Being busted by a button buck can wreck a deer hunter's self-confidence.
When this happened to Danny Boyer during the 2013 season, the bowhunter from DeSoto, Mo., realized he had to change something about his setup, and none too soon.
When his ill-fated morning hunt ended on Saturday, Oct. 26, he asked his brother-in-law, Eric Coleman, to help him move a ladder stand from one end of his new Randolph County lease to the little horseshoe-shaped winter wheat field he wanted to hunt. And rather than position the stand so that it faced the field, they leaned it against the backside of the tree, facing the woods, to give Danny more cover.
Besides, standing and shooting back toward the field was much easier from a double ladder stand than from his old climber.
Danny climbed the 20 feet into the newly set stand at 3 p.m. His brother, David, was hunting about 500 yards away, and his other brother, Bobby, was only 200 yards from him.
Eventually, Danny's cell phone started buzzing. David had shot a doe amongst a group of 15 or 20, which explained why deer were blowing in the woods between them. When Danny turned to look in that direction about a minute later, he saw a huge buck standing just 17 yards from his tree. It, too, was looking back toward the distant commotion.
With the buck's attention elsewhere, Danny grabbed his bow and took the easy shot. The buck bolted after being skewered, and Danny was convinced he heard it stop, wheeze and fall.
Bobby, who heard his brother woohooing, joined Danny a few minutes later. The two of them found the dead buck after trailing it for 75 yards.
The 22-pointer has a BTR composite score of 209 6/8 inches.