Enter the 2019 season. I wasnt really getting many pictures of him, though, and my only good chance to kill this deer was during the rut, Kline says. GILBERT, W.Va . I didn't have high expectations for the hunt. Settle was able to get an official SCI Green Score on the incredible buck, which came in at a whopping 311 2/8 inches. "You must take the time to do all the preseason scouting," Reed said. Hiking, biking, fishing and small game hunting are all very popular. I thank God that I got to experience the hunt with my dad and to celebrate it with my wonderful family. Each year the buck packed on more antler growth, but Lacefield couldnt get within range for a shot. Travis Gray says if we dont know about it, we cant investigate it. Congrats on the once-in-a-lifetime hunt, Blake. I hadnt really realized what Id done because the hunt was so intense. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. One of the things Kentucky deer hunters look forward to is hunting velvet bucks. James Kroll and Haynes Shelton talk about being realistic when it comes to managing a smaller deer property in this edition of Dr. Jamison Standard started getting trail-camera photos of a huge buck just a week before deer season and started scouting diligently to try and determine a pattern. To have the opportunity to take a buck like this is a dream come true.". Kline hunts Sandusky County, Ohio, which is located in the northwestern region of the state. Settles biological father, Terry, passed away earlier this year. I made a little compilation of some big Ohio brutes. Both bucks were 100% free-range, but the answer is a bit more complicated for this next whitetail. That afternoon, he used HuntStand to check the wind and went back to the same stand, feeling optimistic since the buck had walked through there the previous afternoon. He hadnt heard of any other hunters tagging him, and news of such a giant buck would certainly spread quickly. It was hard. Last year, during gun season, I had him in gun range at about 80 yards. The farmer/landowner doesnt let anybody deer hunt, but he allows me to go shed hunt, Kline says. ), It took me a long time to get over to the deer, he says. My dad and Jason talked daily about Sasquatch, diving into different topo maps, aerial views and theories of what the deer might do next. East ky. Strutter said: This buck was killed yesterday in Richmond in front of Krogers. You are using an out of date browser. Story is that someone cut it;s head off and left before the F&W guys arrived. In January we got one picture of him, nearly two miles from where wed found his previous years sheds. On Sunday, January 24, he eased into the property. How Many Whitetail Bucks Do Hunters Kill Across America. Giant bucks on opening day were taken by Kentucky bowhunters Jamison Standard and Casey Reed. Photo Gallery | KDFWR - Kentucky Six weeks before the opener, he fell from a 12-foot ladder stand, and broke or fractured his wrists, ribs, and ankles. I've filmed a lot of deer hunts. Words cannot describe the image of him coming in.". Subscriber Services. It was Dads biggest LBL deer ever, a 170-inch buck that we had two years of sheds from, but it wasnt the deer he was after. He just disappeared, Settle says. On our way back to the truck one day, we came across a scrape at the bottom of a really steep drainage. Moore got there about 5:45 p.m. in knee-high boots, basketball shorts and a camo top. Ruger's popular American bolt-action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years. "I had never taken a buck with my bow before and was strongly considering taking this shot. The sun came up and we finally saw a deer around 7:00 a.m. Three does passed through, and then I heard Dad say, Big buck, big buck.. He hoped the buck might return in camera photos, but he knew in his gut that wasnt likely to happen. The genetic potential is there, the nutrition is there, and hunters have been practicing Quality Deer Management. | During the summer of 2021, we had several pictures of Sasquatch, and he was still impressive. Look below you," Moore told him. Many deer end up bedding on the end of big ridges, which are everywhere, and this makes it difficult to pattern them. We climbed the same tree with our Summit climbers, and Dad was about six feet higher than me. Sage Marshall joined Field & Stream as an editorial intern in 2018, when he worked at the publications former office in Manhattan. By last summer the giant buck had grown an even more impressive rack. Here are a handful of the best velvet bucks to come out of Kentuckys 2021 bowseason. The carcass was picked over by scavengers so there was no way to tell what had actually killed the buck. A week later we went back to check the cameras and there he was: Sasquatch in daylight. | We thank God for giving us the perseverance and dedication to always press on no matter how frustrating it got. Then, the buck started to turn. Copyright 2019 WAFF. Around 5:30 p.m., he decided to call his friend, Kyle Moore, to see if he wanted to come sit the remainder of the evening with him. Published Jan 27, 2021 8:50 PM EST. They state this deer garners more attention than any buck on the premise because it almost looks too big to believe. ELD Match, and 175 gr. The National Wild Turkey Federation's mission to conserve wild turkey and preserve hunting heritage is still going strong after a half-century. DEC Announces 2020-21 Deer Harvest Estimates Hunters in New York Harvested More than 253,000 Deer in 2020-21 . Harvest Results - Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife I've seen some biggins in the middle of Frankfort. He grew again and was a 200-incher with some serious mass. If the words Butcher Buck dont mean anything to you, its damn time they do. Huff is just fine with the slow pace of life in the country. Figuring the deer was around 8 years old in the fall of 2020, Kline had been hunting Herman since he was 4 or 5. Im sad that he died and wasnt killed by someone, but I am glad to have him., Read Next: An Elevated Shed Hunting Experience. Eastons first deer 2021 Posted: 3/19/2022. On the third day, the buck didnt show at all. But the buck took a full step to the right. It was kind of dumb for a deer this big, but people would see him every day, either morning or evening.. His window was narrow, too: Shortly after shedding its velvet, the buck always departed Lacefields hunting grounds. What is the biggest deer ever killed in Kentucky? - Vidque.com (High fence deer in Kentucky do not have to be checked in.) Like its namesake, glimpses of this 16-point deer were only captured in grainy photos. 1 Pope and Young Bucks Before They Were Beat, Illinois Hunter Sprints to Close the Distance On 21-point Bedded Buck, How to Find Big Buck Sanctuaries in the Spring. If you took you vacation every year Nov. 9-12, youre in best window for big bucks moving in day. The afternoon started off slow, with very little deer movement. Haynes Shelton discusses what to look for when choosing the magnification range when it comes to the scope on your deer rifle. Fortunately for Kirkpatrick, a cold front had recently passed through, spurring deer movement. Its a thick, secluded creek bottom.. (Photo by Chase Geary) Guner Womack killed one of the most perfectly symmetrical whitetails. This amazing story chronicles the life of a giant whitetail deer Don named "Mel" after Mel Johnson's world record typical whitetail deer. We loaded him up and took him to the Golden Pond check-in station. Wish someone had some better pics. I debated. Updated: 8:51 PM EST November 17, 2021 DECATUR COUNTY, Ind. The next morning, Sept. 4, brought cool weather and light southerly winds. I worked nearly six years at Mossy Oak Productions filming hunts all over the country. He was still in early velvet, but I could just tell he had a lot going on under all that fuzz., The deer returned to the mineral plot at different parts of the day for nearly six weeks. 211-Inch Bluegrass Giant Hunter: Neal Kirkpatrick Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Daviess County, Kentucky Method: Compound Bow Score: 211 inches (unofficial gross score) Kirkpatrick arrowed this buck in late September, which is a time when most hunters struggle to pattern deer. I initially didnt believe it, but she sent me a picture and sure enough they were his. Several oaks were already dropping acorns, and there was heavy deer sign. Harvest Comparison by Year. But he never got the chance. But on Sunday morning it was just me and Dad. Hell of a buck. He taught me all the rights and wrongs, dos and donts, and how to be safe in the field, Settle says. Conservation officers said if you see something, say something. Most of those acres are open hardwoods, with many hills, hollows and some crop fields scattered around. We continued to run cameras to prepare for the quota hunt. We hunted and ran cameras all fall and never saw him. All of those four are among the top 15 in the state in their respective category. Deer began moving and, later in the day, movement really began to pick up. Standard took a deep breath, drew his bow and took the 40-yard shot, hitting the buck square in the vitals. Browning's Rafę Nielsen shares details on the new X-Bolt Pro LR McMillan hunting rifle with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. A couple friends helped Taylor recover the deer. Oklahoma hunter kills possible state record deer in Logan County Among the accomplishments includes the recently concluded Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt initiative, which in 10 years conserved or enhanced 5.3 million acres of critical wildlife habitat, recruited 1.5 million new or lapsed hunters, and opened new access to 750,000 acres for hunting and recreation. We found one of his sheds in late January and looked for the other side all spring with no luck. Then he retrieved his gear from the blind returned home to pick up his 16- and 18-year-old boys, who Settle calls his little tracking dogs. They went back to look for the buck. Having disappeared from cameras during the heart of hunting season, its possible that another hunter wounded Herman. Needless to say, LBL is not for the faint of heart. He even had surgery on his wrist. At least 74 people in Kentucky have died after a weekend tornado outbreak across eight states flattened homes and businesses in the Midwest and South. Hope that's not the case cause I would like to see some better pics of it. The timber dropped off into a drainage about 60 yards away. Harvest Results by Region. Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller gets more info from Hawke's Paige Shipe at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Back before the construction went full bore that is. Kentucky Giant Buck, 226 Inches! - Big Deer Nice to see other people from Richmond. His treestand was positioned on the ridge, with bedding cover at the end of the point. Kentucky Hunting is the leading online community for outdoors enthusiasts to discuss hunting, fishing, archery, and life in Kentucky. Buck after buck walked in and out of view, but each one looked up at Lacefields position. Learn more in the video above, with Remington's Joel Hodgdon and Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Conservation law enforcement officer Sgt. Opening day of deer season 2021 didn't disappoint with reports of Bluegrass State bucks taken by bowhunters measuring 170-plus inches. 193-inch Kentucky Public Land Giant Falls After Five Years: - North After our interview with Settle, we were confident that his story was true. Hunting season started and we still received random pictures of him, but we never had an actual sighting. 2022 modern gun Posted: . EDITORS NOTE: When the photos of this deer were first sent to us by the hunter, Derek Settle, our immediate gut check was: This is a high-fence deer. Kentucky hunter Daniel Deckard didnt expect to start his deer season with an injury, but thats exactly what happened. You must log in or register to reply here. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Then, it happened. So what do the record keepers do about a deer like this? Standard exercised patience, though, and waited for the giant to appear. I dropped the phone and steadied my bow. Brian Butcher shot a deer with massive antlers, but he won't let that give him a big head. solo hunt on his property, By Beach was ecstatic. Find Your Arrows and Broadhead. Kirkpatrick says he rarely hunts in September, though he does when the weather feels like October. After that season, he decided to focus all his energy on hunting that deer. Joe Lacefield's velvet monster green-scored 179 inches. The fence is broken down right there, and I couldnt see it from where I was.. Last year, the buck was 60 yards away, but wouldn't come any closer. It takes an equal mixture of intelligence and luck for a buck to reach that age, especially on public land. We know he traveled further than that, but he spent most of his time in this area. "I ventured away from deer hunting because of my passion for waterfowl hunting, but there's nothing like harvesting a buck with a bow. Lance Hill's South Carolina Stud. Eventually, the music stopped and the shotgun blasts faded. He was now a 200- plus-inch 17-point giant. Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller gets more info from Hawke's Paige Shipe at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. 1:07. The rifle has five caliber offerings, two barrel choices and three different riser stocks. The first couple hours were slow, with only a doe and fawn passing through. (Photos courtesy of Jamison Standard and Casey Reed). That started the process, and they followed the trail for about 150 yards before recovering the buck. There was a wild sapling pushed right up against the trees on the weed line. 2019-2020 Total Harvest Summary 148,395 deer were harvested during the 2019-20 deer season, which is the second highest harvest on record. (Settle has a medical exemption to use a crossbow during archery season because of a herniated disk in his neck. The window is short, usually lasting only five to 10 days, but those who work hard to pattern deer during the pre-season have a great chance of tagging a good buck. I got out of the tree and slowly walked over to Sasquatch. None of them fully spooked, but they didnt like what they saw, either. He decided to come back the next morning. He was by far the smartest deer we have ever pursued. Tag already filled; Kline couldnt help but wonder what had happened to Herman. Ed Arkenau, his son, and their friend Cole had hundreds of trail camera photos of a particular buck in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Huge buck killed in town | Kentucky Hunting With shaky hands, Standard called his father and asked for help recovering the buck. I have a video of it after it was hit and it looks to be moving good but there's other pics of it dead but the pics still are blurry. Oklahoma's bow hunters have killed some big bucks already this young archery season, but perhaps the most impressive so far has been Johnny Maxwell's 28-point whitetail from Stephens County. He spotted this giant in person for the first time in 2019, but didnt close the gap. It had a 20-inch inside spread with 24-inch main beams and gross-scored 170. The Land of Giants: Where the Biggest Bucks Were Killed in the Last The arrow struck true, and the deer ran for cover. All the congrats to the hunter on taking that buck, but from our record book standpoint, its not an eligible deer, Spring said in an interview with MeatEater. (Photo by Chase Geary). Ken Vitale with Buck Knives chats with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller about two new hunting knives for 2023the purpose-built Alpha and PakLite series. In the video above, Matt Willson of Ruger highlights the features with Game & Fish's John Taranto. The 360 Buckhammer cartridge is designed for lever-action rifles and will be available in two Remington Core-Lokt loads. Before we interviewed Settle, we confirmed with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife that the buck had been checked in as being killed and tagged in Kentucky on telecheck. But, its also possible that the old buck succumbed to the stresses of the rut, possibly getting wounded by another buck and going down to infection or coyotes or both. Subscriber Services. KY.gov. Record-Class Fort Campbell Buck Killed by Vehicle - Deer And Deer Hunting We spent a lot of time out in the woods together growing up. But now that I actually have him at home, its crazy. "It was emotional because this was [my girlfriend's] uncle's old stand. Buckmasters Whitetail Trophy Records (BTR) scorer Hunter Schmittou measured the beast of a buck and gave Huffman the final tally. So, just from knowing the property, I thought that there would be one particular place where a big deer might go to die. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The bulk of Hermans core area was located on a large tract of land owned by a farmer who doesnt allow hunting. Imagine hunting a buck for four years without ever seeing him in person. This year, the rifle will be chambered in 7mm PRC, the hot new load that was a hit at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. When he stood up, he had nothing but his rump facing me. He climbed down to look for blood and his arrow but couldnt find any sign that the buck had been hit. ELD-X Precision Hunter). "It became a yearly tradition for me," he said. Courtesy Logan Beach Logan Beach's Bushwhacking Bruiser Buck: 162 inches Date: Sept. 4, 2021 Location: Caldwell County, Kentucky Method: Compound bow 0:05. Another field and drain stretched out behind him. Joe Lacefield accomplished both simultaneously. Just $1 per month , A handful of killer Kentucky velvet bucks from this bowseason, By When hunting season came around, we never got another picture of him. ELD-X Precision Hunter). More than 300,000 Hoosiers are sitting in their deer stands, looking for their dream buck this hunting season. "I was very excited about opening day," Standard said. He hit the woods on Sept. 25 in hopes of arrowing the big buck he had on camera. "I killed him at five paces," he said, from a portable stand about 25 feet high in a tree. He says it was one of the most intense moments of his life. Key features include muzzle velocities of 2,215-2,400 fps. Kentucky Deer Harvest Totals for 2021 - Eastern Outdoors Media Incredible 57-Point Whitetail Buck Shot in Kentucky - Field & Stream Total Harvest Results. The Model 336 is expected to be launched soon; the Model 1894 should launch this spring. Boone and Crockett's Top Whitetail States I knew this would mean a lot to him. They loaded it up on a small ATV and brought it home. At SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Kansas-shot buck has the second-largest antler size of any hunter-taken "This deer has shown me that all the time and dedication that I put into preparing for this hunt was beyond worth it in the end. "I was doing everything I could on short notice with food plots, cameras and cleaning up stands," Kirkpatrick said. They knew theyd target the giant 12-pointer this year, and they did just that on the Kentucky opener. So, on opening weekend, he moved in and hunted along a promising ridge line. I just couldnt get a good shot at him, and to be perfectly honest, he was standing right on the property line. 10 Giant Bucks from the 2021-2022 Deer Season