Here’s a quick update from the road. I’ve been getting reports of big bucks from all corners of the country, but especially from my own backyard in the Great Plains and mountain states. The best update is my own.

After 30 years of hunting I finally came face to face with a giant buck, but it happened so fast I didn’t even know it. On Nov. 22 we were filming in South Dakota for TruckVault Xtreme Hunts. Just minutes into shooting light several vehicles accessed land to our east and a few seconds later I saw a deer running our way. I put my Nikon binocular up to my face and saw a large-framed buck with kicker points. At that moment I told my cameraman to get on that deer and be ready because I was going to shoot the second he stopped. The buck ran past us and up a steep hill with deep coulees on its face. Any second he was going to dive into a coulee and disappear for good so I took aim and shot instantly as he paused to assess his escape.

I saw the buck drop through the reticle from my TC .300 Win. Magnum. Not wasting any time I rushed over to the buck and was instantly in shock. I knew the buck was going to be big, but not that big. Lifting him up I started to count points and came up with 12 scoreable points per side. He’s a mainframe 5x5 with forked G2s and stickers. He should gross score around 205 with some change to spare.

I immediately called my family and shared the good news with them. I’d been on the road for nearly 40 days at that point and even though they couldn’t be with me to share it in person, we shared the moment via good cell service.

2008 will be a year to remember for Mark. Good Hunting!—Mark Kayser