Bryan Potter had gotten sporadic photos of the giant buck over the years, but was still surprised to see the deer during an evening hunt last November
Rack Report Details | |
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Buck: | 211 4/8 |
Time of Year: | November 21 2024 |
Place: | Charles County, Maryland |
Weapon: | TenPoint Shadow NXT |
Maryland checks plenty of boxes when it comes to producing big whitetails. High deer densities, plenty of agriculture, and relatively mild winters all add up to big deer when bucks are given time to fully mature.
Bryan Potter knows this firsthand. He routinely tags bucks that would be considered trophies regardless of where they’re taken. Last season, Potter had already taken a nice 9-pointer and was looking to fill his second tag during the late November rut.
Maryland hunter Bryan Potter knows that big bucks can be found in the state if you put in the time and hunt the right areas. All images courtesy Bryan Potter
Potter was after a mature buck, and he knew that several were in the area. One in particular stood out. He’d first seen the buck in a photo of a bachelor group that his buddy had taken back in 2020. The buck stood out because its body suggested he was only 1.5 years old, but he already sported an impressive 11-point rack. The buck was also as elusive as it gets. He never showed up on camera in 2021. But in 2022, the buck, now even more impressive, came back. That season, Potter had one encounter with him while in the stand at 30 yards. Even though the buck was in range and Potter had his bow drawn, the deer never stopped for a shot opportunity. He finally had to let down and watch as the massive deer walked away. The buck disappeared again in 2023, never showing on any of Potter’s trail cameras.
After four years of sporadic trail camera sightings, Potter knew the buck was in the area, but hadn’t seen him often enough to pattern.
While Potter didn’t go afield on November 21 with the intention of getting a shot at the ghost buck, he did feel like his chances at a mature buck were high. The Maryland rut was in full swing. Potter had saved the tarsal glands from the buck he had taken a few days before and had hung them near his stand.
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The morning hunt was eventful. Just after daylight, he watched as a mature 10- or 12-point buck tended and then mated a doe just out of range. He stayed in the stand till nearly 11 a.m., then climbed down to grab some lunch before the evening hunt.
After returning to his stand, Potter started checking recent trail cam photos on his phone. As he flipped through the pictures, he came to a dead stop. Just a few days earlier, his camera had taken a photo of the giant buck he’d first seen all those years ago. This year the deer was even more impressive, with kickers and drop tines on both sides of his heavy frame.
After returning to his stand from a quick lunch break, Potter flipped through recent trail cam photos and was surprised to see the big buck on one of his cameras.
Potter allowed himself a glimmer of hope that the buck might still be around and that he might get a shot. Around 3 p.m., a group of five does came in behind him. Between the rut and the steady high wind that day, the deer were nervous. When they reached the scent from the hanging tarsal glands, four of the five bolted from the area.
The remaining doe hung around and fed for a few minutes. She stomped and appeared nervous the entire time. After a few minutes, she left too, following the other does that had exited earlier.
Around 4, Potter tried a doe bleat. A young doe appeared, running directly toward him. Nothing followed. A few minutes later, a nice 8-pointer emerged from the same thicket the doe had been in. He chased the young doe for a minute, then fed for a few minutes before trailing the doe out of sight.
At 4:40 p.m., after not seeing any deer for a bit, Potter tried a rattling sequence followed by some buck grunts. A few minutes later, the 8-pointer returned and began to feed. Potter continuously scanned his surroundings, watching for another buck. He looked over his right shoulder and saw the giant buck from his trail camera photo standing at 150 yards.
“I knew immediately that it was him, you couldn’t mistake him as he walked into a nearby thicket,” Potter said. The younger 8-pointer was still in front of him. Soon, the buck started to act strange, eventually tucking his tail and running into nearby cover.
“I just had a feeling the big buck was nearby,” Potter said. Things were quiet for a few minutes, and then Potter looked up to see the silhouette of the big buck just on the other side of a large holly tree.
The big buck was coming in, but he was taking his time. “He would take a step, stop and look around, then take another step. It seemed like he did that at least 20 times,” Potter said. As the big buck came in, Potter followed him through his crossbow scope. “I had a shot or two, but it was pretty thick and something just told me to hold off and wait,” he said.
The big buck finally stepped out into the open at just 30 yards. Potter tried his best to steady his breathing and take aim. He squeezed the trigger.
At the shot, the big buck collapsed where he was standing. “I was shaking so hard, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Potter said. After giving the buck some time to make sure he was down for good, Potter took out his phone. “I called my dad, Kenny, who taught me everything I know about hunting. Then I called my wife, Sarah. Without her being so understanding of the countless hours I had put in the woods, this never would have happened. I owe this buck to both of them and never could have done it without them.”
Once he was sure the buck was down, Potter immediately called his family to share what had transpired on his hunt.
The buck was just as massive on the ground as he’d appeared on trail camera. With 17 scoreable points, great mass, long tines, multiple kickers, and two massive drop tines measuring 8 and 10 inches, the buck had everything you could ask for. A quick green score once he was out of the woods came up with an eye popping 209 inches. After the drying period, the final score came in even a bit larger at 211 4/8!
The giant buck had 17 scoreable points including a pair of massive drop tines and several kickers.
“I have passed on some really nice bucks this season,” Potter said. “I’ve probably had about 80 sits in the stand. Some of my buddies say I’m crazy for passing some of the bucks I have, but you have to let them grow to their full potential if you are going to shoot big deer.”
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