Rack Report | Jeff Danker Spots and Stalks Monster Alberta Mule Deer

This is Jeff Danker’s first velvet mule deer, which he took during a recent spot-and-stalk hunt in Alberta. Image courtesy of Jeff Danker

Jeff Danker, of Buckventures TV and Big Horn Land & Estates, fell in love with Alberta during his first whitetail hunt there in 2012. He shot a big whitetail that year, and in the two years that followed as well. It can be 100 degrees where he lives in Oklahoma during late August, so he loves jumping off a plane into cooler weather. That, and Alberta hosts some of the continent’s most impressive bucks.

Although Alberta has given Danker his early-season whitetail fix, big velvet mule deer have long been on his “to-do” list. “I had a lead on a good place and decided that 2026 was the year to do it,” Danker explained. “The outfitter, Upper Edge Outfitters, takes only a handful of hunters, so we made a company deal out of it with a few Big Horn Land & Estates agents. We’d be hunting mule deer and whitetails on separate tags.”

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Like many hunters who travel to Alberta, Danker envisioned big 200-inch mule deer. However, he really had his heart set on arrowing a velvet buck. More importantly, Danker mentioned that he always focused on the kill in his younger years. Now, he focuses more on enjoying the journey: the ups and downs, fellowship, spreading God’s Word, and enjoying the wild. Killing a buck would be a bonus.

“On the first morning, we spent some time driving around and glassing,” Danker said. “We saw some young bucks and a couple of moose. We drove over a hill and spotted a 120-inch buck. To his right were three does, and in deep shadow on a sidehill about 300 yards out was another deer. When I glassed him and my cameraman, Cole Cannon, got the camera on him, we immediately called him a high-180s deer. The buck got antsy and went over a hill into a bush line.”

Rick, the outfitter, said that the deer was on another property. Fortunately, he’s friends with the owner and was sure the fellow would allow the pursuit to continue. He called to confirm and got the green light.

“I didn’t think we’d be able to find the buck again with all of the cover,” Danker explained. “We started looking at the map to create a game plan. That property section is eight miles from east to west. We drove around, and Cole and I were dropped off more than a mile from where the buck had disappeared. An hour had gone by, so finding him could be like finding a needle in a haystack.”

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Danker and Cannon negotiated four- to five-foot oats, went through a ditch and entered a wheat field. Lo and behold, they soon spotted the giant muley standing in the wheat. The 120-inch buck was with him, but the does had apparently gone elsewhere.

“The bucks bedded down in the wheat,” Danker detailed. “The wind was perfect, but we backtracked and circled to approach from above him because the wheat was about three and a half feet tall; we’d need some elevation to get a clear shot. We took our time, and everything was going great, but the wheat was loud to stalk through. But we reached a perfect trail a sprayer had made, leading right to the bucks. It was a gift from God.”

That path, however, ran out exactly 71 yards from the giant buck, and Danker and Cannon camped out right there, waiting for the buck to stand up. About an hour later, the young buck got up.

“The big buck stood, and I ranged him to make sure I had the correct yardage,” Danker explained. “He turned and laid back down. The little one bedded, too. After a while, the little buck stood again and looked towards the outfitter, Rick, and another hunter who we noticed off to the East. The young buck got nervous, which got the big buck up. I was crouched at 71 yards, thinking maybe the bucks would walk closer. Suddenly, the young buck bolted away.”

The buck stood and gave Danker his opportunity. Image courtesy of Jeff Danker

Danker instinctively drew his bow; this was his opportunity. The big buck looked Danker’s way. As the arrow launched, the buck turned, resulting in a hit that wasn’t where Danker had aimed. However, the broadhead sliced an artery, and the buck expired in seconds. Although it worked, Danker has immense respect for the animals he pursues, and in hindsight, he wishes he’d been quicker and shot the first time the buck stood, when it wasn’t alert. But that’s bowhunting.

Cameraman Cole Cannon captured the hunt on film for Buckventures TV. Image courtesy of Jeff Danker

“I got very emotional,” Danker shared. “2025 was the first year in 35 years that I didn’t shoot a deer due to a crazy schedule. Being back up here in Alberta and kicking off 2026 like this — breathing the fresh air, taking in the scenery and harvesting this buck — hit me really hard emotionally. I sat there admiring the buck and thinking about how so many people around the world are going through rough things. I felt so blessed. Getting to do this is a gift from the Lord.”

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The incredible buck has seven points on each side plus small brow tines. The “crowned” G-3s and doubled-split G-2s make the rack truly impressive. Overall, the buck grossed 193 7/8 inches and is the type of world-class buck that hunters go to Alberta for.