A 213 Iowa Bow Kill Nicknamed Lochness Monster

Owen Reigler’s buck scored 213 and change. Image courtesy of Owen Reigler

Midwest Whitetail’s Owen Reigler cut his teeth hunting public-land whitetails in Michigan, but eventually he found his way to Iowa, the land where giant whitetails roam. Reigler has killed some great bucks but this season, after 40 years of bowhunting, he finally broke the 200-inch mark on a world-class whitetail he called the “Lochness Monster.”

“He was a monster in my book, so Lochness Monster seemed fitting,” he said.

Reigler had followed the deer from 2019 to 2023, and eventually caught up to it. “I have years of history with him,” he said. On February 11, 2023, he and some friends located the buck’s sheds. He spent the next several months studying the buck’s historical habits and making future plans.

Reigler planned his deer season around this buck, and killed it early on in the archery season. Image courtesy of Owen Reigler

In preparation to hunt the deer this season, Reigler studied past trail camera photos and in-the-field encounters to gauge where the buck preferred to spend its time. Then, he planted green food plots close to bedding areas to hopefully intercept the buck during the early or late seasons.

The plan worked perfectly. In July, the buck showed up on camera, and he was bigger than ever. Even better, the buck was spending a lot of time on Reigler’s property. The table was set.

Once the archery season opened, Reigler started hunting the deer. The first few sits didn’t produce much action but then a cold front moved in, and his luck began to change. On October 6, Reigler saw the buck at last light. It entered a food plot with a few minutes of light left. Unfortunately, the deer spooked and ran up the hill away from their enclosed blind.

The next day, on October 7, they met for a final encounter. Reigler set up on the edge of a green plot in an elevated blind. The temperature was slightly warmer than the day before, but Reigler was still confident in seeing the buck.

The action began quickly. Several does and small bucks entered the food plot. Then, with plenty of daylight left, Lochness left the bedding area, exited the timber, and fed along the edge of the food plot.

Reigler and his cameraman watched the deer feed for several minutes as it worked back and forth through the plot. The problem was, the deer was too far for a shot opportunity. He stood at 80 yards for quite some time but fortunately, another buck stepped into the field. The big deer saw it, postured up, and started walking toward it, putting it within bow range of the blind. While the buck open-mouth chewed a wad of bright-green brassicas, Reigler drew back, settled in, and released the arrow. The arrow struck the high-shoulder region, and went through both lungs.

Having a bunch of friends along for the recovery made the memory even sweeter. Image courtesy of Owen Reigler

That night, a big tracking party arrived to help recover the massive whitetail. They quickly found blood close to the point of impact, and located the big deer in short order. “He didn’t make it far at all,” Reigler said. “He’s an absolute dream buck. A lot of his points still had velvet. There’s no words. What do you say? It’s a dream buck.”

The buck sports a massive inside spread, incredibly long beams, and 19 score-able points. The deer scored a massive 213 3/8 inches and Reigler aged it at 6 ½ years old.

You can watch the complete hunt on Midwest Whitetail’s YouTube page.

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