The buck in this video is featured in the painting "Big Timber Bucks" by Larry Zach. See http://www.zachwildlifeart.com for more on this painting.

This video is composed of clips from video footage shot by Larry of his trophy deer and inspiration for the print "Big Timber Bucks." The video shows the buck during the fall of 1999 and during the summer of 2000 before it was harvested. Take care to notice the extreme increase in antler size during that one year.

The first print in Zach's Big Buck Series, Big City Bucks (see video of this buck on YouTube also), featured deer living in Des Moines, Iowa. This painting was followed by the second in the series, Big Timber Bucks. This print features three bucks that lived in a more typical setting — the heavy timber of southeast Iowa. Larry and his two children were lucky enough to harvest all three bucks with within a couple miles of each other during the hunting seasons of 1999 and 2000.

On November 5, 1999, Larry and his 17 year-old son, Chris were in a shingle oak overlooking a secluded clover patch on their southeast Iowa farm. That morning, Chris filled his antlerless tag with a mature doe. Evening found them in the same tree, Larry with video camera, Chris with bow and arrow and a statewide archery tag to fill. Another doe came in to feed, this time followed by a mature, 5½ year-old buck! Slowly the pair fed into the clover patch and into a shooting lane. Chris made an excellent shot when the big non-typical finally turned broadside at 25 yards. Chris' excitement and pride was surpassed only by his dad's.

October 18, 2000, Larry was in the same tree, this time with his 14 year-old daughter April. It was early muzzleloader season and one of only two evenings they would be able to hunt that season. Larry and his daughter, April A little after sunset a beautiful non-typical moved into the clover patch to feed as Larry again captured the action on video. After several tense minutes of waiting for the right angle, April made a great shot and harvested her first buck which grossed 171 4/8 and netted 161 4/8.

Each year Larry spends a great deal of time studying wildlife and much of that time is spent with whitetail deer. During the summer of 2000 one of the bucks Larry captured on tape was an enormous non-typical. Later, while studying old tapes, he realized he had captured the same buck in the same field in October 1999. The most amazing thing was that the buck had gone from a 170+ non-typical to a 240+ non-typical in one year! This growth can be seen in this video.

On October 26, Larry was lucky enough to harvest the huge buck. Larry's big non-typical netted 237 3/8 with 51 2/8 inches of non-typical points. Its 10-point typical frame grossed 188 0/8 and netted 186 1/8. Unfortunately, it had already lost a 5-6 inch non-typical tine.

Records are made to be broken and that certainly has been the case with the number one, Pope & Young, non-typical in Iowa. In 1993, the buck in the background of Zach's Old Rivals II, the Hobart buck (229 5/8 P&Y), took state record status. In 1994, the Clarken buck (231 7/8 P&Y) in the foreground of Old Rivals III became the new number one. Seven years later, on October 26, 2001, Larry shot his prize buck (237 3/8 P&Y). Its time atop the standings was short-lived, however. Larry and non-typical buck A few days later, on November 3, 2000, Dave Gordon shot a new record (240 4/8 P&Y), yet again surpassing the record.

Many magazine articles have been written describing Larry's hunt, and they, along with articles about Larry's artwork, can be found for reading at www.zachwildlifeart.com.

The buck and the original painting are usually on display at Zach Wildlife Art Gallery in Ankeny.

Harvesting does is an important part of maintaining a balanced and healthy herd. Like the rest of the family, Larry's wife, Marcia, has taken several does over the years. Putting a doe in the background of the painting adds to the story and gives everyone in the Zach family a deer in Big Timber Bucks.

A set of massive, non-typical, sheds were found by a turkey hunter in southeast Iowa in April of 2001. One of the sheds can be found in the background of Big Timber Bucks and gives a clue to the main subject of the third and final print in Zach's Big Buck Series, Big Country Bucks.