Larry Heavner’s clean 4-x4 typical whitetail scored 167 2/8. Photo courtesy of Kenn Young.

I’ve been doing the Arkansas Big-Buck Round-Up for Arkansas Sportsman for quite a few years now. It’s an enjoyable piece, mostly because it allows me to meet some of the best people -- and some of the best hunters -- in the state of Arkansas. Top to bottom, that was certainly the case this year.

I also cannot recall a single year when big buck quality was higher than 2007-08. As of press time, there were seven Natural State bucks from last season that had been officially scored and were eligible for inclusion in the all-time record book of the Boone & Crockett Club. Even beyond those mega-deer, the 2007-2008 season produced many more impressive bucks. Let’s take a look at the “biggest of the big” from the Natural State!

RUGER ESTES’ RECORD-BOOK CROSSBOW BUCK
Twenty-year-old Ruger Estes of Russellville has the perfect name for an outdoorsman, and if last season was any indicator, he’s well on his way to living up to it.

“We had been watching this buck for months,” Estes told us when Erbie Earls green-scored his deer a few days after it was taken. “We had a game (camera) set up overlooking a corn pile on some private property we hunt over west of here, and we got dozens of pictures of him coming in about all times of the day and night.”

With that evidence in hand, Estes hunted on opening day in a ground blind he had set up close to the corn pile. He saw “dozens” of deer, including one really good buck with two drop tines, but the monster non-typical never showed.

“I had actually planned on hunting with a compound,” Estes said, “but when opening day arrived, I just didn’t feel really confident with it. So I took my crossbow those first two days.”

On Oct. 2, Estes hunted during the morning and again spotted quite a few deer moving to and from the corn pile, which was located along the edge of a large grown-over clearing. But the big buck didn’t show again, so that afternoon Estes was back in the blind.

“It was real hot and the mosquitoes were terrible,” he recalled, “but I knew that if I just waited long enough and could keep him from smelling me, the big buck would come in.”

Around 4:30 that afternoon, that’s exactly what happened. But the monster whitetail threw Estes a curve, coming in from the wrong direction.

“He was facing me as he fed on the corn,” Estes said. “For 15 to 20 minutes I sat there waiting for him to turn and give me a shot. Several times he looked right at me, but the wind was right and he never seemed worried.”

Finally, the 200-pounder turned and Estes lifted his Horton crossbow. He triggered the release as the buck paused about 20 yards away. Upon impact of the bolt, the monster whirled and ran about 40 yards before crashing to the ground.

Officially scored by Earls, the 24-point Pope County buck netted 196 5/8 points on the B&C non-typical scale. With 12 points on each side, the surprisingly symmetrical rack is the second-largest ever taken with a crossbow in this state, behind only Randal Harris’ long-time state record, and represents Pope County’s second Booner buck.

“A TRULY GREAT GUY”
Nice guys finish last: Leo Durocher’s caustic cynicism could not apply less aptly to 59-year-old Ron Harp: He’s definitely one of the nice guys.