The Kentucky Freak Show Buck

Sometimes, hunts find you. That’s exactly how I felt when I first saw the trail cam photo of a Kentucky giant we came to call “Freak Show.” It was a deer unlike any I’d ever seen, with antlers twisting in every direction. A true freak of nature. Bucks like this don’t come around often, but when they do, you drop everything. The hunt for Freak Show was one for the books.

I’ve hunted Kentucky for 10 straight years. Back in 2020, travel restrictions from COVID-19 shut down my usual plans. I decided to create my own hunting spot and bought my first farm, naming it Bootleggers Ridge. I wanted a place where I could hunt and film locally since traveling wasn’t an option. In 2023, I acquired another piece of ground with more history. We called it Stonewall Plantation, complete with a pre-Civil War house that we remodeled. Now, we run limited hunts there through Worldwide Trophy Adventures (WTA).

My friend and guide, Joey, manages all my properties in Kentucky. He runs Salt River Outfitters, which we also own, and is a master big deer hunter. I don’t hunt Salt River because I don't want to take anything away from our guests. Joey’s wealth of knowledge has been instrumental, and it’s a true team effort to keep things running smoothly.

By the summer of 2024, with both Bootleggers Ridge and Stonewall Plantation fully booked for the season, I was eager to find a new lease. Joey told me about a 175-acre property an hour away from our usual spots. It had a reputation for big bucks. That was all I needed to hear. We locked it in, and that’s where the story of Freak Show, a true buck of a lifetime, begins.

The First Sight of Freak Show

In early August, Joey sent me the first photos of a massive buck on one of our Cabela’s trail cams. Freak Show, as we soon called him, had antlers going in every direction. I had never seen a free-range deer like this, especially on a property I was hunting.

There was just one problem. I had drawn a Barren Ground caribou tag through the WTA TAGS program. It was a limited entry tag I’d been applying for for over 12 years. Seeing Freak Show on our camera changed everything. Sometimes, the hunt you’ve been waiting for finds you. I knew I couldn’t miss this opportunity.

Early Season Setbacks

Kentucky’s early whitetail season opened on September 7, but with the wind not in our favor, I stayed home. Pushing into the stand with the wrong wind could spook Freak Show for good. It was a tough call, especially when he still showed up on the trail cam that evening, unable to resist his nightly hit of Buck Bourbon 110 Proof attractant.

Sunday brought the same north wind, so I held off again. It was painful. He showed up two nights in a row during shooting hours. The risk was too high. I couldn’t afford to make a mistake with a deer like this.

This hunt was different for another reason. Back in 2020, I tore my rotator cuff while loading a deer into my truck. I’ve managed the injury, but my shoulder has been unpredictable ever since. I’d trained hard with my Mathews compound bow all summer, preparing for the caribou hunt. Unfortunately, I reinjured my shoulder during those sessions. I couldn’t shoot my vertical bow accurately and ethically.

Thankfully, Kentucky provides a crossbow exemption. For me, it was a no-brainer. I’m a firm believer in hunting using every legal method, and the crossbow allowed me to stay in the game. I used my Mission Crossbow for this hunt, not taking any chances with Freak Show on the line.

Holding Out

I left Michigan on Monday, Sept. 10, ready to be in Kentucky that afternoon. The wind had finally shifted to an east breeze, but I knew it wouldn’t hold. By 2 p.m., the wind turned back to the north. Once again, we played it safe and decided to hang back and scout the field from a distance.

That night, Freak Show showed up at 11 p.m., much later than usual. We couldn’t help but wonder if the nearby fire and passing trucks kept him bedded longer. With deer, you never really know, but we stuck to the plan.

Freak Show Appears

Tuesday brought the kind of wind we’d been waiting for. Just before 3 p.m., we hit the road for the hour-long drive to the lease. The terrain was mostly cropland with limited trees, and the walk through the waist-high beans was tough. By 4:15, we were finally set up in the stand. The Buck Bourbon 110 Proof, which had kept him coming in consistently, was positioned at 22 yards. The wind was perfect.

Things were quiet until a little after 6 p.m. when a lone doe worked her way across the bean field. At 7:18, Adam, my field producer, spotted Freak Show at 256 yards, moving north. Adam is a great friend and has been my good luck charm on many hunts. He had to be here for this one.

Freak Show was moving earlier than we’d ever seen. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him through the scope, hoping he’d stay on his usual path. He wasn’t in the open long before vanishing into the brush. As the light faded, a big 10-point buck emerged from the south. I had a 46-yard shot, but I let him walk. Probably the biggest buck I’ve ever passed on, but this hunt was about Freak Show.

As the 10-point slowly moved away, so did the daylight. We left the stand with our minds racing. Did we bump Freak Show?

The Moment of Truth

The next morning, a sinking feeling set in. After nine straight nights on the trail cams, with seven appearances in legal light, Freak Show had vanished. It was hard not to think we might have spooked him, but we stuck to our plan for the afternoon.

At 2:45, we left for the stand. This time, we altered our approach, cutting across the beans and following a tire track into the tree line. We were settled in by 4 p.m., with a stronger but favorable east wind pushing our scent into the beans.

We watched a few deer feed nervously in the field for several hours. Around 8 p.m., a 10-point we’d been watching snapped his head toward the Buck Bourbon 110 Proof. I knew something was about to happen. I scanned the field with my Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding binoculars and spotted Freak Show. Just the front of his antlers were visible at first, but I knew it was him. My heart raced as I eased up the crossbow.

Finally, he stepped out. I settled the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger. The bolt and SEVR Broadhead hit their mark. Freak Show ran into the beans and disappeared into the thicket. Moments later, we heard the crash.

It was over. He was down.

Joey arrived quickly, and we tracked Freak Show only 50 yards into the beans where he’d gone down in the thicket. Walking up to him, I was speechless. He was massive—36 scorable points (confirmed by Buckmasters) and incredible mass. This was the culmination of sacrifice, effort, and patience.

A Hunt to Remember

The next morning, we met at Salt River Lodge for daytime photos with Freak Show. Even in the daylight and after a good night’s sleep, I was still in shock. This hunt wasn’t just about taking down a massive whitetail. It was a journey that began long before opening day—a true team effort. Joey managed the land perfectly, Adam brought his good luck as my field producer, and we all worked to keep Freak Show on schedule with the Buck Bourbon 110 Proof, while ensuring word didn’t get out.

Freak Show was a once-in-a-lifetime buck, and the experience will stay with me forever.

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