“Trish had explained the exact location where she had last seen the deer, so I headed there first. When coming over a hilltop, I spotted a big buck standing in a deep ditch on the east side of the road. I eased up slow and pulled off on the roadside, and grabbed my camera. By the time I turned around, the buck had disappeared.

“I wasn’t quite sure where he had gone,” Hanson continued, “so I drove further up the road and pulled over. There was an open pasture on top of the hill, so I crept up there to look around, but there was no sign of him anywhere. At that point, I figured I’d drive back the other way and take another look.

“I had no more than reached the same spot when I saw the buck on the opposite (west) side of the road. He was in a ditch and heading toward the timber. I quickly grabbed my camera and waited for him to step into a small opening. When he did, I snapped off several pictures before he disappeared.”

Gary spent several more evenings in the area hoping to see the deer again, but it simply wasn’t in the cards. However, when he learned that Paul Deaton had shot a big buck just a couple of miles away, he couldn’t help but wonder if it might not have been the same deer. Curiosity got the best of him, and he drove out to Paul’s for a look.

“The second I saw the buck there was no question in my mind that it was the same deer,” he said. “I told Paul that I’d taken photos of the deer from the roadside one evening in late October. A few weeks later I made copies of the photos and gave them to Paul.”

CONCLUSION
Paul took his trophy to Rick Whitaker Taxidermy in Knoxville, Iowa, to have it mounted. By early March it was complete -- just in time for the renowned Iowa Deer Classic in Des Moines. For the information of those who didn’t attend the Classic: Paul Deaton’s 27-point non-typical took first place in the shotgun division with an official Boone and Crockett score of 227 3/8. The Jasper County giant also took best of show at the Classic, a prestigious award given to the most impressive deer of all those entered. Greg Huffman presented Paul with the first-of-a-kind trophy, awarded in memory of his father, Larry Huffman, who passed away in February 2007. Not only was Larry the founder of the Classic, but he made the show what it is today as well: the greatest whitetail show on earth!

Paul had this to say in closing; “I’ve taken a couple of big deer over the years, but none compare to this one. I would like to thank my good friend, Jimmy Byal and his cousin, the landowner. Without them none of this would have been possible.”