Smalltown Bucks

Long Live Maxximus

Long Live Maxximus

By Carla Schartz

For 423 days, my husband Lance and I observed a whitetail buck we'd nicknamed Maxximus. Before our eyes, it transformed from a velvet-antlered buck with potential into a true Kansas giant. This beast of a buck had over 230 inches of massive bone atop its head and too many points to count. Lance and I are avid bowhunters and anticipated the epic ... READ MORE

Daddy, You Shoot It!

Daddy, You Shoot It!

By Dale Sampson

Heat of the moment was a little too much for first-time deer hunter ... but not for her dad. The season started with little excitement. Although a big coyote came by early, I didn’t see anything with antlers. That was okay since I was more looking forward to my daughter Kaitlin’s first whitetail hunting experience later that evening. A... READ MORE

Half a Buck Is Better Than None

Half a Buck Is Better Than None

By Michael Krause

Even deer hunters get by with a little help from their friends. For the past 30 years, I’ve been venturing back to my old stomping grounds in Deposit, N.Y., to hunt with my friends from high school. This past season resulted in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It happened at about 3 p.m. on the second day of the New York season. It was cold... READ MORE

From Sinkhole to Cloud Nine

From Sinkhole to Cloud Nine

By Mat Ritchison

On a cold and frosty Sunday morning, Nov. 3, 2013, I decided to hunt one of my favorite stands about 40 yards from the edge of a half-picked, Indiana cornfield. I was aloft 20 minutes before dawn. Shortly after daybreak, I decided to start things off with an aggressive rattling sequence – to paint the deer a picture. I grunted three times, p... READ MORE

Dagwoods Anyone?

Dagwoods Anyone?

By Andrew Marley

How a rabbit hunter fills a freezer in just five seconds. Spoiler alert! This story does not have any antlers involved, but it is interesting nonetheless. Fortunately, it doesn’t end with a big bowl of tag soup, either. Opening day of Kentucky’s gun season finally arrived, and I headed to the woods, excited about what might be under t... READ MORE

The Journey

The Journey

By Richard Benton

My quest to shoot a big buck began when I first hunted in Kansas in 2001. I harvested an 8-pointer that scored 148 inches, and I was hooked. I like hunting in my home state of Virginia, but it’s nothing like the Midwest. I have always had a passion for hunting whitetails. I have been so drawn to and obsessed with it that I pursued an educati... READ MORE

No Limits

No Limits

By Bonnie Olson King

New hunter overcomes challenges to claim her first buck. The 2015 hunting season turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I was 64 at the time and had only taken up hunting in 2012, when I retired from my nursing career due to significant health issues. That fall, I received a crossbow for my birthday, and that was when h... READ MORE

Never a Dull Moment

Never a Dull Moment

By Dan Nimmo

It was a mixture of laughter and (good) tears on this father-and-daughter hunt. I’m fortunate to live in one of the best places to hunt whitetails, northwest Illinois. Like every other hunting dad, I enjoy taking my deer home for my family to see and share in the joy of the harvest. My daughter Keileigh is 10 years old and has been fascinat... READ MORE

Uncle James

Uncle James

By James Nugent

My oldest niece Briley, an eager 8-year old, had begged to go hunting with me for several years. After weeks of discussion and planning, the time finally arrived for her first trip. Still not comfortable enough with a rifle to hunt, she was excited to watch and learn all she could. Briley is no stranger to the outdoors; she won first place in the ... READ MORE

The Perfect 10

The Perfect 10

By Jeffery Patterson

Call it beginner’s luck or call it fate, but you can add another hunter to our ranks. I got my crossbow from a friend who said he wanted to sew a seed in my life. At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I decided to give this hunting thing a try. I got up at 5:30 on the first day of Virginia’s archery season and was in... READ MORE

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