Flint Hills buck could be an all-timer

Another great buck taken from Kansas this year. Man I hope we find something half of the size of these bucks!

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BY MICHAEL PEARCE
The Wichita Eagle

Jamie Farr could tell a big buck was heading his way Oct. 22.

Fortunately, the Junction City hunter didn't know how big.

As soon as he saw long tines on one antler he decided, "That's the one I'm going to shoot this year. I just focused on my shooting lane. I didn't want to get buck fever."

The whitetail he shot a few minutes later will probably score high enough to be one of the top bow-killed typicals in Kansas history.

Farr was hunting where two deep Flint Hills canyons met near a feeding area. Things didn't start well that afternoon.

"When walking to the stand, I scared up two does and a fawn and they made a lot of noise," he said. "I figured the hunt was over, but the wind was so perfect I went ahead and hunted."

He watched a flock of turkeys fly up to roost not far away, and listened to the ruckus they made when something spooked them.

He almost headed for his truck, figuring nothing would come with all the noise. He was also getting chilled in the wind, low temperatures and moist air.

Looking to his left, he saw movement coming through a stand of oaks.

Soon he saw the antlers and diverted his gaze.

"They say that once you decide you want to take an animal you shouldn't look right at it so you don't get buck fever," Farr said. "I saw enough that I wanted him."

The buck eventually worked to within 30 yards and started eating acorns.

Farr wasted no time making a good shot.

"When he turned to run away, I realized the rack was very big, very nice," he said.

The buck fell about 45 yards away. Farr was amazed at what he found when he walked to it.

"He was an absolute monster," he said. "I knew I'd shot the biggest deer of my life."

His previous best was a respectable bow-killed 10-pointer that netted 167 inches.

This buck carried 11 main-frame tines and an extra point on each browtine.

The buck had tines to more than a foot in length, main beams to 29 inches and an inside spread of more than 24 inches.

Later, the buck was unofficially scored at 208 gross points. It's expected to net about 188 typical points when the mandatory 60-day drying period is over. It could also score about 203 non-typical inches, though the typical score will probably rank it higher in Kansas.

According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the archery state record is a 193 7/8 buck shot in Wabaunsee County in 2001. The fifth-best scored 188 5/8 and was shot in Pottawatomie County in 1998.

Having too many points is keeping Farr's buck from scoring higher.

Pope & Young rates racks on symmetry and perfection. The extra points on the browtines deduct from the total score.

"If he didn't have those splits on the browtines, he'd net 195 and be the new state record, But those add character to him," Farr said. "I'll keep hunting and hoping for something bigger and better. I realize that's a pretty big dream."