Iowa bowhunter Jordan Schwarck found immediate success on a farm that he acquired in September — just before the 2024 hunting season had begun.
December 12, 2024
By Cam Coble
For Iowa bowhunter Jordan Schwarck, his 2024 season was one filled with chance, fate, and luck — all things deer hunters are used to dealing with. Jordan had done all the prep work on his farm in southern Iowa in anticipation of the upcoming season, but as the season drew closer he really didn’t have anything worthy to pursue.
In September, Jordan had the opportunity to pick up a new farm at the last minute before the season just down the road from his own. With the new farm on the back burner, Jordan had been in contact with his good friend Kyle Marsolek. While Kyle didn’t draw a Iowa archery tag, he offered his farm to Jordan for hunting rights.
Grateful for the opportunity, Jordan jumped at the chance. Knowing there was a worthy buck on Kyle's farm, Jordan hunted hard to get an opportunity.
“I’d sat over 100 hours total up until November trying to get a crack at the buck," he said.
With his full-time job as a farmer, Jordan says he even parked his combine during the busy harvest time of the year to pursue the mega buck.
While hunting Kyle's farm, Jordan would leave and use his time durning the midday to place cameras and do a little scouting on the new farm he picked back up in September.
On October 29th, Schwarck got his first — and only — trail-cam photo of the giant buck! “I’d never stepped foot on it before, had any cameras or any food plots," he explained. "It was all new to me. On October 29th, I got pics of a buck I figured to be 180s or so."
Jordan said he was at a watering hole locked down with a doe, but it would be the only picture he’d get of the deer.
On the morning of November 2nd, Jordan was back at it to pursue a giant on his friends farm.
“I finally laid eyes on him that morning," Jordan said. "I watched him bed down at about 100 yards in a CRP field."
With the wind blowing right at the buck around 9 a.m., Jordan deiced to climb down and slip out the back where a friend picked him up on the road. The wind would continue to be wrong to hunt Kyle's farm, so Jordan thought he would give the newly-acquired farm a try.
After getting his stand set up around noon, Jordan settled in for the first time on the farm. His spot was situated between two bedding areas next to a cut corn field. Around 1:30 p.m., a neighbor came driving his loud truck across the fence in his field no more than 100 yards away to check a trail camera.
The stunning buck grossed an impressive 198 inches, despite eight inches being broken off. It featured a 183-inch gross typical frame. “I figured my hunt was over," Jordan said. "It was raining and pretty miserable out, but I decided to stay anyway.
As evening approached, deer began to filter in by coming from an adjacent CRP field. Finally, the big buck Jordan had gotten the one picture of back in late October appeared. The giant buck seemed to stop at every tree to rub and scrape.
“I watched him do this for nearly a half hour," Jordan said.
The buck finally made his way to Jordan’s stand, where the bowhunter made a great 46-yard shot to anchor the buck.
"I didn’t realize how big he was until I got up to him," he said. "Shocked would be an understatement. His mass and frame was more than I expected."
With great mass and both main beams just over 29-inch mark, the buck — which featured a 183-inch gross typical frame — grossed an impressive 198 inches total despite eight inches being broken off!
