Author: Josh Honeycutt
Josh Honeycutt
I’ve been an outdoor communicator since 2010. Since then, I’ve been blessed with a full-time career in the outdoors, and I’ve worked for most of the major hunting magazines and websites, including Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. As a deer and turkey hunter, these are the topics I cover most, but I also dabble in other areas, too, including conservation, predator hunting, small game hunting, and more.
Big Buck Series • Maryland • September 11, 2026 Emily Curry and her father had followed this massive Maryland 8-pointer for multiple seasons. On opening day, the buck moved about an hour earlier than his preseason pattern, eventually stopping in Curry’s shooting lane at 21 yards. Jump to the Story Years of Trail-Camera History The Opening-Day Hunt The 21-Yard Shot Sharing It With Dad The Buck at a Glance Hunter Emily Curry Buck Giant Velvet 8-Pointer Age 4½+ Years Harvest Sept. 11, 2026 Maryland • Compound Bow Maryland might be better known for blue crabs, crab cakes, and Old Bay…
Big Buck Series • Kentucky • September 24, 2026 T.J. Graham had already seen his target buck on four hunts without getting a shot. He’d passed two other impressive bucks repeatedly, and the wait was wearing on him. On his 14th consecutive afternoon sit, a 40-yard opportunity finally brought the two-week pursuit to a close. Jump to the Story Four Close Encounters The Creek Setup The 14th Afternoon Why He Held Out The Buck at a Glance Hunter T.J. Graham Reported Score 171 3/8 inches Age 5½ years old Harvest Sept. 24, 2026 Kentucky • Bow Four Encounters Without a…
Big Buck Series • Maryland • September 16, 2026 A doe caught Will Hastings’ wind, blew, and retreated toward the timber. Five minutes later, the buck he called “Craig” stepped into the same cornfield. The hunt Hastings might have thought was over was about to produce a 153 7/8-inch whitetail with incredible antler mass. Jump to the Story The Trail-Camera Pattern The Cornfield Hunt Hastings’ Gear A Tribute to His Dad The Buck at a Glance Hunter Will Hastings Reported Score 153 7/8 inches Age 6½ years old Harvest Sept. 16, 2026 Maryland Hastings has spent his life chasing Maryland…
Big Buck Series Minnesota Bowhunter Shoots 195-Inch Surprise Buck He’d Never Seen With no trail-camera history and no prior encounters, Ethan Otterbein watched a 195-inch Minnesota giant step into range and offer a 7-yard shot. By Josh Honeycutt Hunt at a Glance Hunter Ethan Otterbein Buck Score 195 Inches Harvest Date September 20, 2026 Location Minnesota Weapon Mathews Heli-m Compound Bow Shot Distance 7 Yards Quick Take Ethan Otterbein had no history with this Minnesota giant. No previous encounters. No trail-camera photos that told him a 195-inch buck was nearby. Then, during an early-season afternoon sit on September 20, the…
Big Buck Series Saskatchewan • September 4, 2026 Braeden Magotiaux had six seasons of trail-camera history with one Saskatchewan whitetail and roughly 30 encounters along the way. After intentionally letting the buck walk in 2024, everything finally came together during a four-day hunt in September 2026. Quick take: Magotiaux had watched this buck for six years and deliberately backed off in 2024 hoping the deer would reach Boone and Crockett caliber. By 2026, the 7½-year-old buck had grown into a 190 4/8-inch giant. On the fourth day of the hunt, Magotiaux thought his opportunity was gone, packed up his gear…
Big Buck Series Kentucky • September 6, 2026 Brandon Stidham watched the Kentucky buck known as “Fonzie” grow for five years. On the second evening of Kentucky’s 2026 deer season, that history finally came together on a 24-point velvet buck that…
Things to Learn and Keep in Mind Before Hunting High-Country Whitetails As a Central Kentucky native, I don’t live in the mountains. Eastern Kentucky has plenty of mountains, but they’re not located here. In this part of the world, the landscape is intermittent timber with open areas along rolling hills. One of the best things I’ve done to improve myself as a deer hunter is to hunt different terrain types. In the past decade, I’ve challenged myself by hunting Whitetails in other terrain types—such as the plains of Western Kansas, the swamps of South Carolina, the grain ground of the…
Deer hunting skills that will take you to the next level. Deer hunting is hard. While it isn’t rocket science, it isn’t the simplest of endeavors, either. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a thing that produces failure more often than success. New hunters soon learn it takes time to learn each facet of this lifestyle. Defeat comes swiftly and often, and filled tags require some skill, significant effort, and sometimes a bit of good “luck.” Therefore, it’s best to learn important tips, tactics, and skillsets that elevate hunters from beginner to novice to experienced to expert and beyond. Then,…
I remember my first deer like it was yesterday. I shot that buck with my .243 Win, and watched as it disappeared into the brambles. An hour later, moving on hands and knees, I followed drops of blood until I seen a tail, body, and eventually a rack up ahead. I shed a tear as I shared in the moment with my father and grandfather. It saddens me so few experience that today. Unfortunately, the winds are changing. Fewer people are hunting. Even fewer are helping to introduce new hunters to the sport. Many challenges are to blame. People have…
Check out these important ways to identify bucks and does you shouldn’t shoot Seeing a deer and knowing what category it goes in is a vital part of deer hunting. Properly identifying your target is part of a safe, effective hunting effort, after all. This makes it important to identify deer you do want to shoot, and those that you don’t. Some deer that might fall into the latter category include button bucks, young bucks, shed bucks, illegal bucks, pregnant does, and more. Here are things to know. Button Bucks A button buck can be difficult to identify. Later in…
