The heavy mass on Jerald’s 31-point trophy, along with a 13 2/8-inch G-2, contributed to the score that made Jerald’s Missouri monster the largest non-typical buck by bow in North America last season.

A TRUE MISSOURI MONSTER
"After he disappeared, I waited five minutes -- not to give him time, but to stop shaking long enough so that I could climb down out of the tree! It's hard to describe the feeling that I had when I walked up to him and put my hands around those huge antlers!

"I took the antlers and cape to Jim Martin, a highly skilled taxidermist. My buck field dressed at 215 pounds and Jim aged him at 5 1/2. Jim is also an official measurer for both P&Y and B&C. After the 60-day drying period, Jim measured the 31-point rack at 246 2/8 inches net with 77 4/8 inches in non-typical growth. The longest typical tine was 13 2/8 inches in length. The 21 atypical points ranged in length from 1 inch to 7 inches.

"The rack has two neat 'billy goat' tines growing out of the back of the bases that curl toward each other. They keep from touching because the ends hook away. Jim skillfully mounted my buck in an aggressive position with the head down, and that position really shows off the rack and many of this great buck's multiple beauty points."

PRINCIPLES THAT WORK
Being an outfitter and serious trophy hunter myself as well as a writer, Jerald's management practices closely mirror the management practices that I've implemented on my own hunting operation in Kansas. There are three vital keys that I use in my trophy deer hunting operation and these keys have always been very successful for me.

1) Keep A Sacred Sanctuary
Deer must have an area where they feel safe. Areas of five acres or more of thick cover, trees like cedars and blowdowns are ideal. These sites should provide shelter from the elements and be located far enough away from roads to provide good seclusion from passersby and hunters. These bedding sites should always remain private "hidey holes" for local bucks, and they should never be entered at any time. Sanctuaries will keep big bucks on your land permanently.

2) Provide Enriched Food Plots
All deer need a year-round food supply in order to prosper and produce big antlers. Planting preferred food plots of clover, alfalfa and other high-protein foods will keep deer on your property and give them the nutrition they need. Letting part of the soybean or corn crop go unharvested each year is also a very wise practice. In states where legal, providing feeders with high-protein feed will also do much to help increase body and antler sizes, especially during those lean times in late winter.

3) Pick Strategic Stand Sites
Hunting from a stand that is in the right place and being in that stand at the right time often produces outstanding results. I like to utilize two types of stand locations on my property. The first is at spots that intercept the main exit points between bedding and feeding areas. These spots often will be staging areas where bucks and does mill around.

The second good stand locations are found at points along the most direct routes from one bedding area to another. Trails that connect bedding areas are often used by bucks during the rut phase. Bucks travel these routes from one bedding area to another, checking each doe group for hot does. Always hunt each chosen stand site sparingly. The practice of hunting a stand no more than once a week is a good rule to follow. Deer live in the woods 24 hours a day, and they know where you have been and when you have been there!

(Editor's Note: To order a copy of the author's new book, Mammoth Monarchs -- Secret Elusive Bucks, featuring stories about other hunters' techniques for bagging elusive whitetail trophies, send $20 postpaid to Odie Sudbeck, 2745 H Road, Seneca, KS 66538. To book a Kansas Trophy Whitetail Hunt with Odie, call 785-468-3214.)

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