There is more than one key to killing a buck over 150". Luck can play a big part. That is how I killed my first big buck. I had hunted a farm for a few years in high school and college when I killed a 166" 9 point. I did know that there were big bucks there. I had even seen one a few years before. This was prior to me having trail cameras. I did not know about the buck I killed. He is still my best to date and I think he looks better than his score. I would say that luck played a part in that deer, but knowing that big deer where in that area and the fact that I hunt very hard also played a role. The biggest role in that deer was pulling off the shot once things fell into motion. I was hunting in a climbing stand in a thicket. A coyote chased him in from behind me and he took a hard right. I had to stand up and shoot behind me to my right. He turned a hard left after the first shot and I flung two more shots at him. My remington 7400 got a workout. One of the shots hit a small tree and exploded it. The other two hit in the vitals. He made it less than 100 yards. I was hunting in the right place, but it also took luck and shooting skills to bring that deer home. I have killed a good handful of great bucks since I killed that one in 2002. Two more have been over 160". I focus on hunting where there are big deer. I run a ton of cameras on a multiple farms. I have to work hard to get permission to hunt those farms. I don't waste my time hunting a farm if I do not know about a good buck being in the area. I do hunt hard and often, which is tough since I own a small business now and it takes a lot of time. I also hunt smart. I don't do stuff that takes the odds out of my favor like hunt the wrong wind, wear smelly clothes, fill up the gas tank on the way, ride my four wheeler, take my buddies hunting all the time, etc. Unfortunately, I probably do not realize some things I have done that have been helpful.
Mine was 147". Oh well. :lol:
