An Epic Illinois Archery 206-inch Typical Whitetail Buck

Big bucks can show up anywhere, just ask Jake Hray (pronounced Ray). During the 2025 deer season, the Illinois bowhunter took the biggest whitetail typical deer in North America gun or bow. Hray who has been bowhunting for eleven years says the spot he took his giant typical wasn't even a spot he considered to hunt for a buck. Hray says. The small chunk of woods with a creek winding through it sets surrounded by open agriculture fields in every direction.

“I’d basically use the small three-acre woodlot property to fill doe tags”. Though he did see a few bucks while hunting on the property over the five-year period the bucks he did see were younger two- to three-year-olds. Hray had never placed trail cameras on the small property prior to the 25’ season so out of curiosity he decided to set a few out.

Hray didn't get around to putting out cameras until October 11th, the first day he had placed a camera, a buck he'd never seen before walked by it later that night. “I figured it was a real nice 170 maybe 180 class buck” Hray says. The buck then vanished for nearly three weeks before Hray would get another picture of it. 

Going into this season Hray says he was more determined to hunt smarter by utilizing the wind more each time he hunted. On October 27th, Hray says the buck showed back up on his camera this time in daylighting and to make matters worse, the buck walked right past Hray’s stand within easy shooting distance, but unfortunately, he wasn't in it. ‘I was devastated Hray says I thought I'd just missed my only opportunity on what would be my biggest buck to date. 

Showing the daylight trail camera picture to his bowhunting friend Lance and asking his opinion about the buck Lance quickly replied saying that buck is at least a 180-class typical, maybe bigger – absolutely be in your stand tomorrow. Heeding Lance's advice Jake was anxious and looking forward to being in his stand the next day.

After work on Tuesday Hray says he arrived at his stand around 2 p.m. with less-than-ideal conditions. “The wind was blowing hard around 20-30 mph” the bowhunter explains stating he just wasn't feeling it that evening, nonetheless he stayed.

Interested in filming his hunts this season Hray had mounted a camera arm next his stand that would hold his phone. Around 4:30 the bowhunter saw some brush moving. Noticing it was a deer, Hray began filming the buck which he soon saw was a small fork horn. 

As he was filming the smaller buck, Hray says, “I heard a stick snap coming from my right side I had to turn around in my stand to pinpoint the source of the sound. Around 30 yards away the deer that had made the noise appeared”. Hray stated “I saw it was a big buck with a wall of tines but its body was huge and that is what stood out the most”. 

Inadvertently as Hray was moving to get into position for a shot his release accidentally hit his camera arm. The buck paused, staring in the direction he heard the noise; several seconds passed before the buck shrugged it off as no threat and continued its way around the top of creek bank which would put him passing within range of the waiting bowhunter. 

“I had my phone set up recording the buck with my camera arm as he was walking broadside at a little over 20 yards,” Hray says. Coming to full draw the bowhunter mouth bleated at the walking buck but he simply wouldn't stop, “I don't know if he couldn't hear me or not because of the high wind but I had to basically yell at him to get him to stop for a shot”. As the buck finally stopped a bit over 20 yards and now out of the video Hray settled his pin releasing his arrow at the buck.

“Honesty, I didn't feel good about the shot”, Hray says. “It was good up and down, but it was back further than I'd liked. The buck reacted with a big mule kick swiftly turning and running back down a small line of brush towards a bigger woodlot”.

“It's funny”, Hray says. “I was calm all thru the entire sequence of events but as soon as I shot I was a mess shaking uncontrollably trying to process what just happened”.

The first call from his stand Jake made was to his bowhunting friend Connor excitedly telling him he'd just shot the big buck he had just got on camera, followed by calls to other friends and family members.

Going to the spot where the deer was standing, Jake didn't see much blood, only following it 25 yards before backing out. Waiting over an hour and a half, Hray took back to the blood trail alone. The tracking was much easier the further along the bowhunter followed it, soon up ahead he could see the buck. Taking his phone out Hray FaceTimed with family and friends as he approached the downed buck which grew the closer, he got to it. 

“The body was huge as I remembered seeing it before the shot” Hray stated but the rack was equally impressive, figuring him to be around 180” class deer.

The chore of dragging the big buck out was short with help from his stepdad, the two men were able to load the buck up in a truck and head home.

After the 60-day required drying period, the Hray buck was officially scored coming in at 206 ⅞” gross with a net of 193 4/8”. That will place the 6x6 typical with one abnormal point at number five all-time in Illinois among archery typical deer. 

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