With 44 inches of abnormal points, Kyle’s buck is an impressive Arkansas non-typical. Photo courtesy of Kyle Woodruff
May 24, 2023
By Clifford Neames
A minor setback just before opening day of the 2022 archery season led Kyle Woodruff to his biggest buck ever. He and his brother, Patrick, had planned to hunt a large tract in Northwest Arkansas; and Kyle hoped he’d put his tag on a really nice 12-point that he had located there.
However, a trail camera picture he received the night before his first hunt changed everything. The target deer had broken off one of his G2s, leaving Kyle scrambling.
With no real backup plan, he decided to miss opening day, spending it with his family instead. The two brothers have a much smaller place where they can also hunt. So, Kyle opted to go there the next morning. “I was really just going to see what might show up,” Kyle explains.
On the way into this other spot, Kyle got a real surprise. While walking through deep weeds, he startled a skunk and somehow avoided getting sprayed. “That was the beginning of my good luck that morning,” Kyle says.
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After altering his route, Kyle climbed into a ladder stand up on a ridge. The whole area was filled with white oaks and the acorns were raining down. So far, so good! Forty-five minutes later, his good luck continued. Kyle spotted a buck moving his way.
“It only took one glance, and I knew this was one I would shoot,” Kyle says. “I put the binoculars down and grabbed my crossbow!” The huge buck made it to 20 yards quickly, and he shot forward as the bolt passed through his chest, crashing in sight of the stand.
“I could see the bolt laying on the ground, and the giant rack just a few yards away,” Kyle adds. “Then, I knew it was really big!”
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After some calls, Kyle loaded the deer and headed to the skinning rack, where he was joined by his family. A photo session began as he recounted his story. Later that evening, Kyle sent his cousin pictures and told him about the hunt. The cousin passed them along, and things took an unusual turn.
The next morning, Kyle found a text on his phone from a number that he did not recognize. The text had arrived at 11:00 p.m. the night before. The sender was convinced that he had shot the buck on opening day and had not been able to recover it.
“I wasn’t sure how he even knew about the buck,” Kyle explains. “But I had noticed a gouge in its back, so I decided to hear his story.”
Kyle Woodruff’s original target buck had broken off some antler just prior to Arkansas’ archery season opening. The change of plans led to Kyle arrowing this 202-inch Arkansas buck. Photo courtesy of Kyle Woodruff After reaching out to the mystery texter, Kyle offered to meet him for lunch to clear the air. The other hunter had shot the deer on opening day, over a mile away from where Kyle’s hunt had occurred. But the hit was too high. The hunter called in tracking dogs, but they didn’t recover the buck.
“Once I showed him my pictures, we shared stories about the buck,” Kyle says. “His bad luck sure led to mine!”
The mainframe 10-point sports an amazing 44 inches of non-typical points, pushing the tape to 202 3/8 inches. An incredible deer and a great story!
