Boone & Crockett Close to Crowning New World Record Pronghorn

This year my whole family drew tags for zone 60-64 in the independance mountians, except for me I drew in zone 51 wich is near winemuca nevada. so after 2 weeks of waiting it was finaly my turn to hunt. we left right after school on friday from carson city nevada and drove for 3 1/2 hours to mcdermit nevada. then the next morning I woke up at 4:30 and drove to the mountains I was hunting. we walked for about 4 miles before we saw something, it was a doe a t about 300 yards running.

I didnt want a doe so we passed and kept looking. after lunch we still hadnt seen anything so e decided to move to a new area. a herd of does suddenly exploded from a thicket and ran about 300 yards before stopping. I passed them to. the next day we woke up early and drove out to the zone. after about 3 hours we hadnt seen anything yet and we had to hed for home. on the way 3 does ran in front of us. i decided to shoot one because at that point I just wanted a deer. Boom one shot from my savage axis with a nikon prostaff skope droped her at 120 yards.

Gear: savage axis .270, nikon prostaf 4-12 scope, north face boots, cabelas seclusion 3d pants, kings desert shadow shirt.

-- Galen Robinson

On a western hunt with South Fork outfitters in Wyoming. Fitz (my guide) spotted this older 14" buck antelope. We stalked to 80 yards and after missing offhand, stalked again into 110 yards, where I took the fatal shot with my Reminigton 700 BDL 300 Winchester mag.

-- John Leibley

I live in Illinois and shoot nice bucks but this one is unreal.I hunted Iowa's first gun season (2011) when on the fourth morning this buck came out right away chasing a doe.I raised my muzzleloader and shot dropping him in his tracks. As I walked to him the closer I got the bigger he got. A main frame 10 point with a drop tine on each beam making him a 12 point. He has a 24 4/8" inside width and scores 184 1/8".

-- Randy Anderson

We had been hunting for all month and then I found this guy at 7 in the morning and 1 neck shot he whent down.

-- Emmett Robinson

Well, let me start off with, I am a Florida Cracker who has grown up hunting deer, pigs and turkeys here in the swampy south. With that being said, I jumped at the chance to hunt the rifle season in Indiana. I work as a full time firefighter, and one of my co workers has family in Haggerstown Indiana. We had permission to hunt 3 different farms, one withing walking distance, the others were a short drive. We made the 16 hour drive up, set stands, and were having visions of Monster Bucks all around us. I decided that I would go and hunt the farm near the house on our first afternoon. I made my way through a cut corn field and climbed a semi straight tree to a whopping 12 feet. I used my climber because the wind had changed that afternoon. I got settled and started to take it all in. Great weather, vast cut field of corn with a wood line to the west, and a large block of hardwoods to the north. Well, at 4:30, I saw a large rack moving through the wood line. I pulled my grunt tube out and grunted once to him. He stopped, and then moved a little closer. Then I watched his rack go in a few circles, and the he bedded down. We exchanged grunts back and forth for a solid hour. I figured that he would just move on, forever gone. Well at 5:30 I look up to see a young 4 point walking toward me. This was a happy deer. He was jumping around, chewing bubble gum, jumping rope, and just enjoying life as a deer should. Then he froze. I look to the wood line and see a monster step out. It was the buck I had been grunting with. Evidently he assumed that the small 4 point had been calling him out. Mr.Big Boy had his head down, walking stiff legged. All bowed up lookin' for some trouble. Well me being the kind person that I am, I could not let this big deer beat up a small guy. So without hesitation I dropped my cross hairs from his rack, to his neck and pulled the trigger of my black powder. The smoke cleared, big boy down, and the 4 point is now running in circles, not knowing what to do. I sat back, put my gun in my lap, and said " I just did something real good, or real bad." It was real good. Even though I bucked out on my first sit, I don't regret pulling the trigger. He went 154" gross. And he looks pretty darn nice on the wall.

Headed back up in a week to do it all over again!

.50 Cal CVA Optima Pro
Nikon Buckmaster
Powerbelt 245grn
Summit Goliath

-- Rob Widdows

This is a nice ten point I shot on Nov. 2nd, 2012 around 10am. I used my PSE Stinger with Thunder Head broad heads.

-- Timothy A. Harinck

I shot this brute in the Cascade mountains of Washington state! Yes Washington, not Utah or Idaho! He is a once in a hundred lifetimes buck! Couldn't be happier with him! I use Remington model 700 .300 ultra mag with a Boone and Crockett scope. He dumped right where he stood!

-- Jacob Stern

My dad and I were heading out for night stand in Central MN, around 2:30PM, when my dad got a call from my uncle Denny, saying that "That he and my aunt were sitting in a ground blind on the field, and that Old Faithful was open". So my dad and I decided to sit there, once at the stand we looked at each other and said this is too high for 2 people. So my dad put me in an old stand he had built some years earlier, it was old but only 6 feet off the ground. My dad told me that if nothing was happening that I should practice aiming at birds and trees, and practice taking the gun off safe quietly. With my dad 35 yards away watching me I proceeded to scan the woods for movement and practiced aiming at trees as if it were a 10 point buck, when out of the corner of my eye is seen something moving thru the woods, could it be? Yes, it was a nice buck with his nose to the ground coming right up the trail, my heart started to beat so loud that I thought the deer was for sure going to hear it, then my legs became weak like rubber bands, I just hoped my body could stay together long enough to get a good clear shot. I took aim picked out a clear spot and watched the deer come into my sights, made a BLAH sound like they do on TV, the buck stopped, I squeezed a round off from my 1100 Remington 20gauge automatic... the rest is history..

-- Trevor Pederson

My Colorado elk hunt was a success beyond belief! It's an awesome story for sure! My PSE Archery Bow Madness made some noise and I dropped this 4x5 Bull Elk on the last day of archery season in Colorado. Shot him at 10 yards and he ran 15 after my Easton FMJ arrow tipped with a G5 Montec blew through his lung and heart. This was my very first elk ever!

-- Albert Quackebush

As a first time subscriber to Petersen's Hunting, I found the Rack Room an interesting read. I thought I might share one of my favorite hunts with the readers. The hunt goes back to 1999. I flew from my home in Piedmont, Ohio to Anchorage and then on to Valdez where my son, David lives. David and his friend Jared planned a self-guided hunt to get Pop's (that's me) an Alaskan Dall sheep.

The hunt started with a three hour drive, a float plane ride into the Wrangell Mountains and then a three mile portage that included a white water raft to our base camp on a fast flowing stream near a long mountain ridge. The first two days only produced ewes and small rams. On the third morning, we saw five rams but they were not accessible. Later that day, we watched two rams bang heads before I got the shot that I came to Alaska for. One Dall sheep down. The next morning from spike camp, I glassed the five rams from the day before coming over the mountain ridge. Three hours later Jared has Dall number two.

On day six we started our two and a half day float trip looking for legal Bull Moose on our way to take out point. A few miles down the canyon I heard the words 'eddy out, eddy out '. Before I knew what was happening we were on the bank. A pack was under David's 30-378, a ram evaluation, a 275 yard shot and the third full curl ram was ours.

Good homework and preparation by David made this a hunt of a lifetime for Pop's . David has led me on several other successful Alaskan hunts including a second Dall.

-- Bill Benes

Mule Deer archery opening weekend, Boulder, UT August 2012

First Mule Deer, First Buck with my bow, First full velvet, First self filmed... great footage !!

Mathews DXT
Piranha Strings / Cables
True Fire Release
Carbon Express Maxima Hunter 350's
Rage 2-blade
Lumenoks
Busnell Range Finder
Hawke Binoculars
Ameristep Ground Blind

-- Kerry Mackey

Early hunt in scapegoat wilderness in Montana . I took this 24 inch 4x4 mule deer with my Ruger chambered in 300 win mag.i was at my turn around and head out point when this nice buck showed up. At 150 yards and a nice rock to rest on this deer was no match for my ruger.one shot and it was all over. Now the work begins, thanks to the help of my dad and my best friend the pack was light.

-- Tony Fassio

This is a nice 9 point I shot on the second day on Michigans 2012 gun season in calhoun county. He was chasing two doe around the swamp grass before he came my way. It was a 20 yard shot with my Remington 870.

— Timothy Harinck

Lee Cooke, of Portland, Texas, and owner/operator of Triple E Outfitters, took this 15 point Webb County Buck in mid December on one of his Outfitted Properties in South Texas.

— Clay Bonilla

Sharon Cooke, ofPortland, shot this 6.5 year old management 8 point in early December in Webb County. Guided and outfitted by Triple E outfitters.

— Clay Bonilla

Ashley Cooke and her four year old daughter Rylee with a doe Ashley took with a bow in early December in Webb County. Ashley's first bow kill from a popup blind at 12 yards with Rylee sitting quietly beside her. Rylee was with her every step of the way, even helping to track it by following the blood trail.

— Clay Bonilla

Drew Bonilla, 4, of Corpus Christi, shot his first rabbit with a .410 in early December in South Texas.

— Clay Bonilla

Stephanie Bonilla, of Corpus Christi, shot this 146 inch 10 point Webb County Buck on December 1, 2012 at the Mendiola Ranch in Webb County, Texas. Guided/outfitted by Triple E Outfitters

— Clay Bonilla

I finally did it on the last day of the 2010 Ohio late muzzleloader season — my best buck with my T/C Black Diamond muzzleloader! I had hunted hard all season searching for the right buck to use my tag and waited until the last minutes of shooting light on the last day of the season to find this buck. I met a friend at 5:00 in the morning at the public land trailhead on State Forest property in Southwestern Ohio, which consists of about 12,000 acres of the steepest, thickest pubic land hardwood forest that you can imagine. We walked, tracked, and stalked the entire day in a few inches of new snow, putting in 15 miles of hiking up and down the steep hillsides, deep hollows, and narrow ridge tops. At the end of the day and with 3 miles between us and the truck, we stared the long hike out. With dark arriving shortly, we hoped to get as far as possible be fore having to use our headlamps. So, we took a shortcut through a low saddle area choked with briars and tall grass. All of a sudden a few minutes into the hike, I heard a deer blow, snort and bust out of the thick cover in front of me. He ran about 50 yards and then paused to check his back trail. I was just able to find the buck's shoulder with my scope and pulled the trigger. The buck vanished in a dense cloud of black powder smoke. Luckily, I was able to find a thin blood trail and with the few inches of snow, I also found his tracks. We blood trailed him for about a half mile, finding steady, dark blood drops - which made me suspect a liver hit. We also found 3 beds where he laid down and we realized that we were pushing him too hard. We decided to give the buck some time and marked the last blood spot with a handheld GPS and continued the journey toward the truck. It took about 2 hours in the dark to cover the ground to the truck. Once there, we used the GPS to locate a forest service road that got us closer to where the buck's trail was last found. We moved the truck to that spot and reorganized, shedding layers of warm clothing and unneeded hunting gear before going back into the timber to retrieve the buck. We finally found the previous blood trail with the GPS and followed it about 100 yards to find the buck bedded next to a down tree and dead. The bullet did hit the liver and exited through the opposite hip, taking out the joint and femur with it. After dragging the buck out through the harsh terrain, we found the truck about midnight and took this photo. He turned out to be the best buck I've ever taken and scored just over 140 inches gross. His mount is now proudly displayed in my home office.

— Cortney Henderson

He came chasing a doe and i stopped him at 15 yards shot him with my horton crossbow and the RAGE broadhead did the rest

— Dale Knapp

I got this 11 point Buck in Evergreen, Al January, 13, 2013. I got in my stand at 1:30 and was able to grunt him in at 3:30. The temperature was 78 degrees so I was spraying myself down with cover scent every half hour. He weighed 200 pounds and had a 19inch spread.

I was using a Browning A Bolt 30.06 with a Nikon 50mm scope.

— John MacNaaughton

November 19,2012 would be the last day of my 2012 Wisconsin deer season. After sitting for two days I thought I would go sit for a final three hours before we would head out of town. That Monday was the first day where the wind was finally dieing down and the deer were finally moving. After setting out my scent canisters, I settled in for a short morning hunt. Then about a half hour later I heard a noise behind me, when I looked all I could see was the back leg. When I put up my Remington model Seven 7mm 08 and turned my safety off. The biggest buck I've ever seen was looking directly at me only forty yards away. The buck is an 166 5/8 official Boone and Crockett buck.

— Neal Beining

My brother and I were after this buck we nicknamed "bocephus" two years ago. We had pictures of him as a 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 but we never got an eyeball on him in the woods. We both thought he was dead one way or another. On christmas eve I reached the stand battling sub zero temperatures and two feet of snow that we recieved the past two days. I saw a deer moving through the snow but couldn't see bone. The deer just paused in the same spot 80 yards away for at least 10 minutes and as time went by i could see that he was a buck then a decent buck then he turned his head and my jaw dropped. I dropped him at 80 yards and couldn't believe my eyes when i walked up to him. the equiptment i used was scent away spray, scent lok full body suit and under aurmor under layers

— Shane Sweeney

Lots to tell on this hunt and long story: Reader's Digest Version = This is my daughter Ashley and this is her 4th and last NV Jr Mule deer hunt. She shot one spike, one doe, and two bruisers. She hunted very hard and passed on over 20 bucks during this hunt, at least 8 were mature mule deer. This can be verified by footage taken. We hunted very hard for this guy, and cut his tracks 4 different times, never once seeing him, till the day she shot him in his bed. 70 yard shot with a Ruger American in .243. It gets better; poor guy lost his left eye form sparring earlier that morning, or within a day as it was a fresh puncture wound and new healing taking place. Yes he was blinded by battle in his left eye. We quarted him out and Ashley packed out two quarters in two trips in the pouring rain. Great Cabelas gear on her, modge -podge on me, mostly wool. On the w ay down hill on quad we ran across hunter dragging two separate halfs of a 4x4. After inspection we realized this deer had a life threatening lump/puncture on his nose from sparring. Apparently these two battled for breeding rights and ended up killing each other one way or the other. It begs the question Who Got To Breed? :)

— Steven Garcia

Opening morning of wis gun deer season hunting my 13 year old daughter shot my buck with a 300 weatherby mag at 275 yards

— Floyd Johnson

Many of Washington's wilderness bruins head for high country berry fields from August to early November. This, to put on calories before hibernating. I found this one awash in a sea of blueberries, however this bears stomach was filled to capacity with mountain ash berries. I shot this bear from a laser ranged 368 yards using a Bushnell laser rangefinder. The 180 grain Swift Scirocco II from my Remington model 700 in .300 Weatherby hit the bear high in the lungs dropping him as if Thor had hammered him from above.

When my hunting partners and I made it to the bruin we realized it was a good one. 6' 3" from nose to tail. Bruin was estimated to weigh a little over 300 pounds. Skull measures a tad over 19 inches. I'll be back in the Glacier Peak and Wild Sky wildernesses in 2013 looking for an even bigger bruin. Yep, I'll be in those productive high-mountain berry fields.

— Mike Quinn

Location: Mitchellville ,MD
score : 171 3/8''
Method : CVA .45 Muzzle loader / 195 gr CVA power belt
Hunter : Jeremy Bellows

When my six year old son Zakk and I left to go to our stand ,we had no clue as to how things would unfold that afternoon. It was December 1st. the second week of firearm season .We were hoping to see a large ten point we had seen the week before. We had dropped our friend Bill Jackson off at his stand, and continued our walk to ours . I did not have that much hope in seeing any thing because I had shot a doe from that stand earlier in the day and had disturbed the area a lot getting her out of the woods, and the neighbors had been target shooting until about 1:30 that afternoon. It was 2pm as we made our way up the steep hill to our stand. We made no attempt to be quiet as we stomped threw leaves talking as we went. About one hundred yards from our destination I saw movement to our left , we got low next to a big tree and this brute just kept coming at us .We had to wait for him to dropdown into a ravine so we could take a safe shot . As soon as he was off of the skyline and gave a safe shot I took him with my CVA. .45 cal muzzle loader loaded with a 195 grain. CVA power belt. the shot was at 125 yards. and he went down after only traveling 30 yards. He was 14 points and scored 171 3/8 '' non typical after the 60 day drying period.

— Jeremy Bellows

Youth turkey Henton Roberts and shake n jake decoy

— Jesse Roberts

My good friend and Spring turkey hunting instructor, Richard Kimbrough, M.D., with a MONSTER Rio Grande gobbler taken on the Tributary Ranch, Kerr County, Texas on Sunday morning, April 28, 2013. Shot at 18 yards with a Remington 1100 Magnum 12 gauge after an hour of call and stalk. This was a four year old gobbler with 12 ' beard and matching spurs measuring 1 13/16 '.

— Ronald Wardell

This is an ocellated gobbler taken by me, Ronald Wardell, in Campeche, Mexico near the village of Cano Cruz on Wednesday morning, April 3, 2013. The gobbler was one of four which had come out of the jungle into a plowed field. It was shot at 40 yards with a borrowed Remington 1100 12 gauge, No. 2 shot and 2 3/4 ' shell. The outfitter was Jorge S. Sansores of the Snook Inn. This was one of eleven ocellated turkeys taken among seven hunters during our five days of hunting.

— Ronald Wardell

This is my grandson Regan Bird with his first turkey. He took it on the first morning of the VT youth turkey season. He used a Remington 870 youth model shooting 3 in Heavy Shot Magnum Blend at 16 yds. He was hunting with Dave DeVries, owner of Deadcreek Outfitters in Addison, VT.

— Steve Myers

"Gemsbok On The Kalahari"

Africa Maximum Safaris May, 2013

250 yards, Win 70 Super Grade, .375 H&H Magnum, McMillan Hunter stock, Broughton barrel.

— Don Blitz

After 30 years of marriage my lovely bride, Janice, decided she would begin hunting with me. She had over the years been backpacking in New Mexico and Yellowstone as well as several wilderness horseback trips. Her first trip was a elk/deer/bear hunt with Heaven's Gate Outfitters in the Rapid River Wilderness of Idaho in 2011. While we had a great trip the weather was unusually warm and sunny for our entire trip and the elk and deer remained in the dark timber. We saw one bull late on the next to the last day and I took a small mule deer. Later that year she took a good whitetail on our ranch near Jacksboro, Texas. In 2012 we returned again to Idaho. The weather was completely different with snow falling everyday from noon till dark which cut visibility to less than 100 yds. After 5 days of hunting Janice had seen over 30 bulls and had her rifle fail twice on bulls within range. By day 6 both she and her guide Wes were frustrated by equipment issues and the weather. We decided on the last day to hunt together in a slide which had been holding elk all week from before daylight till the snow began to fly at noon. We arrived shortly after daylight came to the slide. Looking up the mountain we could count over 2 dozen elk and at least 6 good bulls! However all the elk were above us! Janice had already climbed the mountain several times that week and decided that it was my turn to make the climb. I looked at my 19 year old guide who immediately turned uphill and started climbing like only 19 year mountain guides can. I grabbed my gear and followed close behind, well close behind as I could. We had gained about 200 ft in altitude and several hundred yards in distance using the terrain to get near one of the bulls when we heard a shot behind us followed by the sounds of a large animal crashing down the hillside. Shortly after we left my wife and her guide a large bull stepped out of the timber about 200 yards from them and below us. Before the guide could say anything my wife had grabbed her rifle, lined up the sight picture she had been rehearsing every night in her sleep, and drilled the bull with her Gunwerks 6.5 X 284. The bull trotted about 30 yards, collapsed, and slide 250 yards downhill coming to rest against the tree in the picture. After 2 hunts and 6 days of hunting in snowstorms, my wife had her second big game animal just a few days short of her 57th birthday. You're never too old to start! Oh yeah I got my bull 20 minutes later.

Where: Rapid River Wilderness, Idaho
When: October 27, 2012
Score: n/a
Method: Rifle
Hunter: Janice Wald

— Mike Wald

Robby Easton, 17, called in a mature Rio Grande tom at the Nevada Nile Ranch in Lovelock, Nev. Two local ranchers, Ted Bendure and Mike Phillips, gave Easton permission to hunt this exclusive area. Only five tags are issued for this hunt and Easton was lucky enough to draw for the second straight year.

Easton writes, "Not only was this a heavy bird (25 pounds), but we were surprised to discover that its feet had extremely long and curly toenails."

It was the last day of a 21 day Safari in Tanzania. I was the designated filmmaker and photographer for the trip on which my good friend completed his Big 5 by taking a nice Bull elephant. He had made arrangements for me to take a Baboon if the chance presented itself. We were literally on our way back to camp, with only a few hours left on our safari when a large troop came blazing across the river bed! We stopped the vehicle, and I grabbed the .300 Remington Ultra MAG! As I tried to steady my aim on the largest Baboon in the troop, he disappeared into the brush on the side of a cliff. Disappointment began to set in when all of the sudden he reappeared at the top of a tree 200 yrds away. I settled the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger! The big troop leader was dead before he hit the ground and we all celebrated! This being my first and only animal harveste d in Africa, I am very proud of him, the shot placement and the entire safari experience! My only regret is changing out of my traditional safari attire and looking more like I was headed to the gym than to hunt! haha Live and learn!

— Brock Childs

2012 Ontario whitetail buck. 15 pts. 260 lbs. 167" gross B&C score. Shot with a Winchester SXR rifle in 30-06.

— Ken Merrow

The kudu I recently took in Namibia on Aug. 25, 2013. Rifle used was a Browning A-Bolt Medallion in .338 Win. Mag., topped with Leupold VX-II and shooting Winchester Accubond 225-grain bullet (one was enough).

— Dean Wirz

Called this guy in. It was an awesome feeling to have him so close.

— Kathy Hanson

Bobby Olsen of Cathlamet, Wash., with a fine buck taken on their annual Colorado family deer hunt. Bobby took this mule deer at 270 yards with his favorite rifle, a Weatherby MK V in .270 Wby mag. Being a family affair, both his 81-year-old father and 24-year-old son were by his side. Not a bad buck for his 20th consecutive Colorado mule deer.

-- David Faubion, Petersen's Hunting associate editor

My first mule deer, a 5x5, in Wyoming. Used my Encore 30-06 at 222 yards. Dropped where he was standing but took a nice slide down hill in the snow. Going back next year with my bow.

-- Jim Tewmey

I took this great Alaskan Dall Sheep in 2011. Shot it with a Blaser R 93 at 450 yards with .300 win mag nosler 180 grain. Hiked over 60 miles with 80 plus pound packs on. Trophy of a life time.

-- Ryan Schmidt

Hunting with Jagged Edge outfitters in Challis National forest Idaho. Shot with remington 700 300 saum that I just won at a RMEF banquet. Great high country hunt on horseback.

-- Gary Redinger

West Texas Mule Deer hunt with Desert Safaris. 194 yard shot quartering to me. Browning ABolt 300 WSM. 180 grain Federal Nosler Partition. Zeiss Conquest 4.5x14
173 4/8 b+c

-- Clay Bonilla

Nevada late season DIY hunt. I used a Remington Model 700 25-06 with Leupold Vari X II scope.

-- Dan Raftevold

I took this huge Alaskan-Yukon Moose hunting with my 70 year old dad. Moose had a 71 inch spread. Shot it with a .338 win mag in a Blaser R93, at 350 yards.  We sunk the boat on the way up the river and had a wild ride packing this beast out and trying to make the 70 mile river adventure back home.  Remember to take the old guys hunting as well.

-- Ryan Schmidt

Bull elk in New Mexico. Weatherby, 180 gr. Barnes.

-- John W. Jones

I watched this buck and 15 other bucks for over an hour in a cut corn field.  When they disappeared into woods I thought he was gone for good.  Twenty minutes later he and two other bucks were standing directly beneath my stand.  After some tense moments I was able to harvest this great 180" northeast Indiana buck with my Mathews Z7, Carbon Express Maxima Hunter tipped with a G5 T3 mechanical head.

-- Rich Smith

This 16 point whitetail was taken on our family farm on the Eastern shore of Maryland. It was taken in October during the early muzzle loader season at 135 yards with a Bad Bull Muzzle loader. It had an preliminary score of 194 ' and is the largest deer ever taken in the QDMA Coop which I am a member. He stepped out into a standing bean field and took over an hour to work into range, I knew he was big but had no idea he was going to be that good, I was shocked when I walked up on him. I feel really blessed to see a deer like this, truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

-- Brian Sears

I made nine attempts and finally succeeded on the 28th of October. I was hunting in dry crunchy oak leaves using spot and stalk techniques I learned in Montana and Washington. I was able to get within 150 yards while he was in his bed. One well placed shot from my pre-64 Winchester 270 and the season was over. During this season however, I was also lucky enough to see his larger companion before and after the season so I am counting the days until next year.

-- John Lease

This buck was my son's (Joshua) first buck. He has gotten back into hunting after many years establishing his career and can now enjoy the fruits of his labor. Josh stalked this buck for over five hours until he was able to make a 350 yard shot with his Remington 700 in 300 Winchester Mag. Practice and Patients paid off for him big time this year. This buck has a 4 x 5 rack that measured 35.5 inches wide. Needless to say his father (me) is very proud of him.

-- Killed by Joshua Toland

Giant Kudu taken in South Africa on spot and stalk at 80 yards. 55" horns Pre-64 Winchester model 70 30-06. Dropped instantly in one shot with Federal 180 gr. Vital shock trophy bonded tip ammunition. This fine tropphy is shoulder mounted and hanging on my wall.

-- Rick Brooks

Colorado 7x5 Muley. It was about 10 days away from the rut, but he was already with a huge herd of does. We first spotted him at quite a long distance away, then had to skirt around a couple of miles of sand hills to surprise him at 100 yards. This is my dream buck, couldn't be happier! Winchester Model 70 in 30-06, 165 Barnes X hand loads.

-- Chris Yaryan

Febuary of 2011 harvested this double drop tine stag with .270 after my arrow hit droptine. On south island of NewZealand.Sitka gear,Bushnell E2 and Danner boots.

-- Steve Lamb

words ca'nt express how i felt harvesting such and animal i was trully blessed on this amazing rut filled mornig in southern ohio when I took this awsome 156" 11pt buck on nov 2nd 2011 on public land....I was using a mathews outback bow and wearing scent blocker clothing when i herd him grunting from a distance of a hundred yards..He was chasing two does in my direction, when i let the arrow fly the lord guided it to its mark at 37yds this monarch monster parished within 50yds!! Thank you Dad for teaching me patience and respect for these wonderful animals....RUSH OF A LIFETIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Brent Clark

6x6 elk rough scored 356.08 taken with 300 Winchester Mag Hornady bullet. Taken north central Idaho.

-- James Lalonde

I saw 9 does and a buck at 600 yds opening morning in an adjoining pasture to the crp field I was hunting , then this guy showed up and all nine does and the other buck came on the run and stopped at 323 yds. I took my shot and season was over at 7:23 am. Sometimes I get lucky instead of hunting till the last day.of season!

-- Mark Rankin, Springfield, Mo.

This was a nice ten point I shot just after day light on my property on November 11 of 2011. He dressed out at 180lbs. This is the first deer I have shot with a cross bow.

-- Timothy Harinck

Holloween afternoon, 2011 - I rushed to my local urban tree stand a little after 4:00PM.  Before climbing into position, I pulled the card from the Moultre trail camera to see what might be working the area and guage my chances for the evening hunt.  I had missed the buck we called "The Freak" about ten days earlier from the same stand and was hoping he was still hanging around.  The Freak is a monster main frame 8 pointer with a double main beam on on his left side.  His spread is at least 18" and he carries a massive body through the woods.  On the fateful night of the missed opportunity, the Freak came in behind me and stood broad side at 20 yards.  I had to turn around and try to shoot through a small opening in the makeshift back screening I had installed behind my stand.  I took the shot before the monster moved into my wind and I blew it.  I missed him clean shooting right in front of his chest.  My two boys have given me grief about it ever since and The Freak has never been seen again.  Anyway, back to the Holloween Hunt. 

Once I was situated in my stand, I put the camera card into the digital camera I always carry into the woods and began scrolling through the pictures it contained.  I was halfway through when several shots of Bubba were screened.  I had gotten a single picture of this deer the previous year in the same general location but had never seen him.  Until this Holloween, I had never seen another camera shot of him.  It looked like Bubba had been hanging around for a few days, but mostly coming into the camera's lense at night.  Before I had too much time to admire what I was hoping to get a look at that evening, I heard some movement and looked up to see three does walking through the woods about thirty yards from my stand.  I let them work through the area and hoped that a deer with antlers might be following close by.  About fifteen minutes later I heard footsteps through the brush along the river about 80 yards away heading the same direction the does had travelled.  As the movement passed further away I decided to give a few grunts on my primos Buck Roar to see if I could draw whatever it was into view.  Before I even put the grunt tube down I caught movement to my left and looked to see Bubba working a trail straight at me.  I didn't have time to think, when his path brought a tree between us that blocked our views of each other I stood and drew my Mathews Switchback bow in one quick motion.  I thought about making a grunt noise to stop Bubba but figured it would probably screw up the opportunity more than anything.  The monster buck was now less than ten yards away walking from my left to my right.  I put my twenty yard pin on his chest and let the arrow fly.  I hit him, but not where I thought I was aiming.  The shot was deadly, but not well placed.  Bubba ran about forty yards, stood still for a couple of minutes and then fell over backwards.  All that I could see through the brush was the tip of one antler and from how far above the ground it was, I knew he was huge, but I didn't have a clue as to how big he really was.  I sat and watched the still antlers for about fifteen minutes and since I saw no movement I figured it was time to get out of the stand and go take a look.  Oh, what a buck and man did I start shaking. 

It took me a solid hour to drag Bubba to my truck.  I had texted a local hunting buddy to come give me a hand loading him up because there was no way I could have managed by myself.  My buddy's reaction when he saw the deer I had just killed was one of disbelief.  No way could a deer this big be taken 200 yards from downtown main street.  We loaded Bubba up and took him home.  The preliminary unoffical Pope & Young gross score done by the Gander Mountain Archery pro was 145 inches with only 2 inches of deductions.  Bubba will be offically scored in a couple weeks at the Dixie Deer Classic and ranked against the other North Carolina bow kills from last fall.

I have been fortunate to be able to hunt for most of my life and have had many great experiences in the woods.  Bubba is the biggest buck I have ever seen while hunting and might be the biggest one I ever get a chance on.

-- Jeff Guernier

On October 6th, 2012, I set out at about 4:30pm for an evening hunt. With me, I was toting a Mathews Z7 Extreme, Easton Flatline arrows, Rage Broadheads, my Under Armour camo, nikon optics, and TRU Ball release. The weather and wind were perfect for the stand I was going to hunt in Ohio County, Indiana. At 7:00pm I heard something down hill of me that sounded somewhat like a squirrel chewing on a walnut. To my surprise, this nice buck was rubbing a tree and walked straight to me and gave me an 8 yard shot. He ran about 40 yards and crashed. I am very pleased to have taken a nice buck with my bow!

-- Brad Henry

Hi this is a picture of my 8 yr old son Brandon, he got this 8 pt buck with his Parker Tomahawk cross box using muzzy mx 4 broad heads . This hunt was possible because of Michigan's mentor program. This buck was taken Sept 22 during a 2 day youth Hunt. Brandon is hooked for life.

--Aaron Rockwell

My father and I have hunted for years on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We get up early and go Christmas shopping to catch the sales on Black Friday. Then race back home to hunt the evenings. Lucky for us we can walk from our back door just a few hundred yards to our ladder stand which over looks a wooded point jutting out into the marsh behind our house. This is the first year I was the designated shooter, up until now I've been content with watching and tracking. Dad had made some adjustments to his Excaliber crossbow and added an Aimpoint ML2 which made sighting so much easier for me, put the red dot where you want to hit. And that's just what I did when this big boy came walking out, I had to wait for what felt like forever before he finally came close enough for Dad to give me the OK to shoot. Dad said the words hadn't cleared his mouth when he heard the bow release. And as they say the rest is history. My deer placed 5th in Virginia Big Game contest, youth division. It scored 173 10/16 points with the Virginia system and netted 131.875 points Boone and Crocket

-- Cristin Cade

I harvested this 200 lb. Black Bear hunting solo in the woods behind my home in Northern Minnesota. It was opening day of the 2012 season. My Hoyt Camo Carbon Element and Rage three blade 100 grain cutter mated to a 340 grain Beman ICS Hunter yielded a clean double lung pass-through at twelve yards. I found my trophy less than 40 yards away.

-- Dean Thesing

Opening morning of Colorado's first elk rifle season started with a "bang"! My new Kimber 300 WSM did the one shot job and my largest 6x6 Bull Elk in over 25 years was on the ground. The bullet was a 180 GR Federal Premium Trophy Bonded and the rifle is mounted with a 4.5 X 12 Zeiss Scope. We were hunting a drop camp in the San Juan Mountains with San Juan Outfitters, hunting with three good friends.

-- Jerry Adams

55 ' Yukon Moose. Shot 9-22-12 non guided trophy zone in Alaska.

-- Jim Roush

January 2012. Harvested this 6x6 bull during the late Reservation General Elk Hunt. Shot my bull at 80 yards with my 30-06 rifle. Great Hunt.

-- Joan Arviso

This Elk was taken near Folsom,NM with a Savage 270 model 111. The load used to take it was Sierra 140 grain BTHP backed by 55 grains of H4831. We spotted several Elk in a canyon and after a small hike we got around 260 yards from them. This bull finally showed up and I fired two rounds and the hunt was over. This was my first bull hunt.

-- John Valdez

My name is Justin Bishop and I shot this buck on November 5, 2011 with a Howa M1500 .243 at 150 yards in Chester, SC with my Dad

-- Justin Bishop

My hunt was on a wet cold evening. Me and my dad were fighting over which deer stand we were going to hunt in. That morning my dad missed a wide ten point. So I wanted to hunt in the deer field. We call it the deer field; because you always see deer in it. I never hunted in the deer stand that my dad put me in. I sit and wait for about two and half hours. All I see is about fifty mallards fly over my head. I hear a bunch of shooting going on in the direction of my dad. I'm getting all mad now because he sees deer and I don't. I was on my way down. When all of a sudden he comes out. The whole time I thought it was a eight point. I saw that he was a mature deer. So I climbed back in the stand and carefully took aim. Dropped with in five yards.

Swamp Donkey is one of the best deer attractions that I use. I was 18 years old and it was my first buck.

-- Kristopher Scroggins

This deer scored on the B&C at 173 5/8. It was killed with a Remington, model 720, 30-06. Here is the story.

In 2010, my dad wanted to take my brother and I up to Wisconsin to meet some cousins of ours and do a little deer hunting on the dairy farm that has been in my family for generations. It was quite a drive from North Carolina, but well worth it. We had been hunting hard all week without any luck, and we were beginning to think that we were going to have to make the trip back empty handed.

It was mid-afternoon the day after Thanksgiving in 2010. We were all planning a man-drive on a piece of property that has not been hunted yet this year. My cousin had gotten a picture on his trail cam of this deer in velvet, and had been tracking him since. So we planned out the spots that we would post up, and picked who would be crawling through the thick apple orchard to spook up all of the deer. Well the spot that they picked for me to go to was not the spot that I really wanted to be, so I talked my brother into switching with me. While standing there waiting on the deer to show up I hear the drivers getting closer and closer, suddenly I see movement up on top of the coolie and three does and a small six point run down within shooting distance of me. I decide not to shoot because I know what the woods are capable of producing. Those deer kept on running in the direction of my brother which is about 300 yards away on the other side of the hill. About three minutes later a hear a shot come from his direction. I thought to myself, " aww come on Dylan, you didn't just shoot that little buck". Well I give him a call and he is in shock. I thought for sure that he had killed that little sixer. He said that he had killed a really nice buck, I kept asking if it was a six point and he couldn't answer me. He really does not hunt that often so I didn't know what he really meant by saying "nice buck." Well I began walking in his direction to see what he had killed and as I came over the hill, I looked down at the bottom which was about 200 yards away and I could see him standing beside what looked to be a small buck. As I got closer and closer then horns began to stick out a little more. Finally, I reached him, he was speechless and so was I. I just stared down at the deer in shock of the size of the antlers and the body itself. I am used to seeing North Carolina deer and you North Carolinians know the size that I am talking about. Anyways, I don't thin k that I have ever seen a smile on my brothers face as big as the one that you see in the picture. He was stoked. I am very happy that he got the chance to kill this deer, but to this day I still can not help to think that, if only I had went to the spot that I was initially supposed to go.

Hunting is not all about taking the biggest deer, or shooting the most ducks, it is about spending quality time in the outdoors with your closest loved ones and friends and building experiences every time you step foot into the wonderful nature that God has blessed us all with. Seeing the smile on my dads face was also a memory that I will never forget, he was so proud. At this moment I never thought that this would be the last hunt with my Dad. I grew up hunting with him, and learned almost everything I know about the outdoors from him. I remember sitting in a dove field with a pellet gun, and watching his every move so that I could be just like him. I wish that I had spent more days in the woods with him, but I took it for granted thinking that he would be around for the majority of my life to teach me more. I have learned responsibility, respect, and many other traits of good character from being in the woods and sitting right in the middle of the most wonderful creation on this earth. I wish everyone had the opportunity to get in the woods and see the world from a different point of view.

-- Luke Morris

I was worried going into the season about getting my daughter Melissa a deer this year since she has become very serious about her studies and is taking several college level classes while a junior in high school. Opening weekend, we were sitting in a blind and noticed a very nice buck sneak into an isolated quakie patch about 600 yards from our position. Later that morning, two different smaller bucks went passed our position but Melissa would not shoot as she wanted that big buck. To make a long story short, we went after the buck but he had snuck out the back side and after circling around the patch to drive it to my daughter, I spotted it hiding in the sagebrush on the opposite direction and ended up shooting her dear. I felt really bad as her tears started falling but after recovering, she stated well then she would just have to shoot a bigger one now.

The following Friday was the next chance to go and we went into the high mountains in SE Idaho to look for a buck for Melissa. Soon after arriving to our chosen spot, very fortunately, we spotted right away a single large buck at perhaps 900 yards away. We stayed in the truck and drove another mile to put us in position to hike in downwind and on the back side of a large ridge where we would be unseen. We then hiked up the steep side of the mountain to the top of a high isolated ridge. Upon nearing the top of the ridge, we got down and started crawling, stopping every few feet to glass as the isolated canyons below us on the other side become more and more into view.

Suddenly, I spotted the single buck, a nice 4 by 4, standing not too far from where I had seen him earlier. We inched forward until we were secretly in position and then I ranged the shot right at 300 yards. It is during times like this that my internal clock speeds up to warp speed and I know that I can be anxious so instead of this time telling her to shoot, I decided to be less active and let her shoot when she was ready. To not add the additional stress, I concentrated on putting all of my weight on steadying the shooting sticks to make an accurate shot since the shot was long and steeply downhill.

After several minutes a breath control, I had to ask Melissa if she was now ready. She said, the buck is lying down now, should I shoot? I got back up and looked through the binoculars and said that no, he is still standing right there. She looked back through the scope and said, 'There are two bucks out there '. She said that the one lying down hidden in the sagebrush was much bigger. I could not see it but told here to go ahead and shoot when she was ready. Melissa said that at that moment, for the first time this year, the sight picture become totally clear and focused.

At the shot, I immediately popped up and looked through the binoculars. All I could see was a very large massive clean four footed beast standing which appeared to be different than the one that I spotted earlier. Melissa was ready to shoot again but I said to wait to ensure that this was not the other buck, which had disappeared. We waited forever and a day, perhaps 2 to 3 minutes and then I noticed the 4 by 4 down the canyon further now with 5 does. I said that one is yours go ahead and shoot as also the buck was acting like it was hit hard the first time, which it was. Two more shots rang out and each time he would run a little bit. I told Melissa to quickly put him down and she did with a purposely aimed neck shot on the 4th shot (3 of the shots hit the target!). The big massive buck instantly fell and disappeared in the brush. Melissa as I could not believe it and she screamed out, 'he is huge!

Afterward, however, we could not find the lying buck but did not really believe that it had got away. I kept Melissa on the opposite ridge and ready while I went down there. It took some time to find it but I will never forget when I saw him up close and was very surprised on how big he actually was when I picked up his massive rack. As I grabbed him, Melissa appeared to be a track star coming down the steep mountainside in record time to claim her prize. It was the biggest buck that I have ever seen out hunting and maybe anywhere! It was a true once in a lifetime trophy for a very special young lady! To say that her Dad was proud, would be a huge understatement. She had performed extremely well in both successfully negotiating a difficult stalk and making stellar long range shots under extreme pressure.

-- Daniel James Branagan

The 2011 Whitetail Deer hunting season was the first year Nathan carried his own rifle and had his own deer tag. We drove up to Alder Flats,Alberta on Remembrance Day, ready to hunt the next morning. Although we had hunted hard all that day and the next, we had yet to see a deer. A local farmer heard about our plight and offered his stand for us to use, thinking we might see some does in the evening. While sitting in the tree stand, we heard a deer approaching from behind us. The deer walked by on our left and hung out in a clump of trees for a few seconds before he jumped a fence and stood less than 20 yards in front of us. Nate dropped the deer with his Remington Model 788 in .243 Winchester.

Nate's buck made the Alberta record book with a score of 192 7/8 Gross and 190 2/8 Net. He will also be recognized Boone & Crockett, although he didn't quite make the book.

This happened two days after his thirteenth birthday.

-- Leighton Kathler

It was Friday, October 21, 2011, the second afternoon hunt of Maryland's early muzzleloader deer season. On my home turf of Maryland's lower Eastern Shore, I went to my normal spot, where I've hunted for over five years. Much to my shock, there was somebody in "my" spot. I've never seen anyone in this area until this day.

I shook it off, and my hunting buddy and I backed out, and then circled around to hunt the other side of "my spot." Using my Lone Wolf Sit and Climb tree stand, I scaled a tree on the edge of a recent cutover without ever scouting it out before.

About a half hour before shooting time expired, I spotted some movement in the brush about 75 yards away. Quickly, I observed the biggest buck I'd ever seen, tearing up a tree and letting everyone know that he was King of this territory.

I was shaking so bad, I began whispering out loud "don't look at the horns...don't look at the horns..." After much waiting and anticipating, the monster meandered out of the brush into the clear cut less than 50 yards.

I couldn't get a shot because there were too many limbs in the way. Suddenly, the giant turned and moved in a direction that, if continued, would take him down wind of me. I started to panic. Then, I started to convince myself that it was over. But, as luck would have it, he turned back heading directly for me.

When he got within 25 yards of me, I trained my Thompson Center Arms Encore .50 caliber muzzleloader on the beast. Again, there was still too many limbs. However, I was able to get a tiny sight picture through my Leupold Rifleman scope. The trusted scope allowed me to pick the tight spot with confidence.

I looked through the scope and than with my naked eye down the barrel to make sure I was aligned properly and didn't hit a limb. Once comfortable, I slowly pulled the trigger, and the muzzleloader report filled the scene with smoke.

After a couple seconds, I looked to see which direction the beast ran. Unexpectantly, he dropped right where he was struck! I was shocked! I loaded another Thompson Center Mag Express 240 grain XTP and prepared to put another hole in him for insurance. But, it wasn't necessary. He was done.

After safely making my way down the tree, I met up with my hunting buddy who came over to inspect my results. I was pumping my fist in the air in excitement. I approached the fallen giant with my muzzleloader trained like I was on a SWAT mission. Alas, the buck was down and it was time for victory.

I began counting. It was 13 points. A main-frame 10 pointer with a kicker and double forked brow tines.

My taxidermist had it scored at 176 inches of dominant buck horn. It was, indeed, a deer of a lifetime.

-- Tim Gonzales

After several weeks battling fog in a high valley, the weather finally cleared and we were able to approach this bull. Unfortunately, high pressure systems and clear weather bring bitter cold to our late season moose hunt in King Salmon, Alaska. With temperatures hovering around -36 below with the wind chill, there wasn't much time for pictures or celebrating. The old bull was scared and well past his prime but was still an amazing trophy — taping out at just over 70 inches.

Ty Mase

Where: Mason Co., TX When: Nov.9, 2011 Score: 135 gross Method: Ruger M77 .270 Win. Hunter: Wm. Dye

The Rut Report in your 2011 issue of Petersen's Hunting Magazine was dead on! In the report, Mr. Hanback explained that it was his belief that the single best day to hunt would be November 9th...man, he nailed it! A friend and I hunted hard the first four days of the Texas rifle season with day five being the 9th. We both got up early and settled into our stands by 430am. At first light, this big Texas 9 point came in at 70 yds. following a doe. I shared this experience with you in your March 2012 Issue (Hanback-to-Back Bucks, Letters, p.8). The buck ended up winning the Mason Co. Big Buck Contest for 2011. I will never forget Nov. 9, 2011! Thanks for the great magazine and thanks Mike Hanback!

-- William Dye

I shot this buck in Uvalde County, Texas on December 7th. I was using my Polaris Ranger as a blind and was set up near a creek crossing. It had been a cold night and frost was heavy on the grass and brush. I saw the buck's antlers catch the sunlight as he was come out of heavy brush. Checked with my Bushnell Legend 1200 range finder which showed the buck at 342 yards. I checked the buck again with my Nikon 8x40 glasses and saw a doe ahead of him. The doe was crossing a tall grass field which would put her and the buck closer to my shooting position. The rut was on so if the doe continued in my direction I could probable get a shot at the buck. After several minutes the doe crossed a small open area at 229 yards. So I decided to make this my shooting point for the buck. The buck was following behind the doe about 40 yards so I was ready when he stepped into the open spot. I was using my Remington Model 700 with a Leupold VII 3-9 scope and 130 gr hand loaded ammo. The buck dropped on the spot when I fired the shot. I was holding forward a little as the buck was in a fast walk at 229 yards. When I check the shot on the buck I had hit him in the neck just forward of his left shoulder.

-- Jack Sheek

I took this very nice Ocellated March 7 2012 to complete a World Slam in less then a year. To top it of this bird is the pending NWTF new A Typical record with four spurs. Spurs measuring left leg 1 15/16 2nd spur left leg 1 1/16, right leg 2" second spur right leg 14/16.

-- Bill Waldron

After sitting the first 4 days of Maryland rifle season daylight to dark, the weather finally cooperated by giving us a little snow and some colder temperatures. Finally after sitting 7 or 8 hours on the fifth day, a few does came into sight and before getting out of sight, decided to turn and walk down the ridge toward me, when out of nowhere came another deer running. It was easy to see the antlers and as he slowed down to a trot my grandfathers Remington 760 pump 270 dropped him in his tracks. The hunt paid off. Was ready to get the wheelchair in the Primos ground blind which helped block the wind and rain throughout the hunt. Also stayed warm in Cabelas dry plus elite bibs and parka.

-- Doug Galica

I asked permission to hunt on a property where the rumor had it that a huge 40pt. buck was being seen and received the permission. Never believing the rumors I hunted anyway and after driving back and forth for an hour each way for 3 days, this guy walked out and I just figured he was the buck everyone was talking about. I was using a .270 Weatherby with a trijicon red triangle post scope and dropped him where he stood. After walking up on him and still not believing my luck I loaded him on the truck and brought him to see the landowner who said, "that ain't the one." The big guy is still out there somewhere and guess where I'll be next year. You guessed it, making that hour each way drive and keeping my fingers crossed.

-- Wayne Gates