Every year we read some of the threads of people asking have y'all seen this deer posted yet? Most of you know I bow hunt Bankhead a lot. I see a bunch of deer killed out there and never scored or heard of again. I guess most don't care what people think and do not get the deer scored, but there are record book bucks killed every year that we never hear about from this area. This buck was killed by a very good friend of mine with a muzzle loader and has been posted on here before (3 years ago). Could it be in the top 3 for muzzle loader kills? Maybe? But we will never know, because if my memory serves me right this deer was never (officially) scored. This man was harassed to the fullest extent, of people knocking on his door asking about the deer and where was it killed. Long story and not my place to tell it, but if you kill a monster you may want to think really hard before posting or even telling anyone.

If he was my very good friend I would help him get it scored. Wallow in his fortune like an old hog in a mud hole. Relish this once and a lifetime accomplishment. Offer guides for big $$$$$ if you like. Maybe get a sponsor of a deer scent on board. So many ways this could be turned in a positive spin if you like. I know a lot of private land adjoins public land, so I could see him wanting to not discuss details due to those wanting access via his lease or property to his honeyhole if he got it that way. If he would have put me on it I could have saved all this harassment.

Good Lawd that is a great buck! Would like to hear the story.

Gorgeous buck. Sorry he got hounded.
Not that I expect to happen but I was wondering this just the other day. If I did somehow kill a monster, would I post it? I dunno.

Posting or not to post needs to be thought out way before hand just in case you ever do kill something like that. Me, if it's in public I probably will post but not give specifics. Private on my club prob not. It would attract poachers and possibly encourage the land owner to increase the price of lease thinking it's a trophy club. That's my opinion anyway.

never had one scored.

If I killed the new worlds record tomorrow morning I'd take a bunch of pics, call Joel Stone to arrange mounting it, and put the antlers in my trophy room. No score, no internet pics, no nothing. EVER.

Tell him congrats! Beautiful buck. I don't understand how some people completely lose their minds over a stupid deer

Y'all some tinfoil hat wearers!

If I killed a buck like that I'd call North American Whitetail to see if they'd put my picture on the magazine cover! Not sure why I'd spend my lifetime pursuing this obsession, to finally reach that pinnacle, then keep it to myself???? A huge part of the chase is the satisfaction of getting to "show off" a little. Maybe I'm just still juvenile in that regard (at age 42, and having killed more than my share of really nice bucks), but y'all a little over the top with this "they'd go up on my lease" stuff. And come on, everybody has known for years that Bankhead is full of record book deer.

X2 what Fred said. Shoot, shaddup, supper.


And this is a fantastic buck, JD Bowhunter. Simply awesome. I'm sure y'all could find someone to quietly score it if he's interested in knowing.

I wouldn't have a problem posting a pic of it (although I'd make sure the picture didn't have that geocoding or whatever - maybe do a screen shot of the original picture), but as far as telling where it was killed, I might say what state it was killed in, but that's about as specific as I'd be.

as far as scoring that particular one, I'd just score it myself to have an unofficial estimate as to what it scored.

It would never, ever, ever, ever cross my mind to try to go hunting where you killed a huge buck. This is some of the most bizarre logic to me, really over-dramatic.

The last several seasons I hunt mostly on a large military base, and it's always baffling to me when someone kills a stud deer one morning in an area, then lots of other people try to go back in that area that afternoon. HE'S DEAD!!!!!!! Plus I shot the place up, left a gutpile, and pretty much stunk the place up dragging him out! I would be looking to go where nobody else has been hunting. I've hunted on all kinds of land where the occasional giant buck was killed, but that doesn't mean there's one behind every tree. You killing a 160" buck off the place this season doesn't make me want your land next season....you already killed him!!!!!! and it's not like I believe there'll be several more 160's there next year. Even more than that, I guess I'm just naive, but it would never cross my mind to try to lease the land out from under you. Odd logic, just odd.

If I killed one like that I would go get every bottle of scent, magnesium rifle, Hornady cartridges, scentblocker jock strap, Bill Jordan cap, etc, etc product I could find and make a bunch of pictues, then call the magazine people. There is money in that kind of deer.

That's for sure a stud 4x4, and will score great as an 8 with some extras. But most folks are gonna over estimate that ones score.

Not as much as people think. A few pay but not all. Photos with 40'leven products splayed around also don't show up.

Ikillbux I agree with you. Problem is, there are too many lazy azz hunters out there who try to ride someone else's coattails. I've had it happen to me when I try to go to an out of the way area no one else has been hunting on a hunt club or private land. You start killing bucks and suddenly people go in riding around tromping through the woods and setting up stands. One time I had an area where three trails converged and killed two or three bucks. Suddenly people are putting up stands on the roads and one Booger Eating moron took a dump on one of the trails where it crossed the road. Everybody was asking me where my stand was and they never could find it.

Most of the best scouting can be done with topo maps and aerial photos. You just need to go to the woods to fine tune the set uo of your stand locations.

Post a big deer on a forum and get ready for the onslaught of bums trying to find out where you're hunting so they can go in and screw it up.

Also, for scoring at home look for WGI Trophy Tape. It's measuring tape with an adhesive backing so you can put it on the antlers, it will stay, and you can get the inches to record to tally. Very cool product.

Now I make a separation in this regard.... if you and I hunt on the same land (public or private), you probably won't know much about what I'm seeing and killing (and what you know won't be true, LOL).

But if I kill a huge trophy-class buck on my club (or for certain on any public land), I couldn't care less if the whole nation knows about it. I couldn't care less about these boys killing those studs on Bankhead. Me going up there would be the ultimate needle in a haystack ordeal.

Man some of y'all truly think the sky is falling. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but wow y'all are waaaay to extreme! Like it's been said before if it's dead can't hunt him no more!

Here's the difference: you're logical and reasonable about it. You know if you shot Big DingleBuck that there are not five more AlmostBig DingleBuck clones running around the same area.

But some people will flip out and tell you "that buck's jeans are everywheres in there!" and will try to go find another one. And so what made that buck's area great for it to be living in, grow old/big in, etc., will be probably ruined for a while because of morons who think they can, as mentioned above, ride your coattails.

If I ever killed a really big deer I'd post it on here and tell exactly where in Jackson Co that I killed it.



Check the other thread for info on what deer hunting does to preachers.