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Post by welder on Oct 11, 2023 21:24:57 GMT -5
Back in the "glory years" I personally saw several unbelievable bucks inside the Army Ammunition Plant in Newport Indiana. If you were ever in there, you know what I mean,if you weren't, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. I worked there when the name was Newport Chemical Depot 2006-2009. Some monsters viewed and killed there. One of the coworkers, on my last hunt there, called me as I left, stating he just shot a buck that was with 3 or 4 others but he thought it was the biggest one. After seeing it I said Mike if there was anyway the others were close that was a heck of a herd. See if I can find the pic I hunted it in '98,'99,00 & 2011. 9/11 abruptly ended the public draw for several years. Those were BY FAR the best draw hunts and ran the best of any I have ever been on. During the orientation, they had on display once a RIDICULOUS box of sheds they had, did you by chance ever get to see them? |
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Post by duff on Oct 12, 2023 3:47:10 GMT -5
I worked there when the name was Newport Chemical Depot 2006-2009. Some monsters viewed and killed there. One of the coworkers, on my last hunt there, called me as I left, stating he just shot a buck that was with 3 or 4 others but he thought it was the biggest one. After seeing it I said Mike if there was anyway the others were close that was a heck of a herd. See if I can find the pic I hunted it in '98,'99,00 & 2011. 9/11 abruptly ended the public draw for several years. Those were BY FAR the best draw hunts and ran the best of any I have ever been on. During the orientation, they had on display once a RIDICULOUS box of sheds they had, did you by chance ever get to see them? Oh yeah and lots of new sheds. There was a good sized group of employees that were temporarily relocated there so they didn't do much but their hobbies. Some drank too much others hunted and fished. 1 guy would shed hunt every opportunity. His pile was huge and had some incredible sheds. Some areas that were off limit for hunting were open for shed hunting. He did real good there. |
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Post by welder on Oct 12, 2023 6:37:03 GMT -5
I hunted it in '98,'99,00 & 2011. 9/11 abruptly ended the public draw for several years. Those were BY FAR the best draw hunts and ran the best of any I have ever been on. During the orientation, they had on display once a RIDICULOUS box of sheds they had, did you by chance ever get to see them? Oh yeah and lots of new sheds. There was a good sized group of employees that were temporarily relocated there so they didn't do much but their hobbies. Some drank too much others hunted and fished. 1 guy would shed hunt every opportunity. His pile was huge and had some incredible sheds. Some areas that were off limit for hunting were open for shed hunting. He did real good there. My favorite area was around the old TNT plant, with all of the heavy fence rows, the amount of quail and pheasant was staggering. |
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Post by HighCotton on Oct 12, 2023 7:00:16 GMT -5
I may have seen bigger deer. But the biggest deer I've been able to put my hands on was the buck I shot with my Mathews Feathermax in 2013. I sent the teeth to Henry Chidgey, Wildlife Analytical Labs and he aged the deer at 5-1/2 years via cementum annuli. The rack was nothing of note, but the deer dressed 232 lbs per Baker's Camp scale! The buck will always be a great memory. But, the best part of that evening was getting to share the hunt with my buddy, whitetail1 and some of his family!  |
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Post by esshup on Oct 12, 2023 9:44:55 GMT -5
The biggest I've seen while hunting was my first year hunting in Indiana, Thanksgiving week 2008. I was hunting a farm outside Warsaw that I had permission through a friend of a friend. The only weapon I had that was legal in IN at the time was my son's single shot 20 ga. 50 yds was my max with that little smooth bore bugger. I was sitting on a bucket at the corner of a cut corn field, some woods and a fence line that ran along a pasture...watching mostly the corn field. Out of the corner of my eye I see movement. I turn my head to see a BIG, thick and dark antlered, monster of a deer clear the fence and land in the fence line clearing before walking into a big thicket/bedding area that was off limits to hunt per the owner. He was 150-200 yds away and all I could do was gawk. If it was this year with any of my rifles I would be the proud owner of a Booner  Where I live here in Colorado Springs I see huge muley on the regular, including in my yard. Like this guy.... www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2011/04/huge-mule-deer-record-goliath-sheds-found/So, that was back in 2011. What was his rack like the following year? |
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Post by astronankin on Oct 12, 2023 12:10:47 GMT -5
I may have seen bigger deer. But the biggest deer I've been able to put my hands on was the buck I shot with my Mathews Feathermax in 2013. I sent the teeth to Henry Chidgey, Wildlife Analytical Labs and he aged the deer at 5-1/2 years via cementum annuli. The rack was nothing of note, but the deer dressed 232 lbs per Baker's Camp scale! The buck will always be a great memory. But, the best part of that evening was getting to share the hunt with my buddy, whitetail1 and some of his family! That is a big bodied deer! |
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Oct 12, 2023 12:37:33 GMT -5
Here's mine back in 2018. That might have been my last buck. Next one has to be bigger and or have some neat feature like double drop tines etc.  |
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Post by steiny on Oct 12, 2023 13:29:54 GMT -5
This marks my 50th year hunting whitetails and consider myself pretty seasoned and experienced when it comes to big deer. I hunt several states every year, have three on the wall right at the 160" mark and many 130"+ however I'm not 100% convinced I've ever seen a true "Booner" 170" or greater while actually in the field hunting.
Most tend to over estimate rack size, a 150" is a really great buck anywhere you go. Giant antlered bucks are like 7' humans, few and far between. Majority of IN bucks will probably top out never hitting 140" if they make old age.
Having said all that ..... evening before the IL firearms opener last year we were out cruising and saw a huge non-typical from the truck a couple miles from our hunting grounds. That was the biggest whitetail I'd ever seen live on the hoof, wild guess 190" or more. Also got some trail cam pics several years ago of a big heavy clean ten point I thought would hit 170" B&C.
Fun thread. Good luck !
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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 12, 2023 14:14:35 GMT -5
55 years for me Steiny and I don't think I've ever seen a Booner in the wild either. If a buck hits 150 in my area he is really something. My best is a 154 net typical ten. I've got a couple dozen 130+ and 140+ bucks. Woodmaster killed a 158 eight pointer and John Trout III killed a 168 non typical in our area. Thats the best I've seen come out of our area.
My last two kills were the best I had on camera... a fellow cant ask for more than that..
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Post by freedomhunter on Oct 12, 2023 16:32:23 GMT -5
2005 last day of shotgun in freedom by the river more like an elk than a deer mostly looked like an Alberta 200+ maybe 350lb on the hoof probably a record typical and then he disappeared I think the river swallowed him up. He had a big old doe with him he freaked out the logger, also. Way to far off for my slug and I got real fever never seen anything like it I got stunned a little
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Post by Ahawkeye on Oct 12, 2023 16:53:33 GMT -5
2005 last day of shotgun in freedom by the river more like an elk than a deer mostly looked like an Alberta 200+ maybe 350lb on the hoof probably a record typical and then he disappeared I think the river swallowed him up. He had a big old doe with him he freaked out the logger, also. Way to far off for my slug and I got real fever never seen anything like it I got stunned a little I love that feeling! I'm not shot a whole lot of really big deer I've shot a couple of really nice ones but nothing really really big but anytime it gives you the shakes you know you haven't lost the fire! |
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Post by tine-n-spur on Oct 12, 2023 17:58:35 GMT -5
Not sure it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen. However, it is the largest deer that I have harvested . It might be fun to take guesses on his gross score. I will post his score later.  |
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Post by huntsemall on Oct 12, 2023 18:05:49 GMT -5
Fortunately I was able to harvest the largest I've seen in the field. I had found some huge rubs and quite a bit of sign. 1991 so before kids. Showing my age here but sat in a heavier than sh*& Amacker set and climb. Sat in that durn thing every day from daylight til dark (except for heading in for lunch a couple days) Got him on the second Saturday of gun season with an 870 pump. No way could I set on that thing for that long today. Net was 159 and change. Nearly fell out of the stand when I saw him. Legs wouldn't work when I tried to get down! I'd a been a funny sight to see!  |
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Oct 13, 2023 7:39:14 GMT -5
Some years ago I saw a huge one about 300 yards away on the brothers neighbors property. It was on the other side of the big South Fork Laughery creek. That ridge is all big huge tree woods and wide open. In my neighborhood there are big deer, but very hard to hunt. Most bucks around the area make it to old age. The deer know to move to the area of woods that's off limits to hunters. The new neighbor just moved in yesterday and hopefully I can hunt their 5 acres. It's right in the middle of the creek valley of the 35 acres that I have permission. A friend hunts the next set of about 35 acres that attaches to it in the next valley.
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Post by esshup on Oct 13, 2023 9:18:22 GMT -5
This one:    I have no idea what he'd have scored, but as a 9 point there would have been a big deduction. I don't care. LOL Those are the only 3 pictures I have of him. He's dead now, that was in 2010 or 2011. I haven't heard of anyone shooting him so maybe he died of old age, or the farmer just South of where I hunt shot him during his depredation shooting. He hates deer and gets a bunch of tags every year. Anyway. Deadeer knows the property. This was during muzzleloader season and I was shooting my .50 cal Savage. The wind is blowing from South to North. I was sitting in a canvas camp chair with the muzzleloader on a set of shooting sticks on the North side of what is called Pond #1, looking South. There was a group of does about 2:00 from the pond on the far side, about 170 yds away. I see this deer walk out of the woods from the East, along the South tree line, walk about 40 feet then turn to walk South, so all I had was a Texas heart shot. I thought that the deer deserved better than that and just as I thought that he turned to his right and started to walk toward the group of does. I didn't want to shoot him on the walk so I just tracked him with the muzzleloader scope. He stopped and about half way through the trigger squeeze I notice a blur on the right side of the scope. I look up and about 15-20 feet in front of me is a 24" dia Oak Tree. The bullet will be VERY close to the truck of the tree and I thought that the sabot would be opening as it was passing the tree, possibly kicking the bullet to the left in to the guts, so I moved the tripod and gun, setting it up so it was on the right side of the tree. I'd have him when he walked out as he went toward the does. He stepped behind the tree and I never saw him again. He must have walked due South away from me.  The genetics are still in the area, but three 10 acre parcels have been sold since then and houses built on them, so there is more hunting pressure now. Looking on Google Earth, there's about 600 acres of woods if you count the different properties and total up the woods. This area is 80 acres with about 500-600 acres of crops next to it, and another 80 acres of wooded property that basically is a sanctuary that nobody can hunt. I have shot a few nice ones there over the years, one was a mercy killing because I heard (what I thought was a .223) and not 10 min later this buck comes hobbling past with it's front leg swinging (this is during muzzleloader season). I knew where the deer was headed and I hustled around to get in front of him. I shot him when he stood up from where he was bedded.   I had a chance at that one during archery, but I passed because I thought the tines were too short. But with the broken front leg I didn't think he'd make it through the winter. It looked like he was shot through the front knee with a FMJ .223. |
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Post by swilk on Oct 13, 2023 13:16:03 GMT -5
I dont know if it would be considered fortunate or unfortunate, but I cant remember any "one" that really stands out. Ive got sheds of a deer Ive seen while hunting that, with even just a modest inside spread, would put the deer at 185ish inches as a typical. Ive seen what I "think" was bigger than that while hunting....
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Post by ukwil on Oct 13, 2023 14:46:01 GMT -5
I've seen what I believe were 2 legitimate 180"+. One over here in Ohio was a big non typical. I actuallybelieve this one mightve went 200"+.
The one in Indiana I actually shot on a park hunt and couldn't find. Both dwarfed my 165".
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Post by genesis273 on Oct 14, 2023 6:36:11 GMT -5
Last year, some guys from work and a few other friends formed our own big buck contest. $50 buy in, winner takes all.
We have the same group of people as last year but, added a couple more. We had a big buck contest cookout last night. People paid their entry fees, swapped stories, shared photos etc...
The two new contest entries brought some mounts of their recent success. One brought a deer in that was 200+ he killed with archery and the other brought in a 177 he killed with a rifle. Both deer were absolute studs!
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Post by boonechaser on Oct 15, 2023 19:20:20 GMT -5
Without a doubt MOOSE. 1st pic 2021 as a 3.5 yr old and 2nd right after neighbor shot opening weekend last year. Grossed 182" as a non typical. Had several encounters in 2021 along with several pics. Very cool buck. We hope he passed on his genes.   |
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Post by boonechaser on Oct 15, 2023 19:36:02 GMT -5
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