Kelly Doyl, or east-central Iowa, shot this great buck during early muzzleloader season in 2010.  At 244 6/8 inches, it was the biggest buck killed in Iowa last season and likely was just 4 1/2 years old.

In the most recent episode, I introduced you to a buck shot last season by Kelly Doyl.  It is an extraordinary buck that deserves attention, but the thing that jumped out at me from Kelly's interview was the fact that his taxidermist thinks the buck was just 4 1/2 years old when Kelly shot the buck during the 2010 early muzzleloader season.  The taxidermist compared the buck's teeth to wear charts to determine the buck's age. Even though the buck grossed 249+ and netted 244 6/8 inches, he could well have been just 4 1/2 years old.  Some people told Kelly that it was not possible for a buck to get that big in four years.  Well, I beg to differ - it is possible.  I won't say for sure that the buck was 4 1/2 when Kelly shot it - but I know for a fact that it is possible.  In this blog I am going to dive into the subject of how just how much a buck can grow, by telling you about another buck that I knew to be 4 1/2 when he died.  That buck gross scored almost exactly the same amount as Kelly's buck.

This is the impressive right side view of Kelly Doyl's buck.  Notice all the points!

In the episode, Kelly shows off the sheds from the buck that were found the previous winter.  He didn't tell me the score of the sheds, but I would put them in the upper 180s to lower 190s giving the buck the tines he had broken off and accounting for the narrow spread.  That means that Kelly's buck grew nearly 60 gross inches from 2009 to 2010.  Is that possible?  Absolutely. 

I know of a buck that for sure grew at least 80 gross inches in a single year.  In fact, I hunted him back in 1999 before he made the big jump.  To be more accurate, I actually passed him up that year.  I would have hunted him in 2000, when he was a giant, but I didn't draw the tag.  Next, I will tell you about that incredible deer.

80 INCHES BIGGER!

Now we are getting to the story of the buck that Larry Zach shot during the 2000 season.  For a short time, it was the unrecognized state record archery non-typical in Iowa with a score of 237 3/8 inches and grossed in the mid 240s.  The buck had actually broken off a five to six inch point by the time that Larry shot the deer so it would have likely grossed around 250 inches - just like Kelly's buck.  This was a well-documented deer.  In fact, Larry started to hunt the buck the minute he first saw him in late June on a soybean field.  At first with camera and then with bow - but now we are getting ahead of the story.  First, I am going to back up to the 1999 season when I first saw the buck.

This is what Zach's buck looked like in 1999 when I passed him up three times at close range.  I had no idea he would grow as much as he did!

I was hunting a stand on a long ridge, a bedding area where I had enjoyed lots of action over the years, when I first saw the buck walking toward me.  I still remember everything about the encounter.  I grabbed my bow off the tree step I used for a hanger and snapped my release on the string, but as the buck got closer, I started to see the small size of his face, his long-legged look and the narrow waist, all typical indicators of a young buck.  Finally, I decided not to shoot.  I guessed he might have grossed around 170 inches.  Even though he was the biggest buck I had seen all season, and likely would see, he was young.  I remember thinking, "If I am ever going to shoot a 190-inch buck, I need to let this one go so he can grow to that size."  I had no idea how much bigger he would actually get.  That buck came past my stand two more times that season.  Each time I saw him I quickly grabbed the bow before recognizing him.  I had to literally stick my hands in my pockets as he approached or else I would have been tempted to shoot the buck.

There were a couple of other guys hunting the same farm that had seen him, and wanted to shoot him, but fortunately, they weren't able to get him close enough.  The great young buck with all the genetic potential made it through for another season.

That brings us to the 2000 season, when wildlife artist Larry Zach began hunting the buck.  I had moved out of state and no longer could hunt Iowa as a resident.  I didn't draw the tag and never had the chance to hunt the buck.  I was bummed when Larry started to e-mail me pictures of the giant buck.

This is the what the buck looked like through Larry's spotting scope during mid-summer 2000.  It is clear that it is the same buck given the frame and extra tines inside the main beams, but he really exploded in tine length.  Also, it is clear from the photo that this was still not an old buck!

Larry started filming the buck on the fields in mid-summer and connected with him at least every few days until the deer stopped coming out to the soybeans.  You can see some of the footage of the buck both in summer 2000 and in October of 1999 by visiting YouTube and watching Larry's video there.

His plan included hunting the buck from a ground blind on the edge of the soybeans and from a tree stand back on the ridge not too far from where I had seen him the year before.

Larry would hunt the buck exclusively in these two locations (and a few other stands in the general area) until November 10, at which time he would start hunting other bucks too if he had not seen this one yet.  Well, the buck was a traveler - a visible deer.  He had been quite visible on that ridge the year before and that behavior didn't change.  In late October, Larry shot him over a scrape out on the ridge, not more than 100 yards from where I saw him the year before. 

OK, great job Larry.  But here is where it gets interesting. The buck had broken off one of the inside points yet he still scored 245 inches gross and netted 237 3/8 inches.  With the point intact, he would have grossed over 250 inches.  That means the buck added roughly 80 inches of gross antler in one year - from age 3 to age 4

Larry Zach with the giant non-typical he killed in late October 2000.  The buck grew roughly 80 gross inches in one year!

The point of this blog is this: it is possible for some bucks to grow a tremendous amount, and reach a giant antler score by age 4 1/2 years.  Do I believe that Kelly Doyl's buck could have been just 4 1/2?  It is absolutely possible!