Smalltown Bucks

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

Big Ten in the Buckeye State

Big Ten in the Buckeye State

By Jon Miller

After watching a big 10-pointer for two seasons, I finally got my shot at it on the evening of October 25, 2013. I discovered this buck on my trail camera last year on my family’s 200-acre farm in Licking County, Ohio. After capturing several photos, my cousin and I estimated the buck would push 140 inches. I knew if I ever saw this buck un... READ MORE

A Very Good Year

A Very Good Year

By Jason Hartpence

As a family of hunters and soon-to-be hunters, this year was good to us. The early season was particularly generous, as I harvested three of my four deer during that time. This season has been my most exciting yet, not because of my success, but because my son Hunter turned seven in October — legal hunting age for the state of Pennsylvania. ... READ MORE

Whose Best Day?

Whose Best Day?

By Marti Young

The only division in this family is when debating who had the best time. While every day spent hunting is a good day, some are better than others. For James Whetzel Sr. and 11-year-old Starr Young, their best day ever started at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2017. The adventure started with a softly whispered “Wake up, Starr. It’s almost time ... READ MORE

Worth the Wait

Worth the Wait

By John Mitchell

It took a few years, but when Micah got his first deer, it was a good one. I started taking Micah to the dove lease when he was 7, and he started deer hunting with me when he was 9. Micah has developed a love for hunting and being in the woods. Even so, it felt like he would never get his first deer. It seemed like no matter what, something always ... READ MORE

Nephew's 1st Buck Leads to Uncle's Bruiser

Nephew's 1st Buck Leads to Uncle's Bruiser

By Rocky Harrell (Cody Harrell's uncle)

I love hunting. The good Lord comes first, and then family, then deer hunting, but I really love deer hunting.  I've hunted in Rutherford County in Middle Tennessee since I was about 8-years-old, but I didn’t take my first deer until I was 10. Hunting in Tennessee was hard at that time. All I saw were does, never any bucks. When I was ... 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

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

Buck Fever vs. Girl Power

Buck Fever vs. Girl Power

By Mendy Fryman

First things first. I love to hunt, and I also love being a girlie gal, so I fix my hair and wear earrings — the same pair every time for luck — each time I go to the woods. This is in case a photo op arrives, either a selfie or when I take a deer! My husband Daryl always hurries me out of the bathroom before we go to the woods, and he ... READ MORE

In the Nick of Time

In the Nick of Time

By Jayden Steinkamp, age 11

Napping in the stand is okay, but shooting a big buck is better. It was midseason in Indiana in 2013, and the wind wasn’t blowing hard. We had gone hunting in the morning and saw one doe. We were hunting at my grandpa’s, and there are some big deer there. He doesn’t like us to shoot does, so we passed. When it got 2:50 p.m. that... READ MORE

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd