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

Even if he can't reach the Hanson or Johnson buck, Womack will likely beat the current Oklahoma typical record of 194 inches. What is the biggest deer killed in Kentucky? Officers say a deer this big sends red flags flying. Conservation officers said if you see something, say something. His rack was just the icing on the cakeitll never happen again to me.. I figured he took off. All rights reserved. I could tell that a lot of deer were running through here, he says, noting that the neighbors also allow him to hunt their adjoining land. The bulk of Hermans core area was located on a large tract of land owned by a farmer who doesnt allow hunting. My dad, Luke (my brother) and I enjoy hunting public land all over the country. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. I owe a lot of this to him., Read Next: Utah Hunter Arrows Insane Opening Day Mule Deer. An intensive, four-year pursuit of an elusive buck dubbed "Sasquatch" at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) ended in celebratory tears, hugs, and shared joy between father and son. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. "As I pulled the soybeans away to expose his rack, I told my dad, 'This is like unwrapping a Christmas present,'" Standard said. Nathan Taylor started getting trail camera photos of a nice typical in 2019. Buy License; Hunt; Wildlife; Fish; Boat; Education; Law . Id never seen anything like him before. Land Between the Lakes National Recreation area is about 20 minutes from our hometown of Benton, Kentucky. Hope that's not the case cause I would like to see some better pics of it. This year, on opening day, Reed got the southwest wind he needed and decided to hunt a hilly ridgetop. Access the newest seasons of MeatEater, save content, and join in discussions with the Crew and others in the MeatEater community. Opening day of deer season 2021 didn't disappoint with reports of Bluegrass State bucks taken by bowhunters measuring 170-plus inches. I mean, these guys are so tricky and sneaky.. Jamison Standard started getting trail-camera photos of a huge buck just a week before deer season and started scouting diligently to try and determine a pattern. The buck ran a short distance and tipped over. Last year, during gun season, I had him in gun range at about 80 yards. This year, the rifle will be chambered in 7mm PRC, the hot new load that was a hit at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Features quick-change barrel system. Currently, I'm filming for Kentucky Afield TV and have been since 2016. Sasquatch continued to pass by our trail cameras until he lost his velvet, and then he disappeared. GILBERT, W.Va . After several tense minutes, he finally offered a broadside, 30-yard shot opportunity. 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 continued to get trail camera photos in 2019 and 2020, and even had numerous in-person encounters that were foiled by farmers or trespassers. Stan Potts doubles down in Montana and Wyoming. By summer 2020, we had several more pictures of him, and Sasquatch continued to grow. Later that night, Lacefield recovered the deerhis biggest ever. We told them to grab all his sheds off the mantle and meet us in LBL to drag him out. The farmer/landowner doesnt let anybody deer hunt, but he allows me to go shed hunt, Kline says. "Deer hunting means the world to me. Keith Srakocic AP. None of them fully spooked, but they didnt like what they saw, either. I was just elated with joy. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. A cold front passed through, and Taylor expected deer to be on their feet. Some were saying 230 or 240 pts. He climbed down to look for blood and his arrow but couldnt find any sign that the buck had been hit. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. This winter, he found the bucks rack, By Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Though Settle didnt post the buck on social media, he immediately sent the photos of his trophy to his stepdad. He pulled out his phone to try to take a quick video of the deer, but then a squirrel started barking at him. 3,757 likes. Beach was ecstatic. Which begs the question: Why arent more bird hunters using them? "I never thought in a million years I would shoot a deer that big," said Zach Meadows, who shot the buck with his bow on Nov. 3 in Logan County. 8,446. Then he retrieved his gear from the blind returned home to pick up his 16- and 18-year-old boys, who Settle calls his little tracking dogs. They went back to look for the buck. The massive deer laid dead only 50 yards from the property line. I initially didnt believe it, but she sent me a picture and sure enough they were his. CX Outfitter, 180 gr. Deer. They waited a few hours before blood trailing and didn't find any blood or the arrow within the first 15 minutes of the search. We got there well before daylight to keep from spooking any deer. He eased toward a stand on top of a ridge that tapers down to a soybean field. "You must take the time to do all the preseason scouting," Reed said. We spent a lot of time out in the woods together growing up. Just $1 per month , Jason Kline spent years chasing a giant non-typical buck he had named Herman. "I still can't believe that I was blessed enough to harvest this mature buck," Reed continued. Around 5:30 p.m., he decided to call his friend, Kyle Moore, to see if he wanted to come sit the remainder of the evening with him. How many deer were killed in Kentucky 2019? Settle immediately felt confident about his shot placement. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Below, you can see the total number of deer harvested by county and by weapon, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife's numbers. 10 Amazing Photos of a Buck Shedding Velvet, How to Tag a Velvet Whitetail Buck (and the Best States to Make It Happen). Anything raised for the purpose of shooting is not eligible by our standards, and this buck would fall under that category. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. He hung around on the side near camp catalpa last year. 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. The sighting wasnt far from where we had some trail camera pictures of the giant, so we decided this was where we would go for the quota hunt. Roughly 223,000 Colorado hunters harvested 39,000 elk in 2017, a 17% success rate. "It was emotional because this was [my girlfriend's] uncle's old stand. ), It took me a long time to get over to the deer, he says. Why don't you come out and sit the rest of the hunt with me?". To have a deer that big in gun range, and not be able to shoot? By 2021, it had grown into a stud 4.5-year-old. This big buck had historically spent the early and late seasons on the Arkenaus property, and spent the rut elsewhere. We observed a 2% increase from the 2018-19 season (145,745) and the 2019-20 season is 11% above the 10 year average (133,524). All the while, a 162-inch deer showed up on a different farm. Marlin is back in the game with the re-introduction of the classic 336 and 1894 lever-action hunting rifles. An Edmond hunter has killed a deer that likely will be a state archery record and is possibly the highest scoring typical whitetail buck ever taken in the state. 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. Conservation law enforcement officer Sgt. Reflecting back on his many years of pursuing this deer has been bittersweet. 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. 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. When bow season rolled around, we seldom got pictures of Sasquatch; and when we did, they were never during daylight. Ruger's popular American bolt-action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years. Four of the county's 11 biggest deer were shot during the past five seasons. Story is that someone cut it;s head off and left before the F&W guys arrived. 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. Tag already filled; Kline couldnt help but wonder what had happened to Herman. All of those four are among the top 15 in the state in their respective category. AL man illegally kills record-setting buck. (Photo by Chase Geary) One of the best messages we received was from a local woman saying she may have found three of Sasquatchs sheds while squirrel hunting. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Spot and range targets without wasting valuable seconds switching between gear with Luepold's new rangefinder binocular, the BX-4 Range HD. Eastons first deer 2021 Posted: 3/19/2022. "I was doing everything I could on short notice with food plots, cameras and cleaning up stands," Kirkpatrick said. At SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. However, that isnt always the case. The whitetail had a three-point right side, the size of which wasnt anything special. 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. He taught me all the rights and wrongs, dos and donts, and how to be safe in the field, Settle says. Were trying to get the full story. Or, do I go hunt a deer thatd be the biggest deer Ive ever killed?, I ended up shooting the 162-inch deer, Kline says. Story is that someone cut it;s head off and left before the F&W guys arrived. About 15 minutes before dark, the deer appeared yet again, walking toward Deckards stand for a third time. 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. EDITORS NOTE: When the photos of this deer were first sent to us by the hunter, Derek Settle, our immediate gut check was: This is a high-fence deer. I dropped the phone and steadied my bow. He had never seen an animal quite like this one beforeand neither had the rest of the world. We finally found the other side in mid-March. He just popped up out of nowhere, Settle says. The Model 336 is expected to be launched soon; the Model 1894 should launch this spring. But nothing prepared Settle for the buck he started getting trail cam pictures of in July 2020 at one of his mineral plots. Soon after settling into the stand, deer began moving. Skis are easily the most efficient way to cover snowy ground on foot in winter. Whenever pictures of dead megabucks circulate social media, commenters are always quick to ask: Was it a high fence deer? It happened when Guner Womack killed one of the most perfectly symmetrical whitetails in Oklahomas history, and again when Jason Kline found the deadhead of one of the biggest non-typicals in Ohios history. The new Frontier, available in 8x42 and 10x42, has all the range-finding capabilities a hunter needs. To have the opportunity to take a buck like this is a dream come true.". The National Wild Turkey Federation's mission to conserve wild turkey and preserve hunting heritage is still going strong after a half-century. This summer, the buck used a consistent travel route, and Taylor quickly patterned the deer. They use the clearing to get back and forth between the ag-fields and the hardwoods., Settle got to work setting up mineral and food plots and installing several permanent stands. Eventually, the music stopped and the shotgun blasts faded. For Release: Friday, April 23, 2021. | But now that I actually have him at home, its crazy. His window was narrow, too: Shortly after shedding its velvet, the buck always departed Lacefields hunting grounds. Dad told me to climb down and make sure he was dead. We put out cameras that summer covering the best spots over a 1000-acre area. I just couldnt get a good shot at him, and to be perfectly honest, he was standing right on the property line. Learn more in the video above, with Remington's Joel Hodgdon and Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. I was so mad about last year, Kline says. This fall, Lacefield knew hed have to target and tag the buck quicklyhe was running out of chances. At that point, he could tell it was a good deer. They next day, it showed up in front of another treestand, but both the Deckards were sitting in the blind. Upon walking up on the deer, Standard raised the buck's head from the soybeans and immediately realized how big it was. Josh Carter killed this massive non-typical buck in Logan County on Halloween 2021. Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller gets more info from Hawke's Paige Shipe at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. CWP collects hunters' voluntary harvest reports, and estimated 84,000 hunters killed 38,000 deer. However, his obsession and hard work were ultimately what put us on Sasquatch. The afternoon started off slow, with very little deer movement. With a 31-inch spread, many who see this deer will claim it's the biggest deer they've ever seen. If he had hadnt broken a couple kickers and tines, he would have gone over 200. The deer frequented a food plot theyd planted specifically for him, and his movements became very predictable. Fortunately for Kirkpatrick, a cold front had recently passed through, spurring deer movement. However, when Keating found a small hole in the bucks left ear, the illusion of this being a free-range deer started to disappear. I made a little compilation of some big Ohio brutes. That is one of the best-looking racks Ive seen from last season,beautiful color and all those stickers! We looked for his sheds and never found those either. "When a deer of this magnitude is killed, especially when I immediately have . Mike Clerkin heads to Buffalo County, Wisconsin to bowhunt whitetails. But to put something like that in our record books would skew the data.. According to Justin Spring, director of big game records for Boone and Crockett, the answer is simple. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Ed Arkenau, his son, and their friend Cole had hundreds of trail camera photos of a particular buck in 2019, 2020, and 2021. He had a slow hunt, though, only seeing three does and one small buck. "As I walked to my stand, I used my rangefinder to range my tree at 50, 40, 30, and 20 yards. Kentucky produces some fine bucks year after year. Jason Kline has spent much of his life chasing whitetail deer. Features quick-change barrel system. Harvest Results by Region. "I don't believe I will harvest another one this size," Kirkpatrick said. Nice to see other people from Richmond. All Rights Reserved. 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. The velvet was a little damaged from the branches, but Beach didnt much care. The buck ran about 50 yards and died in the brush. A total of 159,962 deer were harvested. More than 300,000 Hoosiers are sitting in their deer stands, looking for their dream buck this hunting season. Most of those acres are open hardwoods, with many hills, hollows and some crop fields scattered around. It was a wise decision, because soon he noticed deer started moving. Settle's buck could be a Kentucky state record. I have two children and I hope that in the future they will want to go hunting with me and be as passionate about it as I am. "My dad raised me to love deer and turkey hunting," Reed said. This was a great accomplishment considering how many other people hunt sheds in LBL. Ken Vitale with Buck Knives chats with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller about two new hunting knives for 2023the purpose-built Alpha and PakLite series. We continued looking for the other side but never found it. Settle was able to get an official SCI Green Score on the incredible buck, which came in at a whopping 311 2/8 inches. You can scout and hunt hard and not see a deer for days. 2019-2020 Total Harvest Summary 148,395 deer were harvested during the 2019-20 deer season, which is the second highest harvest on record. (Photos courtesy of Jamison Standard and Casey Reed). Clark's huge buck carried 23. I had no shot whatsoever.. Read Next: 10 Amazing Photos of a Buck Shedding Velvet. I then heard Dad say, That was Sasquatch. We were devastated knowing that could be the only time we would ever see him, and we didnt get a shot. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. So while Keatings buck wont be immortalized in North Americas big game books, it will give him a freezer full of red meat and a trophy on the wall hell never forget. He hoped the buck might return in camera photos, but he knew in his gut that wasnt likely to happen. Guner Womack killed one of the most perfectly symmetrical whitetails. ( Photo: Fort Campbell Fish and Wildlife) Derek Settle solo hunted a monster buck thats sure to make the record books and is quite possibly the biggest buck ever taken in Kentuckya state that is known for its booners. Sasquatch went down in his tracks! Moments later, Clark squeezed the trigger on his 7mm Magnum rifle, and the biggest buck taken in North Carolina during the 2021-22 season was on the ground. Within 10 seconds we saw Sasquatch running wide open in our direction. 1 Pope and Young Bucks Before They Were Beat, Illinois Hunter Sprints to Close the Distance On 21-point Bedded Buck, How to Find Big Buck Sanctuaries in the Spring. But almost immediately, skeptical hunters started asking what everyone was thinking: Was it a high fence deer?. Jacob Carnine, along with his family, hunted this 193-inch giant for five years on public land in Kentucky. I'm gonna say that deer came in behind Kroger and sherwin williams. Deer hunting in Tennessee started strong during the summer and finished strong in January with the harvest almost 20% larger than the previous season. Geo resource failed to load. Afterward, Reed's father and brother-in-law helped him recover the buck and get it out of the field. It was broadside and slightly quartering away from Settle. Miss a Deer? It ran a ways and crashed into the soybeans. But on Sunday morning it was just me and Dad. He even started hearing loud music. When I saw him on the ground, Ive never really acted like that in my adult life, says Settle. I would only move when it got windy. He would make a great first buck with my bow.". The new Frontier, available in 8x42 and 10x42, has all the range-finding capabilities a hunter needs. Check out these 10 monster bucks that were taken throughout the country. What is the most dangerous animal in Kentucky? He was still in early velvet, but I could just tell he had a lot going on under all that fuzz., The deer returned to the mineral plot at different parts of the day for nearly six weeks. Then, after seven or eight bucks walked through, he spotted giant antlers moving through the timber. After several weeks of scouting, hunting and running cameras, we finally got a picture of him about a mile and a half from his summer location. Shortly after, some young bucks walked through. A photo of a dead deer prompted an . We had kept Sasquatch a secret from almost everyone; even our closest friends had no idea we were hunting this buck. By mid-October he was gone again, so we started scouting the area with cameras trying to find him. Standard took a deep breath, drew his bow and took the 40-yard shot, hitting the buck square in the vitals. Word continued to spread, and once social media got ahold of the story it went viral. All Rights Reserved. In this edition of "Big Buck Profile," Gordon Whittington talks with young whitetail hunter Reid Crawford about his trophy buck taken in 2017. KY.gov. I used that to stay in the bucks blind spot. I couldn't control myself.". 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Kline hunts Sandusky County, Ohio, which is located in the northwestern region of the state. Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller gets more info from Hawke's Paige Shipe at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. After finding the buck, a game warden arrived to check everything out. On our way back to the truck one day, we came across a scrape at the bottom of a really steep drainage. That was also when we finally had a daylight picture of him, making us think this could be the year. 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. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. There are some giants out there especially the 300" deer at the end of this video. Deer: Balancing Expectations for Small Properties, Get to Know Your Neighbors for Better Deer Herd Management, Big Buck Profile: Reid Crawford Kansas Buck, Choosing Correct Magnification for Rifle Scope, Big Buck Profile: Troy Metzger's East Illinois Giant. My dad has been hunting, fishing and camping there for over 30 years, and my brother and I have joined him all our lives. I hate to see a great one taken out by a car. They recently built a new high fence and they think the deer had gotten out when they were moving deer into the pen.. The next morning Dad called me broken-hearted; he found the deer, but it wasnt Sasquatch. Few people could really hunt him because of where he was unless he traveled around or went across the road, which he did.. That started the process, and they followed the trail for about 150 yards before recovering the buck. From seeing him to when I shot him it was a three-minute thrill ride, Huff told MeatEater.