Once I killed a few I had a different appreciation for them. Not because they were any more cunning or smarter than their 130 class; 4 plus year old buck counterparts...but simply that there are a lot more 4 plus year old bucks running around that score under 160 gross than bucks that will make 160 gross. To kill a 160 is a "rarity" in most whitetail woods and in general you won't find many free ranging wild bucks (3.5 and younger)that make 160 plus. Rarities are always cool to see and many a hunter will hunt their entire life never getting a crack at one.
Once while hunting, and at least twice when not hunting. Ive gotten plenty of trail cam pics, but that doesnt count.
I've seen about 20 bucks that would go 160+ in the 18 seasons that I've been trophy hunting. I have been lucky enough to bag 3 of them that have from 160+ to 190+ inches of horn on their heads. A 160 class buck is a top end buck anywhere you hunt.
Only one that I am absolutely certain of.Eight years ago in Idaho driving back to camp after a day of hunting.Watched it pester a doe in the headlights of the truck we were in.Needless to say we hunted that area hard the next couple days.We never caught a glimpse of him.
Never seen one while sitting in the stand. I saw three while doing some pre season glassing on a friends land that he hunts. Only one of them got shot this year by a rifle hunter. The other two are still out there
I almost got ran over by 1 shed hunting this winter. I say he was in the 170's. In my life time I'd would have to say 10 to 15 but only a couple from stand.Most of them came from spot lighting.
I have saw one in my life that I knew for sure was a 160" he was on a ranch we leased for grazing and the only reason I know he was at least 160 is because my dad ended up shooting him during the late rut, it was his bigest whitetail ever and he was so happy. I can remember he came and picked me up from school and he had him in his flatbed, one proud son I was. I had only seen this buck a few times while I was prowling. He ended up going 163 I believe. I will post pics next time I go to their house. The only other one I saw was a 218 in" on my buddies rach. We had found his sheds and his dad had missed him the previous year w/ a bow. I had only seen him once but once was enouch. My buddie shot him and he ended up being the biggest deer shot in Texas that year. A real pig.
My best buck is 164" (gross), killed in 2002. I seen several more that were 160"+. In 2002 I caught a monster (main frame 14) on trail camera. Hunted that buck very hard, but only seen him twice while in stand before our gun season. Both times were before the rut and he was on the opposite side of a CRP field I was hunting. He was killed on the neighboring property the second morning of our gun season, he grossed 197". I caught another monster (main frame 10, ended up having 21 score able points) in 2005. Never did see that buck from a stand before gun season. He was killed about 15 minutes after first shooting light on the first day of our gun season on the neighboring property, less than 100 yards from the stand I was in. He grossed 207", I was just happy to be able to see him up close and put my hands on that rack. This past season I had a buck that I am guessing would go in the 180's at about 40 yards for over an hour, but did not have a shot thru the thick cover. I did get to watch him breed a doe twice that morning, which was a treat. As far as I know, he was not killed, so the chase will be back on this fall.
Two seasons ago I had the most amazing encounter with a buck that would have went 170's without a doubt. He was chasing a doe harder then anything I had ever seen before. He ran cirlcles around my stand and at one point was about 15 yards away. He never stopped running though...but it is a day I will never forget...that is for sure.
I had to pass a shot on a 160" this last season. He was 43 yards in front of me broadside and i had a 25-30 mph cross wind. couldnt take that kind of shot in those conditions.
Seen several over the years while glassing. I've seen 2 while hunting that were over 160, both were during gun season and too far to shoot.
I can't say for sure that I've ever seen a 160+ in PA. Likely that I haven't. There is one buck that I saw MANY MANY years ago that was enormous, but so much time has gone by, I can't say for sure. I did see one buck in Ohio that I think we figured broke the 160" mark.
Never seen one, doubt I ever will. I am not the worlds greatest antler scorer, but I don't think I have ever seen a buck that went over 120". I have hunted a military base the last 10 years, and the 95" buck I took in 2007 was probably one of the top 6-7 bucks I have seen in the last 10 years.
I saw a 160 inch 8 pointer a few times while glassing my Dad's alfalfa field last summer. The next door nieghbor killed the buck the second weekend of bow season. I have never seen a 160+ buck up close while hunting but there have been a few at longer distances which may have been that big.
I usually see one or multiple bucks that would gross 160 or better, every year in my hunting areas. Even though I can say that I don't see nearly as many as I did 5-15 years ago, there are definately a few around. But they definately aren't around every tree, or every creek. And if you're out there 30-60 times a year looking for them, chances are you'll lay your eyes on at least one. And when the Rut Comes around you never know what you'll see. I had one spot last year, where I was pretty confident that I've seen or got pictures of every buck in that particular area. But once November came around, new ones started to appear. That's the power of the Rut, and what keeps me coming back...
I have seen a few,mostly on the farm I used to hunt in Crittendon co ky.I did see 1 in my county several years ago while I was driving down the road.It was chasing a doe across a field.
