Greg Glesinger and his 197 3/8-inch Iowa typical.
September 26, 2024
By Josh Honeycutt
Iowa is the land of deer hunting dreams, and Greg Glesinger knows it well. He’s bagged some giant bucks, and during the 2023 deer season, he added a 197 3/8-inch typical to that list. He had at least four, maybe five, years of history with the 8 ½-year-old buck.
In October of 2023, he started hunting the deer. It reappeared mid-month. Toward the end of it, a cold front moved in, and he hunted the buck four straight days. The last five to six days of October delivered north-northwest winds each day with good barometric pressure levels. During that stretch of hunts, he saw every mature buck he expected to see, except this buck.
On October 30, he had a great sit. They saw a lot of bucks cruising. Then, the big fellow walked out. This was the first in-person 2023 encounter Glesinger had with the buck. Unfortunately, the deer never made it into bow range. But does were moving all over the place — about 20 in total.
“The deer were like bees — going everywhere,” Glesinger said. “They were constantly moving.”
After years of trail cameras images, what a buck Ranger turned into by 2023. On October 31, Glesinger had to choose between two different spots the buck spent the bulk of its time. He used the 13 years of knowledge of hunting the property to make that call.
The hunt kicked off, and it was nothing like the previous day. The deer movement tanked. There weren’t as many does. Even so, eventually, a few deer begun moving. With perfect weather, and highs in the low 40s, it felt right.
The area is 40% timber and 60% open ground. The area consists of gently rolling terrain. He sat in an elevated blind in front of an hourglass-shaped food plot. They planted Egyptian wheat across the middle of the plot, which acts as an edge, and separates the two sections of the food plot. It funnels deer through the pinch point, which leads them right into bow range.
“We were hunting a part of the farm where we’ve done a bunch of TSI,” Glesinger said. “The terrain forces the deer to move through the timber. The layout of the timber line forces them out into the food plot, through the funnel, and into the other side of the food plot. It’s a magical spot we’ve modified throughout the years. It’s a true funnel, but we’ve just made it better.
The pinch point in the food plot was a big part of Glesinger’s success. “You never know what the circumstances are going to be from one day to the next,” Glesinger continued. “Same farm. Same field. Same plot. Usually, the same plots are consistent with deer movement. But 24 hours later, it was completely different.”
While the food plot didn’t draw as many does, a few entered the open. Within a few more minutes, six bucks 4 ½ years old and younger were in the plot.
Still, sooner or later, with all of these does yesterday, he has to come in here, Glesinger thought.
It was sooner. About 45 minutes before dark, a big buck nicknamed “Mac” stepped out. He fed, and then spotted several does across the plot. Within a few minutes, Ranger stepped out, too, saw Mac heading toward the does, and followed him. Eventually, Ranger walked within 31 yards of the blind, and stopped broadside. Glesinger took the shot, and the arrow connected.
This buck has it all, including main beams, tine length, mass, and more. “As bowhunters, sometimes the circumstances aren’t in your favor,” he said. “Because if there had been a bunch of does like the night before, it would have been difficult to kill the buck because he would have been running crazy.”
Incredibly, the buck’s right main beam measured 30 4/8 inches, left main beam measured 28 2/8 inches, and inside spread was 21 4/8 inches. Overall, he stretches the tape to 197 3/8 inches.
