It was mid-November 2008 in Kendall County, Illinois. I was headed into my stand for an afternoon hunt when I caught sight of a big buck chasing a doe out in the field in front of me. I grabbed my binoculars to get a better look. The doe stopped about 30 yards in front of me and the big buck was just 10 yards behind her. He had a great frame, wide with good mass and long points. I also noticed he had a lot of junk on both sides of his antlers. He was an absolute giant!

The Kiernan Buck won't be panel scored by Pope & Young officials until March 2011, but it is expected to challenge the standing Illinois non-typical state-record bowkill, David Jones' 267 1/8-inch Mason County buck.

I ranged him and got ready for the shot. I drew the bow and concentrated on the big buck's chest. As I settled the pin behind his front leg, I noticed an over-hanging branch. That branch was just too close to what I thought the arrow's trajectory would be so I let the bow down. The doe bolted and the big buck resumed the chase. From that day on, he was known as the 'Big Non-Typical.' This was my first encounter with him and after a few sightings in 2008 -- but no shots -- he vanished. I hunted through the last day of the season but wasn't able to get an arrow in the Big Non-Typical.

It wasn't until October 12, 2009, that I finally saw him again. I could hardly believe he was still around and appeared to be as big as ever. Now that I knew he was still in the area, I decided to change my hunting strategy. I would put very little pressure on him early in the season, and just hunt from the edges, certain not to bump him.

RESISTING THE URGE
Resisting the urge to move right in on him was tough, but my experience has taught me to only pursue the big ones when they are vulnerable. I used very low-impact tactics to hunt him for the next two weeks. During this time I had one other encounter with him. He entered a bean field just 69 yards from me. He just stood there, surveying the field. This gave me the opportunity to get a very good look at him through binoculars. As he turned and walked away from me I couldn't believe the width and number of points on his rack.

In 27 years of hunting, this was definitely the largest whitetail I had ever seen.

That evening, I called two hunting partners, Garret Armstrong and Larry Smith, to tell them about the look I got of the Big Non-Typical. I discussed with each of them my thoughts and intentions on pursuing the buck. I cannot stress enough the value of a great hunting partner, someone with whom to talk out the details. A great hunting partner can keep you motivated and confident.

On Sunday, November 1, my cell phone seemed to ring non-stop with reports of great buck movement and success stories from a few local hunting buddies.

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