16 points - 215 1/8" gross

Location: Midwest

Rifle: Knight Revolution II
Scope: Leupold Ultimateslam with SABR reticle (I love this scope on a muzzleloader!)
Bullet: Hornady 250 gr. SST Sabot
Powder: Hodgdon Triple 7 pellets - 150 grains
Primer: Winchester Triple Seven

We had a hell of a weekend, as you can see. We killed seven antlered bucks and a few does. No high fences, no corn feeders, no super-duper-gotta-have-it-ultimate-supreme-ultra-scent-locking-digitally regulated-lithium-battery-heated underwear here. Just a little planning and a lot of hard work.

After 25 years of hunting our undisclosed location, I killed (not "harvested"... that's what we do with corn and soybeans) the buck of a lifetime. The other bucks were no slouches either. We are all very proud and extremely thankful for such a great year.

I was pushing out a brushy little finger towards two hunting partners on stand. I spotted him at 60 yards bedded down and laying as tight to the ground as possible, just 50 yards below each of the two other hunters. He was laying low and hoping I would walk right past him, which is what has likely happened many times over the last few years. But this time, the sun was right and his rack was glistening in the sun like a giant white chandelier. I raised my rifle and all I could see was his rack ("OH MY GOD!!" I thought), his head, and about 3 inches of his neck sticking above the very thick brush. I placed the crosshair at the top of his neck and squeezed one off. All I remember is ducking down under the white smoke to see if I hit him. My other hunting buddy across the draw about 300 yds away watched the whole thing from the hillside. He said I got down on a knee for a quick prayer and then jumped up and down a couple of times waving my hands in the air. I honestly don't remember a thing up until walking up on him. I was in total shock.

Incredible buck, kill of a lifetime there! A question though; Is it a good idea to have the carcass on that floor after skinning?

What a great buck! Congrats to the whole group on a VERY fruitful trip.

quote:

Originally posted by The Slug:
Incredible buck, kill of a lifetime there! A question though; Is it a good idea to have the carcass on that floor after skinning?

Thanks to both of you!

And to answer your question: I only caped out the front half the first night. Only the distal front legs and chest touched the dirty floor, neither of which went into the burger, sausage, and jerky we made the following night.

Lots of nice bucks and of course the big dude is a dandy!

WOW Congrats on an AWESOME buck

That is a GREAT buck!

Let me see if I have your story correct. You were on a deer driving pushing toward two other hunters on stands, and you just happened upon this MONSTER?

No game cam photos?
No one had ever seen him before?

BTW the other bucks aren't bad either.

Super buck and great photos. Well done.

VERY well done sir. I especially appreciate the "no super-duper-gotta-have-it" part.

You earned this one. Much respect.

What county in Iowa were you hunting?

ddj

WOW!!
nice bucks

Very nice.

Lotta bone in those pictures! Congrats

Very nice!!!

The only reason I said Iowa is that I recognize the tags.


Beautiful bucks!!! Way to go!!!


I hope I can put my Iowa tag on a buck like those during the late Muzzleloader season.


ddj

Impressive , WOW!

He's a Beauty!!! Congrats!!!

Thank you, everyone! I am really proud of him and our group in general. We were really lucky this year. Although there are always one or two nice ones, a year like this (minus the monster) seems to come in about 5 year cycles for us. I must admit that we did start passing on a lot of the smaller bucks the last couple of years. Perhaps we are seeing dividends now.

Wow

Super bucks. Deer drives are a blast. Excellent choice of beer also.

Congratulations! Awsome Monster Buck!

Very nice deer !