If you don't think West Michigan has any big bucks wait until you see this giant that was bagged with a bow. It's a beast and a potential record setting buck for the area.

The Pursuit of the Big Buck

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There are some people who go hunting, sit in the woods, and out of nowhere a giant whitetail buck appears and they bag a record buck. Most of the time, that is not how records are broke.

👇BELOW: Michigan's 2024 Calendar Year Deer Harvest👇

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Most people who bag a giant do a lot of hard work from scouting, food plots, practicing their shots, and most importantly, knowing when to pass on a buck. This next buck I'm going to show is a prime example of how to harvest a giant buck.

Read More: Hunters: Get Those Turkey Permits and Hunting Tip s Here

Possible Record Setting Buck Harvested in West Michigan

Russ Papke Facebook Page
Russ Papke Facebook Page
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Now that is a giant buck that was harvested in Kent County on November 6th that was taken during archery season by Russ Papke.

Russ Papke Facebook Page
Russ Papke Facebook Page
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Papke and his father-in-law have been passing on small bucks allowing them to grow. The have put in some food plots to increase their chances of seeing more deer. Papke practices with his bow often so his shot is spot on. The two have used trail camera's which are a huge help in monitoring the deer in your area.

Russ Papke Facebook Page
Russ Papke Facebook Page
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If you want some venison, shoot a doe, if you want a big buck you have to let the small ones go by and these pictures are proof.

Russ Papke Facebook Page
Russ Papke Facebook Page
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According to Woods-N-Water News, Papke arrowed the buck at 34 yards with a perfect shot. This beast only ran 30 yards. Papke had the taxidermist score the deer at 206.45 inches with a total of 23 points. If you want to go more in depth on how the actual hunt went down click the link above its a good story and offers a new technique you may want to try.

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It just goes to show if more Michigan hunters move away from the "If its brown it's down" or "it has horns" mentality this is the kind of deer you can harvest. My neighbor shot a monster this year that I passed on the last 2 years because he wasn't ready yet. It works.

Congrats Russ! That is a beast!

Michigan's 2024 Calendar Year Deer Harvest

Thanks to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) online reporting tool, here's an early county-by-county countdown/look at Michigan's 2024 license year whitetail deer harvest, beginning with the county with the fewest and building to Michigan's best county for whitetail in 2024.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

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Gallery Credit: Clay Moden

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