Hunter Outlasts Nasty Weather and Arrows 200-Incher at 10 Yards
Posted 2026-01-30 by
The Wisconsin buck was one that Brock Horstman and his father learned about only days before the successful hunt
| Rack Report Details | |
|---|---|
| Buck: | 200 ⅝” |
| Time of Year: | Nov. 9th, 2025 |
| Place: | Southwestern Wisconsin |
| Weapon: | Mathews V3X compound bow |
In today’s modern trail camera age, many big-buck tales unfold over the course of two or more seasons. Often, a promising young buck gets its photo taken, and the hunter passes it up a time or two, maybe even finding the buck’s sheds. When the deer reaches trophy status, one or more hunters usually know of the buck and hunt it diligently. But it doesn’t always happen that way.
Wisconsin hunter Brock Hostman had no idea this buck was in the area until a chance trail camera photo just days before he saw it in person. Images courtesy of Brock Horstman
For several weeks this past fall, Iowa hunter Brock Horstman and his dad, Troy, had been hunting Troy’s 40-acre Wisconsin farm. “We don’t usually begin hunting until the weather cools off,” Horstman explained. “The deer move better when it gets cold, and the bugs aren’t as bad.”
The buck showed on trail camera just days before the hunters saw it in person for the first time.
The hunting had been slow over those weeks, even though the Horstmans had been hunting hard. Neither had encountered a good buck. But their luck changed on Nov. 4, when they captured a single photo of a monster buck they’d never seen before. After that, it was on, and both hunted even harder, fueled by the excitement of that trail camera photo.
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Horstman and his dad, Troy, had been hunting hard after the weather had cooled.
On Nov. 8, Horstman was in his stand when he heard deer crashing through a nearby thicket. Suddenly, a doe ran from the cover, paused for a quick drink at a small ditch, then continued. Hot on her heels was the buck from the trail camera.
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“He came out where the doe did, stopped and got a quick drink at the same place, then ran by me at 40 yards without stopping,” Horstman said. “After he disappeared, all I could think was that I’d just seen the biggest buck of my life but didn’t get a shot.”
Horstman saw the buck for the first time from the stand. Even though it was in bow range, things didn’t come together for a shot.
The next evening found Horstman in a lock-on stand that he hadn’t yet hunted in 2025. And the weather was terrible.
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“It was cold, snowing, and the wind was blowing 20 miles an hour,” he said. “The wind chill was brutal. It felt like a terrible night to hunt. I was there for about an hour and a half, and I was ready to go home.”
With only an hour until dark, Horstman decided to stick it out. Soon after, he caught a glimpse of movement in the nearby cover.
Even though the weather was miserable, Horstman decided to stick it out and remain in the stand.
It was the giant buck from the night before. The deer stepped out only 60 yards away and began feeding on nearby brush, facing straight at the hunter. Then, it began walking closer. The huge animal kept getting closer and closer, but wasn’t turning for a shot. Soon, the buck was at 10 yards and still facing straight on.
Given Horstman’s high perch, he was now looking almost straight down at the buck. When the deer turned its head, he hit full draw. When he got a good view of the buck’s back, he settled his pin and released his arrow, which hit true. The buck bolted about 40 yards before falling within view.
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“I was pretty shook up after the shot,” Horstman admitted. “It took me a while to calm down. I called a couple of buddies to tell them what had happened, and they thought I was hurt because of the excitement in my voice. Once I settled, I climbed down and looked for blood. I followed the trail the buck had taken all the way to where I saw him fall, and I didn't find even a drop of blood. Had he gone much farther, finding him would have been tough.”
The giant buck featured 26-inch main beams and several tines that stretched a foot or more.
The giant buck features a clean six-by-five mainframe. With 26-inch main beams, G-2s and a G-3 that stretch more than 12 inches apiece, and heavy mass measurements all the way out, the inches added up to a massive green score of 200 ⅝ inches.
