Hunter: Dorothy Shaffer
State/County: Iowa/Des Moines County
Score: Unofficial score 196 inches, non-typical
Gear Used: BowTech Miranda, Carbon Express arrows, VPA Terminator broadheads
After slowly getting into deer hunting twelve years ago when she met her husband, Dorothy Shaffer finally killed the trophy of a lifetime last week—a 196-inch Iowa giant and just her second buck ever.
Having scouted a section of private land with her husband, Chris, on October 31, Dorothy said they found a trail and what appeared to be a good staging area with good number of scrapes and rubs. With her stand setup in that location, her husband hung his stand about 100 yards away.
“After seeing a lot of does at that site, my husband told me, ‘There’s gonna be a big one coming through here.’ At about 5:30 p.m. [on November 1], I heard something hitting trees and breaking branches, and he walked right out, ten yards away,” Dorothy said.
Dorothy's husband, Chris, poses with two of his trophy bucks.
Dorothy said the shot went straight through the lungs, after which the buck ran for about 100 yards, piling up in front of her husband’s stand. She said her husband was ecstatic when he saw the giant buck. She had the deer scored unofficially at 196 inches but plans on taking it to the Iowa Deer Classic where it will be officially scored after the required drying period.
Apparently whitetail hunting runs in the marriage, as Chris has also killed quite a few trophy bucks. And as a nurse who doesn’t always find the time to make it into the treestand as much as her husband, Dorothy said she was more than happy to have a trophy buck on the wall for herself.
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Brian Herron
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Carter Rice
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This photo was submitted to NAW Editor Gordon Whittington earlier this season via e-mail.
Dorothy Shaffer
Iowa native Dorothy Shaffer has only been hunting for a couple years now, but she already has the buck of a lifetime with this 196-inch giant, her second buck ever.
At about 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1, Shaffer arrowed this bruiser through both lungs, dropping it near one of her husband's stands.
For more info, check out Shaffer's Deer of the Day entry.
Dylan Beach-Bittner
Have you seen the (almost) Turdy-Point Buck?
Taking a cue from the popular folk rap song, 12-year-old Dylan Beach-Bittner, downed a 27-point Minnesota monster scoring 241 green.
For more info, check out Beach-Bittner's Deer of the Day entry.
Jeff Danker
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Jeff Iverson
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Jordan Dressler
On the first hunt of her lifetime, Jordan Dressler killed this amazingly wide whitetail in Iowa. Now all she has to do is hunt the rest of her days in search of another buck like this one.
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Josh Barnard
As a dedicated whitetailer, Josh Barnard has had his fair share of ups and downs. This year was a high point, as Barnard killed this monstrous 192-inch trophy buck in Ohio. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Joshua Earp
Joshua Earp's Georgia giant scored 187 inches green, weighing in at 235 pounds, and was a great October surprise.
"“I’ve hunted 25 years for this," Earp said. " I give all thanks to God and my father for teaching me and introducing me to this sport I’m addicted to.”
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Lindsay Groom
With the help of her husband, Kevin, Ohio resident Lindsay Groom scouted this buck for two weeks before coming across its path again on Nov. 7. Lindsay shot the buck with her crossbow at about 10 yards, but was unable to locate the buck.
After watching the kill shot again on film, the couple decided to track it the next morning, finding the deer just 30 yards away from where they stopped looking the night before.
For more info, check out Groom's Deer of the Day entry.
Matt Ford
Abingdon, Ill., resident Matt Ford downed this monster buck in the early evening of Nov. 4; the Knox County beast scored 219 1/8 inches green.
“I still can’t believe it. I thought my 145-inch 8-point was big until this,” Ford said. “I never thought I would see a deer this big, but getting to kill one this big never crossed my mind.”
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Michael Morgan
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Mike Giarraputo
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Mike Moran
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Paul Keller
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Payton Mireles
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Pete Alfano
After a two-year quest to track down the massive deer known as "Mufasa," Pete Alfano finally struck gold with this 215-inch Kansas buck. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Randy Walk
It's pretty safe to say Randy Walk, president of Hoyt Archery, knows a thing or two about bowhunting.
Nevertheless, the 225-inch Kansas beast shared by Hoyt's Facebook page stands alone as the biggest buck he'd ever seen, he said.
“He is a giant buck. Eighteen points total with nine on each side. He has been green scored at 225 inches and some change and is clearly the largest whitetail deer I have ever seen on the hoof or on the ground for that matter."
For more info, check out Walk's Deer of the Day entry.
Richard Buker
Richard Buker has been hunting his family's property in Vermillion County, Ind., for over 20 years, and on Oct. 28, he finally got the buck of a lifetime.
That windy evening, he spotted the massive 170-inch buck working the treeline before heading across the field toward him. At 35 yards, Buker stopped the buck with a grunt, placed his shot perfectly behind the shoulder and squeezed off a shot. After running 75 yards, the buck then dropped within sight.
For more info, check out Buker's Deer of the Day entry.
Robert Gramoll
Robert Gramoll killed his 202-inch Juneau County, Wisc., record in 2012. Having deliberated about staying for the last evening of rifle season, Gramoll doesn't regret that he did. Read the full story in NAW's Deer of the Day entry.
Stanley Suda
Southern Ohio turned in another giant earlier this season when Stanley Suda shot this buck which is estimated between 235 and 240 inches.
"The shot was perfect," he said. "I watched my dream buck run across the field and pile-up about 20 yards inside the wood line. This was definitely my finest moment in the treestand.”
For more, read the rest of the story in this Deer of the Day entry.
Travis Trimmer
Travis Trimmer of Varina, Va., killed this monster buck on Oct. 27 with a crossbow at 15 yards. The brute weighed in around 159 lbs. and was reported to have a 27-inch wide inside spread.
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NAW's Best Bucks of 2012
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