New York Man Arrows Massive Typical Buck During Rainstorm

_{Breaking News Bucks is presented by ARCUS hunting brands. To find out more click here.}

During the 2023 deer season, New York deer hunter Dieter Herbert shot a phenomenal 5 1/2-year-old whitetail. He’d known about the deer since it was 2 1/2 years old, and last fall the story ended. After hundreds of trail camera photos, and one in-the-field sighting by his brother, Dieter finally closed the distance.

“The spot I killed this deer in was a private chunk of timber with a thick bedding area,” Dieter says. “The adjoining properties all receive a ton of hunting pressure, but I actually killed a 148-inch 11-pointer out of the same tree on the same exact day the year prior.”

October 7, 2023, produced a nor’easter and torrential rain with heavy gusting and swirling winds. To provide cover scent, he defrosted two tarsal glands and sat them on his Lone Wolf platform, just in case the wind swirled toward the bedding area.

His setup was on a white oak flat. A thick, nasty briar thicket with cattail bedding was nearby, too. A busy highway produced steady traffic noise in the distance.

Settling into the stand, he thought about the 5:00 a.m. trail camera photo he had of the deer earlier that morning. Now, with the wind in his favor, he had a chance at seeing the big fellow. It was his first sit for that specific deer.

“All I could hear that day was the sound of torrential rain pounding on the leaves in the trees, and the sounds of acorns bouncing off the ground in the woods,” Dieter says. “It was almost like a foggy haze throughout the woods, but the spot I was hunting was tight. So, I had to remain vigilant and focused on the outskirts of the thicket.”

The first two deer he saw were small yearling bucks; they came from the open timber and fed on acorns. Just after they left, two big, mature does fed into view and walked under Dieter’s stand. Eventually, they went into the bedding area where the other deer disappeared. But not before making things interesting.

“The other must’ve caught a quick shot of my wind,” Dieter explains. “She never blew or stomped, but she stood staring in my direction for what I would say was a good half hour. During that time, I was basically handcuffed. I couldn’t move my head in the direction of the bedding or look around at all. The buck I was targeting could’ve been to my left at 15 yards, and I wouldn’t even be able to see him or hear him coming. I knew I couldn’t let that doe beat me. If she blew and made a big fuss, the hunt might’ve been over.”

---

Fortunately, one of the smaller bucks reappeared and chased the does. About an hour later, around 5:00 p.m., he spotted an antler in the thicket; it was a buck the bigger deer sometimes ran with. He’s got to be close, Dieter thought.

Five minutes later, he spotted the buck’s wide frame in the distance. Head down, it fed on acorns along the edge of the bedding area. Within seconds, he disappeared.

After that, the big doe and small buck reemerged. Once again, she stared toward Dieter’s position. With about 45 minutes of legal light left, Dieter noticed a commotion. The big buck chased the little buck back out of the thicket.

“The doe that was staring at me took her eyes off me to see what was going on,” Dieter recalls. “That’s when I grabbed my bow and clipped on my release. I needed two steps from the big buck, and he would be in one of my best shooting lanes.”

While standing there, the wind swirled, and the buck licked it’s nose and threw it up into the air. Dieter feared the buck had caught his wind. The big deer took two steps backward, and started to return where it came from.

Fortunately, the little buck trotted back in, and it began sparring with the bigger deer. It didn’t last long, though. Again, the huge whitetail turned toward the thicket.

“The small buck approached him again and nudged his antler onto the back leg of the big buck,” Dieter says. “That was the final straw. He turned back toward my lane and chased the small buck with anger right through my first lane at 25 yards and almost through my second lane. I drew back as they were running.”

Three feet from escaping, the deer offered a 20-yard, quartering-away shot. Dieter launched the arrow and it struck true. The deer bucked and ran into cover.

Dieter called his brother, and they discussed the details. Then he climbed down and searched the point of impact for blood and other sign. Due to the rain, he wanted to find blood before it washed away. After about 20 minutes, he moved forward with blood trailing, hoping to find the deer before the trail succumbed to rainfall. About 70 yards later, he spotted the dead buck.

“This buck meant a lot to me — perhaps more than the New York typical record I shot back in 2020,” Dieter says. “Between my brother and I, we’ve never spoken more about a particular deer. Always strategizing, wondering where he was, etc. Historically, the deer would leave my permission property sometime during the first two weeks of October and not return until after Christmas. That’s a small window to try and seal the deal in.”