Tim's Monster Buck in Archery 06'
Buck info: It was the second to last week of the 2006 archery season and the weather finally got cold.
I was fortunate enough to get out several times that week. On monday I hunted a new stand in
Lehman Twp. where I had seen several good bucks. It was about 45 minutes to dark and a giant that
looked like it had tree branches hopped a stone wall chasing a doe. He came in at 40 yards and
bedded down. He got up with about 10 minutes left of light after some deep grunts i had made and
proceeded to about 10 yards from where I had hung my climber making scrapes along the way. I had
one chance at a marginal shot through thick stuff at 20 yards and did not take it bec he appeared to
be heading towards an opening. Needless to say light ran out and the buck ended up bedding right
underneath my tree. Due to the lack of light i could not take the shot. It was truly one of the most
exciting and most frustrating hunts i have experienced in my hunting career. I felt absolutely sick. I
rattled lightly to try and scare the buck up without him knowing I was up there so I could get down
from my stand. I heard him run off and I hung my head in disgust thinking I might just puke. The next
day I made myself go to the same stand telling myself I might get another opportunity. Sure enough a
buck came in again, but this time it as just a nice 7-pointer. The buck came within 20 yards, stood
broadside and I drew back. I could have ended my season and ate both of that bucks lungs with my
arrow and ended up with a very nice buck for 2006. I like to tell the above story before I tell everyone
about the buck I eventually killed, because for the kind of hunters that run this site, and hunters like
me that view it, experiences like this are often more important. To say I actually pictured the
"bigoldbucks" website in my head with my bow drawn back might not even be a lie, but the fact is
because these guys let hunters know what is out there and what age alone can do for a buck, you
too might let your bowstring down next time you have that decent buck under your pin. In a confused
state not knowing for sure if I was going to regret passing that buck up I hit the woods on a Friday
afternoon in hopes that I might get a crack at a monster I had been seeing in Dallas. The night
before my hunt me and a friend went spotting, and saw a buck that looked to be 150 class deer. The
deer looked like it was on Broadway with 3 other guys spotlighting it. I knew the area extremely well,
and knew it had been and was pressured hard. I also knew I killed a buck last year in archery season
in an adjacent patch of woods about a mile from where I spotted this bruiser. Last year I saw 3 giants
out of this stand after I had killed my buck in the last week of rut. To say scouting pays off would be
an understatement. I knew that this buck had been squeezing out of this woodlot in the early morning
due to high hunter activity. My game plan was to hunt that same funnel I did last year, because I had
a feeling and also saw some big tracks and scrapes leading from this woodlot into the area where i
planned to hunt. I was pretty sure he was using it. Needless to say I hiked my climber back in the
woods, got situated and seven minutes later I found myself looking at a deer that looked like god
dropped it off from Saskatchewan. The body size was remarkable. I knew it was a buck, but its head
was in trees so I could not see how big. He stood making a scrape, then stepped out into a secluded
brush patch. There was no question it was a monster, this buck was as old as mathusal, and was in
fact the same buck i had spotted the night before. He came to 32 yards after a nerve racking route to
my stand. As he was making a scrape, I drew back my bow taking big breaths, telling myself this is a
buck of a lifetime, take your time. Alot of great archery hunters have told me to draw back and right
when your about to shoot..DONT.. take that extra second and really realize and focus where your
about to release your arrow. Well I was about to shoot and I didn't, I took that extra 3 seconds made
sure I was going to make a great shot, released my arrow and it hit its mark. The buck ran a short
ways, and fell down he laid there and looked like he was going to expire. I knocked another arrow
because after seeing how big this "bigoldbuck" was I was not leaving room for error. The buck looked
like he was dead and as soon as that thought went through my mind he crawled up and ran to 10
yards underneath my tree fell looked up at me, and knew he was beat. I put that second arrow
through his vitals, and right then I knew I harvested a truly magnificent animal. I soaked it all in and
took some deep breathes before descending from my climber. When I got down I was in awe of how
big he was, and when it was a stretch to get my hands around his bases, I couldn't help but think of
that now little 7-pointer that may eventually turn into a very "bigoldbuck." I know why I hunt and its
because you cant get that feeling of a buck coming into your stand anywhere else in life. I wont ever
forget that day. Id like to apologize for the lengthy story, but with a buck of that magnitude, the
lifetime of memories he provided and the sure thrill and adrenaline rush he gave me, I think I owed it
to him.
- Id especially like to thank shortstack and wildman for what they due to show other hunters what is
out there. I have lifted with them for a couple years and learned alot from short gym talks with both of
them. The big bucks that are posted on there page is truly for them as much of a reward as it is for
us hunters that are harvesting them to know that there attempts of showing what age, and dedicated
quality deer management could do for the deer herd in the state of Pennsylvania. Without sites like
this I might have shot that seven pointer and Im happy to say that the deer with tree branches on its
head in Lehman township was spotted shortly after the season. The truth is it only gives us
something to pursue next year, in attempt to harvest another "bigoldbuck." - Tim Kerestes
Buck info: It was the second to last week of the 2006 archery season and the weather finally got cold.
I was fortunate enough to get out several times that week. On monday I hunted a new stand in
Lehman Twp. where I had seen several good bucks. It was about 45 minutes to dark and a giant that
looked like it had tree branches hopped a stone wall chasing a doe. He came in at 40 yards and
bedded down. He got up with about 10 minutes left of light after some deep grunts i had made and
proceeded to about 10 yards from where I had hung my climber making scrapes along the way. I had
one chance at a marginal shot through thick stuff at 20 yards and did not take it bec he appeared to
be heading towards an opening. Needless to say light ran out and the buck ended up bedding right
underneath my tree. Due to the lack of light i could not take the shot. It was truly one of the most
exciting and most frustrating hunts i have experienced in my hunting career. I felt absolutely sick. I
rattled lightly to try and scare the buck up without him knowing I was up there so I could get down
from my stand. I heard him run off and I hung my head in disgust thinking I might just puke. The next
day I made myself go to the same stand telling myself I might get another opportunity. Sure enough a
buck came in again, but this time it as just a nice 7-pointer. The buck came within 20 yards, stood
broadside and I drew back. I could have ended my season and ate both of that bucks lungs with my
arrow and ended up with a very nice buck for 2006. I like to tell the above story before I tell everyone
about the buck I eventually killed, because for the kind of hunters that run this site, and hunters like
me that view it, experiences like this are often more important. To say I actually pictured the
"bigoldbucks" website in my head with my bow drawn back might not even be a lie, but the fact is
because these guys let hunters know what is out there and what age alone can do for a buck, you
too might let your bowstring down next time you have that decent buck under your pin. In a confused
state not knowing for sure if I was going to regret passing that buck up I hit the woods on a Friday
afternoon in hopes that I might get a crack at a monster I had been seeing in Dallas. The night
before my hunt me and a friend went spotting, and saw a buck that looked to be 150 class deer. The
deer looked like it was on Broadway with 3 other guys spotlighting it. I knew the area extremely well,
and knew it had been and was pressured hard. I also knew I killed a buck last year in archery season
in an adjacent patch of woods about a mile from where I spotted this bruiser. Last year I saw 3 giants
out of this stand after I had killed my buck in the last week of rut. To say scouting pays off would be
an understatement. I knew that this buck had been squeezing out of this woodlot in the early morning
due to high hunter activity. My game plan was to hunt that same funnel I did last year, because I had
a feeling and also saw some big tracks and scrapes leading from this woodlot into the area where i
planned to hunt. I was pretty sure he was using it. Needless to say I hiked my climber back in the
woods, got situated and seven minutes later I found myself looking at a deer that looked like god
dropped it off from Saskatchewan. The body size was remarkable. I knew it was a buck, but its head
was in trees so I could not see how big. He stood making a scrape, then stepped out into a secluded
brush patch. There was no question it was a monster, this buck was as old as mathusal, and was in
fact the same buck i had spotted the night before. He came to 32 yards after a nerve racking route to
my stand. As he was making a scrape, I drew back my bow taking big breaths, telling myself this is a
buck of a lifetime, take your time. Alot of great archery hunters have told me to draw back and right
when your about to shoot..DONT.. take that extra second and really realize and focus where your
about to release your arrow. Well I was about to shoot and I didn't, I took that extra 3 seconds made
sure I was going to make a great shot, released my arrow and it hit its mark. The buck ran a short
ways, and fell down he laid there and looked like he was going to expire. I knocked another arrow
because after seeing how big this "bigoldbuck" was I was not leaving room for error. The buck looked
like he was dead and as soon as that thought went through my mind he crawled up and ran to 10
yards underneath my tree fell looked up at me, and knew he was beat. I put that second arrow
through his vitals, and right then I knew I harvested a truly magnificent animal. I soaked it all in and
took some deep breathes before descending from my climber. When I got down I was in awe of how
big he was, and when it was a stretch to get my hands around his bases, I couldn't help but think of
that now little 7-pointer that may eventually turn into a very "bigoldbuck." I know why I hunt and its
because you cant get that feeling of a buck coming into your stand anywhere else in life. I wont ever
forget that day. Id like to apologize for the lengthy story, but with a buck of that magnitude, the
lifetime of memories he provided and the sure thrill and adrenaline rush he gave me, I think I owed it
to him.
- Id especially like to thank shortstack and wildman for what they due to show other hunters what is
out there. I have lifted with them for a couple years and learned alot from short gym talks with both of
them. The big bucks that are posted on there page is truly for them as much of a reward as it is for
us hunters that are harvesting them to know that there attempts of showing what age, and dedicated
quality deer management could do for the deer herd in the state of Pennsylvania. Without sites like
this I might have shot that seven pointer and Im happy to say that the deer with tree branches on its
head in Lehman township was spotted shortly after the season. The truth is it only gives us
something to pursue next year, in attempt to harvest another "bigoldbuck." - Tim Kerestes
