Stuck at 12 Yards on a Monster Kentucky 10-Pointer

Tyler Pendley didn't really have a target buck on camera this past summer. Then he picked up a new farm, one that he had turkey hunted in the past. The farm owner told me that he had seen a big buck, but you never know about those things, Pendley said.

After putting out a few cameras, it took about a week for the buck to show. He was as big as advertised. The buck was a regular on camera most of the summer. Pendley noticed that when he rode his four wheeler all the way in to check cameras and fill feeders, the buck would disappear for a few days. He started parking his truck several hundred yards from his cameras and walking in. It worked. The big buck stayed in the area after that.

After a rainy opener, Pendley was in the stand for day two of the Kentucky season. I like to hunt high. I was up probably 30 feet or more in the tree when the buck came in to 12 yards," he said. The buck stopped broadside, but cover between Pendley and the deer prevented a clear shot at the buck's vitals. Not wanting to risk a poor shot, Pendley passed on the deer.

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It was eight days later before work and weather conditions allowed Pendley to return to the stand. He climbed up early, around 1:30 in the afternoon, then settled in to wait for the evening deer movement. The buck had shed his velvet by this point, but he hadn't yet changed his travel patterns.

The wind was mostly good, but occasionally swirled in the direction of the buck's trail. Pendley had his Ozonics unit in the stand with him. Late in the evening, Pendley looked up to see his target buck step out into the bean field 250 yards away. The buck stood still, nose in the air, testing for anything out of sorts.

A smaller buck soon entered the field and started toward Pendley's stand. The big buck soon followed close behind.

With shooting light running out, Pendley knew he needed to act soon. As the buck fed around his stand, Pendley came to full draw and had to let back down three times. Finally, the buck stopped at just 10 yards, offering a clear shot. Pendley came to a full draw for the fourth time and released the arrow.

The shot was good and the buck bounded off into the thick cover, Pendley's lighted nock hanging from its side. A few seconds later, he heard the buck crash. Pendley sat back in his stand and gave the buck time to expire.

I had already decided that if there wasn't a strong blood trail I was going to back out and call in a tracking dog, Pendley said.

When he got down and began to search, it soon became apparent that a dog wouldn't be needed. He followed the heavy blood trail and quickly found his buck. My dad started taking me hunting when I was just four years old. I've been doing it just about all my life. A few years ago, I stopped hunting altogether. Just lost the desire. Since I started back, I've been bow only. Bucks like this are what really get me going these days, Pendley said.

The buck sported a 10-point main frame with kickers off both G2s. It taped out at a massive 171 ⅞ inches, making it Pendley's largest buck to date.