Kevins Giant Freak Buck

Last season left Kevin and I scratching our heads as the 145 plus inch 9 point we had been seeing seemed to be visible every day that we were not in the blind....right wind, right location, just no buck....It was like he knew. On the last day we hunted the set...A smaller buck paid the price and became a movie star. The big 9 was first spotted at the very end of October in a completely different area of the same neighborhood. Kevin and Chris were set up in a promissing spot where this guy had made a strong presence in September. He came to the edge of the woods and was about to enter the small meadow where the boys were perched and he just....decided otherwise.... The deer mad a small appearance in last seasons DVD
(He is in the intro where I was talking about suburban sprawl and the giants that come from the parks to the neighborhood yards) He was a clean 9 and we wanted to see Kevin put a tag on this guy bad. We had good trailcam photos as well, but as is the rule between all the boys...we really dont show the good ones until the deal is done...Its kinda like some bad JUJU or something...

We were dying to see what the deal was with this guy as the cameras went out this season. I got a ridiculously excited voicemail from Kevin one day and we had our answer....The ole boy had become a freak...We had noticed a wound on the deer in the last days of the season that looked to be from an arrow or bullet just above the sweet spot in the back...Could this be what caused the massive abnormality??? The rear facing trailcam photo told the tale. The crazy rack that now sported 4 beams still carried the same basic frame that he had the previous year.

The deer vanished as quickly as he had the previous season but we felt like we at least were on the right track because the location was the same. A quick look on the aerial told us where he was likely spending his evenings. A large beanfield to the south was the largest draw in the area. The sighting we had via trailcam were in the same small meadow where numerous bucks were frequenting a WYLD Mineral site. The differance for this season is that Roger and Kevin had moved the stand to just inside the wood line where the Buck had made his entrance last year. It was to only be hunted on a strong south wind.

When Kevin called and told me there was a south wind...I really didnt think to much of it as we had not seen this guy since the end of August. Our friend Paul, whom we had just asked to join us in our endeavors, was available to run the camera for Kevin this evening.
Paul was in the MWC @ Full Draw competition last season and Captured our Friend Rob Cardosi shooting a Monster Buck that scored just shy of the Boone and Crocket minimum. Paul was also just featured on Solo Hunter on the Sportsman Channel shooting a big freak of his own so I felt good knowing that if the giant happened to head into the meadow to feed, he would have no problem capturing footage of Kevin putting his signature heart shot on this deer.

I lost all track of time during the evening as I was busy signing papers on my new SUV and trying to make it to work on time. I had just turned the key on my brand new Rav 4 when the phone rang. I was sitting still in the dealership garage when Paul whispered...."I must be good luck behind the camera....the big freak is down" I about lost my mind!!! I wanted so badly to go see this thing...The evening was filled with stories and cell phone pics flying around like wild. Paul was convinced it was 170. I was not sure from the pics but I knew it was not to be topped in the unique category. Regardless, the big boy was in Kevins truck and is now the Overkill Poster Buck for 2011 Season 4.

The next morning I headed straight to Kevins house with my camera. As soon as I looked at this deer I knew he was as special as we had thought. The size of beams would be impressive as a normal 2 beamed buck but add in two more and you have a 4 beamed super freak with points to match!!! 15 scoreable points in all for a grand total of 166 6/8 gross inches. Unofficially this guy nets out at 157 non typical inches. Knowing what I know about Kevin....He will probably shoot a higher scoring deer one day....but this deer will always be tops in the crazy category!!!

And about that signature heart shot....After grabbing some 20 plus minutes of Big Buck rutting behavior, Paul followed the buck as he headed into the danger zone....20 yards in front left of Kevin!!! Kevin is perhaps the most meticulous stand setup guys I have ever seen. I always refer to kevins perch as his throne...He learned the art from Jeff and has taken it to extremes with his latest sets...I dont believe I have ever seen him have to move to shoot a deer....They walk right down and give it to him off of his left front every time!!! I was not surprised when Paul sent the picture of the beasts heart with a Slick Trick X in the dead center of it!!! I have honestly never seen anyone do this on such a regular basis...

Congrats Kevin on an Awesome and incredibly Unique Trophy. It looks like you may have the best buck on the DVD 2 years running....You hunted this guy smart and you deserve it!!!