Killed or missed the biggest buck ever seen?

[fairchaser]

The biggest buck I've ever seen in the wild was I believe to be a 200 inch non-typical in Alberta Canada and I missed it three times. Ouch! The best typical I've ever seen in the wild was 183 gross and I killed it from the same area. What's your story?

 

[infoman jr.]

I arrowed the biggest buck I've seen in person at LBL two years ago. He was probably a 150ish 10. He walked off with my arrow in his shoulder never to be found.

 

[Mike Belt]

The biggest buck I've seen in the wild I never squeezed the trigger on but had him dead to rights with my scope on him at 35 yards. I used to hunt in Ms and had a great place to hunt between Kilmichael and Ackerman. There was no agriculture in the area just scattered hardwoods and pines...lots of pines. There was a super thick area about 600 yards wide and 1/2 mile long that jutted into my hunting area. It was littered with deer sign but took forever just to try and maneuver your way through it. They used to do occasional deer drives in the area and I noticed they were about to start one. They'd pass through a thick area and try and stay in sight of each other; something virtually impossible in my thicket. They carried whistles and pans they'd beat on and reminded me of those tiger drives I've seen on old hunting shows. I knew it was highly possible for them to walk right by bedded deer and never see them. Once they started the drive I hurried my way around the end of the thicket they started on figuring a big buck would stick to his bed until they passed by and then try to sneak out the back door. I did and climbed up a tree on the edge with 16' pines separating the thicket from the adjoining hardwoods and waited. After the drivers had made their way half way through the thicket I caught movement coming my way. I was right in guessing about the backdoor. It was a tremendous buck; wide, heavy, and it looked like he had at least 20 tines going everywhere. I watched as he slinked through the pines but never had a clear shot. He got to within 35 yards and stopped on the other side of one of the last pines providing cover and began stretching his neck up and pulling honeysuckle out of the tree. I sat there with the crosshairs on the white circle around his eye and could have killed him 100 times. I didn't want to shoot him in the head and possibly blow his rack apart so I waited and watched through the scope. For whatever reason he stopped and literally backed back up into the thicket never giving me another shot and I watched him disappear. I never saw him again. That buck was well in excess of 200". If I had it all to do over again I'd do the same thing. That was one of the luckiest days of his life.

 

[DaveB]

A mule deer with a spread so wide I thought it was two deer. Utah. It was dusk getting dark and I could not see well enough the 200 or so yards through my scope.

Then he turned his head and looked back at me. This is only time ever I got buck fever. There is a grocery store in Craig, Colorado that has a monstrous mule buck on display and this one in Utah made him look puny. I hunted that deer hard for next 4 days till season ended. Land owner told me he had seen the deer from far off.

 

[GRIT]

I think this was in 2004 i was hunting in Robertson county.I was hunting a big bottom with a creek going through a 400 acre field.It was a very cold morning.Then right when it was breaking day i see this huge buck walk out around 350 yards out.I could tell his rack was huge then i put the scope on him.That's when i knew he was something special my heart started pounding then my nerves got all tore up my gun got heavy. The deer came within 200 yards of me that's when i got a good look at him.I got so nervous that my gun felt like it weighed 100 pounds.This deer had at least 340 inches of rack on his head.I finally got the gun up to shoot and missed anyone that's ever hunted big bottom land will know that sometimes you shoot at a deer in the bottom the deer are not sure were the shot come from.Well after the first shot the deer ran straight to me within 75 yards and his rack was as big if not bigger than i thought.So i took aim again shaking like a leaf in a wind storm.The buck takes off .

























Then i wake up and i never seen that buck again

 

[TN Larry]

The biggest deer that I for sure saw while hunting I killed. He was a 140" mainframe 8 pter. I missed one at LBL several years ago that was the biggest at the time and still could be. I have no idea what happened. He was somewhere between 120" and 150". It was getting dark and following a doe. I thought that I had made a good shot and still to this day don't know what happened.

 

[AT Hiker]

A solid 185" buck, that I had the fortune to see multiple times but never to get a shot. Had encounters with him over a couple years, finally he goofed up during muzzy season. Unfortunately for me my gun decided to mis fire, he continued to dog a doe for a couple minutes less than 50yards from me.
Later that winter I got to see a picture of him, antlers proudly held by another hunter. One of two TN whitetail I have ever had multiple years of history with, knowingly at least.
I think he netted a tad over 180" and I swear to this day the second year I seen him he was knocking on 200". How he lived that long showing himself so often on a heavily hunted chunk of private ground still amazes me to this day.


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[ImThere]

Missed 184" buck with my bow killed by another hunter from my stand on public land 6 days later opening day of rifle.


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[AT Hiker]

Missed 184" buck with my bow killed by another hunter from my stand on public land 6 days later opening day of rifle.


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Dang, that sucks. Did the other hunter know you or just decide your stand looked good .


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[cbhunter]

Great thread and stories. I suppose I have killed the 4 biggest bucks I have ever seen while hunting. They all go between 130 and 145. Although I would have loved to see one bigger, I'm also fortunate that none of them turned into stories about how they got away. Maybe this year I can top that mark but if not, I am very fortunate I've taken the ones I already have.

 

[ImThere]

Missed 184" buck with my bow killed by another hunter from my stand on public land 6 days later opening day of rifle.


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Dang, that sucks. Did the other hunter know you or just decide your stand looked good .


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Never met the man. My buddy Gary talked to him at the store, he recognized the truck from where He had seen the truck parked at the hunting entry point and now it had a massive buck in the bed. I set up a buddy stand on a field edge where a deer trail came in to the field anytime you had a north wind you couldn't count the deer you would see. I set it for my kids to pop a doe. On Saturday evening I hunted the ridge across the creek about 100- 200 yards away and I shot a doe losing my arrow with my last broad head. By the time I made it out of the woods it was to late to get broad heads at Dunhams so I stopped by Walmart and bought nap blood runners. I assumed my bow was tuned good enough to shoot them. Sunday morning I found out I was wrong my arrow sounded like a dove in flight. It was crazy. I had just missed the buck of a life time. I tried to tune my bow when I got home I couldn't ever hit the target. shooting bullet holes with field tips. I went back to Walmart and bought some thunder heads adjusted the sight about 1/2 in right and was hunting in about 1 hr. Never seeing a deer. It was my fault and I learned a hard lesson. The next Saturday the guy found my buddy stand and hunted it. It was the first time he had ever hunted the area he walked in at daybreak and found the stand and decided to hunt it. Glad I didn't wound this buck and loose him.


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[Jcalder]

Shot right over what would be my biggest or second biggest deer a few year ago. Miss judges yardage and didn't have any idea how flat my muzzleloader shot.

About 15 years ago or so I had borrowed a rifle from my uncle. We picked it up about 10 on Saturday night and I missed a big buck Sunday morning. Back then it wasn't about scores and I didn't have a clue what that meant. I just remember he was all horns. Anyways. When I shot he stood there. Never thought to shoot again but it wouldn't have mattered. Gun was shooting high. Learned then to always check em before you go.


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[Lost Lake]

The biggest I saw and spent time hunting was a ten point I chased most of bow season one year, and was later killed by a hunter on a neighboring farm during gun season.

I saw him the first time in a bachelor herd on the bow opener, and another time in mid October. He then disappeared. On a hunch, I grabbed my climber and bow one afternoon with the idea of a quick hunt/reconnaissance in a tiny block of woods right behind the landowners equipment shed where I'd park most of the time. This wood lot was maybe 75 by 30 yards wide.

Lo and behold, after about fifteen sneaky steps into the woods, the buck slowly rose out a honeysuckle thicket and stared at me for what seemed like five minutes. At first I just stood there with my mouth open and stared at that beautiful yellow rack twenty yards away, but as I started to slide my stand off my shoulders and nock an arrow, he slinked out of the woods and my life forever. I think he was as surprised as I was that I'd found his sanctuary where he undoubtedly watched my every move when I entered the farm.

I learned a lot from that buck.

The next I saw of him was a picture, and that long bodied buck dressed quite a bit over two hundred, and scored 163 as best I remember. I'd like to think that I've switched places a few times over the years and been the guy that killed the good buck instead of only hunting him. Dunno for sure. This was way back in 1988 in Montgomery County.

I still dream about that buck....

 

[fairchaser]

In 1999, I was hunting in Alberta Canada and the guide decided to put me on a gas line as he had seen a big buck there while scouting. But there was no stand and so he put me in a little pop up blind with a metal church folding chair. It was 8 degrees and it was snowing. About noon the guide had promised to bring me lunch and I was a popsicle. No guide but I looked down the line and watched a little short man in red plaid and a wool hat cross the line with what looked like an iron sighted lever gun. It was like a scene out of time, like Elmer Fudd. He was stalking a big deer track. Next thing you know a huge non typical buck with a rack that dwarfed the 300 pound whitetail came out where Elmer had gone in. It was about 225 yards and I had no rest. I was totally unprepared for that shot. I shot once and he never looked up, shot again and he stopped. The third time I shot he took off never to be seen again. That is until the following week when another hunter missed him twice. The buck is now known as 5 shots, still standing. I carry the three empty rounds with me when I hunt as a reminder to always be prepared for any situation. You never know when the next world record could step out, even in Tennessee.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

I've seen 2 deer while hunting that were 150+ and both were out of range. I once sat a field edge one afternoon during early now season and seen 9 different bucks that were 120-150+ and all were out of range.

 

[monsterbuck07]

I try to forget about it. Had this deer at forty yards the day before the pic, with no gun. I watched him for an hour chasing a Doe. The picture where he was standing was 20 yards from my truck.

 

[Dean Parisian]

Top 3 whitetails I have laid eyes on........never fired a shot.........

#1 was on my ranch in Montana..........fall of 2014. Massive deer, probably 20 points total with 3 drop tines. Had trail cam pictures all summer in velvet. Montana law doesn't allow for trail cameras after bow season starts. That buck and his other drop tine pal were never shot or seen again. Probable death due to blue tongue.

#2 was in a very remote part of Montana. Pure antelope country. My buddy and I had filled our buck tags and were out trying to get a whitetail doe and spotted a true Booner running a doe a mile away. Driving out we saw them at 60 yards broadside, on property we did not have permission to hunt on. Imagine having access on a ranch about 248,000 acres in size and see the biggest buck in your life, up to that time, 60 yards across the fence. He had one big beautiful, thick drop tine. That deer was old, heavy and just a beast. We heard later that a guy from Wisconsin had killed a big buck on that ranch and didn't show the rancher, just up and motored home as fast as he could. The rancher never saw a picture of the buck either......go figure.

#3 Would be a buck I spotted running a doe on a private ranch south of Melstone Montana on the Mussellshell River bottom. Big, big typical. Thick, wide, took my breath away. Again, up to that time it was the biggest rack I had ever seen.

 

[iowavf]

I've had 2 long shots at this deer, 200 plus yards and missed him both times over the last 3 years. Both times had a pretty good cross wind and guessing I didn't allow for it. 1st time I saw him coming over the hill coming straight for my blind. He messed around for 45 minutes to an hour before I thought he would cross the fence and keep coming my way. About that time a smaller buck came walking towards him, jumped the fence and they both angled off a different direction. They later came out into the field and I took a long shot but it was windy and low light and missed. Didn't see him again the rest of the season or the season after that. Last year out of the corner of my eye I saw a couple doe on a dead run down through the creek bottom by my blind and the big buck was right behind them after getting spooked by the neighbor. They never stopped until they were about 250 yards, which I took another shot and about the same time I pulled the trigger he turned. Never spooked him, he walked off and I didn't see any blood. Figured that was it on him. I'm in my blind before daylight and don't leave it until after dark. I'm sitting in the blind the next morning and saw a couple doe and small buck early, but that was it. The farm next to me a guy on a four wheeler was driving around taking soil samples but didn't give it any thought until later he was in the same field with the nice creek bottom and draw the deer use to travel. He was all over the field and I thought to myself hope he leaves before it gets late in the afternoon. He was straight away from me on the other side of the ditch and the big buck and doe had been bedded in a small patch of tall grass about 115 yards from my blind, which I glassed several times and saw nothing, got up and ran down the bottom of the creek and were gone. Not sure if they would've got up and come into the picked corn field about dark or not, just shook my head thinking how many chances does this buck have? Oh, he's somewhere on the 190's, typical 12 point.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I missed one December 27, 2013 about 8:30am that I'll never forget. He was the only buck I've ever seen that truly had a swollen neck like a bull. His neck was as thick as his chest and even at 350 yards his main beams were so thick that they were immediately obvious. I have no idea what he would score and probably wouldn't have been nearly as high as some of the bucks you other guys are talking about but his overall appearance was impressive to say the least. I had been hunting in a ladder stand right by the house that morning and got antsy about 8:15 and decided to move about 1/2 mile over towards my main woods. I took off on foot carrying my rifle, turkey stool and cushion. When I 1st broke through the fencerow to cross the big field towards the woods, the ground has a high spot so that I couldn't see all the way to the woods. After crossing the field about 75 or100 yards I reached a point where I could see over the ground hump and there was a doe with this monster buck standing out across the field totally in the open. Buck was behind the doe maybe 50 feet and he was oblivious to everything else in the world. The range was about 350 yards and as I said before, his main beams were so thick that you immediately knew it was a buck - no scope or binoculars required! There I stood partially winded and absolutely NOTHING to use as a rifle rest. Well, I figured "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" so I took a poke at him offhand. I knew I'd missed even before pulling the trigger. I shot again. And again and again. After the 3rd shot they both ran a ways. The 5th shot was just a poke in frustration. As if to add insult to injury, they continued across the field and stopped to watch as I continued to my former planned hunting spot and watched me cross for a while. They were at least 500 yards by now so I just let them stand there and kept going. I did see another nice buck no more than an hour later chasing does back in the woods but could never get a clear look at him. He was just a flash of antlers, legs and fur zipping back and forth in the brush. He was definitely not the same buck though. On a positive note, missing that buck saved me some money on taxidermy costs. :)

 

[Grnwing]

I ll brag on my brother a little here. He has had some great hunts over the years but his passion is for Mountain Muley's. Drew a book clift hunt in Utah and killed a 185 2 years ago with his bow and then last year on low draw unit in Wyoming he topped it with 200 muley with his bow. Both deer are in full velvet and are great looking animals! As far as whitetails, I have seen a lot running around the family farm in Buffalo County WI over 150. It was always fun to be in WI during the gun season. The number of big bucks that would appear was astounding!

 

[easy45]

I've two in mine that would have probably be around the same score, one was a morning that I was actually taking my wife, he just appeared out in the fog and by the time my wife got over the shock and got ready the buck stepped into the woods, he was killed about a week later less than a half mile from there. He was a 156" main frame 8 with a 10" drop tine.

The other happened last season with a 11 point that I had a lot of pics of but only saw once in person during bow season, to far and thick for a shot, he was killed with a week left of season on the neighboring property. I estimated him between 155-160.


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[BAMA BOW MERKER]

Biggest one I saw was in KY during the December bow season. It was late morning, close to 11 am and I had not seen a deer the entire day. I was planning on sitting till 1130. Had a big doe come by at about 15 yds. I looked around and did not see another deer so I went ahead and took her. She ran about 40 yds and piled up. I pulled out my phone to text my buddy and it was as if he appeared out of the ground. He was only 10 yds walking straight away from me toward her dead body never turning to present a shot. I voice grunted at least 3-4 times to stop him but he did not pay attention. He stood over her confused. There was some brush and only a few shot windows but I never got one. I used a grunt call, tries to snort wheeze but no luck. He eventually grew uncomfortable and walked off. All 160-170 inches of his big a$$. Never saw him again

 

[diggerak]

Last yr hunting late season. Storm coming in thunder in the distance. Got my stuff packed up and lowered. Went to get bow off hanger to send down looked up there was a monster of a buck. No range finder. Took and put 30 yd pin on him in fading light. Ended up he was past that arrow went below him . He was over 145 because he dwarfed the buck I killed a few weeks earlier

 

[TNReb]

I'm lucky that I've only lost one deer since I started hunting 22 years ago. I'm not saying I've put a good shot on every deer, but I've been lucky enough to recover them. The one I lost was a doe when I was a teenager.

I'm unlucky that I've never seen any truly stud bucks! I've killed two around the 120" range, but that's it.

 

[tree_ghost]

Hard to say for me...

I had a deer I was hunting in an urban stand of woods 3 years ago. The deer was a solid 135" 9pt. It was late October and I got off work early and headed to the stand. The stand location was awesome. It was a converging point where a 40 acre impenetrable thicket met a white oak stand, crop field, and CRP field. I ascended the tree and settled with my bow. I threw out a few grunts to try and mask any noise I may have made while climbing the tree. As soon as I finished my calling sequence the thicket to my right exploded!!!! I had a 100" 8 pt, and the 9pt I was after tear half the thicket down coming to me...I got my bow ready as they were closing the distance from my right side moving toward my left. They were approximately 50 yards away when I caught movement behind them...my jaw almost hit the floor! I was watching the thicket as a GIANT 8 point appeared. It's hard to say for sure but I'm going to venture out on a limb and say this 8 pt was all over 160". The deer were moving perfectly toward my shooting lane 50 yards, then 40, then 30... small buck enters the shooting lane...and then...the wind swirled [emoji33]. My 160" 8 point froze!!!! Not a muscle was moved save his tongue trying desperately to wet his nose in hopes to increase his olfactory senses. The wind only shifted for one split second but it was enough to alert them. The little 8 pt stomped and snorted and walked in circles trying to figure out what was going on. The big boy stayed 2 steps into the thicket watching the smaller deer like a hawk. Probably 3 minutes passed before this giant backpedaled and disappeared back into the thicket. I never got a picture of this deer or anything. He was like a ghost....

I did kill a 152" 10 point last year so he may be close to the one that got away but I'll never know


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[cozy23]

A few years ago when I only had a couple years of hunting under my belt I had a 9 pt dead to rights with my bow.

I was in a 12ft ladder stand in like a 6" tree sticking out like a sore thumb.

I was actually dosing off but looked up and he was on my side of the creek. He walked to about 20 yards. I had already drew back and was shaking like a leaf. He stopped with a small tree covering his vitals and just stood there. I was drawn back for so long my arm started to give and I flinched. He saw me flinch and took off.

He wasn't huge but was the first "real buck" I had ever seen while hunting.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

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[cozy23]

Last year had a big buck follow a doe into the field. She munched on a little patch of trees and he bedded down in front of me at 50 yards. They both left the same way they came in.

Had such a death grip on my bow that my hand was numb when I finally set it down.

I moved my stand that day to the next tree line. He showed up but on the other side of the next tree line.

I moved my stand again but never saw him again.

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[Hunt 365]

Jumped him rabbit hunting. Watched him prance off and all I had was a scatter gun. Killed the 2d biggest though!

 

[jard]

In Western KY when I was in high school. My best friends family owned 150 acres and I could hunt it after he killed his buck. He killed a huge main frame 8 with 2 drop tines opening morning and the next day I killed a big symmetrical 10 within 20 yards of the same spot (the biggest deer I've ever seen while hunting I got to kill). But on that farm lived the Grey Ghost. A Gigantic perfectly symmetrical frame 14 point. We saw him 2 years in a row during the offseason. The only time we saw him during season we were riding the four wheelers to back of the property where we hunted and jumped him out of a barn at the very front. We had never seen any deer up there as cattle fed in the barn and I guess he was eating hay! He took off like a bat out of hell down the ridge and across the field and by the time we jumped off the wheeler and had guns mounted he was 250 yards away and we just watched his flag crest the next ridge. To our knowledge, he was never killed by any neighbors. I hope he died of old age!!!


When I was 12, we were hunting with family in southern MS and I had a big non typical 11 pt run through my clearcut. The brush was about 5 ft tall and he just bounced around the field numerous times and never once stopped at about 100 yards. I was 12 years old shooting a .30-30 and I never tried a shot at a running deer. He left the field and 30 minutes later I heard a shot about 200 yards behind me. My dad was hunting in a shooting house overlooking a small food plot and that deer ran from my clearcut straight into his plot.

 

[7mminatree]

Watched a massive mainframe 10 come to within 70 yards of me in Adams county Ohio, only to have it chase off another buck just before getting into crossbow range. The next day I let a nice 130ish 8 walk all over me hoping to see the giant 10 again. Never happened, tag sandwich that year.

Lost a great 10 pt. CNF deer two years ago. I was on the ground with a crossbow and stuck him straight on in the chest at 15 yards, rolled him backwards and he got up and ran off the ridge. Followed a huge bloodtrail for about 200 yards and then nothing. Searched for several days, nothing!