Big Buck 411 Blog

Entries for 'Gray Loon'

Bow Buck Top 10 in Buckeye State

Bow Buck Top 10 in Buckeye State

By Patrick Dunning

Corey Myers broke Ohio’s top 10 in BTR’s perfect category for compound bow with his early October harvest in Columbiana County. His personal best buck measured 188 4/8 inches as a 13-pointer and is #8 in the state.  “We played cat and mouse for three years; I think he hunted me just as hard as I hunted him,” Corey to... READ MORE

200” Triple-Beam Buck in KS

200” Triple-Beam Buck in KS

By Patrick Dunning

Jerame Hugunin was living every construction worker’s dream on opening day of the Kansas 2023 muzzleloader season. He let both of his concrete pouring crews go home early due to rain and headed afield on the heels of a 200” triple-beam buck daylighting consistently since July.  “It’s every construction worker&rsquo... READ MORE

228” on KS Public Land

228” on KS Public Land

By Patrick Dunning

Buckmasters scorer Kenneth Forbus harvested Kansas’ fourth largest whitetail in BTR’s crossbow category on public land last month, thanks to some effective scouting and a strong west wind. The mainframe 7x7 holds 197 inches of bone before any irregular points were tallied and 31 scorable points in total. Kenneth measured his own buck... READ MORE

200" KY Buck in Velvet

200" KY Buck in Velvet

By Patrick Dunning

More important than Steve McMichael harvesting BTR’s fifth largest velvet buck in Kentucky with a compound bow, was the fact that he got to share the hunt with his stepson Acts, a true deer magnet. “We nicknamed him Lucky,” Steve told Buckmasters. “Wherever he’s at, the deer are there.”  Steve says thi... READ MORE

Another 200” Falls in Kansas

Another 200” Falls in Kansas

By Patrick Dunning

Chadd Lemaster could barely make out the silhouette of this 19-pointer at last light of Kansas’ 2023 muzzleloader opener, despite the 9X10 standing at 15 yards, but knew it was a mature buck with a wide frame worth harvesting.   By the time Chadd even realized the deer was there it had winded him and blew three times before disap... READ MORE

New Women’s XBow World Record

New Women’s XBow World Record

By Patrick Dunning

Trisha Lucius was introduced to whitetail hunting three years ago by her husband and harvested her first deer, a spike, and a doe during Ohio’s 2020 season.  “The first deer I ever shot was a spike with my crossbow,” Trisha said. “After feeling that adrenaline rush, I told my husband I’d never get mad at him fo... READ MORE

Early October 190” in OH

Early October 190” in OH

By Patrick Dunning

Tyler Stein had a three-year history with this Ohio 21-pointer and a hunch it was bedded on an adjacent property in Tuscarawas County. He got permission from the landowner to hunt the 40-acre tract, hung a cell camera in early September and got a photo of the 12x9 the first night. The 30-year-old waited until Oct. 8 and the first major cold f... READ MORE

World Record Typical Emerges After 32 Years

World Record Typical Emerges After 32 Years

By Patrick Dunning

This 6x7 from November 1991 resurfaced for the first time in 32 years and is the new world record typical in Buckmaster’s shotgun category. The 13-point buck from LaSalle County, Illinois, features 208 6/8 inches of headgear, a 20 4/8-inch inside spread, and officially measured 229 2/8 inches for Buckmasters Trophy Records.  The then ... READ MORE

State Trooper Fells 190” in MO

State Trooper Fells 190” in MO

By Patrick Dunning

I can’t say I’ve ever had a story fall right into my lap like this one did.  I was in Missouri last week visiting my mom and sister’s family and was fortunate to sneak in a couple hunts on public land while I was there. I didn’t have any luck but got to bear the heat and bugs and see plenty of deer.  About th... READ MORE

The Early Bird Gets the Buck!

The Early Bird Gets the Buck!

By Patrick Dunning

Buckmasters Master Scorer Lori Hughes is already tagged out for Ohio’s 2023-24 season, having just taken the state’s #4 spot among women in BTR’s semi-irregular category for crossbow after harvesting this 15-point stud in Marion County.   The Ohio Division of Wildlife named Wyandot, Hardin and Marion counties as CWD surveil... READ MORE

2023 Velvet Stud on KY Public Ground

2023 Velvet Stud on KY Public Ground

By Patrick Dunning

Jake’s Kentucky buck is the first deer of the Big Buck 411 Blog’s 2023-2024 season, and rightfully so. He’s a self-taught, self-proclaimed newbie in the dark arts of bow hunting with just two years of experience under his belt. Jake must be living right, because he’s managed to find success lately and has two trophies to be ... READ MORE

200” Bama Buck Biggest at Buckmasters’ 2023 Expo

200” Bama Buck Biggest at Buckmasters’ 2023 Expo

By Patrick Dunning

Joey Towers almost didn’t pack his deer mount in the truck before driving to the Buckmasters Expo last month, but we’re sure glad he did. BTR Director Emeritus Mike Handley measured 194 2/8 inches of antler and 25 scoreable points on this freak of a buck from Chilton County, Alabama, which drew a lot of eyes after it was displayed ... READ MORE

IL Buck New County Record

IL Buck New County Record

By Patrick Dunning

All those years managing the deer population and timber stands on his 250-acre farm in Illinois finally paid dividends for John Wilson in November 2022. “It’s the biggest deer I’ve taken off the farm. We’ve been trying to manage and harvest this caliber of deer and it paid off,” John told Buckmasters. “We le... READ MORE

Bluegrass Shooter Buck

Bluegrass Shooter Buck

By Patrick Dunning

Lifelong New Yorker Robert Smith Jr. made the nine-hour drive to Kentucky for the last four days of the state’s 2022 muzzleloader season and harvested his first out-of-state buck with an outfit in Washington County. “I’ve always wanted to go hunting in Kentucky; it’s become a state with a lot of big deer,” Robert ... READ MORE

168" Hoosier on Public Land

168" Hoosier on Public Land

By Patrick Dunning

Bow hunting, like baseball, is a game of failure. Major-league hitters with .300 batting averages fail 70% of their at-bats and still enjoy careers worthy of Cooperstown. Going full draw on a late-season buck can feel a lot like guarding the plate with the bases loaded and a two-strike count in the bottom of the 9th. And whiffing that arrow can fe... READ MORE

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd