The Hunt for the Jameson Buck, a 250-Inch Legend That Lived in an Old Strip Mine

This story, “Ghost Buck,” appeared within the November 1991 concern of Out of doors Life. The Bruce Jameson buck finally scored 248 1/8 inches after deductions, based on Boone and Crockett. Though it was one of many top-scoring archery bucks of all time when it was killed, it’s listed because the fifteenth largest nontypical ever taken in Kansas. Although the story mentions Pope and Younger, Jameson’s identify isn’t listed amongst its data. The rack is now owned by Bass Professional Retailers.

The large whitetail moved steadily, head lowered, nosing a course by a lunarlike panorama of earth mounds, darkish puddles and hair-thick brush. Strip mining had turned the realm uncooked and made looking supremely tough. But this large of a buck moved on. One thing compelled him, an urge maybe. It was mid-November, the height of the rut.

Then abruptly the buck froze, as if gripped by an previous intuition for warning. From atop an increase, he surveyed the realm.

To bowhunter Bruce Jameson, who knelt in opposition to the bottom of a cottonwood 50 yards away, it was now clear that the entire hypothesis concerning the buck had been true. One way or the other the a whole lot of hunters earlier than him who had didn’t get a detailed have a look at this ghost buck had emerged with an correct image — maybe as a result of it was practically unattainable to magnify in describing the animal. Every thing concerning the buck was huge. His lengthy, heavy physique appeared to soften right into a neck that was a barrel of stable muscle from supporting his towering, forearm-thick antlers. The bowhunter clutched his compound Pearson Spoiler and noticed his knuckles flip a splotchy white.

This buck, so well-known however seldom seen, had drawn Jameson into the woods 20 of the previous 21 mornings. He had been taunted by a mix of an excessive amount of distance and brush. Day after day, there had been no clear shot. Nonetheless, the bowhunter felt a type of jubila­tion as he watched the world-class whitetail decrease his head and fade into the comb. In any case, he had simply achieved one thing no different hunter had — he had seen the ghost buck whereas looking.

On the time, the partitions of Jameson’s Pittsburg, Kan­sas, bowhunting and taxidermy store had been lined with big-game mounts. Most had been whitetail bucks of envi­ready measurement. Nonetheless, to a mount, they had been overshadowed by one buck specifically, which, as soon as seen, immediately took your eyes away from the remainder. Hunters had come from all elements of southeastern Kansas to marvel at this large non-typical buck. His most important beams had been practically as thick as a softball the place they rose from the mount, and so they thickened as they climbed right into a crown of spike­ like factors. When displayed at a trophy deer present, folks had crowded round, labeling it probably the most im­pressive non-typical to come back from a state that’s been dominating the report books for a quarter-century.

Equally provocative was the truth that the deer was nonetheless within the wild. The show cape was that of one other buck. The gargantuan antlers had been discovered after the ghost buck had shed them the earlier winter. It wasn’t the primary time, both.

Deer hunters round city obtained their first trace of an distinctive horned buck when John Jameson, Bruce’s father, occurred upon a shed antler throughout a 1987 bowhunt. Although bleached from the solar and pocked by rodents, there was no mistaking that it got here from a trophy buck. The only antler was unusually huge and sported eight factors.

Native hunters had been stunned that nobody had ever seen the buck that carried it. Many speculated that the beast had already died a pure dying. The next spring although, Jameson’s nephew, Doug Kratz, found that the ghost was nonetheless of their presence when he occurred throughout a large, freshly shed antler. A couple of weeks later the opposite facet, a watch­ opening set, additionally turned up. Collectively the 2 antlers carried a complete of twenty-two factors.

The presence of the large buck within the Pittsburg space was significantly thrilling to the Jamesons. Bruce Jameson is one in every of 10 youngsters who grew up looking and fishing with their father. In truth, the entire Jamesons, together with their father, nonetheless bow hunt collectively commonly. But, the Jameson’s residence vary, southeastern Kansas, is the one space of the state not recognized for producing distinctive whitetail racks. Searching stress is excessive and the habitat honest at greatest for producing large bucks.

Like scores of different hunters, Jameson deliberate on looking the ghost buck exhausting through the 1988 season, however his new taxidermy and bowhunting store was gaining reputation with native hunters. He couldn’t get away.

Jameson was decided, nevertheless, to maintain his ears open whereas he manned his Primary Road store. The progressing season began out as a repeat of the previous: no sightings, and no indicators of an enormous whitetail — no large tracks, huge rubs or large scrapes. Nonetheless, the attraction of this buck, and his mystique, appeared to construct with every passing week.

There most likely isn’t a deer camp or small looking city in America that doesn’t have a legendary buck — an animal so huge, so elu­sive, so remarked upon, that his picture is eternally related to one thing past the atypical. The ghost buck is an thought greater than a kind, and as such, it has a particular invincibil­ity. But Bruce Jameson was decided to vary that.

Luck helped. Quickly, Jameson’s good buddy Dennis Scales achieved one thing that immediately made him a neighborhood celeb — he glimpsed the ghost buck. It was nonetheless early within the morning when Stales noticed a doe and a small buck feeding throughout a discipline of milo stubble.

From his truck, Scales might simply watch because the unimpressive pair fed throughout the expanse of knee-high cowl. Then it occurred. Scales, an avid deer hunter, watched in surprise as the large non-typical rose from the scant cowl and hurried towards the little buck and doe. As quickly because the monster buck reached the doe he in­stantly flattened out, completely out of sight in what seemed like open cowl. It was a ritual that Scales witnessed 3 times earlier than the passing of a distant pickup truck spooked the large whitetail into the woods. Nobody else noticed the well-known buck through the gun or bow season.

Those that’ve pushed the southeastern Kansas space can perceive the amazement sur­rounding the notion of a large buck in flatlands nation. With a determined absence of wilder­ ness, each mile of land is evenly gridded by gravel roads which might be typically traveled by small­ sport hunters and fishermen, farmers and com­muters.

Regardless of Scales’ sighting, and the invention of one other large shed antler, Jameson was not inspired. “My coronary heart would begin pounding after I would lookup and consider myself in a tree with him coming down the path,” he mused. “However I knew it was going to be robust to choose one buck, a buck that you realize is a minimum of 5 1/2 years previous, in an space with heavy stress and heavy cowl. I additionally knew that I’d hunted this space all of my life and by no means seen the buck. I couldn’t assist however sometimes surprise if he was nonetheless alive.”

One summer time night, Jameson came upon. “I do fairly a little bit of wanting in August,” he stated. “The bucks shall be hanging collectively, and since they haven’t been pressured you may typically catch them popping out to feed within the evenings.”

Together with a cousin, Bruce drove to a soybean discipline in his looking space. Most sum­mertime bucks are calm and tolerant of distant automobiles, however one buck specifically melted into the close by woods when Jameson was nonetheless 150 yards away. That was shut sufficient.

“I didn’t want binoculars to comprehend it was him,” Jameson recalled. “I used to be in a state of awe. I simply turned to my cousin and stated, ‘You don’t have any thought what you simply noticed — he’s among the finest within the state, most likely among the finest within the nation.’ It was good to know that I’d a minimum of get an opportunity to hunt him.”

Jameson additionally knew that he wouldn’t be alone in his quest. The lad who’d discovered the latest sheds had disclosed the buck’s location. Going into the season a few dozen bowhunters had sworn to carry out for this buck, which appeared now extra flesh than ghost. Within the weeks earlier than the opening of deer season, a steady cloud of mud hung over the grime roads as hunters and non-hunters alike cruised alongside, hoping for a glimpse of the legendary buck. Then on October 1, bowhunters swarmed into the woods, however once more it was as if the buck had turned to mist.

In the meantime, Jameson bided his time, hop­ing the upcoming rut would draw the buck out. Although Jameson had a good suggestion the place the deer lived, he couldn’t get permission to enter the property. As an alternative, he arrange 1 1/2 miles away and waited.

“I figured that after the rut began he’d begin masking extra floor,” Jameson rea­soned. “Even then I knew he’d be robust be­ explanation for the terrain.”

Deer looking on this a part of Kansas may be, properly, the pits. That is coal nation. In earlier many years large chunks of floor had been clawed open to get at coal deposits. The strip-mined areas appear to be moon floor.

Piles of grime from eight to 30 toes excessive lay interspaced with water-filled pits. The place there may be grime there may be dense brush. The jungle — and swamplike strip pits provide among the most tough looking within the nation.

Jameson spent his first week in a tree on the fringe of “the pits” close to a slough that will provide the buck the simplest and most direct route by the realm. He noticed solely a small buck and a few fawns.

Pissed off, he moved to an space that held a small inexperienced wheat discipline and a scattering of hedge timber. Although he sighted and handed up a lot of lesser bucks, there was no signal of the ghost buck. The unseasonably heat and dry climate that ushered within the November rut­ — hunters within the space noticed extra mosquitoes than snowflakes — additional tilted the chances in opposition to Jameson.

Lastly, Jameson obtained a a lot wanted break within the type of a lightweight bathe, which might permit him to choose up tracks. He began slowly touring the again roads.

“We frequently search for what we name ‘shortcut’ trails within the mud on the shoulders of roads,” Jameson defined. “They’re mainly trails that large bucks use to cowl a variety of floor and to get from part to part with out being seen.”

The veteran hunter noticed that these shortcut trails appear to be utilized solely by large bucks, seldom by does or lesser bucks. “You’ll normally solely discover the tracks of 1 or two bucks,” Jameson added. “We examine the street edges as a result of the paths are robust to see or comply with within the woods, they get used so little.”

A couple of years earlier, in simply such a spot, one in every of his brothers had arrowed a trophy with a Boone and Crockett Membership non-typical rating in extra of 200 factors.

Jameson quickly discovered tracks coming and going from the part he’d hunted earlier within the season. There have been two units of buck tracks: one large, the opposite much less so. Expertise advised the hunter that the bigger set most likely belonged to a dark-racked buck he’d seen and handed up close to the wheat discipline.

However what concerning the different tracks? They weren’t overly spectacular, and he couldn’t keep in mind seeing them earlier than. But it surely was their location, not their measurement, that excited Jameson. It was a chief spot for an previous, cautious buck to journey. “Possibly,” he thought, “simply possibly …”

Fired by a hunch, Jameson took a uncommon morning off from his treestand vigil and deliberate to maneuver from his wheat discipline location to the slough on the fringe of the pits the place he’d first began.

However he by no means obtained there.

Jameson had simply began the stroll into the slough when one thing caught his eye. “I seemed throughout the sector and there he was,” stated Jameson. “I might inform it was him no drawback. He had his nostril down bird-dogging it backwards and forwards. He was on the lookout for a doe.”

Jameson’s hunch was confirmed; the buck had gone proper by the slough the place he’d wished his stand. However somewhat than bemoan his dangerous timing, Jameson determined to make the perfect of the state of affairs as he watched the non-typical disappear into the timber.

“A variety of hunters make the error of seeing a giant buck after which not doing something about it,” famous Jameson. “We’ve taken sev­eral trophy-class bucks by swinging round and getting forward of them. Typically it really works, typically it doesn’t, however I figured it was value a attempt.”

The buck had been heading north, presumably towards the shortcut path Jameson had discovered a number of days earlier. The bowhunter wasted no time circling forward of the buck. He ran down the path that bisected the 2 sections, jumped a fence, and sprinted to the highest of one of many many grime mounds.

It was a guess — hoping the buck would cross 30 yards to his proper — but it surely was Jameson’s solely likelihood. Even when the buck got here his method he knew that the thick underbrush would make a shot subsequent to unattainable.

Jameson had been in place solely 5 min­utes when he caught motion. It was the ghost buck, passing at a gentle clip. The vary was too lengthy and the comb too thick. Jameson’s coronary heart was drumming in opposition to his rib cage. He tried to sneak a number of steps nearer. however he couldn’t get inside 50 yards.

Then, for causes unclear to the hunter. the whitetail abruptly stopped and raised his head. Within the subsequent second, he was gone. disappearing over the sting of a mound. Jameson discovered himself staring on the scene because it was simply minutes in the past — that’s, with out the ghost buck­ — and he felt a type of pleasurable disappointment. “It was a wierd feeling.” he remembered. “I’d truly found out the place he’d go, however I used to be additionally dissatisfied. You merely don’t get many possibilities at a deer like him. He positive had confirmed that over the previous a number of seasons. I had to wonder if I’d ever get one other likelihood.”

Feeling nearly electrified, Jameson waited a couple of minutes earlier than sneaking again rigorously to the spot the place he”d final seen the whitetail. No less than, he reasoned, he might get a have a look at the tracks and maybe determine as soon as once more the place the buck was heading.

When he noticed them, he immediately acknowledged the tracks — they had been the smaller set he’d seen on the shortcut path. Jameson walked within the path the buck had taken and paused on the high of the following mound, questioning why he hadn’t seen the deer cresting one of many sea of little ridges.

With out warning, there was a loud crash. Jameson twisted round and noticed the buck of his goals soar from a hiding place 35 yards away, staying to a course that saved distance between him and the bowhunter. Intuition took over. It appeared Jameson’s a whole lot of hours of indoor and out of doors taking pictures had by some means led him to this shot — he was prepared. “I drew, obtained forward of the buck, and when the time was proper, I launched the arrow with out truly fascinated about it.”

Jameson watched his Anderson 365 magazine­num broadhead enter the buck because the animal stepped by a tiny clearing. Mockingly. it was one of many uncommon events when this sharp­ taking pictures bowhunter had been uncertain of his arrow placement. He watched the buck pause briefly atop the following mound, then transfer out of sight as if not significantly wounded.

On the considered a foul hit on such an impressive animal, Jameson fell to his knees and was sick. Lengthy a person of deep conviction, he did what got here naturally in a time of disaster — he stated a fast prayer for the animal’s quick and humane dying. “I name upon God anytime I really feel I need assistance.” he stated. Then he thought to go get his father, who was ready close by.

An hour later Jameson, his father, John, and his brother Richard had been again within the space. The trio quietly surveyed the scene of the shot. There was blood. They quickly discovered the arrow. but it surely was floating in a close-by pit of water, wave-cleansed of any tissue or hair.

After deciding the path seemed good, the trio inched within the path the ghost buck had taken. They noticed that the buck had stopped and altered instructions. The daddy and sons discovered the large whitetail on the high of the following dump­ — barely 70 yards away from the place it had been hit. Clearly, the ghost buck had succumbed inside a matter of some seconds.

“When he noticed the deer,” Jameson re­referred to as of his father, “tears got here to his eyes and he hugged me across the neck. He’s at all times had an amazing sense of delight in every of his six sons and our accomplishments. I’ll always remember it.”

What is going to eternally be generally known as the “Jameson buck” will go down as one of the crucial impres­sive whitetail bucks of all time. The mass of the rack was nearly indescribable and, together with the cranium plate, weighed an eye-opening 12 kilos.

After the 60-day drying interval, the mam­moth rack scored 253 6/8 Pope and Younger Membership factors — the tally could properly go increased when scored by the membership’s official panel. Because it stands, the “Jameson buck” is the third largest non­ typical whitetail arrowed in historical past.

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A detailed have a look at the ghost buck revealed how he had lived nearly undetected by sportsmen for years. Although he field-dressed at 243 kilos, his toes sported surprisingly small hoofs. Jameson additionally theorized that the jungle of factors on the buck’s rack could have saved him from rubbing on large timber.  “While you actually begin wanting on the rack you understand that he couldn’t rub all of his velvet on a giant tree,” stated the hunter. “He most likely needed to depend on small timber or possibly even brush. It’s potential we noticed his rubs and simply dismissed them as these of a small buck.”