Check out these 2022-23 season kills from across the country, with words from the hunters themselves
The 2023 deer season will be here soon. But the 2022 season is still fresh on our minds. Here are short tales of whitetails bagged last season, in each hunter’s own words. Read the encounters, check out the pics, and get fired up for fall.
Hunter: Matt Antle
Buck: 172 inches
Date of Harvest: September 4, 2022
Location of Harvest: Adair County, Kentucky
Weapon of Harvest: Compound bow
September 4 was an overcast day with off-and-on rain, steady 5-mph winds, and 75- to 80-degree temps. I anticipated looking at the deer as they appeared from the thicker woods. It was already prime time. I raised my binos and instantly seen the kicker points sticking off his right side G2, and knew it was him. I got my bow of the holder and calmed myself.
I decided to take the 40-yard shot. I drew back and settled in behind the shoulder. I let it fly. The arrow made a hard thwack, and I knew it hit. I listened and thought I heard a crash.
I’m still on cloud nine. I’m glad the hunt for him was as quick and easy as it was. If he would have made it a few more days, I believe he would have been long gone like he’d done in previous years. I was also surprised he scored as much as he did.
Hunter: Jamie Rogers
Buck: 170 4/8 inches
Date of Harvest: September 4, 2022
Location of Harvest: Ohio County, Kentucky
Weapon of Harvest: Compound bow
On September 4, 2022, a major rainstorm rolled through. I was hunting approximately 2/3 the way up a ridge and 100 yards southwest of a very thick ridgetop bedding area. I set up on a pinch point where the deer dropped down below a ditch that ran off the ridge and funneled down next to an old fencerow.
It was a very quiet evening due to the rain. Soon, I heard a blue jay squawking up in the bedding area. About 10 minutes later, the buck popped out with two other bucks behind him headed my way.
He came in fast past the tree at 18 yards. I drew and he stopped quartered-away at 22 yards. The shot connected. I did not see him go down, but found my arrow, good blood, and followed him approximately 40 yards. I found where he had stopped, a massive amount of blood, but decided to back out and give him more time.
Rain came in at 9 p.m. I went back out and the blood was washed away. Fortunately, he was laying 10-15 yards from where I had stopped.
I studied his habits the past 3 years, stayed out of his core area, and only hunted when conditions were perfect. I ran trail cameras and documented his travel by wind direction.
God made it possible. Had it not been for Him it would have never happened. Outside of God and my family, it is my greatest passion. My closet hunting friends, and family, were elated as they know how passionate I am about bowhunting whitetails.
Hunter: Ron Davis
Buck: 170 inches
Date of Harvest: September 7, 2022
Location of Harvest: Gallatin County, Kentucky
Weapon of Harvest: Mathew
I only had one picture of this buck in the summer, and he was at the edge of the flash range. It was hard to tell what he was. On the third day of season, I got my first good picture of this deer.\
On September 7, 2022, the farmer had just cut the alfalfa, so the scent was strong in the air. Rows of alfalfa lined the fields.
The hunt started out with a young 8-point. After he left, a young spike came in. He was chased off by three does. Then, he was joined by a 6-pointer. Later, a 4-point and another spike came in. I looked up, and over the hill came the old 8-point with the 18-point. The 18-point worked into 18 yards. I was getting ready to shoot him when I heard something behind me.
I looked back and seen another 6-point in the alfalfa. Behind him stood a mature 10-pointer. I immediately turned my attention to him. If he gave me a shot, I would take it. He fed a bit, and eventually, caught a little of my wind. He decided the food was not worth the risk and moved out.
When I turned back, the 18 had fed off. I waited patiently through more does feeding around me. With maybe 20 minutes of legal shooting light left, the mature 8 came back over the hill. He walked by the dry pond and up the other side. The 18-point was with him but couldn’t resist a quick meal. He stopped broadside at 24 yards, and I let it fly. A double lung hit, and 70 yards later, it was over.
This deer means a lot. This part of Kentucky holds a lot of bucks in the 120- to 140-inch range, but not many topping 150. Throughout the years, I’ve been very fortunate to find three here over the 150 mark.
Hunter: Carter Bentley
Buck: 159 ¼ inches
Date of Harvest: September 16, 2022
Location of Harvest: Oktibbeha County, Mississippi
Weapon of Harvest: Mathews Vertix
I believe the deer is 8 ½, and possibly the same deer my friend and I hunted since 2016. We have a shed from 2016 and 2020 that matches trail cam pictures and the rack of the buck I killed.
September 16, 2022, started out with a steady northerly wind and shifted to a slight northeasterly wind by the evening. It was about 73 degrees that afternoon.
I was hunting a transition area that has very tall grass and thick brush on an old grown-up fence line that now has mature trees growing. I first saw two mature does and a fawn. I was praying I wouldn’t get busted.
Then, the buck appeared. He was the first one to enter the window. The others stayed behind him, allowing me to come to full draw. I had ranged the bush he stood over just 20 minutes before to refresh my memory. He was walking slowly and cautiously. He turned broadside at 33 yards. I placed my red 30-yard pin on his vitals, said my prayer, and sent the arrow. I listened closely after his kick. He disappeared into the ticket.
This deer means quite a bit to me. I have invested a lot of my life into hunting. I found this buck, tracked, studied, and executed my plan to harvest him. Everything went right. This deer makes me want to take management even more seriously. This deer is not an ego booster. I’m simply humbled by the experience. It’s with gratitude that I celebrate killing this brute.
Hunter: Brandon Wikman
Buck: 170 inches
Date of Harvest: September 18, 2022
Location of Harvest: Washington County, Kansas
Weapon of Harvest: Muzzleloader
I hunted with a good friend and outfitter that I’ve known for over 20 years named, David Schotte, of Blue River Whitetails. This buck was the dominant deer in the block and there’s been years of history with this deer through trail camera pictures.
On the day of the hunt, the weather was extremely hot and humid—107-degrees with real feel of 120-degrees. I packed my clothes in a backpack and walked into my treestand setup with shorts and rubber boots. Once I got to my stand, I changed out and embraced the suck.
The terrain was gently rolling. A lot of surrounding ag with a sliver of wooded cedars that deer bedded in. I hunted over a small, secluded soybean food plot that was still green. The area is predominantly open with small tracts of timber.
Earlier that evening, I watched five does walk into the soybeans. They meandered off and I sat for an hour without seeing a deer. Then, the buck stepped out of a cedar thicket. It entered an opening downwind of the food plot. It took him 5 minutes to walk 40 yards. I didn’t have a clear shot until he got out in front of me. I shot him at 20-yards. The deer only ran 50-yards and dropped in the food plot.
Luckily, I was hunting this deer with a slight crosswind. He was upwind of me 50-yards, which was just enough for him to scent check the bean field before entering.
I was more shocked than anything. Typically, I’d never hunt in these weather conditions due to such poor weather. However, I was only in Kansas for a limited time and had to make the most of it.
Hunter: Brian Rogers
Buck: 172 5/8 inches
Location of Harvest: Illinois
Date of Harvest: October 30, 2022
Weapon of Harvest: Compound bow
I was on my vacation, and my first day of vacation—the 26th—and I try to help my cousin get on a deer. That day, a 140s skirted us. The next day, I shot an upper-130s 9-pointer that broke off about 10 inches of tines.
The next day, I found out one of my target bucks was dead by running into a guy who found the buck’s deadhead. So, on my fourth day of vacation, it was going to rain that day. I was chasing an 8-year-old 10-pointer. I’ve had years of him on trail cams. That buck and several others were daylighting on a community scrape.
I knew I was going to get wet, as it was going to rain for three or four hours. It was supposed to quit around 5 p.m. They were bedding on the points, and I figured they would check the scrapes after it quit. Plus, I thought the rain would hold my scent down.
Eventually, it started raining hard. It was a downpour. About 80 yards into the timber, I saw a big buck standing there in the rain. He come in but kept on going into the CRP.
It slowed up a little, and about an hour later, I turned around and saw the giant buck. I grabbed my bow and drew back. I held my form, made sure everything was right, and when he finally stepped into an opening, I let it fly. I knew right away he was a dead deer.
Hunter: Mitchell Patterson
Buck: 151 5/8 inches
Date of Harvest: November 7, 2022
Location of Harvest: Allamakee County, Iowa
Weapon of Harvest: Compound bow
I began scouting northeastern Iowa public land in the spring of 2020. I spent hours E-scouting about a dozen spots before finally putting boots on the ground in March of the same year. The parcel I shot my buck on was the second piece of public land that I scouted that year. I knew right away this would be a special place.
November 7, 2022, was a relatively nice early November day. Highs were in the low 40s with the morning starting in the upper 20s. Winds were light, maybe 5-10 mph.
The area I was hunting is full of deep valleys, high ridges, and steep bluffs. When most people think of Iowa, they think of flat land and corn fields, but northeastern Iowa is quite the opposite. It was beautiful (but painfully steep to climb), with oak ridges, ag flats (plateaus), and valley creek bottoms. Pockets of native grasses and red cedar along the edges of the Ag fields created some great habitat diversity as well.
I had only been sitting for about an hour. I distinctly remember thinking I heard something behind me. A few minutes later, I heard that distinct crunch-crunch-crunch of a deer walking. I slowly turned my head to look over my shoulder and remember thinking it was him. The deer stopped at a licking branch behind me about 35 yards and began to work the branch with his antlers.
On my knees, I very slowly turned to face the deer. He began moving below me along a different trail that I wasn’t aware of at the time. Thankfully there was plenty of cover from the downfall tree, which allowed me to draw as he was quickly walking closer and closer.
Before I knew it, the buck was 20 yards and still closing. At 15 yards, I tried to slow him down with a soft “meh.” He didn’t stop. Again, I let out a bit louder “meh.” He still didn’t stop. I knew it was now or never. The buck was at 12 yards, broadside, and walking. I settled my pin and released the arrow.
This deer means more to me than any other deer I’ve shot, including a bigger one I’d shot just a year earlier. To do it on public land after two years of scouting the area feels like the highest level of success that I’ve ever felt in the whitetail woods.
Hunter: Bradley Burrows
Buck: 183 7/8 inches
Date of Harvest: November 10, 2022
Location of Harvest: Mercer County, Missouri
Weapon of Harvest: Crossbow
This buck, called “Spider,” was believed to be 6 ½ years old. I had a lot of history with the deer throughout the years, and a lot of sightings. On the day of the hunt, the weather was nice with overcast skies and rain coming in that evening.
I hunted in a box blind over a cornfield with a big draw and fingers. The day I harvested him, I remember seeing quite a bit of deer—does, some decent 3 ½-year-old bucks, and one nice 6 ½- to 7 ½-year-old buck but I was set on harvesting (Spider).
I happened to check the back window, and there he was with a doe at 100 yards. I couldn’t believe it. So, I got turned around and got the window open. I last checked, and he was at 73 yards. I got the pin set and let it fly.
There was a storm coming in. I worried the blood would wash away. So, I packed up and ran back to my truck and grabbed my lights. When I showed back up, I was immediately on blood and tracked him about 100 yards where he was piled up. I was shocked, because he was way bigger than I thought he was.
Hunter: Chris Kustigian
Buck: 178 5/8 inches
Date of Harvest: November 12, 2022
Location of Harvest: Worcester County, Massachusetts
Weapon of Harvest: Compound bow
This deer lived in a big-woods area on public land. The deer’s exact age is unknown, but he was at least 5 ½ years old. I first saw the buck chasing does in November of 2020 during bow season. I found one of the buck’s sheds that year in late December during muzzleloader season. I found that shed in 2020 less than 100 yards from where I would end up killing the buck in 2022. I had many trail camera photos of the buck.
The area I hunted was a clearing on the edge of thick mountain laurel. On November 11, I saw the giant buck chasing a doe in the thick laurel out of bow range.
On November 12, 2022, the weather was unseasonably warm with light rain. There was a good bit of fog as I entered the woods. It gave the woods an ominous feeling.
So, under the cover of fog and wet leaves, I got aggressive and moved my climber right into the thick laurel where I saw the buck (the day before). At 6:45 a.m., he came out of the laurel following the doe he was chasing the night before.
The buck stopped to lightly rub his antlers on a tree. I could not shoot, as his vitals were behind a tree. After, he continued walking after the doe. I drew my bow and shot him broadside at 20-25 yards. The deer ran 50 yards. I heard him crash.
I called my father, who was hunting in a stand nearby. He walked over to me. We found the arrow right away and followed a very short blood trail to the massive buck. I could not believe that I had shot this giant buck. He may be the largest buck I ever harvest in Massachusetts.
Hunter: Christopher (C.J.) Givens
Buck: 176 5/8 inches
Date of Harvest: November 12, 2022
Location of Harvest: Butler County, Kentucky
Weapon of Harvest: Ruger Mark 77 270 WSM
We had heard rumors of a good deer in the area, but we hadn’t seen him ourselves. I had been busy trying to finish building my new house, and with work, I didn’t have much time to hunt. Opening day was the only day I hunted this deer.
On opening day, the weather forecast was calling for freezing temps with a high of 32 and snow. The snow, rain, and sleet stopped around 8 a.m.
The farm I was hunting is a creek bottom farm, but with some wooded hills, rock bluffs, and a power line with a valley in it. The stand was on a wooded hill with a lot of oak trees. The stand was off to the side of an old logging road.
Around 8:30 a.m., I saw a small doe come around the top of the bluff. Fifteen minutes later, a spike came through the same way. Then, around 9 o’clock, a small 5-pointer came down the logging road.
After a while, I climbed down. As I came out into the power line, I looked over a valley. I decided to scope the field before I came off the hill and through the field. I noticed horns through the scope in the sage brush. He was standing there with a bedded doe.
I was shaking so bad from sitting in the cold all morning that I couldn’t hold the gun still free-handed. So, I ended in a prone position facing downhill. I missed the first shot, and he didn’t move. So, I put another shell in, took another breath, and squeezed off another shot. At this point, I had no idea how big he was. I just knew I shot a good buck.
This deer represents a great friendship in and outside of the outdoor world. To be able to harvest such a buck is a true blessing.
Hunter: Dan Olsen
Buck: 168 4/8 inches
Date of Harvest: November 15, 2022
Location of Harvest: Anoka County, Minnesota
Weapon of Harvest: Compound
I got permission on this piece back in 2020 by driving around and knocking on doors. I created a good relationship with the property owners, and they have been gracious enough to allow me permission to hunt there ever since. Multiple good deer are on this property every year, as it is along a river in a great pinch point adjacent to significant doe populations and bedding areas.
I can’t even say I specifically hunted this deer, though. I woke up to the first picture of him in two years. I figured he had been running the creek and was likely miles away already, and that I’d never see him again. I’d spent almost 10 days on that property hunting a big 10, but I am not going to lie, I spent all morning looking at that trail camera pic daydreaming of this buck walking down the creek.
I was standing and leaning against the tree watching does to the south of me and glassing the tree line looking for a trailing buck. I couldn’t hear anything walking that morning due to the fresh snow and warm temperatures. I just happened to look down and to my left and caught movement 30 yards straight downwind. I knew right away it was him.
Because he was already so close, I could barely reposition to turn and prepare for a shot. He was coming in straight downwind following my steps and knew something was wrong. He was sniffing everything and kept putting his nose in the air to try and scent me. Lucky for me, he didn’t.
He came in to 7 yards right in front of me quartering-to, and I didn’t have a shot. I could tell he was getting even more nervous. I took the opportunity to draw quickly and get on my anchor. He bounded off two leaps and stopped quartering-away at 15 yards. I noticed a hole about the size of a softball. It was one of those shots you always hope for. I heard a big crash.
I was in absolute shock. I had just got the first picture of him five hours earlier. I felt very lucky, grateful, and appreciative of the landowners I have built relationships with.
This deer means a ton to me. I have become so reliant on trail cameras. and have dealt with frustration when cameras are slow, thinking there is nothing in the area, or that I don’t have anything “worth hunting.” This deer rekindled the fire of just hunting and seeing what happens.
Hunter: Jakob Chittenden
Buck: 174 3/8 inches
Date of Harvest: November 27, 2022
Location of Harvest: Ontario County, New York
Weapon of Harvest: Thompson Center .308
I knew that this was the deer I wanted to target. He’s always had his split G2 on his right side, and that’s what gave him his name “G2 Buck.” My brother, his buddy, and I all hunted this deer since the day he stepped foot in front of our cameras. I was the only one to ever encounter the deer in person—multiple times.
On November 27, I decided to go sit the “Shoulder Stand,” where My brother, Jon, his buddy, Jeff, and myself have all shot good deer in the past.
I got in the stand around 2:30 p.m. and got everything set up. Around 3:45 p.m., I looked up, and there he was making a rub on a pine tree about 100 yards away, but I couldn’t get a shot. He turned around and started walking away again. I started to worry, but put a perfect shot on him. He ran at me and fell in front of me.
This deer means the world to me. So much of my time was spent studying his patterns and learning how to get in front of this deer. What helped during this hunt? Knowing this deer was comfortable feeding and moving in the daylight. HuntStand played a role helping me keep pins on where I have seen him and where he was bedding.
The history with this deer will never be forgotten. Deer hunting is not just my hobby. It’s my passion. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Hunter: Jake Shannon (HuntOntario!)
Buck: 174 3/8 inches
Date of Harvest: November 30, 2023
Location of Harvest: Ontario, Canada
Weapon of Harvest: Crossbow
I had thousands of trail camera pictures dating back to 2017. I had one other sighting in 2019. I shot at him 35 yards. I hit the deer, but only one drop of blood. He was back on trail camera that evening. So, this deer was over 10. I’m having the jaw sent away to get the exact age.
November 30 was a gorgeous day with a big rainstorm in the forecast for the following day. I’d gotten a morning picture of him at 5:30 a.m. I figured he was headed to bed. I knew that evening I had to get out in the blind. On my drive to the property, there were a lot of deer already up moving.
Upon arrival, I settled in. I was up on the ridge looking down. Straight ahead of me was small hardwood ridge. A swamp to my back with good bedding. Juniper and red cedars to my left and right.
I was only in the ground blind for about 5 minutes and three does came walking in. I was watching them for 20 minutes or so. Then, the woods ignited with noise. Deer came to my location from left and right out of the bedding areas.
He showed up at the top of the ridge across from me. He came over the peak, looking around like he was a king—like he owned the woods.
He took in all the commotion (all the does fighting and calling). He made three light grunts and started walking in my direction. I sat watching him from about 100 yards out.
Eventually, the shot was 25 yards, and he was quartered to me. I tried keep the shot as tight to his front, right shoulder as possible. My goal was to get a double lung. I ended up hitting one lung, his liver, and my arrow came out through the guts.
About 300 yards into the blood trail, we were on our hands and knees in search of the next drop of blood. At 500 yards, and crossing a road, we made the hard decision to back out for the night. We had to get permission to track him on the neighbor’s property across the road.
The following day, my father-in-law and I searched the same side of the road that I shot him on. We found nothing. Disheartened but determined, we crossed the road. We continued through a small slew, leading to a big pond, and still nothing. We started again along the pond in a hardwood ridge that ran parallel to a juniper thicket. There in the juniper thicket, we started finding big buck sign. We continued 50 yards into the thicket. We saw the first red cedar tree, and there lay my buck in his first bed, stiff as a board. Total distance as the crow flies was about 800 yards.
This buck put me through the ringer—more ups and downs than I ever thought I could handle. But this is whitetail hunting.
Hunter: Troy Westenbarger
Buck: 166 ½ inches
Date of Harvest: December 2, 2022
Location of Harvest: Vinton County, Ohio
Weapon of Harvest: .45-70
I had tons of pics of the deer from September 2022 until the date of harvest. On December 2, 2022, I got to stand at 3:30 p.m. Ten minutes later, I had two does come up hill. About 1 to 2 minutes later, a spike came in and started chasing the does. They all disappeared.
I played on my phone and kept scanning the woods. At 4:15 p.m., I looked downhill where the two does had come from. There he was—broadside at 60 yards. I got the gun up and scope on him. At the angle he was walking, it appeared he may walk in a shooting lane. The buck took a few steps, and I soon realized he was not heading to the shooting lane. He was heading away from me on an angle in the thick stuff. He was about 15 yards from going down in a ravine and gone.
As I followed him thru the woods with my scope on him, and the crosshairs on his front shoulder, I saw an opening with minimal branches and limbs. It was then or never. BOOM! The buck jumped, ran about 10 yards, and did a face plant. He was done. I hung up the gun on my hanger and then felt a wave of gratification. I had only been on stand one hour.
Hunter: Sue Johnson
Buck: 158 ⅛ inches
Date of Harvest: January 31, 2023
Location of Harvest: Copiah County, Mississippi
Weapon of Harvest: Browning X-bolt 7 mag
It was a miserable wet, windy, rainy, cold day. It rained all day, and I started to stay home. I’ve learned my lesson (a few times) about bad weather days being the best days, though.
I saw two spikes, then the big buck. I couldn’t believe it. I breathed in and out a few times. Then, I took the shot. He dropped, but then a few minutes later, he raised his head. So, I rushed a second shot. The scope got my nose pretty bad. I’ve got a battle scar for life.
This was my buck of a lifetime. His brow tines are the most impressive I’ve ever seen. I was consistent and persistent, and it paid off. I still haven’t gotten over it yet. I won the Big Buck Bounty award for the Jackson area by a female.
I hunted that stand for two weeks straight, and the one day I didn’t go, there he was at 5:45 p.m. So, I went every day from then until the last day of season when I finally got him.
Everybody was ecstatic for me, but I think I was in shock. We had other hunters all around with land that bordered ours, and they had pics of him also. They called him MUFASA. Every time I’d hear a shot nearby, I’d freak out and text asking if they’d killed him. The neighboring hunters were happy for me.
I am so thankful to God that I have the time to enjoy His creation. I’m also thankful to have some meat in my freezer. I will have fun explaining why I have a huge scar on my nose, but it was well worth it.
