Three Monster Bucks from Florida for 2011!

.

Monster Bucks Are coming out of the wood work!

Apparently, this year is shaping up to be the year for big Bucks. I can't remember ever hearing about so many once in a life time big bucks being killed in one year around here.

One of my best huntin' buddies Steve Bailey called me Sunday about to pee his pants. His message was Short and to the point......."Stephens,,,,, I just killed  a M O N S T E R   B U C K  in front of the dogs, call me back as soon as you get this!" He had just killed his largest Florida Buck ever a big 10pt that they think will gross between 120 and 125". You don't see many main frame 10's in Florida let alone a buck that will break 120". The buck had a 17" outside spread. He was Killed near Orange Springs, Florida.

All I have is a poor camera phone image to post for now but I'll add some better pic.'s as soon as I can get my hands on them.

______________________________________________________________________________

                                      Here's the up dated photo's.....Is that a beauty or what!
                                                        The taxidermist reported 122" net!
_________________________________________________________________________________

The story goes like this....

It was past mid day and warm. The dogs were running a couple of does and everybody charged South to head them and Steve was left kind of behind on the deal. The dogs broke down but in a short time jumped again and headed back North. Steve pulled up to a spot where he had a vantage of 150-200yds down a fifth row. It was not long before he caught a little movement about 100yds down the row. He scoped it but all he could see was the tops of the buck's horns. He sighted down to where he thought the body would be and fire a round from his new (1965 model) 270 Weatherby mag.. The Buck moved slightly but Steve still could only see his horns. He took another shot guesstimating where the body was and the buck fell in his tracks.....shot through the middle of both front shoulders!


The Hancock Buck!

This Buck was killed on the second morning of Muzzleload season near Orange Springs, Florida. Steve and I were already back at camp and we had just had one hell of a hunt. Steve had shot a great little forked horn buck....just the kind of buck you would envision someone dressed in Buckskins shooting with his smoke pole. I had shot an outstanding 8pt with a 17 3/4" spread that was just a grunt shy of 100". Actually, he is probably the third best buck I have taken in Florida.

The buck on the right that I took is not quite in the class of these

 three bucks but a 100" buck is still real hard to come by in Florida!

Then this thing rolls into camp in the back of a pickup........I could hardly believe my eyes! And I thought my 8 was big. Granted this buck is not wide but he's got everything else you could ask for!

He has a total of 13pts. and Mega Mass, forked brows, stickers, long tines, you name it! I have not even tried to put together an estimated score on him yet.

The old guy that killed him was hunting a cut over swamp that had grown back jungle thick. It was 10:30 in the morning when he spotted this deer approaching at about 75yds. The deer stopped to look around and he fired, missing the huge buck. The deer apparently did not know what happened and froze. He was able to get reloaded and the second shot dropped him where he stood. Supposedly the buck was well known from trail camera pictures but relocated to some out of the way place by the time muzzleload would open and would not be seen on camera again until after hunting season was over. You can see from his face he is a very old buck and he is reported to have actually regressed substantially from last year.


Another Big 13pt.

I do not know the name of the hunter that took this next buck, only that it was killed in Flagler County, during bow season. A friend of Mine, Rick Edwards took the pictures and recounted the story to me.

The story is as follows......

The guy was sitting in his stand when he spots some deer chasing and they are headed his was. No less than three bucks come screaming by, hot on the trail of a single doe. However, they charged by so fast he could not stop them for a shot. They are barely out of sight when he spots another buck coming behind on the race.

The buck comes up to within bow range and stops but he is facing head on and will not turn. The guy held his bow at full draw until he could not stand it any more and decided to take a frontal shot. That's usually a big mistake but it worked out for him, this time. The arrow actually caught the buck on the side of the nose and laid it open before going in between the paddle and the rib cage. Apparently, one of the ribs deflected the broadhead enough to send it into the cavity and snuffed him out. I know, incredible but true.


Shrouder Buck!
I don't have a picture of this buck yet but he was also killed near Orange Springs. I only saw him in passing on the back of the pickup but he's wide and has real good tine length. I heard he is 18" wide and will score around 120". I don't have any other details other than he was killed during muzzleload season but as soon as I have some more info I will get it posted.

Another friend of mine took an exceptional buck here in Flagler also, that is in the 100" neighborhood. I need to score him and I will get a post on him as well.


Good Hunting!

Larry Stephens
.

Illinois 2010 Muzzleload Report #4-The Last Day!

.
Illinois Muzzleload Hunt
Dec. 2nd thru 5th , 2010

Sunday December 5th
Temp: Max Temperature 25 °F, Min Temperature 11 °F
Wind: 9 mph (North West) gust to 23
Snow: .3” overnight
Overcast
pressure: 30.41

The Last Morning!

I decided to go back to the “Kill Zone stand” again this morning in hopes of catching a buck headed back to bed.

Just after shooting light I was sitting down when I glanced over my right shoulder and caught sight of a chase coming down the CPR. I stood as quickly as I could, staying as close to the tree as possible. I started swinging on the doe as she came out from behind my tree. A small buck was chasing her and turned out to be the tight 8. At 80yds out I dropped the hammer on the doe and she went down. It looked like at hit to the ham and when I got down to have a look that is exactly what I found. The “Shockwave” bullet had broken her right femur. It was not text book but I had a deer down.

Right after I shot the doe I realized there was another deer coming behind on the race but he was not a shooter. It was just the half rack and at that point the two bucks split up. About an hour later the tight 8 came back down bottom from the sanctuary with a 4pt following him. They ended up smelling me and went off to the east to the breaks on the hill.

On the way out I was slipping along the edge of the corn field at the golden oaks when I jumped three small antlerless deer. They ran down the edge of the woods and I could see they were angling to enter the field. I just kept walking and readied the rifle. The deer entered the field single file quartering away at about 100yds. I thought I’d just go ahead and dump the middle deer. With all confidence, I swung on the deer and fired. All three deer just kept loping along and exited the other side of the field some 400 yds away. A clean miss, not even a flinch. All I could do was just watch in disbelief. I just can’t seem to get in front of them far enough with the muzzleloader.

I pressed on and headed back to the truck to get the pack so I could retrieve the doe I had killed in the CRP.

I had the doe skinned, quartered and in the pack in about 20 minutes. Rick drove the pickup to the top of the field and cut the pack job down to a manageable 150yds.

Rick had taken a stand at the “Knob” but saw zero deer from the stand. He did jump three on the way out and that wrapped up the mornings hunt.



The Last Stand!

The PM hunt found me back at the kill zone stand hoping the visibility would pay off.

About 4:00 PM. I was glassing across to the neighbors hillside and spotted a group of bucks moving down the hill to come into the field. One was a decent shooter. There was another possible, the half rack and 2 smaller bucks. They moved east down the edge of the field to feed in a cut bean field across the dike. I only had one deer enter our corn field and my muzzleloader hunt was over.

Rick hunted the wood lot and saw 8 does but neglected to shoot one as he just has a difficult time bringing himself to shoot a doe even though it’s necessary. The herd is just to large and we have to take out as many as possibly or the farmer will bring someone in during the summer with permits to do it for us. They all but wiped out the corn last year as it was so wet they could not get it harvested until January.

The big bucks were pretty elusive this year and we had much fewer sightings than last year. We caught a few shooters on trail camera and saw a few nice bucks but all in all it was a tough year. We have tentatively planned a cull trip for the week between Christmas and New Years, depending on the weather but it will be a real long shot to see a shooter that time of year as we will not have a good food source this year.

There’s always next year!

Here's a few more trail camera pictures from this hunt:

Best of hunts,

Larry S.

Potential Illinois State Record Non-Typical Taken

.
It looks like Illinois could have a new state record non-typical whitetail!

The buck was taken by Chris Kiernan in Kendall County Illinois on November 1, 2009 with archery gear.

The story is pretty unusual as you will see and just goes to show you can never know just what a deer is going to do!

The hunter had several encounters with the buck before finally killing him in a woodlot. He had been hunting him from around the edges of the woodlot not wanting to take a chance on bumping him by jumping right in the middle of the woods. On Nov. 1 st. the hunter received numerous reports that bucks were on the move and he decided to step up the pressure and move into the woods.

He entered the wood lot from the down wind side and picked out a tree 30 yds into the woods. Just after getting into the tree he spotted the big non-typical step out of the corn and into the woods. The buck bedded down for an hour and a half at less than 70yds. Eventually, a small buck chasing a fawn caused the buck to stand up. The hunter grunted several times and the deer moved his way stopping broadside at 44yds.

The hunter took the shot but hit the deer a little bit far back. He was shooting a striker broadhead. The buck hunched up and moved off into a thicket.

It was 3:00 pm and the hunter decided to stay put until dark. This turned out to be a crucial decision as he eventually spotted the buck with his binoculars, standing at 80yds. He eventually moved off out of sight.

As dark approached the hunter was about to get down when several deer moved thru the woods towards the cornfield. Shortly afterwards he heard the sound of another deer moving his way and it turned out to be the big non-typical! Still on his feet! He passed by at 35yds and the hunter put a second shaft into him and the brute was down!

The Trophy has 37 scorable points and measures 268 1/8". The current state record is 267 1/8". The most notable dimensions is his 22" inside spread and nearly 90" of  non-typical bone.

The deer will have to be panel scored to be officially recognized as the new record and that should happen in March of 2011.

You have to keep an open mind when considering what a crippled deer is going to do and don't fool yourself in thinking you have one all figured out. Obviously, the arrow zipped thru soft tissue without hitting and bone and the deer didn't know what had happened. Who would have guessed he would have come back to the same spot he was shot just a couple hours earlier.

 Amazing!

Bow season is just around the corner.

Good luck,
Larry S.





Update: 12-20-11

As with all internet stories, the facts are up in the air on this but Kiernan has been charged with taking this deer illegally. The following are the details of the arrest. Hopefully, the true facts of the harvest will be learned in the near future.

"IDNR Conservation Police Make Arrests in Deer Poaching Case



Giant buck valued at $35,000


SPRINGFIELD, IL - Charges have been filed against three individuals after an 11-month investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Law Enforcement in a deer poaching case. The three men were cited for numerous Wildlife Code violations including the illegal take of a potential state-record whitetail deer, and now face charges through the Grundy County State's Attorney's Office and the Sangamon County State's Attorneys Office.


"Our Conservation Police Officers are tasked with the mission of protecting the public and our natural resources and they do it effectively and vigilantly," said IDNR Director Marc Miller. "I am proud of the hard work of the IDNR law enforcement staff and have a warning to those who choose to hunt illegally: We are watching."


"The IDNR Office of Law Enforcement has zero tolerance when it comes to poaching matters," said IDNR Conservation Police Chief Rafael Gutierrez. "Our Conservation Police will continue to protect our natural resources so that legal sportsmen get every opportunity they deserve."


The investigation focused on the unlawful harvest of a 36-point non-typical deer scoring 261 5/8 and valued at $35,000. Charges were filed after a thorough investigation with assistance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Alberta Sustainable Resources Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.


The following individuals were cited on charges related to unlawfully taking a total of 24 deer in Illinois and Canada over a 10-year period. Specific charges were filed as follows:


Christopher Kiernan (age 45, of Minooka, IL)
11 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
19 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
5 counts of hunting with invalidated permit
5 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
2 counts of falsifying harvest records
1 count each of: Failure to report harvest on the same day as killed, Fail to tag deer as required


Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY)
9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit
4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required,
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record


Larry Smith (age 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario, Canada)
1 count each of the following:
Hunting without permission of landowner
Hunting with invalidated permit
Failure to tag deer as required
Unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
Unlawfully taking of deer
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record"

SOURCE: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Potential Idaho State Record Mule Deer

This is another bit of information from the internet. I received this in an email from my buddy Brady out there. Accutate or not he's a Seed!

"Here's what's coming out of unit 45

Idaho State Record Muzzy buck Harvest Dallas Smith is no stranger when it comes to large mule deer. Over the last few years, Dallas has added three awesome mule deer to his collection each scoring over the magical 200 inch mark. However, none of them come close to the accomplishment he achieved this past week. Dallas harvested the pending new # 4 in the world mule deer with a muzzleloader and it is also the new State Record in Idaho. The unfortunate part of this story is that the buck will never be recorded in the books. Dallas has to date decided that he doesn't want to strip the velvet off the buck to have it officially scored. I can't say that I blame him. It's a once in a lifetime buck and keeping it the way it was when it was harvested is important to Dallas.

Dallas Smith with his latest monster in his collection

Dallas has watched this buck for the past five years and even tried to harvest it a time or two only to fall short in his quest. This is ok if you look at the end result which is a 265 inch gross monster. His Buck has a 204 inch frame with approximately 60 inches of trash. It has only been unofficial scored, but when I held this monster in my hands, score went completely out the window. This buck is dense, heavy, wide, nasty,and just plain old incredible. When I lifted it off the ground, I was amazed at the weight of the antlers. As shown in the picture above, these antlers felt like they would tip the scales at over 15 pounds which is a true monster in anyone's eyes.Comparing this buck to his sheds from the last few years shows this buck has grown into a true giant. Two years ago his sheds scored in at just over 207 gross inches. Last year his sheds grossed at just over the 228 inch mark. Now he has grown into the mega 265 inch giant the Dallas harvested earlier this week.

Dallas With his 265 inch giant

I'm sure you are asking yourself why is this buck in velvet in October? Well, the truth is still somewhat of a mystery to all. He did grow a fresh set of horns every year, however this buck held his velvet well into October every year. Like I said, Dallas knew this buck well. He watched the buck two years ago shed its velvet at the end of October and last year it shed it in the middle of October. At the time of harvest, the testicles of this deer were only one-fourth the size of a normal mule deer. So obviously this buck had some sort of testicular issues whether it be lack of testicles from a birth defect, some sort of trauma, or a genetic defect. This buck grew his antlers a month and half longer then normal mule deer.Is he a cactus buck? In my opinion, yes.

Anytime there is testicular malfunction that allows antlers to grow at an abnormal rate, it should be considered a cactus buck. Some cactus bucks never shed their antlers and some shed them ever few years. In the case of this buck, his deficiency was slight enough that he shed them and grew a new set every year. He had some sort of testosterone deficiency to allow him to grow his antlers for a longer time period than that of a normal mule deer which would fit the definition of a cactus buck.Dallas, my hat is off to you and your brother for keeping this buck such a secret. I don't blame you one bit! As far as I know, the only people that new this buck was alive were Dallas, his wife, his three sons, his brother Ryan and a good friend, Tony. They all kept this buck under wraps until it was on the ground. Congrats to all of you that were mentioned as you all played a part in Dallas harvesting this spectacular trophy. We can't wait for the story and field pictures!

Photo Courtesy of Ryan Smith

Congratulations Dallas on such a fine trophy and a spectacular last few years of hunting these awesome animals. You brothers have done it again, I'm jealous...Steve Alderman "

How to Find the Best Stand Locations for Taking Trophy Whitetails!

So you’ve finally gained access to piece of deer hunting heaven! A piece of ground that has been un-hunted for years. How do you go about deciding how to hunt it? Here’s a some answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions.

Where do you start?
How do you narrow down hundreds of acres into a handful of top stand locations?
How do you find that perfect spot to ambush a trophy whitetail?
How do you pick the right tree?
How will you access the stand?

You Found a Piece Great Piece of Property, Now, Where do You Start?

Once you have secured access to some ground, the next step, if you have not already done so, is to get a good aerial photo of the property. This will be one of the most valuable tools for getting started and can save a great deal of time and effort. I keep a small, laminated version in the truck to refer to all the time. You will be surprised just how off your perception of the lay of the land can be. A good detailed aerial will reveal more about how to begin your scouting and how to hunt a piece of land than you can imagine. This works extremely well for northern areas but a little less so in the south. However, a great deal of useful information can still be gained from an aerial even if you’re a southern hunter, such as a change in the vegetation or edge in the woods where an upland hammock changes to a marsh or planted pines change to a cypress strand or pond. Creek drainages, island, hammocks and other terrain features that are keys to deer movement can be derived from the aerial. In the northern part of the country such as the Midwest you can literally plan your entire strategy from an aerial before you ever set foot on the property. Even bedding areas can be easily determined once you learn how to interpret them. They are typically going to be the thick steep draws, especially if they have been select cut. After that, you are going to need to scout some of the areas you found on the map to verify whatyou have learned from them.

How do you Narrow Down Hundreds of Acres into a Handful of Top Stand Locations?

With your aerials in hand you will be able to identify the most likely stand locations.
I like to start with the fields. Look for inside and outside corners and points that project out into the field. Next, look at the general lay of the land for obvious travel routs for any buck looking to cross from one side of the property to another. Bottle necks or any features that funnel the deer travel will be a key spot. Also try to identify possible saddles that tie two ridges together, this is another great ambush site for all deer and especially Trophy Bucks.

How do you Find the Perfect Spot to Ambush a Trophy Whitetail?

Now that you have some potential key locations identified, its time to put on your hiking boots and get a first hand look at each spot. Any outside points are no brainers, they cut down the width across the field and increase your shooting range. You can have an 80 ac field and if it has a point that projects out into it, more often than not a buck is going to be drawn to walk by it.
If I had to pick one kind of stand location, it would be bottle neck or some kind of funnel that helps force the deer to move thru a narrowed area. This can be formed by fields on each side of a narrow strip of woods. Fences or some natural thick barrier.

You can even create your own funnel if you are hunting on private land. I have a favorite stand overlooking a strip of crp and a lot of the deer I was seeing were passing out of bow range, so I spent half a day cutting 2-3” maple saplings to create a big “v” to force the deer closer to my stand. It was a lot of work but it worked great!

Another spot to always keep an eye open for is a location where multiple types of edge all come together. The more the better. An example of this would be the stand that I killed the doe in the picture here. It’s an inside field corner that butts up to an open wooded bottom to the north and a thick cutover bedding area to the east. This can be a deer magnet. Another good example would be different age or type, stands of timber abutting a cutover or head, etc.

How do you pick the right tree?

Once you have zeroed in on the perfect spot, now comes the delima, picking the right tree. This is often a difficult choice, especially for a bow hunter. One of my favorite hunting buddies Cpt. Rick and I often debate over the right tree for 30-45 minutes before we come to an agreement. There never seems to be a good tree right where you need it and you usually end up in something with a dog leg or crook and it usually takes some head scratching to get the stand on the tree. Personally, I want to be as close as possible to as much sign as I can cover. In an ideal situation you would want to set up so deer don’t come from behind you but sometimes this can’t be helped. It’s a lot easier if you are a gun hunter but when bow hunting, you want to cover as much ground as possible. If you are gun hunting, get back off the sign a little to avoid spooking deer. If you are bow hunting, don’t get to close to a trail you expect deer to travel. Try to stay back 12-15 yds. If you can. You will have less deer busting you and have a better shot angle. On calm mornings it is nearly impossible to draw on a deer that is under 10 yds.

How will you access the stand?

How you access the stand can be extremely important. Always avoid walking in front of your stand and approach from the rear or side. There are hundreds of different scenarios you could consider but in general try to avoid approaching where you expect the deer to be. Use any possible cover to hide your approach. If you are hunting in thick woods like in the south, make a chop trail to your stand so you can avoid contact with the vegetation. This will help you avoid contaminating your walk trail with scent. Many times deer will start using your trail but it’s a trade off you have to live with.

If you will follow some of these tips and apply them they will get you that much closer to your goal of putting a Trophy Buck in the back of your truck!

Good hunting!
Larry Stephens

Monster 2007 Iowa Whitetail

Well, If you like Big Monster Bucks.....here he is. I don't know much about the story behind the harvest but reports indicate he was harvested in 2007 in Iowa.

There is always hope!

Good Hunting

Larry