed my eyes and thought about watching the O.S.U.-Michigan game with my Dad. That peaceful thought allowed me settled down, come to full draw and open my eyes to see a beautiful mature buck stretching to figure out the various scents coming from the public scrape. I barely remember the release, the sound of the broadhead hitting something, and the deer running as if I merely scared him from a bed. My buck crashed and slid all the way to the creek in the ravine 50 yards away. I am sixty years old and have bow hunted for five years. I hunt on my own property with my nephew Chase Dickerson and my son in law, Craig Felts, both of whom harvested very nice eight point bucks prior to my success. The only accurate literal measurement of my buck’s rack is the 21 inch inside width of the antlers. The way I measured this particular deer was by the spread of the smile the entire story put on the face of my Dad, Arthur Parker Jr.–Randy Parker
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001081b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001082.jpg
Cole Amborn, 14 years old, Bangor, Wisconsin Opening gun in Bangor,Wisconsin was here. It was about 10:30 and I decided to get out of my stand and walk up the hill and meet my dad and brother for lunch at the truck. None of us had seen anything all morning. My dad and my brother had sat together in a box stand while I sat alone in a two man ladder stand. We finished eating and went back into the woods. This time I decided to sit in the box stand and my dad and brother went to another stand about 200 yards away from me. Five minutes into my hunt I turned around and saw a nice buck walk into our shooting lane. I got ready to shoot and I smacked my gun on the side of the stand. The buck looks up blows then stomps. As it was getting ready to bail out I double-lunged it and it didn’t go far. I called my dad and told him the good news. He said he had kicked up a deer and it went over towards my area. The nine-point buck ended up scoring 123 2/8 on the B/C scoring system.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001083.jpg
The opening morning of the Illinois shotgun season was a cold one. Deer movement was starting to pick up at about 8:15 a.m. That is when I turned around from my stand and saw a huge buck staring back at me through the thicket. I sat there motionless until he looked away so I could move. I positioned myself for a shot. All I could see through the thicket was this deers head to the beginning of his front shoulder. He was getting ready to bust out and I squeezed the trigger. I watched him drop. I instantly got on the radio and called my dad, cousin and brother. When they got down and came over to me we all were very anxious. I had no idea that this buck was this big. Opening morning and a big buck on the ground by 8:30 was a great feeling. I haven’t got him back yet but the taxidermist guessed him at high 160s.–Dusty Easley, western Illinois.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001084a.jpg
Brendan McCart, Cedar Hill, MO I was climbing up in my stand the morning of Nov. 1 when i saw this weird whitetail walking through the woods, to my suprise he wasnt spooked and was walking in my direction. I went up the ladder as fast as I could and when I got to the top the deer was right in my lap. He was only 10 yds!!! I knocked an arrow and shot, my 85 Gr. G5 montec hit its mark and the deer ran about 100 yds and fell over dead.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001084b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001085.jpg
It was opening weekend of shotgun season, and we had went in the morning, and I almost shot at a little six pointer, but he wouldnt come within range, so we were back out again that evening. It was a beautiful evening, and we had already decided to go to a different place than we did that morning. So we get there and we were just going to hunt from the ground, but I happened to find a tree and climbed up while my dad and brother went to the other side of the woods and hunted on the ground. Well after probably only about 1 hour or so, I happened to hear something moving in the woods. So as I turn to look, the very first thing that I happen to see is white antlers! I mean I almost fell out of the seat just from seeing the antlers, because he was by far the biggest animal I’ve ever seen in real life. So he came from behind me, and it was unfortunate for me, because from behind (in this tree) was like the only place i didn’t really have a shot. So as i watched him for probably about 4 minutes, I decided to go ahead and try and shoot him, even though i knew moving around would make a whole bunch of noise. So as i turn my body, and swing my leg around, my jacket sticks to the tree, and he freezes. I mean he literally stood there not moving a muscle for probably about 4 to 5 solid mintues. I hit the grunt call and finally after standing on one leg for what seemed like an eternity up in this tree, he stepped out from behind the tree and i took my best shot. He probably ran about 40 yards, and fell over dead. At the time i didn’t see him fall, i could just see where he ran last. I got on the radio, and after nearly falling out of the tree because i was shaking so badly, i was able to radio my dad and tell him the good news. My dad and bother came over, and about halfway through the woods happened to find him, and told me via radio. I was so happy, i started jumping up and down like a little girl, and ran out into the woods, and when i was able to hold him in my hands, i was so happy, i almost cried. It was a day I shall never forget, and probably the happiest day of my life so far. It was the first buck that i happened to kill in my life, and will always be the most memorable one. Hopefully my story wasen’t too long, and i hope you enjoyed it. – Mike Stipes
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001086a.jpg
My name is Abbra Michaud. This is the first deer I’ve ever shot. I’m 23 years old and from Billings Montana. He is a 6X7 muley buck shot at about 200 yards with my Remington 700 .30-06. I got him with one clean shot through the shoulders.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001086b.jpg
I had gone spotting once before and found him in a group of three or four other much smaller two or three-point bucks. Even though I could tell he was a bit bigger I still had no idea just how big because they were all about 400-500 yards away. I chased him around a bit that day but rut hadn’t quite started yet so i wasn’t able to get very close. I ran out of time and gave up that day thinking i would come back and try again later. A few weeks passed and i decided to try my luck again. I was able to find him right away in the same draw as before. This time he was chasing a doe around and not paying any attention. the wind was in my favor and after watching him for 20 min or so i decided to get closer. I swiftly walked over the few hills between him and I until i arrived at the last hill top. He was walking on the hill side oppisite me. He stopped for a split second while watching something in the distance. I immediately dropped to the ground and situated my rifle. I quickly found his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. He reared up violently in the air and took a long plummet down the rediculously large hill he was on. The whole time I was thinking how fun it would be dragging him all the way back up again! At this point I expected him to be a 4 by 5 because I couldnt see the smaller tines. As I walked up around the bush he fell into I could see he was much bigger to my suprise! I couldn’t have been any happier with my first deer! He is beautiful!
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001087a.jpg
I started bowhunting last year, all thanks to my neighbor, Eric, who happen to pick up bowhunting as well (although Eric has gun hunted for years). Eric gave me an old Browning bow to start with and from there I was hooked. Last year I did not have any success, saw very few does and missed 3 (blaming my bow of course….lol). So during the spring, despite my wife’s best efforts, I purchased a new Diamond Justice Bow. I practiced several times during the summer and developed a new friendship with my buddy, Joe, who’s son played on my son’s baseball team. It seemed during baseball we talked more about the upcoming hunting season than we did about baseball. Then tragedy struck. Where I had permission to hunt last year, the owner had a new job, sold his land and moved to Virginia. I knew there was land by me and happened to be practicing shooting from my deer stand when I saw the owner out on his tractor. So, now after asking and gaining new land to hunt on I was back in business. Eric and I knew this area had lots of deer in these woods (which never seemed like it when I was in the woods hunting). Finally deer season is in and I felt as ready as I ever would. Eric helped me place my stand and opening morning there I was perched up in the stand waiting for anything! Then nothing, lots of squirrels, but no deer. After a month of not seeing anything, or the wind wasn’t right, or the deer wouldn’t come in closer than 50 yards, my frustration built. Now Eric and Joe were trying to help me as much as possible. They started to take me along with them to their hunting land. Still no success. I kept blaming the corn for not being down and I was hoping that the “RUT” would come in soon. By now my wife is sick of hearing my ramblings and questioning my bow purchase (we share a great relationship with picking on one another) of 2009. Now it’s the first week of November and Joe calls me, “What are you doing?!” he said. “The rut is in and everywhere I’m driving I’m seeing bucks chasing the does.” So naturally I kept trying to get in my stand as much as possible. The corn was still up and the woods were still quiet. On November 12th I had just had lunch with my wife and I explained that I was going to try and hunt this evening.My wife being the good wife she is said “Today’s your day!!” When pulled into my drive I happen to notice that the corn was finally coming off the field. As soon as I put my truck in park, I jumped in the shower, dressed and moved into the woods. When I reached my tree stand and pulled my bow up and was ready to sit, something didn’t feel right. The wind was hitting the back of my neck. Wrestling with myself on either to move my tree stand or not, I quietly prayed and asked God what I should do? So I felt moved to move my stand. I let everything down out of my stand that I just pulled up, detached the climbing sticks, and moved to a tree that I had my eyes on everytime I sat in my old tree stand site (thinking that would be a good place to hang a tree stand). So finally in place and sweat still on my brow and praying that my Scentlok clothes were doing their job, I opened my bible and started reading. Not even a chapter into Matthews I heard alot of noise and not quick enough to react to it I watched a Doe run right by my stand with a buck in hot pursuit. They ran by me so fast I didn’t know what to do and with that they were gone. I dropped my head and said a silent prayer to please let them come back to me. Not even 5 minutes later, here they came back. I watched as they chased one another around a fallen tree. I decided to grunt at them and the buck seemed to raise his head wondering what he heard. I gave a sort of snort-wheeze out of my nose and followed with a long low grunt. The buck grunted back not moving but the doe kept coming closer. The buck wasn’t following the doe now and man did I think I messed this up by doing my grunts. With the wind clearly to my face, the buck was moving slowly through the brush in the front of my stand and the doe moving on my left hand side. The buck had to smell my scent that I hung in the tree 20 yards in front of my stand (not to mention what I had put on the bottom of my boots as well). My heart was pounding!! I’m looking looking left at the doe, then right at the buck, then back and forth waiting for a shot. I told myself as soon as the bucks head goes behind the tree where I knew he was 20 yards in front of me I’ll draw. With that I drew. I put my 20 yard pin on him and he took one step and stopped long enough for me to release the arrow. With that I watched him run off thinking is my arrow in him? Did I make a good shot? Is there blood? Watching the doe’s reaction now I slowly sat back down, my heart still racing, and then questioning everything I did. The doe seemed to not notice that the buck had run off and bedded down 40 or 50 yards to my left.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001087b.jpg
Anxious to get down out of my stand to look (and learning from past mistakes not to do this) and see if I made a good shot, I slowly calmed down. Looking through my binocs for any sign and wondering what to do next, I just sat and prayed. Now night is falling and the doe being spooked by another buck who had come through I climbed down to look for good sign. I didn’t find it right away. So I placed two calls, one to Joe and the other to Eric. Being the great friends they are both were there within 20 minutes and the second part of the hunt was on. We found a blood trail, then we lost the blood trail, then we had a blood trail, and then we didn’t. Back and forth for about 100 or so yards…. then the blood trail stopped. Eric had to head home at this time so now it was Joe and I looking. We had started circling the woods in the last spot we found blood in. Joe off to my right side whistled and made a come here motion with his hand. I came running at him at him (hearing the noise from my boots) he told me to slow down. With his lantern in his hand he went to the other side of a big tree and kicked what I thought was a log and said ” I thought you told me he was an 8 pointer?!” I ran to the other side and there he was!!! Eleven points, I had to count 3 or 4 times. A hug was exchanged and after dressing him we had to drag him out. I don’t know how much he weighed but I do know that we had to stop while dragging him to an area where we could put him in my truck. Joe later measured him and said he was 128 and some change. Whatever that meant. I just know that I’m still in need of a good name for him. This deer has not only fed my family, but has also fed a family Joe knew that was in need, and the taxidermist I took him to had recently lost his full time job and has been using his taxidermy to feed his family. I believe that God wanted this deer to be a GREAT first time experience and for several reasons that were not in my control. Also the mother of the family that I shared my deer with came back to Joe and told him that the meat she received from him not only fed her but some other families in her church that were in need as well. Due to this I am now hooked for life and hope to help more families in the future. – Brandon Wogan
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001088.jpg
This deer had been on my trail camera for several weeks before Wisconsin’s gun deer season. But with only one daylight photo of him, I wasn’t very confident that I would see him during shooting hours. Then on the third foggy morning of season he appeared just long enough for a double lung shot at about 75 yards. He is a beautiful main frame 10 with a double brow tine to make it 11 points in all. Happy hunting! – Kevin Smestuen
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001089.jpg
Attached is a picture of my very first deer. I had a very unsuccessful bow season here in Indiana, and gun season started off slow as well. I had a lot of missed opportunities and missed shots, but the afternoon before Thanksgiving turned out to be different. I got off work early and decided to hunt a thicket I had been hunting the weekend before without seeing anything. With about 15 minutes of legal shooting time left, I prepared to leave. I received a phone call, and started complaining about not seeing deer when out of the corner of my eye I saw movement. I connected with this beautiful 11 pointer, and my heart started pumping. This picture was taken after I dressed it (myself), tagged it, checked it, and was ready to hang it. It was very cold outside and raining hard while I cleaned it, but it was all worth it for my first deer. The picture only shows a small smile, but inside I had the widest grin in history. – Ethan Thompson
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001090a.jpg
I want to share the experience I had with a buck this season. I first spotted him in September a couple of weeks shy of the archery season. I went to my lease in Young County Texas to fill the feeders and pick up a hog or two. Although it was nice and clear when we left Fort Worth at 3:00AM, the fog had settled over the area of the lease. Around 7:30, the fog began to lift and I could make out the outlines of 3 deer at my feeder approx 100yds out. My heart stopped when my binocs got to him. That’s because I was looking at the widest set of antlers that I’d ever seen in person. I did the only thing I could do, I shot him with my camera as I drooled all over myself. The second encounter with this buck occurred on the third week of the archery season. A decent sized 3.5 year old 7 point practically walked right underneath my bow stand as it headed to the feeder. Perhaps on any other year or place, I probably would have taken him as I had never shot a buck. But since I know what else is around and that we are trying to grow larger bucks on this lease I just sat back and watched him eat. Then before I knew it, my buck came out to the open and presented me with a perfect 20yd broadside shot. Except I wasn’t prepared and because he was looking right in my general direction I couldn’t draw. I just froze for what seemed like forever until the 7 point wondered over to the buck and acknowledged his dominance (sniffed his rear). The buck seemed to relax a bit after that but he was heading in the wrong direction – directly away from me. I took this opportunity to draw and as luck would have it he turned to his left. Since I’m shooting down at him, I aimed right above and slightly behind his left shoulder and let the arrow fly from 28 yards out. At the sound of the arrow release, he ducked and lunged forward and as it turned out I ended up hitting him high and to the back. I watched as the buck ran off with the arrow sticking out of him. I didn’t wait as long as I should have and I got out to the spot where he was shot. Not a drop of blood to be found there or within the 40yd radius semi-circle area. I didn’t want to push the deer too much so I went back to the stand for my buddy to come and help. At my buddy’s suggestion, we abandoned the search for the next couple of hours so that the deer would settle down somewhere. We then spent the next 5-6 hours looking for him but only saw 1 tiny drop about 50yds in the direction I last saw him heading. I got some more help the next day and we ended up putting around 20 man hours searching for this deer. It wouldn’t have made any difference if we would’ve spent the entire season looking for this downed deer because he was actually alive!!! As a hunter, there’s probably no lower feeling than leaving a wounded animal in the field. Forgetting the fact that this was the biggest deer I’ve ever seen and the fact that a beautiful animal’s demise was caused by me, and for nothing, really bothered me. It’s no exaggeration to say that I slept no more than for a couple of hours per night the following week. I returned the next weekend with an intent to look for his carcass but luckily checked the trail camera I’d set up at the feeder. To say that I was ecstatic doesn’t begin to describe how I felt upon seeing him back at the feeder. It took him 5 days, but he was back!!! Other than the two marks caused by the arrow’s entry/exit, he looked healthy. His visits to the feeder curtailed somewhat from 1 or 2 times a day to once a week.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001090b.jpg
My third and last encounter with the buck came exactly a month and 2 days since our 2nd meeting. The rut was in full swing in our area and I took a couple of days off from work to witness it firsthand. On the first day, I saw deer running and chasing all day long but none presented me with a shot. On the second morning, I had a small 6 pt at the feeder but nothing after that. I decided to head back to camp around 9:30 so that I could get one of my other rifles sighted in. But before I got to the camp, I came to a crossing where we have 2 blinda – one on each side of the main road. Something told me I should go to one of these blinds so I did the best two out of three coin flips. It took only two flips and I headed to the blind to my left. The blind is about a quarter mile off the main road and upon 50yds into it, a big chocolate brown colored doe streaked right across my path. Game ON!!! I couldn’t see anything trailing her so I proceeded to the blind. Around 10:30 and having seen absolutely nothing, I was telling myself that I made a mistake and should’ve stuck to my original plans and got the rifle sighted in. But I decided to stick it out til at least noon and see what happens. Right at 11:00, I glanced over to the right feeder and there’s a big buck standing outside the feeder pen (we have our feeders in a pen to keep the cows and hogs out but is an easy access to deer). I didn’t know when he came or how long he’d been there but he was there all right. As he started to feed, I glassed him over and decided he met all the criteria to be harvested. I had no idea at that time that this was the same buck. I put the crosshairs right behind the shoulder and squeezed the trigger. Unlike the first time, there were no lunging or ducking at the sound of this shot as a .30-06 bullet travels slightly faster than fastest arrow. He DRTed, Dropped Right There!! I reloaded and had the rifle trained at him for the next few minutes and decided that he wasn’t going to go anywhere. As I approached him, I was amazed at the size of his racks (I still had no idea). It wasn’t until I was right on top of him that I realized that this was THE buck, my buck. I saw a roughed up clump of hair on his back and thinking it was a battle scar from all the rut activities, I took a closer look. Then it all started to click and I realized that this was the deer I’ve been looking for. I flipped him over and sure enough he had another scar on that side as well just as it showed in the picture. That’s when the celebration started. Since I was there by myself I didn’t have anyone to share this moment with, but that didn’t deter me from hootin’, hollerin’, and trading “air” fives, and “air” chest bumps with myself.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001091.jpg
It was opening day, practically my first time hunting. I had gone before, but never really shot anything or even planned to. That morning our group consisted of my dad, brother, neighbor, and myself. We left our house at 5:00 and had to make a stop to pick up a pirogue, due to the fact that recently we had had the most rain on record in the past week making the area we were hunting almost impossible to get to. Once we had dropped my brother off in his stand we headed to the new lake that used to be a gravel road on our land. We unloaded and my neighbor and I climbed into the boat with our guns. My dad was put on chest waders and started pulling us through the 3 1/2 feet deep water, but before long the 3 1/2 foot deep water turned into 5 1/2 feet deep water and was pouring into my dad’s waders. About half way there my dad was swimming rather than wading us across. Once we had gotten across the 1/2 mile lake my dad was drenched and the sun was up making it about 7 o’clock. We walked a mile together and left our neighbor in his stand and proceeded to walk another mile to our stand. About an hour or so after watching steam rise off my dad’s clothes, my dad leaned over and said, pointing at a sunny spot about 100 yards down the lane, “Wouldn’t it be cool if a big ole’ buck came out right about there”, I said yeah. I couldn’t take my eyes off the spot and about 2 minutes later out came a ‘big ole’ 7 point. My heart started racing and my eyes started to water out of excitement and I grabbed my gun which my dad had bought and sited in the day before. I calmed down, squeezed the trigger and that deer dropped right there. I was so excited and my heart was pounding, we just sat there and celebrated for a little while. My dad thinks it was a 5 year old buck. It had 7 points and was about 18 inches in width. My dad knew as soon as I shot though we had no means of transporting him from here to the boat, meaning we had to drag this deer about 2 miles back to the pirogue. In the end I didn’t have to carry the deer, my dad and neighbor did, but I did end up with 2 rifles, boots, a large stick (which we used as a paddle on the way back) and a pair of waders. We got to the boat after about 2 hours with the deer and miscellaneous junk. On the first trip back to the truck my dad, who was paddling, and I, who was holding the guns and had a deer head in my lap, paddled across the gravel road lake with a giant stick we pulled from the ground earlier. My dad and I got to the other side and met my brother who was waiting for us when we got back. I decided to take a while my brother went back to get our neighbor.–Caroline Spohn, 13 yrs old, Benton, Louisiana
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001092.jpg
I was walking thru the woods until I heard a loud snort. I knelt down and here came a doe with a big 8 point buck right behind her. When they stopped I lined up the crosshairs on him he was down on the spot. He dressed out at 220lbs. – Wayne Shaw
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001093.jpg
It was the traditional 2009 Wisconsin 9-day deer gun season and by the time the last day of the hunt rolled along, I had not seen a single deer. I had hunted 6 of the 9 days and when my buddy called up and asked if I would be interested in doing some deer drives that afternoon, I did not hesitate to say yes. There were four of us participating, two standers of which I was one and two drivers. I was overlooking a 2 – 3 acre marsh surrounding by scrub trees. About 20 minutes into the drive, this buck burst up from the middle of the marsh and came running directly at me. I pulled up with my Remington 870 20 gauge with a rifled slug barrel and 3 x 9 scope and had the deer in my sights. I was about to shoot it head-on at 50 yards when it turned broadside. I then shot and the buck piled up immediately. After making sure it was down, I walked to it in the marsh and was amazed. It was an eleven pointer, a basic eight with three countable stickers near the base of the left antler. It had a 23 1/4 inch inside spread and gross scored about 142 before deductions. Weight was estimated at 185 pounds. It was my buck-of-a-lifetime and the only deer I saw that gun season. Persistance paid off. – Bob Weimer
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001094.jpg
On the second day of the 2009 gun deer season in Hayward, Wisconsin, after an unsuccessful morning hunt, my dad asked me if I wanted to go to breakfast with my grandpa or stay in the stand and hunt longer. I decided to go to breakfast; after breakfast we were driving back to the public hunting land and he asked me if I wanted to do a one person drive or sit in a stand. After I little I thinking I decided to sit, then I asked my dad “where should I sit?” and he said “on the ridge in my stand.” At the parking area my dad suggested that I bring the carcass carrier with me the nearly mile walk back to the stand area to help haul the stands out after the deer drive. Little did we know that I would put the carrier to good use before the day was done. I slowly worked my way through the hardwoods to my dad’s stand where I climbed up, strapped in and waited. After about 15 minutes of patiently waiting, four little legs materialized behind some balsam pine trees down the steep ridge to my left. Shortly out walked a large doe and a yearling fawn, they walked out and stood looking back from where they came. I thought they were looking for my dad. Naturally I looked back to see what they were looking at and there stood a big buck. He saw the doe and fawn, put his nose to the ground and started running to the doe. He ran into the balsams and I lost sight of him. I lifted my gun off my lap in hopes that he would travel into one of my shooting lanes. As he continued to run toward the doe I could get small glimpses of his white rack between the trees. Then he was there, in a shooting lane 75 yards away and was still running toward the doe and fawn that were moving off to my right. I pull the gun up and put the cross hairs on his shoulder just as he ran in behind another group of a small balsam pine trees. As he came out on the other side of the trees and stopped, I aimed and gently squeezed the trigger. The .30-06 went off, slipped off my shoulder and the scope hit me in the eye. In my mind, it all seamed to happen in slow motion; I looked down in time to see the deer react to what I thought was the bullet hit. I saw my first big buck run off with the doe and fawn behind more pine trees and toward a swamp where I lost sight of them. After a few minutes of impatiently waiting for my dad to come, I decided to climb down to see if I had hit him. I went to where I was sure I shot at him. There was no sign of a hit, since I was sure I had made a good shot I continued to look around more. First to the left, then up the ridge and down, not a drop; that is when I looked further down the ridge to my right and there he was all crumpled up not ten yards away. I ran up to inspect him; he was huge, bigger than I have ever seen up close. I excitedly went back up to my stand to wait for my dad to finish the drive; I didn’t even reload my gun. After what seemed to be an eternity he came out of the swamp to my right and up the ridge to my stand. I got down and took him to the deer he freaked out, hugged and congratulated me, took several photos, talked about the great shot placement and then he said “now the work begins”. This is my first forked deer with a gun, it had 9 points, the inside spread was 19 1/4′”, G2s were 10 ½” and 10 ¼”, the G3s were 8 ½” and 7 ¾”, the G4 was a little over an inch and a half.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001095.jpg
The lucky hunter is Chris Pringle, formerly of Bangor, ME. Chris is a friend of my son and is in the US Navy, recently returning from Iraq and currently stationed in Norfolk, VA. Chris arrived home on leave on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2009. My son, Stacy Meister, convinced Chris to buy a Serviceman’s license and go hunting with us on Monday. Chris had hunted a few times in the past but had never even seen a deer in the woods while hunting. Luckily he is smaller than my son so we outfitted him with hand me down coat and hat, a .30-06 rifle borrowed from my father (Stacy’s grandfather), and a compass and seating pad borrowed from me. Arriving at our Dixmont, ME hunting area the next morning we immediately found a very fresh rub on a 5-inch cedar less than 50 yards from the truck. Knowing the area and where the buck might bed, I carefully told Chris how to quietly get to where I wanted him to take a stand. My son and I then came around from opposite directions in a pincer movement and jumped the buck out of his bed on top of a knoll. Everything went exactly according to plan as the buck took one bounce off the back of the knoll into the swamp and four more bounces along the edge until he stopped quartering slightly to, 30 yards from Chris, who took careful aim and dropped the 9 pointer with one shot. Although Chris said he weighed 300 lbs. when we dragged him out, at the tagging station he tipped the scales to 190 lbs. dressed. After drying the rack will most likely score in the mid 130s. Chris’s biggest concern? After a full tour in Iraq without incident, now he was going to get in trouble with his CO for getting blood on his combat boots!
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001096.jpg
2010 was a good year for us hunting here in Western New York. It’s not a Boone and Crockett but it’s mine for 2010 and fits very well in my freezer. Keep up the good info and pictures.–Rob Fetterhoff Jr.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001097.jpg
First hunting trip, first deer! William Meakem, 15, a high school sophomore from Charlottesville, VA, flew alone after school on 11/11/09 to Billings, MT, where he met his grandfather, Don Goffinet. They drove to Miles City the next day and hunted with guide Jared Albus near the Powder River. It was William’s first hunting trip and he did everything right. William spotted and killed this 3 point mule deer buck with 1 shot from his .243 Win. Model 70 at 150 yards. He was thrilled beyond belief with his beautiful buck and could only say “awesome”.
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001098a.jpg
I am a Kentucky State Trooper and have always wanted to own a piece of land. Well, after years of saving and many hours of overtime, I was finally able to make my dream come true. In February of 2009 my wife and I purchase 120 acres of Land in Garrard County, Kentucky, 42 miles from my home in Lexington, KY. I have been blessed with an awesome wife and two beautiful children. My son, JD Hawkins, is 9 years old, and has never killed a deer, but has hunted with me for several years. YEAR OF 1ST’s
On the 1st morning (Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009) on my 1st Farm, with his 1st deer rifle (.243 single shot), during the 1st deer season we owned the land, JD killed the 1st deer that was killed on our land, which happened to be his 1st deer ever! A doe that we are very proud of. I am currently 35 years old and have hunted for 20 years. So, it only seemed fitting that the next morning (Sun. Nov. 22, 2009) I killed the biggest deer I killed in my life on my very own farm! What a great feeling! The buck was a great 159 1/8 inch bruiser that we had seen on trail camera earlier in the year. This is the American Dream come true. Please consider this as one of the deer of the year stories. I know our deer will not be the biggest killed this season, but this season has been the most special deer season I have ever had and one that my son and I will never forget! Thanks, John Hawkins
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001098b.jpg
httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2010photo3001098c.jpg
Click here to check out the finalists’ photos >>
Big Game Hunting
Deer Hunting
Whitetail Deer Hunting

MORE TO READ