I didn't have high expectations for the hunt. Word got out fast, and we had people calling and wanting to come see the deer. They loaded it up on a small ATV and brought it home. I took my backpack off, got a drink of Coke, and just settled in. #1 - Wisconsin Wisconsin is the #1 ranked state with 1,822 total entries and six counties in the top 20 U.S. counties with the most records produced. We observed a 2% increase from the 2018-19 season (145,745) and the 2019-20 season is 11% above the 10 year average (133,524). I waited until I found a small opening and squeezed the trigger. What is the Most Important Factor in Whitetail Nutrition? Eventually, the buck he was hoping to see walked into the clearing, and Beach took the shot. 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. Key features include muzzle velocities of 2,215-2,400 fps. An intensive, four-year pursuit of an elusive buck dubbed "Sasquatch" at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) ended in celebratory tears, hugs, and shared joy between father and son. In October, the stud disappeared. He went to the point of impact and found bright red, bubbly blood. Brian Butcher shot a deer with massive antlers, but he won't let that give him a big head. An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky . Occasionally, the buck traveled through the 7-acre property. We loaded him up and took him to the Golden Pond check-in station. "The sun was starting to sink but there was still plenty of daylight left.". He decided to come back the next morning. Eric Lundgren of Ruger, which now owns Marlin, highlights the features of both rifles with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Both bucks were 100% free-range, but the answer is a bit more complicated for this next whitetail. Skis are easily the most efficient way to cover snowy ground on foot in winter. His sons took some good deer as well. My dad, Luke (my brother) and I enjoy hunting public land all over the country. 6 of the Biggest Kentucky Velvet Bucks from This Fall That isnt the area of Ohio thats best known for big deerthe southern third of the state is more often recognized as monster buck countrybut dont tell that to Kline who recently picked up Hermans 233 7/8-inch rack. This page is designed to showcase bucks from the Bluegrass State. Put in his scenario, we would have done the same thing. "When I reached for my bow, the deer jolted about 35 to 40 yards into the bean field and stopped on a dime. Lacefield slowly drew back. It was on Sept. 4 when Jamison Standard and Casey Reed tagged two of the biggest deer from opening day. I didnt even know how to act. Joe Lacefield accomplished both simultaneously. It was so bad that my dad would take his sheds off the mantle and hide them if we had company. I kind of got out of it for a while because I went to college and lived in the city, but I made it back out into the country and got back into it. How Many Whitetail Bucks Do Hunters Kill Across America. 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. Mike Clerkin heads to Buffalo County, Wisconsin to bowhunt whitetails. Last year, during gun season, I had him in gun range at about 80 yards. The afternoon started off slow, with very little deer movement. Kline had never killed a deer that big. What is the biggest deer ever killed in Kentucky? - Vidque.com It even inspired him to write a song. Give a Gift He was a pretty regular deer coming in the evenings ever since, Keating said. This makes for heavy hunting pressure and many deer become nocturnal at an early age. With a 31-inch spread, many who see this deer will claim it's the biggest deer they've ever seen. At our best estimate, Sasquatch was at least 8 1/2 but likely 9 1/2 years old (we are in the process of having him officially aged). Read Next: 10 Amazing Photos of a Buck Shedding Velvet. Officers say a deer this big sends red flags flying. Dad tried grunting to stop him, but he was not stopping. Why don't you come out and sit the rest of the hunt with me?". Settle says the. Five Under-the-Radar Trophy Whitetail Counties A couple friends helped Taylor recover the deer. It was showing up regularly and seemed very huntable. Key features include muzzle velocities of 2,215-2,400 fps. A creek rippled along behind the blind. In this edition of "From The Stand," Pat Hogan explains the importance of being aware of proper clearance when using your bow or crossbow out in the field. Oklahoma hunter kills possible state record deer in Logan County Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Conservation law enforcement officer Sgt. 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. All North American Whitetail subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Hope everyone gets to. So what do the record keepers do about a deer like this? Kentucky hunter Daniel Deckard didnt expect to start his deer season with an injury, but thats exactly what happened. The giant buck hit and killed by a vehicle at Fort Campbell, located in western Kentucky, on July 27 was still putting on bone as evidence by these huge antlers covered in velvet. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. Access. If you took you vacation every year Nov. 9-12, youre in best window for big bucks moving in day. All Game & Fish subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Deer: Balancing Expectations for Small Properties, Get to Know Your Neighbors for Better Deer Herd Management, Big Buck Profile: Reid Crawford Kansas Buck, Choosing Correct Magnification for Rifle Scope, Big Buck Profile: Troy Metzger's East Illinois Giant. Miss a Deer? In the video above, Leopold's Shawn Skipper highlights the features of the exciting new optics with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. He had a slow hunt, though, only seeing three does and one small buck. The velvet was a little damaged from the branches, but Beach didnt much care. Few people could really hunt him because of where he was unless he traveled around or went across the road, which he did.. I would only move when it got windy. I was telling myself, Its OK. Nobody would blame you to give up right now and not try to shoot because of how crazy this deer is. Stephen Tucker killed the deer in Sumner County, TN. All rights reserved. Id like to dedicate this deer to him and his memory. Hes a union carpenter and lived a couple of miles from his current property. Photo Gallery See all Photos Jamison Standard's Beanfield Behemoth So, we hunt it hard. A food plot and lots of edge habitat stretched out in front of them. After the mandatory drying period, the rack scored an incredible 312-0/8. The broadhead struck true, and the giant bolted for cover. 10 Giant Bucks from the 2021-2022 Deer Season Photo Gallery | KDFWR - Kentucky Then, the buck started to turn. Later that night, Lacefield recovered the deerhis biggest ever. | To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. Warren County, Mississippi Turns out the area around Vicksburg, Mississippi, is more than just an attraction for Civil War history buffs. Hornady's Seth Swerczek goes in depth about the new cartridge with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. I was so mad about last year, Kline says. It stretched the tape to 179 inches. CX Outfitter, 180 gr. It takes an equal mixture of intelligence and luck for a buck to reach that age, especially on public land. But on Sunday morning it was just me and Dad. We began looking for sheds daily again, grid searching the 3000-plus acres. Eventually, the music stopped and the shotgun blasts faded. All of those four are among the top 15 in the state in their respective category. We continued looking for the other side but never found it. 3,757 likes. That started the process, and they followed the trail for about 150 yards before recovering the buck. In December of 2019, it happened while Kline was there. This man pleaded guilty to hunting without permission and hunting by aid of bait, which are both class C misdemeanors. 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. At that point, he could tell it was a good deer. I wasnt really getting many pictures of him, though, and my only good chance to kill this deer was during the rut, Kline says. The deer jumped, and then walked back into cover. KY.gov. He thought it probably had a 14 or 16 point rack. He left everything in the blind except for his crossbow, a brand-new Raven R26, and one arrow. Boone and Crockett's Top Whitetail States That's the second big deer killed in that area, we're they are doing construction across from kroger,. Score: 155 inches. This year, on opening day, Reed got the southwest wind he needed and decided to hunt a hilly ridgetop. We know he traveled further than that, but he spent most of his time in this area. Kline hunts Sandusky County, Ohio, which is located in the northwestern region of the state. Harvest Results - Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife All the while, a 162-inch deer showed up on a different farm. In January we got one picture of him, nearly two miles from where wed found his previous years sheds. With lessons learned from past seasons, Beach was excited when a familiar buck started showing up on his trail camera this summer. But the buck took a full step to the right. June 28th, 2013 | Big Deer Stories, BigDeer | 2 Comments Dustin Finley tells me his dad, Larry, killed this deer in Pendleton Co, KY on 11-11-12; they measured him at 226 7/8. Ruger's popular American bolt-action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years. Hope that's not the case cause I would like to see some better pics of it. My dad had been marking every scrape, rub, trail, shed and trail camera picture using the Hunt Stand app, so he transferred all that info to the topo map to hopefully figure this deer out. But nothing prepared Settle for the buck he started getting trail cam pictures of in July 2020 at one of his mineral plots. It stretched the tape to 179 inches. Sasquatch went down in his tracks! On Sunday, January 24, he eased into the property. Anything raised for the purpose of shooting is not eligible by our standards, and this buck would fall under that category. Eric Lundgren of Ruger, which now owns Marlin, highlights the features of both rifles with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Whitt. To have the opportunity to take a buck like this is a dream come true.". Published Sep 15, 2021 12:23 PM EDT. 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. JavaScript is disabled. "Deer hunting means the world to me. - Big Deer Previous Next Kentucky Giant Buck, 226 Inches! We are investigating this story and will continue to publish updates as we learn more. The internet celebrity, who is a member of Officials say that increasing the moose harvest is Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. Here are a handful of the best velvet bucks to come out of Kentuckys 2021 bowseason. But almost immediately, skeptical hunters started asking what everyone was thinking: Was it a high fence deer?. Jason Kline has spent much of his life chasing whitetail deer. This summer, the buck used a consistent travel route, and Taylor quickly patterned the deer. "It became a yearly tradition for me," he said. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. "I remember catching a glimpse of the top of his rack coming through the woods," Reed said. "I never thought in a million years I would shoot a deer that big," said Zach Meadows, who shot the buck with his bow on Nov. 3 in Logan County. Kentucky Giant Buck, 226 Inches! - Big Deer I was able to get a perfect shot within a few seconds.". 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. I got a phone call that evening from Dad telling me he had just shot Sasquatch! I just couldnt get a good shot at him, and to be perfectly honest, he was standing right on the property line. They use the clearing to get back and forth between the ag-fields and the hardwoods., Settle got to work setting up mineral and food plots and installing several permanent stands. After giving the deer plenty of time, the Arkenaus took up the blood trail, and found the buck. The problem? I couldn't control myself.". He hoped the buck might return in camera photos, but he knew in his gut that wasnt likely to happen. Knowing that Kline had actively hunted this deer for years, the landowner was nice enough to let him keep the rack. On the afternoon of opening day, Beach climbed into his treestand and settled in for his hunt. It had 5-inch bases and carried between 5 inches and 4. I used that to stay in the bucks blind spot. Kentucky Big Bucks - Facebook The fence is broken down right there, and I couldnt see it from where I was.. It was cloudy and cool on Sept. 5. On September 15, Blake Keating killed a Kansas buck that would likely dethrone Luke Brewsters whitetail as the biggest in North American history. When he stood up, he had nothing but his rump facing me. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Almost anyone can hunt LBL, all you need is your statewide hunting license, tags and an LBL user permit. Eventually he found waterfowl hunting, which has consumed his time in recent years, but he finds his way back to the deer woods every season. It was also the opening of dove season, and after climbing into the stand, he heard gunshots everywhere. Gov. My dad, Luke, family friend Jason Divita and I covered miles almost every day, and we found one of his sheds in late January. I couldnt tell if he was on my side of the property line or the neighbors. Hes killed his fair share of good ones, but theres only ever been one Herman, which is the monster buck he focused on for the past five seasons. When the buck reached 35 yards, Mattingly released his arrow. Hell of a buck. We hunted the area every chance we could, trying not to bump him. LBL is also home to a wide variety of recreational activities. He decided it was worth checking out and that he still had plenty of time for a stalk. Features quick-change barrel system. 2019-2020 Total Harvest Summary 148,395 deer were harvested during the 2019-20 deer season, which is the second highest harvest on record. The sighting wasnt far from where we had some trail camera pictures of the giant, so we decided this was where we would go for the quota hunt. Everything in my body at that moment wanted to give up, he says. Mississippi hunter takes massive 170-inch buck on public land Needless to say, LBL is not for the faint of heart. Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries law enforcement officers say this is the biggest deer theyve seen all season. CNN . The buck was spending most of his time on 20 of their 200-plus acres. Courtesy Logan Beach Logan Beach's Bushwhacking Bruiser Buck: 162 inches Date: Sept. 4, 2021 Location: Caldwell County, Kentucky Method: Compound bow They next day, it showed up in front of another treestand, but both the Deckards were sitting in the blind.