Kansas bowhunter Zach Rolfe arrowed this 211 2/8 gross non-typical on Nov. 17, 2023. He’d been after the buck for multiple seasons, and ultimately named the vanishing buck “Houdini.” Unfortunately, the giant buck pulled his final disappearing act when the taxidermist’s shop tragically burned down. The cape and antlers were reduced to ashes and totally destroyed. (Photo courtesy of Zach Rolfe)
January 28, 2025
By Dan Cole
When it comes to whitetail deer hunting, having the ability to think fast and react even faster is an essential quality. You won’t meet many “seasoned” deer hunters who don’t have a story or two of how their quick thinking and timely reactions accounted for their success. Archery hunter Zach Rolfe had seconds to react as a giant Kansas buck unexpectedly busted from cover and did a speed-walk across the food plot Zach was watching.
“I recognized him instantly but still only had maybe five or six seconds before he would disappear into heavy cover,” Zach recounts. “I managed to range his distance, get my bow up and drawn, mouth grunt to stop him, aim and release my arrow. I had just enough time, and it happened so fast that I didn’t have time to think. It was all reaction.”
After the shot, the buck took two quick bounds and disappeared into the thickness of the ceders. “I lost track of the arrow while it was in flight, so I didn’t know where I hit him, but I heard it hit with a loud smack. So I was confident I had hit him fairly good,” says Zach.
“I couldn’t believe what had just happened. My body was shaking so badly that I thought I might fall. So I sat down, stayed there for a while, and gave myself some time to settle down. I understood this was a huge moment and didn’t want to blow it by being careless,” the hunter continues.
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After sufficient time and being somewhat recovered from the shakes, Zach began his search for signs of a hit. But he couldn’t find any sign or blood. He searched the food plot for his arrow to no avail. Knowing where the buck entered the ceders, Zach picked his way through the cover but still found no sign of the buck. “I was literally getting sick to my stomach at this point,” Zach explains. It seemed as if the buck he affectionately called “Houdini” had once again pulled a disappearing act.
Zach had aptly named the buck because of its ability to move across the family property without being seen. Few deer can do that while crossing the 300 acres of Brown County land that has been in the Rolfe family ever since the Civil War. “I grew up on this property, playing on every acre before I was old enough to hunt. Once I was old enough to hunt, I spent even more time out there,” says Zach. “I know every acre like the back of my hand. That’s my frustration with this buck; for two years no matter what I did, he always had ways of getting away. This buck had me plumb defeated.”
When Zach saw the first trail camera photos captured of the buck in 2023, he first didn’t think the deer in the pictures was Houdini. However, upon closer inspection, there was no doubt about the identity of the big-antlered buck. Its antlers had exploded in size from the previous year, adding height, spread and mass. (Photo courtesy of Zach Rolfe) Houdini debuted in winter 2021 when Zach spotted the buck feeding in a nearby agricultural field. Seeing the deer only a few times over the winter, Zach estimated the buck to be a 3-year-old with around 170 inches of antler.
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In 2022, the buck mainly stayed the same, but it was enough change to get Zach’s attention. The deer once again grew antlers with a basic 5x5 typical frame of around 170 inches, but he added a 6-inch drop tine this year. If given the chance, Zach would have taken the buck, but Houdini was living up to his name.
“My good friend and taxidermist, Nathan Bielz from Woodland Park, Colorado, came out and hunted with me in 2022. He was the only person to lay eyes on Houdini while hunting that year, and he passed on him. He said the buck was too good to take as a 4-year-old, and we should save him for another year. I never got the chance that year to be tested by Houdini,” Zach says. “Kudos to Nathan, because I’m not sure I could have passed on him.”
When Zach saw the first trail camera photos captured of the buck in 2023, he first didn’t think the deer in the pictures was Houdini. However, upon closer inspection, there was no doubt about the identity of the big-antlered buck. Its antlers had exploded in size from the previous year, adding height, spread, and mass. The most significant change, however, came from the addition of multiple long drop tines and flyers. The buck had grown from a nice deer to a world-class trophy in one year!
In the opinion of many serious whitetail hunters, one thing that will keep a mature buck alive is complacency from the hunter. Many hunters need to grasp the rarity of having the opportunity to hunt a world-class buck. Every hunter wants a 200-inch deer, but only some hunters can or are willing to do what it takes to hunt that deer successfully.
Being self-employed within the Ag industry, Zach can adjust his schedule to fit his hunting needs. When it came to hunting Houdini, Zach recognized the rare opportunity he had before him, and he went all out by taking a month away from work to hunt exclusively for the buck of his dreams.
Zach found the buck had been visiting a food plot he called “Christmas Tree,” so named because of the thick cedars surrounding the plot. Every third day, over some time, the buck was showing up on the plot during daylight hours. (Photo courtesy of Zach Rolfe) It was well into November, and Zach had been hunting daily for nearly a month; so far, Houdini had beaten him at every turn. “I was frustrated; I couldn’t win with this deer. He had humiliated and humbled me. My friends were asking why it was taking me so long to get him,” Zach laughs. It was time to get back to basics and figure out what he was missing.
Zach began by separating and filing hundreds of recent trail camera photos. Within a short time, he noticed one area where the buck seemingly kept a pattern. Digging deeper, Zach found the buck had been visiting a food plot he called Christmas Tree, so named because of the thick cedars surrounding the plot. Every third day, over some time, the buck was showing up on the plot during daylight hours. The last two days of photos the trail cameras had snapped didn’t show the buck in the area. That could mean only one thing: Zach looked at his wife and said: “Tomorrow is the day.”
The following morning was Nov. 17, and true to habit, Zach once again picked his way through the darkness and strapped himself safely into a tree stand. Sitting silently in the pre-dawn darkness, he could hear the occasional sounds of running deer. Once it became light enough to see, Zach watched as a young buck dogged a doe through the plot and past his stand. He watched until the two disappeared into the dense cover of the Cedars.
About mid-morning, the same doe from earlier came trotting through the plot, being harassed by the same yearling buck. As Zach watched the two deer lope past his stand, he noticed the nose of a deer stick out from the ceders at the edge of the plot.
It was him! Houdini was making his appearance! The buck entered the plot while on a fast walk, following the other two deer. Zach, having no time to think, sprang into action and took his shot at the buck.
An hour later, he stood on the ground wondering if the arrow had even hit the deer. He found no evidence of a hit. No blood. No hair. No arrow. Had Houdini burned him again?
Zach was feeling sick over what he wasn’t able to find. As he stood there wondering if he would keep his stomach down, he noticed another yearling buck standing on the next ridge. Zach also noticed the buck was sniffing something on the ground. Deciding to take a closer look, Zach had yet to walk 20 yards when he came across a heavy blood trail leading up the ridge. He spotted antlers the moment he crested the ridge. Just 12 yards before him lay the infamous Houdini, the buck of his dreams!
“I’ll admit, I started crying like a baby,” says Zach. “It just came out. This was the longest time I have ever spent hunting a deer. Over the past couple of years, I’ve built a relationship with Houdini. I had tears of happiness and tears of sadness. Then I called my wife and cried some more. I immediately noticed that the path the buck had taken up the ridge was entirely in view of my stand, yet I didn’t see the buck run over to or up that ridge.” Again, the buck lived up to his name.
Naturally, Zach called Nathan and shared the joyful news. The two agreed that the antlers and cape needed to go to Colorado, so Nathan could create a personal dream mount of the deer. And that’s where Houdini pulled his final disappearing act . . .
Zach drove from Kansas to Colorado to visit Nathan Bielz, his taxidermist buddy mentioned earlier, in late June 2024. Part of the reason for Zach to make the trip was to pick up a couple of other mounts Nathan had finished for him. Zach also saw a mock-up of the mount Nathan was preparing for Houdini with the antlers firmly attached to the form used with the mount. Although un-caped, the antlers still looked spectacular when mounted on the bare form.
The two friends shared memories of the buck and talked about its features and character, such as its drop tines and unique color. They talked about how unique and rare an animal it was. They measured the antlers unofficially at 211 2/8 inches gross. They planned to have the buck officially scored at an upcoming sports show.
Even after his death, the great buck, Houdini, found a way to disappear. As Zach Rolfe put it: “He escapes me again!” This time forever. (Photo courtesy of Zach Rolfe) Three days after Zach returned to his home in Kansas, he received a phone call from a highly distraught and emotional Nathan. Nathan’s taxidermy shop had caught fire overnight and had burned to the ground, consuming and destroying everything within. All the mounts, all the equipment, and all the antlers, including those of Houdini, were reduced to nothing more than ashes.
“I’m numb and don’t even know how to react or what to say about it. I’m still processing it all. I hope to recreate the antlers, but even that will be tough without a scoresheet. Right now, all I have to hold on to are the memories, the pictures, and this story,” says Zach.
Even after his death, the great buck, Houdini, found a way to disappear. As Zach Rolfe put it: “He escapes me again!”
This time forever.