biggest deer killed in kentucky 2021 biggest deer killed in kentucky 2021

The carcass was picked over by scavengers so there was no way to tell what had actually killed the buck. Subscriber Services. Mike Clerkin heads to Buffalo County, Wisconsin to bowhunt whitetails. We are investigating this story and will continue to publish updates as we learn more. That summer, Dad ordered a topo map of Sasquatchs core area, which was about 3,000 acres. All rights reserved. They state this deer garners more attention than any buck on the premise because it almost looks too big to believe. "I was doing everything I could on short notice with food plots, cameras and cleaning up stands," Kirkpatrick said. JavaScript is disabled. The NWTF is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I waited until I found a small opening and squeezed the trigger. This amazing story chronicles the life of a giant whitetail deer Don named "Mel" after Mel Johnson's world record typical whitetail deer. After graduating from college, he worked as a freelance journalist for two years before returning to the F&S team full-time in 2021 as the brands News Editor. "I killed him at five paces," he said, from a portable stand about 25 feet high in a tree. Then, the buck started to turn. The sun came up and we finally saw a deer around 7:00 a.m. Three does passed through, and then I heard Dad say, Big buck, big buck.. One afternoon Dad hunted a nasty thicket, and right at dusk a big buck came in to hit the scrape. They knew theyd target the giant 12-pointer this year, and they did just that on the Kentucky opener. Photo Gallery See all Photos Jamison Standard's Beanfield Behemoth How Many Whitetail Bucks Do Hunters Kill Across America. It was on Sept. 4 when Jamison Standard and Casey Reed tagged two of the biggest deer from opening day. Clark's huge buck carried 23. That afternoon, he used HuntStand to check the wind and went back to the same stand, feeling optimistic since the buck had walked through there the previous afternoon. Reflecting back on his many years of pursuing this deer has been bittersweet. Settle was able to get an official SCI Green Score on the incredible buck, which came in at a whopping 311 2/8 inches. This deer is big, he carries a big, non-typical frame. Copyright 2019 WAFF. All Rights Reserved. In fact, the closest game farm is nearly 10 miles away from where he arrowed the whitetail. But Settle says he felt his presence this September. Land Between the Lakes National Recreation area is about 20 minutes from our hometown of Benton, Kentucky. His treestand was positioned on the ridge, with bedding cover at the end of the point. The National Wild Turkey Federation's mission to conserve wild turkey and preserve hunting heritage is still going strong after a half-century. Hornady's Seth Swerczek goes in depth about the new cartridge with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. He taught me all the rights and wrongs, dos and donts, and how to be safe in the field, Settle says. During the five-year hunt for the buck, Jacobs father always said that they would take a picture in front of this sign if they killed Sasquatch. Before we interviewed Settle, we confirmed with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife that the buck had been checked in as being killed and tagged in Kentucky on telecheck. But to put something like that in our record books would skew the data.. Ruger's popular American bolt-action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years. When the deer ranch contacted me, they asked about the deer I shot and wondered where I shot it, Keating said in an interview with MeatEater. The first couple hours were slow, with only a doe and fawn passing through. This year he decided to Sign in to access your profile, save content and more. Opening day of deer season 2021 didn't disappoint with reports of Bluegrass State bucks taken by bowhunters measuring 170-plus inches. The genetic potential is there, the nutrition is there, and hunters have been practicing Quality Deer Management. I looked up at Dad to see what direction he was pointing, but I couldnt see anything with my eyes or with the scope. He has double drops that are huge. When the buck reached 35 yards, Mattingly released his arrow. He moved frequently during daylight, but they knew they didnt have all fall to make something happen. Why don't you come out and sit the rest of the hunt with me?". He even had surgery on his wrist. Needless to say, LBL is not for the faint of heart. He hadnt heard of any other hunters tagging him, and news of such a giant buck would certainly spread quickly. Deer. Deer began moving and, later in the day, movement really began to pick up. In the above video, NWTF's Jason Burckhalter talks about the group's accomplishments and future plans with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. I knew that if I would get the opportunity, I didnt want to be all out of breath and shaky., He stopped for a longer break around 55 yards from the buck. Words cannot describe the image of him coming in.". I'm gonna say that deer came in behind Kroger and sherwin williams. Enter the 2019 season. Id like to dedicate this deer to him and his memory. The buck ran a short distance and tipped over. The 25-point deer may be impressive, however the way it was killed, is not. It even inspired him to write a song. The buck had a huge body, and we guessed him to be 4 or 5 years old. Upon walking up on the deer, Standard raised the buck's head from the soybeans and immediately realized how big it was. 1:07. After giving the deer plenty of time, the Arkenaus took up the blood trail, and found the buck. On Saturday, Dad and Luke hunted together with me and Jason in other trees within the same area. Eric Lundgren of Ruger, which now owns Marlin, highlights the features of both rifles with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. I was just elated with joy. During the summer of 2019 we started getting pictures of him, but we never received pictures in the daylight. Deciding on a particular area, he settled into the stand on a 50-acre soybean field surrounded by woods, with a food plot located between the crops and timber. I kind of got out of it for a while because I went to college and lived in the city, but I made it back out into the country and got back into it. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. But, its also possible that the old buck succumbed to the stresses of the rut, possibly getting wounded by another buck and going down to infection or coyotes or both. I was telling myself, Its OK. Nobody would blame you to give up right now and not try to shoot because of how crazy this deer is. I was bringing him along for the ride. During the summer of 2021, we had several pictures of Sasquatch, and he was still impressive. The large soybean field was surrounded by hardwoods, and he was hunting on a peninsula of timber that protruded out into the field. Kansas bowhunter Brian Butcher couldnt believe his eyes when a monster whitetail snuck into sight in the eastern part of the state on October 10, 2019. Total Harvest Results. We climbed the same tree with our Summit climbers, and Dad was about six feet higher than me. Huff is just fine with the slow pace of life in the country. The big velvet buck ran a few steps, tangled its antlers in a tree, and collapsed. In January we got one picture of him, nearly two miles from where wed found his previous years sheds. He had never seen an animal quite like this one beforeand neither had the rest of the world. "The farm hasn't been bowhunted for five-plus years. After she passed away, he quickly picked up the 5-acre lot and moved his family into a two-story log home on the property. On September 15, Blake Keating killed a Kansas buck that would likely dethrone Luke Brewster's whitetail as the biggest in North American history. The velvet was a little damaged from the branches, but Beach didnt much care. His elusiveness led to us joking about him even being real, which is where he got the name Sasquatch. (Settle has a medical exemption to use a crossbow during archery season because of a herniated disk in his neck. In December of 2019, it happened while Kline was there. Around 6:15 p.m., a small, 6-point buck walk through behind them. That's the second big deer killed in that area, we're they are doing construction across from kroger,. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Opening day of deer season 2021 didn't disappoint with reports of Bluegrass State bucks taken by bowhunters measuring 170-plus inches. Ultimately, Jacob scored with a rifle during a quota hunt in November. We put out cameras that summer covering the best spots over a 1000-acre area. At SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. I've seen some biggins in the middle of Frankfort. Joe Lacefield's velvet monster green-scored 179 inches. If you took you vacation every year Nov. 9-12, youre in best window for big bucks moving in day. We are still blown away that we killed Sasquatch. He pulled out his phone to try to take a quick video of the deer, but then a squirrel started barking at him. I dropped the phone and steadied my bow. We have big deer here in north Alabama, that is a big deer anywhere in the country, Lindsey said. Only two racks have ever scored higher, and those were both from deer that were found dead in non-hunting situations. We know he traveled further than that, but he spent most of his time in this area. Give a Gift Huff made a 40-yard shot with a Stryker crossbow in an area hes hunted since he was 12 years old. "I enjoy being in the great outdoors. Id never seen anything like him before. I mean, these guys are so tricky and sneaky.. A photo of a dead deer prompted an . Stan Potts heads to Montana with his rifle in search of a Big Sky buck. Word got out fast, and we had people calling and wanting to come see the deer. We loaded him up and took him to the Golden Pond check-in station. Gordon Whittington heads north to his personal Missouri farm for some crossbow action. He left everything in the blind except for his crossbow, a brand-new Raven R26, and one arrow. Reed took it and the arrow flew true. It was Dads biggest LBL deer ever, a 170-inch buck that we had two years of sheds from, but it wasnt the deer he was after. Brian Butcher shot a deer with massive antlers, but he won't let that give him a big head. That number includes about 12,000 bowhunters who registered 3,000 deer. You can scout and hunt hard and not see a deer for days. That was also when we finally had a daylight picture of him, making us think this could be the year. It takes an equal mixture of intelligence and luck for a buck to reach that age, especially on public land. "All I did was get lucky," the Kansas bowhunter told The Topeka Capital-Journal this past week . "I could tell he would not get as close as the other buck, but would be crossing my shooting area, so I referenced my orange survey tape.". LaRue's Ethan Alexander talks about the Siete's features with Game & Fish's Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. I got a phone call that evening from Dad telling me he had just shot Sasquatch! Read Next: Shed Hunting: Secrets of the Shed Masters. Andy Beshear told . In the video above, Leopold's Shawn Skipper highlights the features of the exciting new optics with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. While checking one of the cameras, Dad saw a mature deer cross a saddle. He even started hearing loud music. "When I reached for my bow, the deer jolted about 35 to 40 yards into the bean field and stopped on a dime. That isnt the area of Ohio thats best known for big deerthe southern third of the state is more often recognized as monster buck countrybut dont tell that to Kline who recently picked up Hermans 233 7/8-inch rack. A couple friends helped Taylor recover the deer. Hunting July 28, 2021 1 Five Underrated Areas for Kentucky Public Land Deer Hunting by John Stepp Pennyrile State Forest Size: 14,379 acres Location: Christian & Caldwell Counties Total Harvest 2020: 79 Bucks: 56 Does: 23 Terrain: Moderate to Hard; Most hunting areas consists of hills and ridges He decided crossbowhunting was the only option to hunt this giant deer this fall. (Photo by Chase Geary). I had an incredible year in 2021, from my dad and I taking trophy-class mule deer on a DIY public land hunt in Wyoming, to killing a buck of a lifetime near home. He was looking over his back at me. I heard the same story as you. Then, it happened. I never told a soul about him. He had never seen the buck before that day. Among the accomplishments includes the recently concluded Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt initiative, which in 10 years conserved or enhanced 5.3 million acres of critical wildlife habitat, recruited 1.5 million new or lapsed hunters, and opened new access to 750,000 acres for hunting and recreation. Of the elk harvested, 21,000 were bulls. Lacefield slowly drew back. Ed Arkenau, his son, and their friend Cole had hundreds of trail camera photos of a particular buck in 2019, 2020, and 2021. On September 15, Blake Keating killed a Kansas buck that would likely dethrone Luke Brewsters whitetail as the biggest in North American history. We started receiving messages from people all over the country. The buck was bedded down. Having disappeared from cameras during the heart of hunting season, its possible that another hunter wounded Herman. The National Wild Turkey Federation's mission to conserve wild turkey and preserve hunting heritage is still going strong after a half-century. Kline had years of trail camera photos, and a decent idea of how to kill the buck. We had kept Sasquatch a secret from almost everyone; even our closest friends had no idea we were hunting this buck. Winchester's new Big Bore ammo, available in 10 mm, .44 Mag., .357 Mag., and .45 Colt, is specifically designed for big bears in bear country. Hes killed his fair share of good ones, but theres only ever been one Herman, which is the monster buck he focused on for the past five seasons. I found a stand I really liked, cleaned up the area around it and placed a camera two weeks before the hunt. I just kind of put him in the back of my mind. For Release: Friday, April 23, 2021. Hunting season started and we still received random pictures of him, but we never had an actual sighting. It stretched the tape to 179 inches. We continued looking for the other side but never found it. The internet celebrity, who is a member of Officials say that increasing the moose harvest is Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. It is my girlfriend's family's farm, and her uncle hunted occasionally, but, sadly, he passed away five years ago. The giant buck hit and killed by a vehicle at Fort Campbell, located in western Kentucky, on July 27 was still putting on bone as evidence by these huge antlers covered in velvet. The velvet buck is his best archery buck to date, and one he wont soon forget. Strutter. As proof of the effort's success, in 2020 two new records were set with the largest typical and non-typical archery bucks ever taken . After our interview with Settle, we were confident that his story was true. LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL (WAFF) - In November, a Limestone County man illegally killed a 25-point deer on private property. Roughly 223,000 Colorado hunters harvested 39,000 elk in 2017, a 17% success rate. He climbed down to look for blood and his arrow but couldnt find any sign that the buck had been hit. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. 'I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,' hunter Neal Kirkpatrick said of the 211-inch [gross] whitetail he killed in late September. solo hunt on his property, By This year, while Saturday's number of 20,263 was lower, hunters made up for that on Sunday with 12,126 deer harvested, for a total of 32,389. Whitetail hunting strategies for the next generation. "I don't believe I will harvest another one this size," Kirkpatrick said. Josh Honeycutt The new Frontier, available in 8x42 and 10x42, has all the range-finding capabilities a hunter needs. Within 10 seconds we saw Sasquatch running wide open in our direction. Back before the construction went full bore that is. Story is that someone cut it;s head off and left before the F&W guys arrived. I had no shot whatsoever.. Among the accomplishments includes the recently concluded Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt initiative, which in 10 years conserved or enhanced 5.3 million acres of critical wildlife habitat, recruited 1.5 million new or lapsed hunters, and opened new access to 750,000 acres for hunting and recreation. Mike Clerkin heads to the legendary Buffalo County, Wisconsin, in search of early season whitetail action. In this edition of "From The Stand," Pat Hogan explains the importance of being aware of proper clearance when using your bow or crossbow out in the field. Personal defense in the hunting woods could involve taking down a charging bear. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. It was hard. We would share trail camera pictures with each other and talk about the deer, Kline says. Hiking, biking, fishing and small game hunting are all very popular. Legendary Whitetails has it on display. Thats the time Id [historically] get the most pictures of him.. He saw only two deer that evening: A 3-year-old buck traveling with the big 4.5-year-old he was hoping to see. CWP collects hunters' voluntary harvest reports, and estimated 84,000 hunters killed 38,000 deer. He had 15 scorable points, and he would still score over 200 inches. in early November. While Kirkpatrick loves to hunt whitetail deer, and chasing giants is part of that, he never imagined hed wrap his tag around a 5-year-old, 200-plus-inch buck this season. Its a natural corridor. Courtesy Logan Beach Logan Beach's Bushwhacking Bruiser Buck: 162 inches Date: Sept. 4, 2021 Location: Caldwell County, Kentucky Method: Compound bow Give a Gift Last year, the buck was 60 yards away, but wouldn't come any closer. Dustin Huff found one, hitting a record-setting buck with his crossbow. (Photo by Chase Geary) | Skis are easily the most efficient way to cover snowy ground on foot in winter. The new 7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge from Hornady is available in three loads (160 gr. On Sunday, January 24, he eased into the property. All of those four are among the top 15 in the state in their respective category. He drew back, anchored, settled the pin and took the 42-yard shot. The Model 336 is expected to be launched soon; the Model 1894 should launch this spring. Although the story didnt end the way Kline had hoped, at least he found closure, and the 233 7/8-inch rack to remember the buck and all the seasons spent chasing it. The fence is broken down right there, and I couldnt see it from where I was.. We finally got a picture of him, and he blew up that year into a 180-inch 15-point. Post anything thread - piss n on lefties version. We found one side, and it was a mile and a half from the trail camera picture. This makes for heavy hunting pressure and many deer become nocturnal at an early age. Last week, when Field & Stream published a story about a huge 280-plus-inch whitetail buck that Derek Settle said he shot in Henderson County, Kentucky, on September 11, 2021, we expected the. But the average age of deer, especially bucks, depends a lot on the choices hunters make. LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL (WAFF) - In November, a Limestone County man illegally killed a 25-point deer on private property. A food plot and lots of edge habitat stretched out in front of them. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Carnine). He suspected the deer was dead somewhere on the sanctuary property. ( Photo: Fort Campbell Fish and Wildlife) Neal Kirkpatrick started hunting deer at the age of 9 and credits his grandfather with getting him into the outdoors at such an early age. Knowing that Kline had actively hunted this deer for years, the landowner was nice enough to let him keep the rack. My dad had been marking every scrape, rub, trail, shed and trail camera picture using the Hunt Stand app, so he transferred all that info to the topo map to hopefully figure this deer out. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service.