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With a fairly recent move to the countryside and some land under my family’s feet, I was looking forward to seeing which whitetail bucks were roaming our piece of southern Saskatchewan soil for the 2012 hunting season.
Earlier in the year I’d drawn both cow elk and either-sex moose tags and had been successful in filling them. I was hoping my luck would continue during deer season.
In midsummer my friend Steve and I had set up a few stands, cameras and feeding locations in spots where there was a lot of deer sign. As summer faded and a ton of practice arrows were flung, I was ready to bowhunt. But while a few deer were seen and a couple fruitlessly stalked, early season ended without success.
I live in a wildlife management zone that has no centerfire rifle season, so my next goal was to get within muzzleloader range of a good deer. Thanks to a few years of practice and experience, I was pretty comfortable shooting out to 150 yards.
On opening evening of archery season I’d seen a huge buck feeding along the brushy edge of a slough. Because he was moving slowly away from me, I climbed down from my tree to attempt to get closer.
He was near a hay bale blind I’d set up a few years prior for muzzleloading. But despite my best efforts at keeping quiet, it was noisy stalking with the long, uncut hay underneath my boots, and I ultimately spooked him.
Over the next two months, it seemed that every time I went hunting there were a lot of moving deer, grouse, muskrats or coyotes playing. Despite constant action of one kind or another, nothing caught my interest or came close enough to get me to raise the bow or muzzleloader.
The sitting, watching and waiting are what make whitetail hunting so exciting to me. All those days when that huge buck doesn’t appear make that one big moment so special.
Oct. 25 rolled around, and finally the monster that had haunted my dreams showed up! It wasn’t in the flesh, though—rather, I got an image of him on the trail camera. There were a few good bucks showing up by this point, but no others as impressive as him. He truly was a buck of my dreams, and I had all of my attention focused on closing the deal.
All of the photos had been taken in the middle of the night, and they were sporadic. He is way too smart, I told myself. It will be tough to even get a look at him in the daylight. As the season continued the trail camera showed the buck was becoming more active and traveling more, but I still didn’t have a single photo or sighting of him in shooting light.
It definitely wasn’t for lack of effort. I’d spent no shortage of time in the field, and it was wearing on me mentally and physically. But I continued on and spent every spare moment hunting, even to the discontent of my wife and kids at times.
The rut seemed to be picking up, and in the field I was beginning to see more movement, with even a few pretty good bucks chasing does past my stand. I tried rattling for the first time with some success. I brought in one really nice buck at freight train speed but held off the trigger; I still had visions of that monster in my head. While I had “shooter’s remorse” afterward for not taking the shot, I’m now really glad I didn’t.
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After spending part of Nov. 17 with my wife, Kenzie, and our kids, Tanner and Alexa, I gave in to Kenzie’s encouragement that I hunt that afternoon. But it was a strange sit; nothing was moving. The hours passed and I found myself starting to quietly pack up a bit early.
And I questioned why I was in that spot again. Am I missing something? I asked myself. Did I set up wrong? Where are the deer?
Just then, I glanced off to the side and caught movement in the brush. A quick look with the binoculars and my first instincts told me it was a doe; the body seemed fairly small. But then something caught my eye. The head rose just a bit, and I thought I could make out a rack.
I pulled out my rattling antlers, which were already down in my bag. I figured rattling was worth a try, since legal shooting light was quickly ticking away.
After I’d worked the antlers hard for a few seconds I could see that they were sparking interest; the buck didn’t come in at breakneck speed as the other one had, but he definitely had changed his angle of travel. In fact, he now was heading straight at me.
I kept glassing as the buck came through an opening. He looked big and seemed to be getting bigger as he came in! Seconds turned to agonizing minutes as I watched him slowly move through the thick brush.
Finally, the deer came into the open within my shooting range. And in an instant, I was all but certain it was him! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it, and my hands began to shake frantically.
I gently lifted my muzzleloader to my shoulder as the buck stood there at 120 yards. I tried to calm myself and breathe as I watched him through the scope. Meanwhile, he stood there with his head up, looking around. I tried to look only at his body and not his antlers.
Focusing hard on the buck’s shoulder, I squeezed the trigger. I heard the “whack” and watched him jump, kick high in the air and spin around. But then he just stood there! I couldn’t believe my eyes!
I reloaded as fast as anyone could have in that situation. My actions were on autopilot, but I was in the deepest state of deer-hunting panic I’d ever experienced.
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When I looked up after reloading, I saw the deer had moved about 15 yards closer to me. I took aim again, and this time when I shot he went down instantly. My arms flew into the air, and I jumped around like a kid after hitting his first home run. I’d just shot the monster!
I reloaded again and made my way over to him for the final check. His antlers began to look more and more like pure craziness, better in person than any picture I’d seen. I just stood there in shock, trying to take it all in.
I sent a couple of messages to hunting buddies and snapped a quick photo before starting my long way back to the house to get the Rhino.
As I drove it back to the scene of one of the greatest moments on my life, I began to worry that I might break something off the rack, as there were points going in every direction. But then I realized I wouldn’t be able to load the deer by myself anyway.
I called Steve and asked him to come out and lend me a hand. But he was already excitedly halfway there with his dad in tow. Steve parked, hopped onto his quad and followed my tracks to where I was.
Handshakes and shouting filled the air as we stood around the buck in awe. With careful hands we loaded him up and took the return trip to the farmyard. We winched up the deer and raised a toast to him, to good friends and to the season.
Then we caped him out and headed down the grid road to drop off my trophy with Al at Country Taxidermy.
I’ve thought a lot about the hunt for that deer and how everything came together at the end. I have to say thanks to Heath, Blair and Pat, who measured the buck for the Henry Kelsey Club listings, our provincial record book, as well as all of my other family and friends who supported my effort to take the new Saskatchewan non-typical record.
It definitely was a season I’ll never forget—and as I write this, I can’t wait to hit the bush again.
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Aaron Joliff
As a winter front pushed through northwest Arkansas on Dec. 12, 2011, the gray and ominous clouds hung low in the winter sky, drizzling rain. Days like this are exactly what Aaron Jolliff, of Bella Vista, Arkansas, has always loved to hunt—and for good reason. So began Joliff's 2011 hunt, which ended with a lifetime 170-inch buck. Read more at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Aaron Milliken
Aaron Milliken caught up with this massive Kansas whitetail after repeated attempts to track down the 194-inch trophy. For the details, make sure to check out NAW's Deer of the Day entry..
Barry Turner
After an off-season spent drooling over trail cam pics of the deer he'd come to know as "Big Show," Barry Turner came face to face with a Missouri giant. The rest of his story—and his 217-inch trophy—are enshrined in NAW's Deer of the Day.
Bill Winke
Bill Winke has earned himself a spot as one of the best Midwestern whitetail hunters of all time, with a recent buck to prove it. To read more about this massive double G4 Iowa giant, check out NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Bo Cocannouer
Two years ago Bo Cocannouer fell from a treestand fracturing his back. Most hunters aren’t lucky enough to walk away from a twenty-foot fall, and the ones that do don’t normally get to hunt from one ever again. But Cocannouer did just that, and he came home with this 194 gross non-typical Oklahoma buck.
For more, read the rest of the story in this Deer of the Day entry.
Brian Herron
Brian Herron fought numerous obstacles and setbacks in 2012 to bag this 184-inch bruiser. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Brian Hollands
After many years of chasing the same buck and coming up empty, Brian Hollands' luck finally turned around. On a fateful morning in 2012, Hollands not only found a lost little girl wandering the back roads of Missouri, he also found the buck of a lifetime. Check out the full story at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Carter Rice
Carter Rice is another first-time hunter that had huge success in 2012. Carter killed this buck in Pettis County Mo., with his father at his side . "I had not experienced that type of excitement since my 15-year-old son Seth was that age," wrote proud dad Rusty Rice.
This photo was submitted to NAW Editor Gordon Whittington earlier this season via e-mail.
Dorothy Shaffer
Iowa native Dorothy Shaffer has only been hunting for a couple years now, but she already has the buck of a lifetime with this 196-inch giant, her second buck ever.
At about 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1, Shaffer arrowed this bruiser through both lungs, dropping it near one of her husband's stands.
For more info, check out Shaffer's Deer of the Day entry.
Dylan Beach-Bittner
Have you seen the (almost) Turdy-Point Buck?
Taking a cue from the popular folk rap song, 12-year-old Dylan Beach-Bittner, downed a 27-point Minnesota monster scoring 241 green.
For more info, check out Beach-Bittner's Deer of the Day entry.
Fred Swihart
You need only skim the pages of the record books to understand why the majority of hunters pick the November rut as the prime time to hunt giant whitetails. Mature bucks are never a pushover, but they are more vulnerable when their nose is glued to the ground trailing an estrus doe. Fred Swihart proved, however, that you can have success outside the rut—sometimes it's just a matter of persistence. Check out the full story at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Garry Greenwalt
Garry Greenwalt teamed up with North American Whitetail's Gordon Whittington to kill this amazing Washington buck, known to Greenwalt as "The Ghost." Greenwalt spent a good deal of time tracking down the amazing 172-inch Washington giant, but it was all worth it. Read the full story at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Garry Morris
It was mid-afternoon on Nov. 13, 2009, and Gary Morris of Winslow, Ark., was heading south out of Iowa. Driven by a haze of internal frustration, he was headed back to Arkansas six days early. The last three years of planning, anticipation and excitement for his Midwestern hunt had been stolen by an encounter with a 170-inch behemoth buck and a blown 12-yard “chip-shot.” After his miss, Morris thought about giving up bowhunting altogether. But it's a good thing he didn't. Read about his unlikely comeback—as well as his 221-inch monster—in NAW's Deer of the Day.
Jay Price
Like any bowhunter who has chased mature whitetails, Jay Price is proof dedication and tenacity are often factors to success. On a fateful day in Kansas, Price once again went through his scent-masking ritual and headed to a treestand that was positioned in the hedgerow deeper into the property. It hadn't worked until that moment, but things were about to change. Get the full story at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Jeff Danker
Jeff Danker of Major League Bowhunter is no stranger to trophy bucks, and on Oct. 3 Danker proved his prowess. He killed this 183 5/8-inch typical buck in Kansas' Rice County after following him all year.
For more, read the rest of the story in this Deer of the Day entry.
Jeff Iverson
Earlier this year, Jeff Iverson killed what might be the new non-typical record for a Minnesota whitetail. This is the third season that Iverson hunted this particular buck. Two years ago, when the buck was a six-by-six typical, he missed a shot at it with his bow.
For more, read the rest of the story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Jordan Dressler
On the first hunt of her lifetime, Jordan Dressler killed this amazingly wide whitetail in Iowa. Now all she has to do is hunt the rest of her days in search of another buck like this one.
For more, read the rest of the story in this Deer of the Day entry.
Josh Barnard
As a dedicated whitetailer, Josh Barnard has had his fair share of ups and downs. This year was a high point, as Barnard killed this monstrous 192-inch trophy buck in Ohio. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Joshua Earp
Joshua Earp's Georgia giant scored 187 inches green, weighing in at 235 pounds, and was a great October surprise.
"“I’ve hunted 25 years for this," Earp said. " I give all thanks to God and my father for teaching me and introducing me to this sport I’m addicted to.”
For more, read the rest of the story in this Deer of the Day entry.
Lindsay Groom
With the help of her husband, Kevin, Ohio resident Lindsay Groom scouted this buck for two weeks before coming across its path again on Nov. 7. Lindsay shot the buck with her crossbow at about 10 yards, but was unable to locate the buck.
After watching the kill shot again on film, the couple decided to track it the next morning, finding the deer just 30 yards away from where they stopped looking the night before.
For more info, check out Groom's Deer of the Day entry.
Lucas Cochren
Lucas Cochren killed an amazing 238-inch Kansas trophy, but it all started with a blood trail gone cold. Fortunately, Cochren stuck to it and bagged the trophy of his lifetime. Check out the full story at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Matt Ford
Abingdon, Ill., resident Matt Ford downed this monster buck in the early evening of Nov. 4; the Knox County beast scored 219 1/8 inches green.
“I still can’t believe it. I thought my 145-inch 8-point was big until this,” Ford said. “I never thought I would see a deer this big, but getting to kill one this big never crossed my mind.”
For more, check out Ford's Deer of the Day entry.
Michael Morgan
Michael Morgan killed this amazing double drop-tine giant in Kansas. After watching in agony in 2011 as the monster buck walked just out of range, Morgan found success in his second attempt at the bruiser. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Mike Giarraputo
Mike Giarraputo set a New York state record with this 210-inch non-typical bruiser. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Mike Moran
Mike Moran's Saskatchewan buck was a dream come true for the hunter who'd spent 27 years looking for a deer of that quality. He finally got his wish on Thanksgiving day, an experience he won't forget. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Paul Keller
Having chased whitetails in Wisconsin since 1978, Marion bowhunter Paul Keller is no stranger to monster bucks, but this year was decidedly different. Keller dropped a 229 2/8-inch buck that will challenge for the top of the record books when all is said and done.
For more, read the rest of the story in this Deer of the Day entry.
Payton Mireles
Payton Mireles, age 10, of Ind., killed her first buck in 2012, a 154-inch bruiser. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Pete Alfano
After a two-year quest to track down the massive deer known as "Mufasa," Pete Alfano finally struck gold with this 215-inch Kansas buck. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Randy Walk
It's pretty safe to say Randy Walk, president of Hoyt Archery, knows a thing or two about bowhunting.
Nevertheless, the 225-inch Kansas beast shared by Hoyt's Facebook page stands alone as the biggest buck he'd ever seen, he said.
“He is a giant buck. Eighteen points total with nine on each side. He has been green scored at 225 inches and some change and is clearly the largest whitetail deer I have ever seen on the hoof or on the ground for that matter."
For more info, check out Walk's Deer of the Day entry.
Rich Baugh
For years, Rich Baugh carefully managed his Iowa property to maximize whitetail trophy production. After several years at it, Baugh finally capitalized in 2011 with this monster 177-inch trophy. Read more about his process—and his amazing buck—at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Richard Buker
Richard Buker has been hunting his family's property in Vermillion County, Ind., for over 20 years, and on Oct. 28, he finally got the buck of a lifetime.
That windy evening, he spotted the massive 170-inch buck working the treeline before heading across the field toward him. At 35 yards, Buker stopped the buck with a grunt, placed his shot perfectly behind the shoulder and squeezed off a shot. After running 75 yards, the buck then dropped within sight.
For more info, check out Buker's Deer of the Day entry.
Robert Gramoll
Robert Gramoll killed his 202-inch Juneau County, Wisc., record in 2012. Having deliberated about staying for the last evening of rifle season, Gramoll doesn't regret that he did. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Ryan Dietsch
After a sleepless night and an unsuccessful afternoon tracking a blood trail, Ryan Dietsch was sure he'd squandered the opportunity of a lifetime. He and friends went back to track the deer he thought he'd hit, but couldn't find so much as a drop of blood. His luck all changed, however, and the rest—along with his 219-inch trophy—is history. Check out the full story at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Shane Frost
Whitetail fate played its hand for Arkansas’ Shane Frost on January 23, 2012. The setting was in the big-timbered, fertile ground of the Black River Bottoms in Clay County in northeast Arkansas. The ancient oaks and sloughs, in all their years, had likely never witnessed a more epic bowhunting scene. So began Frost's whitetail season, which ended with a 216-inch trophy on his wall. Read more at NAW's Deer of the Day.
Stanley Suda
Southern Ohio turned in another giant earlier this season when Stanley Suda shot this buck which is estimated between 235 and 240 inches.
"The shot was perfect," he said. "I watched my dream buck run across the field and pile-up about 20 yards inside the wood line. This was definitely my finest moment in the treestand.”
For more, read the rest of the story in this Deer of the Day entry.
Travis Trimmer
Travis Trimmer of Varina, Va., killed this monster buck on Oct. 27 with a crossbow at 15 yards. The brute weighed in around 159 lbs. and was reported to have a 27-inch wide inside spread.
For more, read the rest of the story in this NAW Community entry.
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NAW's Best Bucks
With a fairly recent move to the countryside and some land under my family’s feet, I was looking forward to seeing which whitetail bucks were roaming our piece of southern Saskatchewan soil for the 2012 hunting season.
After spending part of Nov. 17 with my wife, Kenzie, and our kids, Tanner and Alexa, I gave in to Kenzie’s encouragement that I hunt that afternoon. But it was a strange sit; nothing was moving. The hours passed and I found myself starting to quietly pack up a bit early.
When I looked up after reloading, I saw the deer had moved about 15 yards closer to me. I took aim again, and this time when I shot he went down instantly. My arms flew into the air, and I jumped around like a kid after hitting his first home run. I’d just shot the monster!
