Mark Morrison

These days, when folks look to research monster-sized whitetail bucks, they usually turn to the Internet for information. Unfortunately, the web, specifically social media, is rife with giant deer, some grotesquely massive due to being raised and killed on high-fenced ranches.

This can lead neophyte hunters into believing big deer are commonplace and that opportunities abound to harvest genuine wall-hangers.
Truth is, harvesting a Pope and Young (P&Y) or Boone and Crockett (B&C) qualifying deer is difficult. Matter of fact, in my home state of Minnesota, only one in every 100 bucks killed will score 100 Boone and Crockett inches.

My pal Paul resides on a hobby farm that, among other things, provides a heap of open pasture space upon which to train my dogs, shoot our hunting bows at 3-dimensional targets set up against a wooded backdrop, and view myriad wildlife. Because of that, the place has been a second home for me for decades.
A few days ago, I made a short foray to Paul’s place to run young Labrador, Jet, and to shoot my newest hunting bow. While hiking to the archery range, I surveyed the adjacent grain field for animal life, a second-nature action for me, and saw three impressive bucks calmly browsing along the field edge.