After a gross score of 182 1/8 P&Y points, minor asymmetry deductions, plus two small sticker points, drop the final score only slightly to 176 3/8. In addition to ranking in the top 5 percent of all typical whitetails currently listed in the P&Y record book, the buck also qualifies for Boone and Crockett's (B&C) All-Time and Awards record books. Within Wayne County, the deer stands as the biggest bow kill ever recorded, and ranks 6th on the state's all-time list of P&Y typical whitetails.

GREG MEREDITH'S 'END-OF-SEASON' WALLHANGER
Less than a week remained of the 2005-06 late bow season, and Greg Meredith was still hoping to fill his buck tag with a trophy-class whitetail.

High aspirations, to say the least, especially considering the time of year! However, he had an ideal hunting location and knew that at least two big bucks were in the area.

"A buddy of mine and I have a hunting tract that borders the National Park in Edmonson County," Meredith said. "In August, we got several trail-camera photos of two big bucks near a 1-acre food plot that we maintain. Not surprisingly, all of the photos were taken at night. But we felt like there was a good chance of encountering the deer sometime during the season. Unfortunately, that didn't happen."

"When my partner announced that he was going to quit hunting at Christmas, I decided to give the area a rest for a couple of weeks and then make one last attempt at seeing one of the bucks. As it turned out, my plans got changed, and by the time I had a chance to go hunting, the season was nearly over."

The area's location was somewhat remote. In Meredith's opinion, the primary hunting problem was getting positioned in a stand before daybreak without jumping deer feeding in or around the food plot. Once disturbed, the deer usually didn't return. To compensate for this factor, he decided to try a somewhat unconventional approach to the situation.

"I left home a little before 1 a.m. in the morning, drove to within two miles of the location and walked the rest of the way on foot. Just as I reached the tree where my stand was located, I heard a couple of deer snort and run off through the woods. To say the least, I was disappointed, but I went ahead and climbed into the stand. Since it was only 3:30 a.m., I reasoned that there was still plenty of time before dawn for things to quiet down and the deer to return."

About two hours later, the hunter heard a deer running in the woods not far from his tree. Continuing to listen, he could hear the sounds of two or three other deer walking somewhere nearby.