Tagged Out: Awesome Bucks from All Across Whitetail Country (Updated)

Take a look at these great trophy harvests taken during 2024 hunting seasons all across the country. Compiled by Regional Rut Update correspondents Brandon Butler, Josh Honeycutt and Doug Howlett. Click here for Regional Rut Update reports. (Updated Dec. 4)

Christian Shoffner, North Carolina

North Carolina hunter Christian Shoffner recently bagged a hefty buck that came as quite a surprise. He came in and watched eight does that were eating,” she says. “He just stood there for about 10 minutes before stepping out to where I could take my shot. I didn’t wait for him to turn broadside; I shot while he was facing me. I hit him in the lower part of his neck area, and he dropped.”

Shoffner adds that the buck was the first “shooter” she had seen in the past 20 years. She was not going to let him pass. “We had never actually seen this buck on camera,” she says. “He was a surprise that morning. My whole family was super pumped. Of course, he will feed us lots of yummy summer sausage for several months to come.”

The buck, shot on Nov. 3 in Alamance County, was taken with a muzzleloader and measured 120 inches.

Kelan Hill, Indiana

On Nov. 3, Kelan and his dad, Ford, headed to their stand around 4 p.m. for what would be Kelan’s first bow hunt. Ford figured they would see some small deer, but never imagined what would actually take place. An 8-pointer showed up first, but it was 35 yards away, which was outside of Kelan’s bow range. After the buck was out of sight, Ford rattled to see if he could bring it back closer, but instead, this 10-pointer showed up. It started going the wrong way at first but then turned around and came right to the Hills’ stand. Ford was attempting to coach Kelan on what to do and when to pull his bow back while simultaneously recording everything on his phone.

When the buck closed within 20 yards, Kelan took a shot but missed cleanly. Luckily, the buck gave him another opportunity at 25 yards, and the young hunter made that shot count.

Ivan Blanchard, Vermont

Vermont hunter Ivan Blanchard ventured into the remote mountains in the northwestern part of the Green Mountain State just north of Route 2 along the Canadian border. He spent two days and two nights living off the land, all the while dressed like Daniel Boone. His dog acted as a pack mule, toting a kettle and canteen on its back while the hunter carried everything else, including his trusty old-school muzzleloader tamped and loaded with a round ball. He was cold and wet most of the time. Over the two days, he estimates he covered about 15 miles. By Saturday, Nov. 16, he found paydirt when he took this solid 9-pointer, a truly legit rack by Vermont standards.

Chris Barham, Virginia

On Thursday, Nov. 21, after getting off work, Chris Barham parked his truck and walked down a wood path that led to a Southampton County field he planned to sit for the last hour and a half of daylight. "I stopped about 50 to 60 yards before I got to the field and could see five bucks together, eating in the field," Barham says.

With the rut still rolling along, he was surprised to see them all together, especially the wide-racked one off to one side. Barham stalked along the field edge until he got close enough for a shot.

“Looking at the deer through the scope, I could tell the [wide] one was a really mature deer with a nice, heavy, wide rack. His antlers were outside of his ears,” he says. “I figured it was a 70- to 80-yard shot, so I steadied my 20-gauge slug gun against a gum tree and boom!”

The buck dropped in the field as the others ran off. Virginia allows two deer per day, so when a group of does and button bucks entered the field 20 to 30 minutes later with plenty of shooting light left, Barham tagged a doe as well, completing what would be one of his best days of the season. The buck’s rack measures 20 inches wide and has nine points.

TJ Riddle, Tennessee

TJ Riddle hunts the mountains of Unicoi County, Tenn. Hunting in mountainous terrain, it’s all about topography, but that’s what Riddle loves. And at about 4 p.m. on Nov. 25, he bagged a big mountain buck that tried sneaking past him.

“I just happened to look to my right and saw him. At around 100 yards, I took the shot and he ran 50 yards before going down,” says Riddle. “This deer is the biggest killed between my dad, my little brother and myself, so I've got bragging rights.”

The buck scored 122 6/8 inches.

Kyle Stefanich, Illinois

It was Kyle Stefanich's first time hunting a property in Franklin County near Rend Lake that his father, Dan, helps manage for Boneyard Outfitters (boneyardoutfitters.com). The younger Stefanich set up in a 20-foot ladder stand along a creek bordering a cut bean field. When a doe with two fawns came out of a bedding area in a thicket next to the field and started to browse, he knew a buck could certainly be close behind.

When the 11-point stepped out of the brush in pursuit of the mature doe, the hunter knew he was about to punch a coveted Illinois firearms tag. The Nov. 23 buck was taken by shotgun and scored 146 inches.

Alisha Sichik, New Jersey

Alisha Sichik, 19, scored early on this Hunterdon County, N.J. 8-pointer that had come to a cornfield to feed on Sept. 27. She had been scouting this deer and another since the summer when they were in velvet. The bucks had been on summer feeding patterns, and she thought she had their routine pinned down, when all of a sudden their patterns changed and they began showing up on her trail cameras at random. Taking what she had learned about their movements during certain winds, she followed a hunch to sit a particular stand one afternoon and caught this one coming to the food with a couple hours of daylight left.

Russell Wilkes, South Carolina

Hunter Russell Wilkes shot this great buck on opening day of rifle season on Oct. 11 in Edgefield County, S.C. It measured 123 inches and weighed 208 pounds. His rack had a 19 1/2-inch inside spread.

“We had been watching this buck on camera, and I actually saw him on the morning hunt,” says Wilkes. “He had his pic taken 5 minutes before I got in the stand, so I busted him out. I saw him again at 10 a.m. tending a scrape, but I didn’t have a clean shot.”

Wilkes regrouped for the afternoon sit and came up with a solid game plan. “I went to another stand by a different food plot he had been cruising in the afternoon,” Wilkes says. “He eventually came in, offered a clean shot and I put the buck down.”

Cameron Parham, Virginia

It's been a tough year for 23-year-old Cameron Parham, who lost his father earlier this year. It was Parham’s father who taught him and his brother to love the outdoors and hunting, and on Oct. 19, he took his late father’s compound bow to one of his dad’s favorite stands. He had caught a huge buck on a trail camera on the Sussex County, Va., farm he hunts and had named it "Double Deuce" for the double beam growing out of the left side of the deer’s head. Parham was hoping for a chance at the buck because the rut activity had been picking up.

He was sitting in the stand when he heard the crack of a branch. Just 55 yards away stood a large 8-point eating acorns. Parham battled whether to take a shot as the buck edged closer, but then he heard more movement in the same direction. He looked, and there he was—Double Deuce. The larger buck strolled right into range and stopped to feed on acorns, presenting a broadside shot. The young hunter calmed his nerves and delivered a perfect shot. The buck gross-scored 202 4/8 inches.

"It hurt my heart to not be able to call him first and celebrate it with him," Parham wrote on a Facebook post. "However, I know he was with me on this hunt, as I was using his bow and hunting from one of his favorite stands."

Brian Murphy, New York

New York firefighter Brian Murphy thought he’d give bowhunting a try this year and went through the requisite pre-season practice. Little did he expect that the first deer he shot an arrow at would be a 9-point behemoth. He killed the buck on a late-October evening hunt in Chautauqua County using a cover scent and a plain doe scent from local company Killbuck Scents. The buck dashed off after being hit. Murphy waited a bit before tracking, and once he did, he eventually lost the blood trail. The next day, he returned to the scene along with a local guy who owns a tracking dog. Murphy says he would’ve never found his buck had it not been for the dog. The rack has a 150-inch-class frame, though its mass should net it more inches once measured.

Seth Harker, Missouri

Seth Harker is no stranger to big Missouri bucks. He killed a 190-inch monster in Wright County, Mo., a few years back that surprised many people because of the part of the state where it came from. Seth wasn’t surprised, though; he’s known the potential of this region east of Springfield for a long time. Harker had identified the buck he shot last Thursday as his primary target before the season began. He took the buck on Oct. 17 with a compound bow. The buck measured 140 inches.

“I saw him a few different times,” says Harker. “There’s a community scrape lots of bucks use year after year. I watched him work the scrape along with a few younger bucks. I knew I wanted to tag him then.”

Leslie Lawson, South Carolina

Leslie Lawson first laid eyes on this buck in 2022 when he was already a big 8-pointer. She did not get a shot at the deer that year, nor in 2023. For various reasons, she couldn't seem to catch up to him. This year, Lawson started getting nighttime photos of the buck. As the rut neared, the deer moved to a different area. But on Oct. 30, he returned home.

"I noticed that he came back with a broken antler," she says of the Colleton County buck. "He was always fighting and chasing other bucks out of my field. I went where I'd seen him [on camera] and hunted in the evening with no luck. But I tried again the next morning because I knew I could get lucky if he slipped out during daylight.

"He came out just as the sun was rising," Lawson continues. "I barely had enough light for the crosshairs, but I could not let him get away again. I put him down and went to look for him. He’d only run 15 to 20 yards when I found him. I cried and called my fiancé, but I could hardly talk. I’d killed several nice bucks before but never had to hunt them as hard as this one (125 inches)."

Chad Glass, Tennessee

Last season, Chad Glass scouted some public land in north-central Tennessee and found a lot of big rubs. He only saw does while hunting the area but knew bucks had to be around. This year, he tried the spot again in Cheatham County and ended up taking down a dandy. On Oct. 17, he spotted a doe around 8:30 a.m. Minutes later, he detected additional movement. He thought it was the doe at first, but it turned out to be an imposing buck, a 135-inch 13-pointer.

"My heart started beating at 100 miles per hour," says Glass. "I got my crossbow and waited to see the deer better. Then I saw part of the rack and started shaking so badly that I thought I was going to fall out of my tree. When he finally popped out, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I put him in my crosshairs and pulled the trigger."

When he found the 13-pointer he said fell to his knees to thank God.

Patrick Boyd, North Carolina

North Carolina's Patrick Boyd recently bagged a great buck that first showed up on Oct. 10 and apparently decided to stick around. "I was hunting a pinch point along a creek where hardwoods bordered a thicket, and I was late getting to the stand that day," he says. "I settled in by about 3:45 p.m., but things remained slow until almost sunset. Then, three small bucks came out, followed by six does. Shortly after, a big 8 and a 10-pointer stepped out, but they were not chasing or pushing any does. They seemed more focused on feeding."

Boyd opted not to shoot at either of the larger bucks because he knew an even bigger one was around, and it would typically come in with one of the smaller bucks that had shown up minutes earlier. His hunch was confirmed when the big fellow finally appeared. Taken with a compound bow, the Brunswick, N.C., County buck measured 140 3/8 inches.

Katie Wainscott, Ohio

After spotting this giant twice in one week while out riding her horse, Katie Wainscott and her husband, Markas, went after him the morning of Nov. 8, but he didn’t show. Katie had to leave town for a horse show over the weekend, but she came home to a surprise Sunday afternoon. “My husband watched the buck push around a smaller 8-pointer down in the field where I had spotted the buck. We threw our gear on, racing the clock to get to him while we still had light,” Katie says.

The wind was in their favor as the husband-and-wife duo stalked this massive buck. When they were within 50 yards, the buck bedded down, and they were able to close the distance. Katie had a clean shot from 25 yards with her crossbow and took down the Warren County buck that scored 190 inches.

Christopher Smith, Texas

"I saw the buck show up on my trail cam Saturday afternoon, then again on Monday," says Texas bowhunter Christopher Smith. "So, I went out on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 22), and the weather and wind were perfect. A few does and a few bucks were around me. Then, about 125 yards away, I saw a deer move in the cedars. He made his way out, and I knew it was him. He came in slowly, working the tree line." The closer the buck got, the more other deer parted ways. Smith could tell this was the boss. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves and waited for a good shot. The buck scored 133 3/8 inches.

Ryan Griffin, South Carolina

Ryan Griffin had been after one particular South Carolina deer for three years. Last year, he had three fruitless encounters with it but held high hopes for the 2024 season. "We worked hard in the off-season prepping the land, hanging sets and watching as bucks grew in the bachelor groups," He says.

The buck in question resurfaced on Sept. 27, but it wasn’t until Oct. 11 that he finally had the opportunity to move in on the deer. After watching smaller bucks bumping does, Griffin grunted and rattled, and after a while, the big deer came to check on the commotion. "He came right up the funnel, running all the small bucks out of the area and looking for one that was ticking him off. As he crested the top of the saddle, I eased my gun up and got my eye on him with the scope. But before I could pull the trigger, he was gone."

The big buck exited down the opposite funnel and went cruising for the rival that had him fired up. "He was on a mission, and I could hear him going west of me, so I pulled the call back out and hit him with a few deep, mature grunts. In 30 seconds, he popped back out and made a scrape. Once he finished up, he started coming my way."

Wasting no time, Griffin again got his sights on the buck and took the shot. The buck measured 129 1/8 inches.

Brandon Butler, Missouri

Regional Rut Update contributor Brandon Butler took this Howard County, Mo., while bowhunting on Oct. 28. He shares his story:

I've reported on a lot of big Midwestern bucks over the years, but I've never shared one of my own stories. With this being the first buck to entice me to loose an arrow in five seasons, I'm motivated to share the tale. This buck, which we referred to as "Short 10," had been around awhile. I have pictures of him dating back to 2021 and figure he was at least 5 1/2 years old. He was always wide but had short tines, hence the name. Last year, he put on good mass but stayed short. This year, his right side shot up, and his mass increased even more.

I didn't weigh him, but I wish I would have. I'm guessing his dressed weight was close to 250 pounds, as this buck was the size of a small mule. He would have been a contender in any of the big-buck contests back in the day when winning relied on weight. I miss those contests.

A couple of years ago, I bought a Redneck Blind and set it up on my central-Missouri property. I still prefer to be in a treestand. I covet those cold, gray days spent 20 feet up an oak tree out in the elements. But sometimes, the comfort of a fancy box blind is too much to resist.

I went to the blind because I didn’t expect to shoot a buck. I was more interested in observing rut behavior than I was in punching my tag. But then the “Short 10” burst onto the scene. Sitting in my comfy chair, my bow on one side of me, my release on the other and a cup of coffee in hand, I thought there was no way I’d pull it off. Thankfully, he was rutted up and crazed out of his mind. As he stood in the picked bean field, his mouth was open and his chest heaving as he tried to figure out where the doe he was pursuing went.

Buck fever like I had not experienced in maybe 20 years gripped me. I panicked and scrambled like I was a beginner bowhunter again. Ultimately, I pulled it off and put an arrow through him at 25 yards. The “Short 10” is being mounted by Scenic Rivers Taxidermy in Salem, Mo., and will be proudly hung in the shop on the property from which he came.

Hunter Lowrey, Alabama

Bowhunter Hunter Lowrey made his stand in a pine thicket about 200 yards from some big crop fields. He says he had been getting pictures of this hefty buck coming in every evening between 5:30 p.m. and dusk. On Oct. 15 in Jackson County, Ala., he climbed into the stand at 4 p.m. and waited for his chance. About 15 minutes later, several does walked past, followed by a few smaller bucks. By 4:45, a total of nine does and a pair of small bucks stood in front of him, but Lowrey remained patient.

“I saw the top of a small tree start shaking through the woods, and I knew it was a big buck rubbing a tree,” he says. “A few minutes later, I saw his rack coming and recognized the deer right away.”

Lowrey stood up and got ready as the buck walked to within 27 yards. Looking at the ground briefly to slow his heart rate, the hunter managed to calm himself down and take aim. He drew his bow, buried the pin in the vitals and released the arrow. The deer ran 60 yards and fell over.

Amy Winstead, North Carolina

Amy Winstead recently had an interesting experience in North Carolina, and she may have some gobblers to thank for it. While she was watching six turkeys walking in the woods near a creek, a big buck suddenly popped out by them. “I aimed and shot, and he fell right to the ground,” she says of the 8-pointer shot Nov. 4 in Nash County. “This was my second year of hunting and my second buck, but my first large buck. I am honored that I had this opportunity.”

Bailey Cawthon, Georgia

Thanks to his fellow hunting-club members, Bailey Cawthon knew one big buck was in the area. While scouting on Saturday, Oct. 26, he found a lot of sign in a thick swamp bottom. When he went back on Oct. 29, he didn’t see much. But at around 6:45 p.m., he heard a deer approaching from the bottom, and it was a good one.

“He worked right across in front of me, raking branches and working a rub,” Cawthon says. “When he finally got in position to where I could take a shot, I took him at 10 yards. He bounded off after impact but went down within seconds about 35 or 40 yards away.

“There’s not a greater feeling in the world than watching your arrow hit its mark,” he adds. “It was awesome to know that I had made a good shot and that I had harvested another great Georgia archery buck. Every single time that the plan comes together, and all of the hard work pays off, that feeling comes back all over again.”

Jackie Smith III, Illinois

Jackie Smith, who had been sitting with his two sons, says a Nov. 11 hunt was crazy from the moment they could see the field. “Three does and a 3-year-old 8-point with a busted G2 came out in the field at 300 yards,” Smith says. “He bumped the does but was content staying where he was. We had a doe decoy and took turns rattling the antlers, but the buck showed little interest.”

While the Smiths were trying to entice the 8-pointer to come closer, a mature buck came out of the timber about 150 yards away. Then yet another big, mature 8-pointer came busting out of the same timber to chase the other mature deer.

“The big eight came to 100 yards, and we tried calling to him, but he was more interested in running off the competition,” Smith says. “Both bucks cleared the field by 6:50. I waited 10 minutes and rattled again. The same mature 8-pointer comes out of the timber heading our way. He closed the distance from 150 yards to 20 in about 10 seconds and gave me a perfect broadside shot while he was doing a lip curl at my decoy. He ran about 75 yards and expired.”

The crossbow buck from Randolph County scored 143 5/8 inches.

Brant Boram, Indiana

"I only received permission for this property in Clinton County in September of this year," says Indiana's Brant Boram. "I've hunted mostly in Hamilton County and a few other spots in southern Indiana from the time I was 12. But my brother-in-law would show off Clinton County pictures and make us want to cry over how big the deer are up there.”

The property where Boram bagged this buck on Nov. 2 has a cornfield with a wood line that drops off steeply to a creek with an acre or so of bedding grass. In mid-afternoon he walked in the property with his saddle. He saw scrapes and rubs everywhere, but hadn’t seen anything by 5 p.m. "As soon as I laid eyes on him, I knew he was a giant,” he says. “He was about 120 yards out and coming down a finger off the ridge top. I was afraid he’d turn, but he kept getting closer and closer to me. At 40 yards out, he lay down in the grass."

After Boram recorded a two-minute video of the giant lying just 40 yards away, casually scratching his back with one of his antler tines, the buck stood up. At 30 yards, Boram let his arrow fly. The buck ran back the way he came, stopped, wobbled and went down in the tall grass.

Boram gave the deer an hour before getting down from his stand. His arrow had good blood on it, so Boram decided to slowly walk up to the buck. He was expired. The buck measured 163 1/4 inches.

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