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Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky

Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky

By Patrick Dunning

Twenty-two-year-old Dawson Mashburn was at the beach celebrating the 4th of July with family friends last year when he received a photo of this Kentucky whitetail in velvet and he noticed its right beam was beginning to split. "I got down there a little late, so I ended up on the couch,"Dawson said. "About 7 a.m. the following morning, July 3rd, I'... READ MORE

Retro Recurve Buck Is Ohio Runner-Up

Retro Recurve Buck Is Ohio Runner-Up

By Patrick Dunning

Twenty-six years ago, in a world before cell cameras or cell phones with cameras, then 38-year-old Tim Ritchie harvested Ohio’s second biggest perfect buck ever taken with a recurve bow (BTR). And he had no idea about the buck’s status until March 2023. He had his mount measured by an official B&C scorer at an expo in 1998, met the ... READ MORE

Aim Small, Miss Small

Aim Small, Miss Small

By Patrick Dunning

Alexander Rahmoeller may not be old enough to drive, but he's old enough to hunt, and therefore old enough to etch his name in BTR's record book. The 14-year-old's third whitetail ever claimed Indiana's #4 spot in the semi-irregular category for centerfire rifle deer on opening weekend of his state's 2022 rifle season. And he made it happen all by ... READ MORE

A Bittersweet Ohio Deadhead

A Bittersweet Ohio Deadhead

By Patrick Dunning

In January 2022, Stephanie Barber shot what would have been Ohio’s #2 overall semi-irregular in the blackpowder category, and the #1 semi-irregular felled by a female in Ohio. That is if she recovered and placed her tag on the whitetail during the state’s deer season. Stephanie got a crack at this world-class buck at 105 yards with her ... READ MORE

200-Inch State Record Taken on Fort Knox

200-Inch State Record Taken on Fort Knox

By Patrick Dunning

For the past two years, Kentucky state trooper Colt Stumbo has tagged along with his buddies for a quota gun hunt on Fort Knox’s military reservation in Hardin County. More than half of the U.S. Treasury’s gold reserves are located on Fort Knox, so gaining access to hunt the installation involves a lot of red tape. But once you’re... READ MORE

Kansas Shed Measures 100 Inches!

Kansas Shed Measures 100 Inches!

By Patrick Dunning

Now is the perfect time to be in the woods scouting for next season, and while you're at it, maybe you'll come across another kind of treasure. Last month, U.S. Army Sergeant Jacob Massey found a 100-inch irregular left-side shed antler while on his lunch break on Fort Riley's military installation in Geary County, Kansas. To kill time and be produ... READ MORE

202 Reasons to Smile

202 Reasons to Smile

By Patrick Dunning

Your first deer is often the most memorable whether it has antlers or not. You remember where you were, who was there and how excited it made you feel. It's like being baptized in water, and almost as spiritual of a moment. The only thing better than getting your first deer is being there for someone else's first. If that isn't a special bond, how ... READ MORE

No. 1 Whitetail in Kansas

No. 1 Whitetail in Kansas

By Patrick Dunning

When row crop farmer Darin Williams realized he had a world-class buck passing through the back of his Coffey County farm in June 2022, he figured his best bet at harvesting the deer was if he gave it a reason to stay. Darin now holds his home state’s #1 spot in BTR’s irregular category for crossbow-taken bucks by 7 inches, which puts h... READ MORE

First Buck During an East Wind

First Buck During an East Wind

By Patrick Dunning

63-year-old David Linn started deer hunting six years ago in management areas and reservoirs near Gas City, Indiana. He went six seasons without filling a doe or buck tag but kept at it after falling in love with the beauty and peace of being in the woods. He had an opportunity with his bow this year to harvest an 8-pointer, misjudged the distance ... READ MORE

Buckeye Beauty

Buckeye Beauty

By Patrick Dunning

Jake Whiteman isn't out to etch his name in a record book, and until Ohio's 2022 shotgun opener he was a self-proclaimed freezer filler. Does, button bucks, it didn't matter. If it was brown, it was down. Now, the Ohio native has 210 reasons to let the little guys grow and potentially create memories for other hunters, not to mention one heck of an... READ MORE

Peakaboo with a 200-inch Big Boy

Peakaboo with a 200-inch Big Boy

By Patrick Dunning

Ohio native Thomas Clark struck gold on a small piece of land in Stark County, sending a bolt through a 200-inch giant with his grandfather's '94 Huntsman crossbow and a little luck. Two years ago, the Clarks moved into a house on seven acres consisting mostly of overgrown hay fields and surrounded by 180 acres of standing corn or soybeans, dependi... READ MORE

Hunting the Milesville Monster

Hunting the Milesville Monster

By Patrick Dunning

Claiming North Carolina's Number 3 spot in BTR's irregular category for centerfire rifle, 24-year-old Preston Allred outdid himself with an impressive 17-point stud that totaled 192 4/8 for Buckmasters Trophy Records. Preston dedicated more time to his target buck this 2022 season than any deer ever before, averaging 4-5 sits weekly, and was beginn... READ MORE

Big Doe Down

Big Doe Down

By Patrick Dunning

Frustrated from the apparent exodus of bucks at the private chunk he usually hunts, 26-year-old Brandon Rhodes located some interesting ground in Bankhead National Forest just across the Winston County line, went in blind and capitalized on this mangled 28-point antlered doe. "I'd been hunting private land all season, just a small piece, and had so... READ MORE

Buck Tag, Filled

Buck Tag, Filled

By Patrick Dunning

Ohio has a new runner-up in BTR's Typical category for centerfire rifle. Chad Dial cleaned up opening morning of his state's 2022 rifle season, and this Holmes County hammer missed our #1 spot by 1/2 inch, totaling 195 6/8 for Buckmasters Trophy Records. Chad first became aware of the buck when it was a 2 1/2-year-old 10-pointer. He nicknamed it Sh... READ MORE

Brow Tines and Good Times

Brow Tines and Good Times

By Patrick Dunning

18-year-old Jakob Lewellen was having trouble seeing deer at his usual spot, so he decided to test his luck on a friend's 30-acre parcel. The Clark County property features two rock quarries and is surrounded by a creek with a thick bedding area in the bottom, which is where Jakob harvested this Hoosier hammer in November. "I saw him for the first ... READ MORE

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