Our 10 Favorite Big Buck Stories from 2024

Each deer season we strive to bring you the country’s best big-buck stories on Realtree’s Rack Report. Our writers are on the lookout for giant deer, but they also keep ears to the ground for great stories with unique characters, twists, and turns. This season, reporters Michael Pendley and Darron McDougal shared the big-buck success stories from nearly 50 hunters from across North America — but these 10 stood out as their favorites of the season. Here they are, in no particular order. — Realtree Staff

Colten Martyn’s Alberta Whitetail

Injuries leading to paralysis haven’t kept Colten Martyn from chasing his dream of bowhunting. Photo courtesy of Colten Martyn.

The fact that Alberta’s Colten Martyn arrowed a 175-inch typical whitetail in full velvet on September 4 last fall isn’t the most impressive detail of his story. A tragic accident in 2020 that inflicted severe trauma to his spine at the C5 and C6 vertebrae threatened his ability to ever hunt again. But physical therapy, a Trackchair, and Martyn’s incredible resilience helped pave the road back to what he loves to do, which is bowhunt. Since his accident, Martyn has tagged a handful of bucks and even a bull elk.

Ben Bearshield’s Alberta Mule Deer

This giant mule deer almost got away, but his curiosity brought him to a halt within Ben Bearshield’s effective bow range, and his wife, Melissa Bachman, was there to capture the experience for Winchester Deadly Passion TV. Photo courtesy of Ben Bearshield.

Ben Bearshield and his wife, Melissa Bachman, host of Winchester Deadly Passion, shared an incredible mule deer hunt together in Alberta this September. If you’ve hunted mule deer with a bow, then you know just how difficult it can be to stalk to within range of any buck, let alone one that tapes out a smidge over 190 inches. Bearshield stalked to within 30 yards of the world-class mule deer, and when a young buck that accompanied the monster stood, he drew his bow. The young buck spooked, causing the big one to bolt. Fortunately, the big boy stopped about 60 yards away, and the rest is history. Bachman captured the entire encounter on film.

James Harden’s Kentucky Whitetail

This 190-class buck is James Harden’s third scoring better than 160 inches. Photo courtesy of Josh and James Harden.

Most deer hunters go an entire lifetime without ever encountering a 190-class buck, but young James Harden encountered, and killed, one such buck just days before his 12th birthday. And this wasn't his first deer or even his first buck. The young fellow previously took two bucks exceeding 160 inches. With the buck’s spring 2024 sheds in hand, Harden had one specific buck in mind for his fall 2024 season. Admitting that his “leg was going up and down like Thumper the rabbit,” he missed the first shot. Fortunately, the buck was focused on some does, giving Harden enough time to make good on a second chance.

Dom Flock’s Wisconsin Whitetail

Hunting from the ground in 90-degree temps isn’t how most bowhunters kill big bucks, but that is how Dom Flock connected on this 174-inch stud. Photo courtesy of Dom Flock.

Not too many bowhunters are brave enough to slink around on the ground during September when a couple of world-class whitetails are roaming the area. But Dom Flock not only hunted from the ground, he did it on a 90-degree day. While slipping through trails he made through the cornfields on his farm, he encountered both of the shooter bucks that he knew were roaming the area. He nearly killed the first buck just a few corn rows away, but the buck didn't offer a shot. The second one was a buck grossing 174 inches, which he capitalized on.

Cory Arbogast’s Ohio Whitetail

This world-class whitetail shot by Cory Arbogast blasted a huge fart prior to revealing itself. Photo courtesy of Cory Arbogast.

If you’ve hunted deer for any length of time, chances are that you’ve heard grunting, doe bleats, and buck fights. If you’re lucky, you may have even heard a snort-wheeze. But, few hunters have heard a deer cut one loose. Yet that’s exactly the clue that got Cory Arbogast’s attention as a 16-pointer approached his stand. Following the massive fart, the buck grunted, and Arbogast issued a challenge grunt in hopes that the buck in the brush would walk out. It worked, though Arbogast nearly fudged the opportunity when his shirt rubbed on his stand. The startled buck jumped about 6 yards and stopped to identify the noise source, giving the crossbow hunter another shot opportunity.

Isaac Whalen’s Kentucky Whitetail

Kentucky’s Isaac Whalen avoided hunting this buck in 2023 when it was in the 180 range, knowing that it was a special buck with huge potential. Because he didn't target the buck in 2023, he was able to kill it in 2024 as a 209 4/8-inch (gross) behemoth. Photo courtesy of Isaac Whalen.

Kentucky hunter Isaac Whalen is a realtor, auctioneer, and whitetail fanatic who passes some remarkable bucks while waiting for his target buck. Last fall, that meant passing up on easy shots on numerous deer that most bowhunters would love to shoot, including a 175-inch bruiser that will likely be his target deer in 2025. But Whalen couldn’t have killed the 209-incher that we covered in the Rack Report had he “settled” for the 175-inch deer.

Cooper Cahoon’s Iowa Whitetail

This 190-inch buck is Cooper Cahoon’s first buck ever. Photo courtesy of Cahoon family.

One of the aspects we love about hunting here at Realtree is the camaraderie shared between friends and family. That’s what stands out about Cooper Cahoon’s Iowa monster, which he took while hunting with his 18-year-old brother, Connor, beside him during the Hawkeye State’s youth deer hunt. The two were sitting in a standing cornfield overlooking a strip of beans where they’d seen the buck feeding the evening prior. The giant deer was the 12-year-old’s first buck.

Gabe Ricter’s North Dakota Whitetail

Gabe Ricter vowed to get serious and give bowhunting his best shot in 2024, and he was rewarded with this massive buck. Photo courtesy of Gabe Ricter.

Gabe Ricter proved that you don’t need to drop thousands of dollars in order to kill a big, mature buck like the 157-incher he nabbed shortly after the North Dakota bow opener. He obtained permission to hunt on a friend’s property, and then he did his own scouting and hunting. Best of all, he killed the bruiser buck with an inexpensive compound bow. Although he hated to admit it, he accidentally dry-fired the bow, so the hunt was off for a couple of days until he was able to travel to an archery shop to have it inspected.

Ethan Smith’s Kansas Whitetail

Ethan Smith shot this 268 3/8-inch Kansas giant with a .30-30. Photo courtesy of Luke Niles.

There is still something special about the time-honored .30-30 Winchester, which has possibly claimed more whitetails than any other rifle cartridge. Accompanied by his father, Luke, youth hunter Ethan Smith toted a .30-30 during the Sunflower State’s September youth hunt, and he accidentally bumped its barrel on the frame of the metal blind that he was hunting from as he attempted to acquire a 31-point buck just 24 yards away. The buck turned to leave, but Ethan was quick on the gun and made an excellent shot on the velvet buck, which grossed a whopping 268 3/8 inches as measured by an official Buckmasters scorer.

Jason Whitlow’s Virginia Whitetail

Jason Whitlow’s 190-class Virginia giant taken on less than 2 acres proves that you don’t need a giant property to kill a giant buck. Photo courtesy of Jason Whitlow.

Few people think of Virginia as a world-class buck producer, but Jason Whitlow’s buck proves that big deer can come from virtually anywhere. Whitlow had set up multiple stand sites in preparation for the rut, but early in the season a giant buck started showing itself regularly on the trail camera that Whitlow had hung beneath some white oaks on a sub-2-acre property. With the buck on an obvious pattern, Whitlow capitalized on the opportunity.