Longtime bowman Danny Williams of Galva, Kansas has taken loads of large bucks – together with 4 over 170.
However one buck he’d been watching by way of distant cameras for a number of years was particular. The 250-pound deer had an enormous non-typical rack and was often visiting a 160-acre household property in McPherson County, positioned in central Kansas.
“I began watching him three years in the past, in regards to the time I began having shoulder issues and couldn’t draw my compound bow like I’ve achieved since age 14,” Williams tells Out of doors Life. “I used to be pissed off about my shoulders and my love for archery, and sort of gave up bowhunting final yr – till I noticed that buck this yr.
“Final yr he had a sort of funky rack and I didn’t even bowhunt him. However this yr when that buck confirmed, he’d grown 40 extra inches of antlers. I knew I needed to attempt for him, however I wanted to make use of a crossbow, not my compound due to my shoulder points.”
Looking circumstances weren’t preferrred the afternoon of October 21 when Williams, 69, received right into a field blind along with his Ravin crossbow. The spot was an open pasture with rolling hills and cedar timber, however no large timber, says Williams.
“The wind was from the fallacious route, so when a doe and fawn got here close to my blind and began appearing nervous, I closed among the home windows,” Williams says. “Quickly an 8-point buck got here out close to the blind and chased the doe and fawn away. I regarded again and there was the enormous buck I wished standing simply 18 yards away.”
Williams needed to open one of many blind home windows fastidiously and quietly to get a shot on the huge buck. Fortunately the whitetail stepped behind a cedar tree, giving the hunter an opportunity to open the blind, prepared his crossbow, and take the buck because it stepped out from behind the tree at 15 yards.
“I noticed his again legs kick up after I shot, and he ran immediately via some very thick cowl,” Williams defined. “He jumped a fence and disappeared.”
He phoned relations and a good friend who advisable they name in a monitoring canine simply in case. Williams thought he made shot on the buck, however he didn’t wish to danger it.
“I made a decision to drive residence and look ahead to whereas earlier than heading after the deer,” Williams says. “Six hours later all of us went again to the place I’d shot the buck that evening. Lenny and Shaden Swaim have been there with their monitoring beagle Scout. The canine took up the path, and we adopted him.”
The blood path was poor, and no arrow was discovered till they reached the fence that Willimas noticed the buck leap over. They discovered the arrow there, which had handed via the buck. The 100-grain 2-blade Rage broadhead had achieved its job properly, because the blood path was heavy. Scout had no bother finding the animal.
“The deer solely traveled about 80 yards from the place I shot it,” Williams says. “However having Lenny, Shaden, and Scout was good insurance coverage [with] such an unbelievable deer.”
They estimated the enormous buck was 5 years previous. The started working discipline dressing and dragging out the deer and hung it to air cool in 40-degree temperatures that evening. The subsequent day it went to a meat processor.
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Williams says the buck has 21 factors with seven on one facet and 14 on the other facet. It has been inexperienced scored at about 221 inches.
“It has an inside unfold of solely 19.5 inches,” Williams says. “However the antler base circumferences are huge – 8.25 and seven.5 inches. The cranium and antlers weigh 9 kilos.”
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