Big Buck Tales

Wayne Zaft Buck

Wayne Zaft Buck

By Kevin G. Wilson

It seems fitting that Alberta, Canada, the birthplace of Buckmasters' Full-Credit scoring system, has yielded the new No. 1 Typical in the BTR's compound bow category. The five-year reign of the Sam Collora Buck from Iowa came to an end on Oct. 8, 2001, when Wayne Zaft of Spruce Grove, Alberta, arrowed a 205 7/8-inch 13-pointer during an impromptu ... READ MORE

Jeff McCulley Buck

Jeff McCulley Buck

By Ed Waite

Jeff McCulley would’ve been elated to burn his 2009 buck tag on the wide and tall-tined 8-pointer that had given him the slip all season. It was the biggest he’d seen on the 25 acres for which he’d gained permission to hunt through a fishing buddy who knew the landowners. The 41-year-old hunter from Stow, Ohio, lived just 10 or 15... READ MORE

Richard Gates Buck

Richard Gates Buck

By Peter Schoonmaker (2008)

The existence of a trophy whitetail is no accident. They possess superior genes. They are surrounded by bountiful nutrition. And their realm possesses several varieties of protective cover. Limited access or private agricultural lands will allow a buck to achieve full body growth and possess a true trophy rack of antlers. And some of these whitetai... READ MORE

Andrew French Buck

Andrew French Buck

By Allen "Horntagger" Morris

"Wait a minute," Brian Bard stopped, his face a rainbow of emotion. "You're not going to believe this … My bow's back in the truck!" Brian and Andrew French were so preoccupied by thoughts of what their afternoon hunt would bring that neither thought it odd - at least at first - that Brian wasn't carrying his bow. He was carrying his huntin... READ MORE

Clifford Pickell Buck

Clifford Pickell Buck

By Buckmasters Online

In mid­-October, 1968, Wichita bowhunter Clifford Pickell took several shots at a gorgeous buck. Only one of his arrows hit it, high in the shoulder. Cliff crossed paths with the same buck in November. He was disappointed there was no opportunity for a do-over, but happy the deer had survived their first encounter. Their third meeting occurred on... READ MORE

Mike Beatty Buck

Mike Beatty Buck

By Dan Armitage

Fumbling nervously in the darkness for one of his distinctive white-fletched arrows, Mike Beatty had made one of the toughest decisions of his life: to temporarily abandon the search for the monstrous whitetail he'd shot at dusk. Still not convinced that he'd chosen correctly, the Ohio bowhunter nocked the projectile on the barbed wire fence to mar... READ MORE

Johnny Thacker Buck

Johnny Thacker Buck

By Ed Waite

When Johnny Thacker called his wife on Nov. 18, 2006, the tremor in his voice prompted her to ask, “What’s wrong?” “I’ve just killed a huge 14-pointer,” he blurted. “Are you sure?” she pressed. “Well, that’s what I think,” he said. “I counted at least seven points on the side I... READ MORE

Brandon Alday Buck

Brandon Alday Buck

By Mike Handley

Brandon Alday's 4-year-old son, Hayes, nearly choked him when the yelling commenced. The boy was getting a free ride on his father's shoulders when Brandon’s flashlight beam fell across the buck he was convinced he’d either missed or maimed. "I started screaming like a little girl, which scared my son half to death," Brandon laughs. "H... READ MORE

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd