Two southwest Iowa farm boys had been monitoring a really particular buck for the previous three years on household land. The extra they watched the deer on path cameras, the extra obsessed they grew to become with the buck, which they nicknamed “Large P” (quick for Large Pimpin’).
One of many obsessed younger males, 20-year-old Dustin Shuler, says that earlier this yr, they noticed the buck’s rack had exploded with extra factors and antler mass than they ever thought attainable. However Shuler says the deer would by no means daylight, and the one path cam pictures they received have been at evening.
The hardworking son of a farmer, Shuler was operating a mix on Oct. 19. He’d gotten a notification on his cellular phone earlier than daybreak that morning.
“At 1:59 I received a mobile path cam photograph of Large P working a scrape. He’d hit the scrape beforehand, and it was close to one our bale blinds in a discipline,” Shuler says. “It was the primary time we’d seen him in 17 days.”
Picture courtesy Dustin Shuler
Shuler had obtained one other path cam photograph round 3 a.m. that confirmed a doe working the identical scrape. He figured if there was ever a day to catch to the buck out within the daylight, it was then. However he’d must get off work early if he needed an opportunity to hunt.
“I begged my dad to take over for me operating the mix so I might hunt that afternoon, and he did,” Shuler says. “Because it turned out, it was the best reward a father might give his son.”
Shuler was out of the mix and able to go by 4:30 p.m. He reached out to his looking buddy Matthew Johnston, who’d been monitoring Large P together with him. The 2 associates went to the identical massive discipline however sat in numerous stands a couple of half-mile aside.
“I used to be within the bale blind about 5 p.m.,” Shuler says. “Matthew had his bow and he received in one other blind on the different finish of the sphere. We have been each watching an overgrown ditch-line alongside the sphere edge.”
Though he’s a bowhunter, Shuler introduced a muzzleloader with him to the stand that afternoon. He’d borrowed the previous CVA 50-caliber rifle from Johnston’s father, who runs Midwest Antler Firm, a deer and turkey clothing store.
“That previous muzzleloader has shot extra deer than most individuals have seen,” the elder Johnston tells Out of doors Life.
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After settling into the bale blind, Shuler noticed Large P round 6:45 p.m. The deer steeped out of the ditch alongside the sphere edge and headed straight for the scrape that was simply 22 yards from his blind.
“I used to be shaking so dangerous after I put that scope behind Large P’s shoulder. I pulled the set off and smoke went in every single place. I used to be in complete shock,” Shuler remembers. “I believed I made a very good shot, and earlier than the smoke cleared, I heard him crash within the ditch out of sight.”
Shuler known as his buddy Johnston straight away.
“He by no means heard my shot, so he didn’t imagine me at first. However I instructed him he higher come over as a result of I’d need assistance dragging him out.”
After about an hour, Johnston confirmed up and the 2 hunters went to the spot the place Large P was standing when Shuler fired. The 250-grain Hornady bullet had completed its job, and the buck was mendacity useless a brief distance away.
Picture courtesy Dustin Shuler
After transporting the buck to a farm constructing, they put it on a scale the place it weighed 255 kilos. However it’s the enormous, non-typical rack that actually stands out.
“Large P had 30 scoreable factors, and three others that have been damaged off from combating or rubbing timber,” Shuler says. “We determine he’s 5 – 6 years previous.”
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Wanting again on the hunt, the younger man says has no regrets about taking the buck with the borrowed muzzleloader. However he nonetheless can’t recover from how shut Large P was when he lastly received his alternative.
“At 22 yards he was arrange completely for my bow, and I’m nonetheless kicking myself for not having it with me,” Shuler says. “However I by no means dreamed Large P could be so shut that night.”