Big Buck 411 Blog

Running Down A Duck-Country Giant

Running Down A Duck-Country Giant

By Mark Melotik

The almost-magical powers of the whitetail rut have helped many of us get the drop on typically reclusive mature bucks. But it was bit of unusually early rutting activity — an unexpected bonus — that seemingly played a part in the taking of one of Mississippi’s best bucks of 2022. That year, Mississippi’s Steven Ginn and ... READ MORE

A Virginia Fall To Remember

A Virginia Fall To Remember

By Mark Melotik

Come the rut, it’s likely you’ll find mature bucks hanging in hot pockets of doe activity. Last fall, Virginia’s Richard Butler was dialed in on some of the hottest rut action in the state. As proof, Richard, 50, would anchor an amazing buck scoring some 188 inches on Nov. 14 during Virginia’s early muzzleloader season. B... READ MORE

A Va. Public-Land Giant

A Va. Public-Land Giant

By Mark Melotik

A 200-inch buck on heavily hunted public land? That lofty dream became a stunning reality last fall for longtime Virginia outdoorsman Dennis Lawson, 54. But he’d known for years he was hunting the right area to get it done. The thousands of acres of remote public land in and around Bath County might not hold a high density of deer, but the... READ MORE

8 1/2-Year-Old Monarch Falls to Hard Work and a Plan

8 1/2-Year-Old Monarch Falls to Hard Work and a Plan

By Mark Melotik

Can you be too careful when hunting an old, top-end whitetail that has eluded you for several years? Kentucky’s Jeff Deberry, 57, knew exactly the elusive skills of the outsized whitetail he was hunting when his ultra-cautious plan to waylay the brute finally came together last Nov. 11 — opening day of Kentucky’s 2023 rifle season... READ MORE

Remembering a Canadian Legend

Remembering a Canadian Legend

By Mark Melotik

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to meet and get to know several avid hunters who have bagged truly outstanding bucks. But maybe one of the most unexpected occurred recently while I was in spring black bear camp in northern Alberta. The week was special not only because many of us bow-bagged some beautiful trophy-sized black bears, but also... READ MORE

A Virginia Giant’s Fatal Mistake

A Virginia Giant’s Fatal Mistake

By Mark Melotik

Virginia’s Jessica Burks will likely never forget Thanksgiving day of 2023. It’s because Thursday, Nov. 19 found her in a treestand hunting a buck she had been chasing for the past four years, and year five would finally give her the opportunity she’d dreamed of. Four years previous on another Thanksgiving day, Jessica had been... READ MORE

Opening-Day Ambush

Opening-Day Ambush

By Mark Melotik

For Kentucky’s Travis Mays, the third time really was the charm. Last Sept. 2, Mays, 31, closed out a three-year quest for an outsized Bluegrass State buck by arrowing the velvet-antlered brute on a hot and steamy opening day. The buck had read the script that fateful evening — something it had not come close to doing in previous years.... READ MORE

First Bow Buck Joins Club 200

First Bow Buck Joins Club 200

By Mark Melotik

When the first whitetail bow buck of your life measures over 200 inches, where do you go from there? Not a question most of us will wrestle with, but it’s the current reality for Kentucky’s Brock Blevins, 22. “It all started when I first got a trail cam picture of him back in 2020,” Brock recalled. “We have a cattle... READ MORE

On A Roll In Kansas

On A Roll In Kansas

By Mark Melotik

Still not convinced you can consistently bag top-end whitetails on small tracts of land? You might change your tune after learning about the incredible streak of success currently being posted by Richard McIntyre, 60, of Kansas. McIntyre moved out to Kansas 15 years ago from New Jersey, where he’d struggled to find good hunting opportuniti... READ MORE

Two Brothers, Two Big Bucks

Two Brothers, Two Big Bucks

By Mark Melotik

There’s nothing quite like a good old-fashioned sibling rivalry. And when the bone of contention is big bucks, well, color us interested. Over the past two years, Ohio brothers Greg and Richard Patton have been on a roll when it comes to outsized Buckeye state whitetails. Greg, 51, started things off back on Nov. 9, 2022, when he arrowed a b... READ MORE

An 8-Pointer For The Ages

An 8-Pointer For The Ages

By Mark Melotik

For some dedicated whitetailers there’s just nothing like a record-class 8-pointer, and Maine’s Tim Elsenheimer, 61, would certainly agree. On Oct. 3, 2023, he bagged an 8-point Maine monarch that has rewritten the BTR recordbook. The stunningly clean, massive deer was anchored after an almost unbelievable five-year chase, but then almo... READ MORE

Trail Cameras and Big Bucks

Trail Cameras and Big Bucks

By Buckmaster

Nearly every big buck harvest you see these days includes trail camera photos. Trail cameras are now in integral part of nearly every deer hunter’s scouting efforts — and they’re a lot of fun, too! A few stalwarts complained about trail cameras when they first became popular, but the management advantages were hard to dispute. ... READ MORE

MO Public-Land Giant by Boat

MO Public-Land Giant by Boat

By Mark Melotik

We’d guess relatively few hunts for outsized bucks begin with a nail-biting predawn lake run in a well-tuned fishing boat, picking slowly through a snag-filled stump field in inky, snowy darkness. But that exact, stealthy approach worked handsomely last Nov. 26, for Missouri’s Larry Ruebel and his 11-year-old son Landon. The pair was... READ MORE

Gone But Not Forgotten

Gone But Not Forgotten

By Mark Melotik

The allure of giant antlers can make people do crazy things — and I’m not just talking about getting up at 3:30 a.m. and treading out into the cold to sit for hours on end. While the vast majority of deer hunters are law-abiding sportsmen who care about the animals and their habitat, there are a few who fall victim to temptation and ... READ MORE

Grow Your Own Big Bucks

Grow Your Own Big Bucks

By Mark Melotik

Tired of all the extra effort required to beat the crowd to the best public-land hunting? If so, it might be time to buy your own chunk of deer hunting land. Let’s consider a typical small-tract scenario of 80 acres or less. Maybe much less. Can you take those 80 acres — or 60, 40 or even 20 — and turn it into a buck-hunting pa... READ MORE

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