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A3-Trolinger Buck

November is a sought after time in every deer hunters season. The days are shorter but the activity is picking up rapidly. We never know what will be around the next bend, which tree will produce the perfect opportunity or if a new piece of property will perform to our expectations…that’s just want happened for Josh in November, 2022!

With trail cameras not actively showing the bucks he felt were mature enough to harvest on private, Josh changed his approach to public ground. After 2 days of good encounters and a front moving in, it was back to OnX to find a piece that favored the new Easterly winds.

Josh elected to account the morning of the 7th, using morning light to glass a new area and see what he could find from a far before moving in tight to check a location he had pinned on his maps. After 2 hours of glassing and driving the neighboring roads, he picked his entrance and proceeded into the wind to find himself quickly in an unanticipated predicament.

As he approached the bend in a dry creek bed, he stopped to glass ahead for sign of movement and scan the area for sign when from under the creek bed, a buck bound a mere 10 yds away and stopped a short distance later to look for what bumped him from his bed. Not wanting to be detected, Joshua laid flat in the grass, glassing this buck through the brush as there was no presented shot. As the deer on high alert looking for the source of the disturbance, eventually he moved off to a secondary area to bed for the remainder of the day.

That evening would result in the buck returning to that area but skirting the original area still curious as to the disturbance earlier that day, but again not presenting a shot once in range. Fast forward to the next morning & he would appear 2 more times within an hour but again, no shot opportunity. Now frustrated and deflated, Joshua noticed a little buck needed nearby got very nervous and anxiously vacated the area, giving him confidence again that the buck was still close by.

Josh roared on his grunt call in the opposite direction of the bucks anticipated area, and softly turned towards and used “tending grunts” to peak the bucks curiosity. Within seconds he could see a tree being thrashed from the buck and prepped himself for a close encounter. Unfortunately, the buck appears through the thick brush facing him. As the buck moved off to inspect the little bucks bedded location before finally turning back and heading right in his direction.

Anticipating this steep angled shot and opportunity, Joshua had already prepared his sight for the steep angle and close range of 4.5 yds, came to full draw, settled his pin and executed his shot! Immediately, blood flowed from the animal who proceeded in a 270 degree circle around him and disappeared into the grass, 200+ yards away. Unsure of the bucks exit, he proceeded down the tree, circled a 1/2 mile north and proceeded to wait on friends to arrive to assist in the recovery.

3 hours of waiting and a rough track job through waist high grass, after circling ahead to ensure the buck couldn’t exit the trackers, Joshua was able to glass the expired buck, motionless and the rack sticking high up out of the grass! What was still unbelievable was the magnitude of this animal. Once he was able to notch his tag and put hands on this giant, the real emotions set in.

Not only was this buck a personal best, he was a giant on public and what Joshua didn’t know, was this would be the last success story he could share with his father, who unfortunately would pass 5 days later. However, he got to share the experience with close friends, family and gain the recognition of ‘Job Well Done’ with his father. At 200 2/8” BTR Score, it became the #1 Perfect Typical with only .09% irregularity, #3 by any weapon in Kansas and #6 in the World with Archery Equipment.