Caleb Schweighardt poses with the fully mature Oklahoma buck nicknamed “Gonna Go Broke,” the result of years of patience and cell-camera strategy.
December 20, 2025
By Clifford Neames
When the Oklahoma property Caleb Schweighardt was goose hunting in 2022 proved to be full of deer, he switched gears.
“I was out there scouting for birds, and there were so many deer I decided to set out some cell cams,” he recalled. “There was a good buck in one of the first pics, so my plan for the property changed.”
Caleb was able to pattern the buck using cell cameras, noting he would come and go early on before returning to stay late in the year, but couldn’t close the deal in either of his first two years.
Fully mature by 2023, the buck made a huge jump in antler size. Caleb was ready then, but he was not the only one after it. Someone else came close that season, and late camera pictures showed it to be in bad shape.
Cell cameras confirmed the buck was patterned and frequenting the property consistently heading into archery season. “He looked rough, and his rack was all busted up from the rut," Caleb continued. “He had lost a bunch of weight. I was not sure he would make it through to the next season.”
Caleb drew a coveted elk tag for his home state of Kentucky in 2024, and with an Ibex hunt in Tajikistan already in the plans, the big deer — back on camera and looking better than ever — got yet another pass.
When he put out his cell cameras for the 2025 season, his target buck showed up within two hours. It was finally time to get this done.
“I decided to pour on the feed to keep him around,” Caleb added. “But that got so expensive, I joked that his name should be 'Gonna Go Broke”'…"
A reverse-angle look highlights the buck’s mass and character, showcasing the heavy beams and unique brow tines. That plan, and a new crop of winter wheat, worked so well that the deer became a regular feature in his notifications. It showed up for daylight pictures almost every day as the season approached. Everything was finally in place when the archery season opened on October 1st, and Caleb was feeling positive about taking the deer on his first afternoon hunt.
But the sure thing wasn’t happenng, as GGB didn’t show up during that afternoon — or all night long on cell camera for that matter.
“I was telling myself, you’ve got to be kidding,” he laughed.
The next day it was in the 90s, but Caleb decided to go back out there in spite of the heat — and this time it was different!
The 8 ½-year-old buck features a dark chocolate rack with long, forked brow tines — traits that made it a standout for years on camera. He spotted legs moving in the brush around 4:30 p.m., then the left side of a rack appeared. The deer moved around a tree and there was no doubt GGB was coming in. When it offered an 18-yard quartering away shot, Caleb touched his release and sent a broadhead into the vitals.
“I watched him lurch away and heard him coughing,” he recalled. “Then I called my buddies and waited on them to come for the recovery.”
One of them had to drive two hours to be there, and it got late before they got the buck out of the woods. After that, Caleb sweet-talked a processor into taking the deer well after hours to keep it from spoiling. These things happen when you take a good one!
The 8 1/2-year-old buck has a dark chocolate rack that features wicked-long brow tines with forks and splits that grab your attention immediately. It's one that will certainly look good on the wall!
