Smalltown Bucks

Snow Falls in the Catskills

Snow Falls in the Catskills

By Vincent J. Prybeck

To-the-point New Yorker has enough go for one more season. Nov. 17, 2018, Upstate New York. A Catskill Mountain deer season starts. Snow fell 24 hours earlier. Cloudy, windless, good snow, 28 degrees. In darkness, we hike uphill. With John settled, I head farther uphill. At 2,100 feet, I climb the ladder. Now wait. Season 48 now. How many do I have... READ MORE

The 165-Inch Spike

The 165-Inch Spike

By Tony Crowder

Every time my daughter Alexis and I had been out hunting, she was determined that would be the time she would get a deer. She’d put in the work, helped build a box blind, and she’d been out there every chance she had regardless of weather. She was ready and hungry for her first deer. We’d planned to go hunting early Monday, Nov. ... READ MORE

All in the Family

All in the Family

By Jessica Jenderny

I’ve been hunting with my dad, Eric Jenderny, since I was old enough to walk. He taught me what his dad taught him about hunting. His best friend Bruce Rogers also taught me a lot about hunting, so what I’ve learned about deer and hunting, I owe to them. Now that I’m 16, I’ve become a mighty hunter like my mentors. The we... 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

Pawpaw Comes Through

Pawpaw Comes Through

By Ethan Vailliencourt

My name is Ethan, and I am 8 years old. I got to go hunting for the first time during the last youth hunt of the 2013 season in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Since my dad had to work, my papaw took me hunting. We hunted in the morning on Dec. 28, and since we didn’t get anything, I told Papaw we should go back in the evening. When it was time,... READ MORE

Not a Monster, THE Monster

Not a Monster, THE Monster

By Sgt. G. A. Sinclair

New spot yields surprise wallhanger for West Virginian. Here is the story of my buck of a lifetime.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did LIVING IT! It would be nice to see this in the “Buckmasters” Magazine or at least in print someplace!! I had hardly seen any deer the first four days of the buck firearms season in West Virginia.... READ MORE

Stress Test

Stress Test

By Richard C. West

It’s great to finally see the buck of your dreams, but don’t get too excited. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2015, an Illinois buck tested my heart. It was the second day of the firearms season, and I’d spent my first day – all 12 hours – on the stand with nothing to show for it but a couple of song birds, a re... READ MORE

Virginia Is for Bowhunters

Virginia Is for Bowhunters

By Mark Douglas

Whether it’s your first or your 82nd, there’s something special about taking a deer with a bow. On the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 8, I couldn’t wait to take my climber to a location I had scouted two weeks before opening day of the Virginia archery season. There were two scrapes under a couple of broken branches on an old logg... READ MORE

Kansas Has a New Hunter!

Kansas Has a New Hunter!

By Derrick Schreiber

Two years ago, my son Bryce wanted to try deer hunting. At age nine, he wasn’t quite strong enough to draw poundage adequate for bowhunting, so we chose a rifle. During several outings, Bryce endured some very cold and harsh Midwest winter conditions, but he fared much better than I’d expected. On our first rifle hunt, he passed on a ... READ MORE

Tag-Team Buck

Tag-Team Buck

By Sara Wilken

Drop-tined Missouri monster should have stayed with his doe. My husband, Andy, and I were on a whitetail hunt in Missouri a few weeks ago. The first day into the hunt, we headed out to the stands about an hour before sunlight, around 5:30 a.m. We were about 400 yards apart on opposite ends of the woods. Once daylight hit, I heard shots and, of cour... READ MORE

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd