November 02, 2017
By Game & Fish Online Staff
The network of Game & Fish Magazine writers fanned out across the region to find the most impressive scored bucks we could. Here are our fascinating stories of some truly extraordinary trophy bucks.
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Click To Read About Great Plain's Trophy Bucks
One of the trends seen in the world of deer hunting in the past few decades has been the increase in trophy buck hunters who have switched from firearms to archery hunting. Hunters are saying that bowhunted deer are less spooky. So, hunters see more game, and the deer are closer range much of the time. That's why quite a few of the trophy deer across our region now are being taken by bowhunters, as is the case with some of the big bucks we'll highlight here. Let's take a look now at some of the most memorable hunts for several Great Plains hunters fortunate enough to have tagged a trophy-class Great Plains.....
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Click To Read About Iowa's Trophy Bucks
Last month, we looked at the overall picture for deer hunting in Iowa for the previous year as well where hunters might have the best chance to harvest a deer during the upcoming season. We highlighted some of the counties where harvests were highest, offering options for hunters to fill their tags. This month, we'll look at some recent history for trophy bucks in Iowa and where you're most likely see these....
Click To Read About Illinois Trophy Bucks
Illinois is famous for massive whitetail bucks, and hunters in every county have an opportunity to tag a true monster if they take a few important details into consideration. The first is to find great habitat. Deer need quality year-round food sources. Look for areas that have a strong mix of woods, broken terrain and agriculture that provide a wide variety of foods and sanctuary from hunters. The second step of growing a trophy buck is giving it time to grow. All deer in Illinois have the same genetic potential as the legendary bucks of the Golden Triangle. But, studies have proven most hunters drastically underestimate the age of a deer and kill them....
Click to check out Indiana's best trophy bucks.
Indiana has massive whitetail bucks, and every county in our state holds the potential to grow true monsters. The first key to finding big bucks is to find great habitat. Deer need quality year-round food sources. Much of Indiana has great food sources in the form of corn and soybeans six months out of 12. While there might be isolated wood lots where deer can hide, they don't provide the quality and quantity of food and cover that the larger contiguous forests of the hilly and broken terrain found elsewhere in....
Click To Read About Michigan's Trophy Bucks
As usual, some monster bucks hit the ground in Michigan during the November firearms deer season. And, not surprisingly, most of the whitetails with the largest antlers were tagged in southern counties that are part of Region 3. Here's the story about how, where and by whom three of the largest typicals were taken with centerfire firearms in our state during the 2016....
Click To Read About Minnesota's Trophy Bucks
About a half-million hunters every fall don blaze orange or camouflage (or blaze pink — a new option this fall after the Minnesota Legislature legalized it) and take to the fields and woods of Minnesota in search of white-tailed deer. In 2016, those hunters killed more than 173,000 deer, of which nearly 101,000 were bucks. While bucks make up a large percentage of the deer killed in our state each year, the number of animals that sport truly large racks....
Click To Read About Ohio's Trophy Bucks
The eleventh month is a famous one for producing trophy bucks each year in Ohio, and the 2016 season was no exception. Some of the top racks registered with the Buckeye Big Buck Club (BBBC) came as a result of hunters' efforts last November — giant whitetails that fell to archery and firearms hunters alike. November offers hunters a wide range of conditions and situations in which to pursue their passion each season, and many take up arms during no....
Click To Read About Wisconsin's Trophy Bucks
Fans of record-book whitetails know that Wisconsin has long been a producer of world-class bucks. In fact, the Badger State continues to be one of the top Boone and Crockett Club deer-producing states in North America. It's no surprise that the Wisconsin archery typical record was broken three times in four seasons! In 2012 Dusty Gerrits took a Fond du Lac County bruiser that officially scored 187 7/8, becoming the new....
