Monster Buck Poached in Kentucky and More Deer Hunting News

Big buck stories and rut reports aside, what's been going on in the whitetail world this fall? Here's a quick roundup of the latest headlines.

A man in Boone County, Kentucky, is accused of poaching a giant non-typical buck scoring 230 6/8. Conservation officers with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources began investigating Robert J. Koch, of Union, in early November after receiving photos of the dead buck that had been circulating. Koch is charged with hunting private property without permission, illegally killing the buck, and illegally reporting the harvest. The buck's antlers and cape were confiscated by the KDFWR, but the meat was spoiled and had to be disposed.

The Ohio DNR reported that 74,892 deer had been taken by Buckeye State archery hunters as of Nov. 25, representing an 11% increase to the average archery take over the past three seasons. The Ohio archery harvest has exceeded the firearm harvest for the past seven seasons in a row. Coschocton — one of Ohio's best-known deer hunting counties — had the largest archery harvest to date with 2,689 animals. We've reported on numerous Ohio bow kills this season on the Rack Report, including these giants:

Story of a Mega Ohio 9-Pointer

Ohio Bowhunter Tags a 200-Incher

Cierra Arrington's 194-Inch Crossbow Buck

The Iowa DNR is seeking public input for possible changes to the 2021-2022 hunting season. One would require hunters and dogs to be trained prior to tracking wounded deer. As proof of training, the DNR would provide a form to document the hunter and dog's blood-tracking experience. The form would be kept on file for three years, during which time the hunter and dog would be eligible to track wounded deer. Iowa only legalized use of tracking dogs this past summer.

The Iowa DNR is also seeking public input on its list of centerfire rifle cartridges allowed for deer hunting. The current list (of mostly straight-wall handgun cartridges) also includes calibers like the .350 Legend and .458 Socom, but excludes popular calibers such as the .45-70 and .444 Marlin. If you want to make a case for adding a new caliber to the approved list, now's the time to speak up. Click here for more information.

A buck taken in Logan County, Arkansas, in October tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. Logan County was in Arkansas' management zone for CWD because the disease has been detected in neighboring counties, but this was the county's first positive case. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the hunter could tell that the buck was sick, and he voluntarily provided a sample for CWD testing at an AGFC drop-off location. The hunter was notified of the test results, and disposed of the carcass by incinerating the animal. Keep up with the latest on CWD cases at CWD-Info.org.