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Hunter: Richard Buker
State/County: Indiana/Vermillion County
Score: Estimated 170 inches, awaiting official score
Gear: Mathews Outback bow, Beeman ICS 340 arrows, Montec T3 broadhead, Nikon Action binoculars, Tru-Fire X-Caliper release, Trophy Taker rest, Montana Black Gold sight, Tree Spider harness.
For Rich Buker of Clinton, Ind., bowhunting isn’t just about taking a trophy animal—it’s about a lifestyle, tradition and countless hours of dedicated labor.
Buker—who’s spent the last 20 years hunting on his family’s property in Vermillion County—has devoted himself to improving a deer population that was once less than impressive. He’s run trail cameras, planted and maintained food plots, hung stands, and tracked whitetails for years. And after an enormous amount of toil, Buker finally has the trophy buck to make it all worthwhile.
On Oct. 28, Buker crossed paths with a buck he’d been tracking on camera for nearly five years—a 170-inch monster that until now had eluded him. On a windy evening he thought about getting down from his stand and calling it a night. He’d even tied a drop line to his bow in preparation for the descent. But then the wind died and he decided to hang around for a bit longer. Funny the way it is.
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It was a fateful decision, as he soon eyed a massive buck working the treeline and then headed across the field toward him. At 35 yards, he stopped the buck with a grunt, placed his shot perfectly behind the shoulder and squeezed off a shot. The biggest buck he’d shot in his life ran 75 yards and then dropped within sight.
When he made it to the buck, Buker said he “was jumping around thanking God for such a great buck. I immediately collected myself, pulled out my iPhone and snapped some pictures before I ever laid hands on the deer.” He couldn’t believe what lay before him, after all the toil and patience.
As it turns out, persistence wins the day.
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“I still can’t believe it. I thought my 145-inch 8-point was big until this,” Ford said. “I never thought I would see a deer this big, but getting to kill one this big never crossed my mind.”
For more, check out Ford's Deer of the Day entry.
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Have you seen the (almost) Turdy-Point Buck?
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Lindsay Groom
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Randy Walk
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“He is a giant buck. Eighteen points total with nine on each side. He has been green scored at 225 inches and some change and is clearly the largest whitetail deer I have ever seen on the hoof or on the ground for that matter."
For more info, check out Walk's Deer of the Day entry.
Richard Buker
Richard Buker has been hunting his family's property in Vermillion County, Ind., for over 20 years, and on Oct. 28, he finally got the buck of a lifetime.
That windy evening, he spotted the massive 170-inch buck working the treeline before heading across the field toward him. At 35 yards, Buker stopped the buck with a grunt, placed his shot perfectly behind the shoulder and squeezed off a shot. After running 75 yards, the buck then dropped within sight.
For more info, check out Buker's Deer of the Day entry.
Stanley Suda
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"The shot was perfect," he said. "I watched my dream buck run across the field and pile-up about 20 yards inside the wood line. This was definitely my finest moment in the treestand.”
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Jordan Dressler
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Joshua Earp
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"“I’ve hunted 25 years for this," Earp said. " I give all thanks to God and my father for teaching me and introducing me to this sport I’m addicted to.”
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Carter Rice
Carter Rice is another first-time hunter that had huge success in 2012. Carter killed this buck in Pettis County Mo., with his father at his side . "I had not experienced that type of excitement since my 15-year-old son Seth was that age," wrote proud dad Rusty Rice.
This photo was submitted to NAW Editor Gordon Whittington earlier this season via e-mail.
Travis Trimmer
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Jeff Danker
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Bo Cocannouer
Two years ago Bo Cocannouer fell from a treestand fracturing his back. Most hunters aren’t lucky enough to walk away from a twenty-foot fall, and the ones that do don’t normally get to hunt from one ever again. But Cocannouer did just that, and he came home with this 194 gross non-typical Oklahoma buck.
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Aaron Milliken
Aaron Milliken caught up with this massive Kansas whitetail after repeated attempts to track down the 194-inch trophy. For the details, make sure to check out NAW's Deer of the Day entry..
Bill Winke
Bill Winke has earned himself a spot as one of the best Midwestern whitetail hunters of all time, with a recent buck to prove it. To read more about this massive double G4 Iowa giant, check out NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
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NAW's Best Bucks of 2012
Hunter: Richard Buker
It was a fateful decision, as he soon eyed a massive buck working the treeline and then headed across the field toward him. At 35 yards, he stopped the buck with a grunt, placed his shot perfectly behind the shoulder and squeezed off a shot. The biggest buck he’d shot in his life ran 75 yards and then dropped within sight.
