Going into the 2024 season, Hunter Wesberry decided that he needed to focus on scouting much more than he had before. It paid off during Oklahoma's opening day when he got the opportunity to put a tag on his target buck — a 199 2/8-inch giant!
October 28, 2024
By Dean Weimer
Southern Oklahoma bowhunter Hunter Wesberry decided in early 2024 that he was going to dedicate more of his off-season to scouting hard and trying to locate two things: a mature buck to hunt, and the ideal spot in which to try to take him. This would prove to be extra important as the 22-year-old had acquired a new lease earlier in the year. He wasted little time once he got out of college at Randall University in Moore, Oklahoma — where he played baseball — in May.
“I scouted 24/7, walking miles and miles through mesquite and black locust trees trying to find where I wanted to set up," he said. "Finally I came to a spot where a small drainage creek ran through a bit of hardwoods, just 80 yards from a small pond. I had a gut feeling about this spot. I ended up setting up my camera there, and not long after got my first pictures of a deer that I knew would be a stud”.
As they often do, the big buck disappeared for awhile once the heat of summer kicked in during July. As luck would have it, however, the heavy-antlered brute returned on the last day of July, and had absolutely exploded in the antler-growth department. He then began to show up daily on Wesberry’s trail camera. It was at this time that he decided to call the buck “Cactus” because of all the points he had.
Although he hadn’t yet filled out all of tis tine-growth at that point in time, it was clear that the buck would have plenty of them. It also became clear that the buck was now spending a great deal of his time in that particular area. Hunter paid close attention to his bed-to-feed-pattern, attempting to decipher the puzzle of how to potentially intercept the heavy buck.
“Cactus began daylighting almost right away in the first week of August," Wesberry said. "From then on he was showing up everyday, 3-4 times in daylight. I found his bedding area, and the main trail he was using. I was waiting for him to disappear, but he just never did."
After not appearing on trail cameras through most of July, "Cactus" returned on the final day of the month. Wesberry spent a lot of time studying moon phases, wind patterns, and he paid attention to the daily barometer in the lead up to the October 1st bow opener. He’d compiled all of this intel and realized he’d need a particular wind — one out of the northeast — to pull off the improbable. He continuously checked the HuntStand app to see the predicted weather for opening day, and as it rolled around everything seemed ideal.
“I got off work at midnight on opening day and went home to sleep for about 3 hours," Wesberry said. "I got in the stand at 4:45 — 3 hours before legal light — and was already shaking from excitement. I’d said a hundred prayers, and something just told me it was going to happen."
He continued, “I already had deer moving at 5 AM, but as the sun came up at 6:45, my No. 2 buck — a 5x4 140-class typical with a long curly brow-tine nicknamed Captain Hook — was standing 15 yards broadside, but I was determined to wait for Cactus."
Just a few minutes later he saw his running buddy — nicknamed High 8 (a tall, heavy, old 8-point that Hunter hoped his girlfriend, Bailey, would get to shoot) come walking in.
"I said under my breath ‘here we go boys. Lord please let my arrow fly true’,” Wesberry recalled.
A mainframe 5x5, Wesberry's buck features 14 extra tines that add 46 ? inches of non-typical growth. He knew in his heart who was most likely lagging behind the buck. It was 7:04 AM when Cactus strutted around the corner and moved into 26 yards. After saying another quick mental prayer, he released his arrow. An affirming “Schwack!” is what Hunter heard immediately afterward.
The big Sooner State brute only made it 60 yards after the hit. He called his father, Boomer, first. A call to Bailey followed, and good friend — Gunner Phillips — came immediately to help with the recovery and a photo session.
The buck sports a tight 16 ⅛-inch inside spread on a solid 5x5 heavy-racked mainframe, and it has 14 extra tines that add 46 ⅝ inches of non-typical growth. An unofficial net green score came in at 199 2/8 inches.
"I’m still speechless," Westberry said of the experience. "I’ve been an avid whitetail hunter for as long as I can remember. I’ve spent hours upon hours studying deer movement and watching videos on how to improve in everything. I’ve been blessed to hunt many different properties and have had some really good deer on camera, but have never had anything as consistent as this deer. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m so thankful that I serve a big God that is so gracious. Thank you, Jesus.”