Bowhunter Kills Double Drop Tine Booner Buck

Dwayne Hershberger wasn't that concerned when the big buck he'd been watching for years didn't show up during the early season. After all, it had been October before it showed on the farm the past two years. This year, he planned around the buck's early absence with a trip out to chase elk.

When he got back, Dwayne was ready to start putting in the stand time to once again try to tag the big deer that eluded him the past two years. He'd watched the buck grow since it first appeared in 2015 as a mid-150s buck. In 2016, the buck exploded in size. On top of the larger antlers, the buck grew matching drop tines. After the season, Dwayne searched the farm for the buck's sheds. He found them both. Assuming spread, Dwayne figured the buck was about 190 inches.

On November 4, he got in the stand early. The morning hunt proved slow, with little deer movement. Around midday, the wind changed directions. Dwayne thought about other possible stand locations around his hunting spot. The only stand that came to mind belonged to his hunting buddy, who was also after the buck they'd dubbed Brutus.

Dwayne texted his buddy, who wasn't hunting that day, and got his blessing to try that stand location. Hershberger slipped into the stand about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. It hadn't been hunted yet and limbs were laying across the stand.

Hershberger began to quietly drop the limbs to the ground. One remained. Dwayne carefully lowered the 8-foot limb to the ground, but even then, it made quite a bit of noise when it landed.

The stand location was situated along a swampy area lined with tall native grasses. As the large limb hit the ground, a deer rose from its bed in the tall grass, just 50 yards from Dwayne's stand location. Hershberger immediately recognized the massive 10-point main frame and double drop tines as the deer he'd been chasing for three years.

The buck was alert, but not alarmed. As the deer began to move toward him, Dwayne realized he was about to get a shot at the buck of a lifetime. The deer continued to advance toward the hunter, remaining straight on with no shot possibility.

Two yards from the base of the tree, Brutus finally turned broadside. As the buck looked away, Dwayne came to full draw and released. The buck bolted and disappeared into the tall grass. Dwayne sat down to gather himself and thought back over what had just happened. Everything happened so quickly that he didn't have time to get excited. Now, those nerves came forward and Dwayne had to sit to calm down.

Once he regained his composure, Dwayne climbed down and headed out to call his wife with the news. He then called a couple of buddies to come help track the deer. The track proved to be short. The steep shot angle had taken out one lung and the heart.

One of the most striking features about the buck is the overall mass. Even the tall brow tines are heavy. Add the extremely long tine length and it all adds up to an eye-popping 194 inches of antler.

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