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Always Look for the Deer Behind the Deer

Always Look for the Deer Behind the Deer

By Mike Handley

Chris Baldock was a half-hour away from leaving the woods on Nov. 15, 2015, when he saw movement in the distance. He soon realized he was looking at a doe, which didn't quicken his pulse.

He was far less calm when he spotted the buck ghosting her backtrail.

Chris hunts 700 acres of family ground in one of Kentucky's most revered deer hunting counties. He and his father, Dennis, were the only people who hunted the property in 2015. They had 15 stands from which to choose, including three converted Porta-Johns on 9-foot-high platforms.

"We cut shooting windows out and put heaters in them, and they actually make good stands during bad weather," Chris told Dale Weddle, who's writing the story for Rack magazine.

On Nov. 15, the Sunday of opening weekend, Chris found himself in the right stand at the right time.

"This giant buck came to within about 200 yards and stayed around for almost two hours," he said. "All I could do was watch."

Chris felt sure the buck was a 200-incher, maybe even the one his neighbors had nicknamed Trash because of the rack's several little sticker points. The neighbors were getting trail camera photographs of it, though the Baldocks weren't.

"The buck was in brush, and I couldn't get a shot. But it was moving toward an opening. There was a 2-foot-wide spot between a couple of red oaks out in front of the deer's path. I put my scope on that gap and waited," Chris said.

When the animal stepped into the opening at 88 yards, Chris aimed for the deer's throat patch and squeezed the trigger, and the buck collapsed.

"I got down and stood there for about five minutes, just allowing my nerves to settle and watching the deer to make sure it didn't move. After I decided it was down for good, I walked over to it.

"When I saw the size of the buck, I hollered and whooped. I even patted myself on the back, because there wasn't anyone else around to do it," he smiled.

The field-dressed, 5 1/2-year-old buck weighed 264 pounds. Its BTR composite score is 185 1/8 inches.

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Unencumbered by Experience: Joscelyn Hazel / BTR Composite Score: 186 3/8

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