Smalltown Bucks

Veteran’s Day Dream!

Veteran’s Day Dream!

By Donna Shaver

I was hunting in North Carolina on a very cold Veteran’s Day morning in 2013 with my 73-year-old, handicapped father when the flash of antlers caught our attention. Quickly, as the buck moved through the pines, I lifted my Savage muzzleloader into position and peered through my binoculars as the rack headed toward an opening. “Wow, he h... 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 Bow Stalk

The Bow Stalk

By Taylor Maas

Never-quit attitude helps Iowa bowhunter recover his biggest-ever buck. October 11, 2017 started similar to most other fall workdays. After getting to the office that morning, I checked the weather throughout the day, trying to decide if and where I should hunt that evening. The wind that evening allowed me to hunt from a stand I had never tried be... 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

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

Small Property, Big Results

Small Property, Big Results

By Chris Casper

Every buck is an opportunity to be a better hunter. I live in Georgia’s Oglethorpe County, but I got permission to hunt a small, approximately 10-acre tract surrounded by a subdivision in Athens-Clarke County. I scouted the area and found several promising spots. I got my first trail camera picture of a dandy buck I named Subdivision in late ... READ MORE

Study, Hunt, Repeat

Study, Hunt, Repeat

By Ben Englert

College student’s first archery harvest gets a 4.0 in Bowhunting 101. It was Nov. 15, and the 2018 Indiana shotgun season would begin two days later. I was logging as many hours as I could with my bow, hoping to tag out before the gun-toting army arrived on opening morning. I had put in countless hunts since bow season started on Oct. 1, but ... READ MORE

Heart of the Hunt

Heart of the Hunt

By Christopher Jecker

Shortened season doesn’t stop concerned son from taking his best buck ever. While I live in Louisville, Kentucky, I hunt in Crawford County, Indiana. Two weeks before gun season, my work and hunting partner, my dad, had a massive heart attack. We rushed him to the ER, where the doctor informed us that he needed to have open heart surgery. 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

If It Feels Right ...

If It Feels Right ...

By William Sawyer

Trust your instincts when you think you’ve made a great shot. During the 2014 archery season in Guilford County, North Carolina, I had found a large rub while putting out some corn. It looked like a great place to set up, but I didn’t want to hunt it until conditions were perfect. On the second Saturday of the season, I asked my wife to... READ MORE

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd