Chasing Ghosts

Deciding to only hunt one particular buck takes a lot of dedication and persistence. My friend, Greg Sims, is no stranger when it comes to hunting and killing big deer. He has taken many trophy class bucks all across the country and is currently one of the Buckmen for Buck Commander. Passing on younger bucks and only hunting the mature deer is one of the keys to killing a trophy animal. Hunting a certain buck can really test one’s patience, but Greg knows that by hunting hard and not giving up, the rewards can be immense.



“I first got a picture of this buck on Dec 15th 2010. I set up a north and a south wind stand and hunted him morning and afternoon for 8 straight days. I never saw him and never got another picture of him. I thought he might be dead. I put out 6 more cameras in the surrounding area and finally he showed up again. It had been 9 days since my last picture and this time he was in a different spot. Again, I hunted him REAL hard with no luck. He was like a ghost. (A good friend of mine was getting pictures of him nearly every night around midnight; on another property nearby....I did not know this until later.) After hunting him HARD the second time, I had almost given up. Once again, he was not showing up in front of any of my cameras."


“On Jan 20th, 2011, everything changed! I was running my cameras and getting all of my blinds set up for Jason Aldean to come hunting with me on the 22nd before his concert in Fayetteville. While checking the cameras, I found him! He had been in one of my spots until approximately 8 AM that morning. The wind was perfect for the spot but I had not even hung a stand here yet. I ran home, got my hunting clothes on, grabbed my bow, and headed back out to that spot. I climbed into a big brush pile that was about 30 yards south of the camera and immediately I started seeing deer. He was the 28th deer that came out. After about 5 minutes, he finally got to 35 yards. He turned broad side and I drilled him. He ran about 75 yards straight towards my truck and that was the end of a tough 6 week chase.”



Hunting a particular buck for a long period of time can prove to be a rollercoaster ride full of ups and downs. By staying focused and not giving up, Greg was able to cash in on this 178” late season giant. If you keep your goal in sight and by hunting hard and smart, you could end up with a buck of a lifetime.