A Ghost Story . . .

The best legacies tend to be a culmination of memories, experiences, and goals that are forever etched into the story of our lives. The legacy of Ghost started in 2017 and is no different.

The hot, humid dog days of a Missouri summer typically start our routine of preparing for the rapidly approaching mid-September start of Missouri’s archery deer season. We wade through the ticks, dodge the poison ivy, and put in our steps to strategically deploy our game cameras in the hopes of capturing a glimpse of a deer that can define a season and cause one to lay awake at night. We work to identify what deer are still on the farm, try to decipher their patterns, and sometimes create a new wallpaper for our computer screens.

In the summer of 2017, we were first introduced to a unique buck during the first few weeks of our trail cameras being out. We suspected the deer was a three-year-old but noticed he had a distinguishable rack of antlers and showed potential that he may be special. Initially, this buck proved to be quite predictable as he routinely showed up on multiple cameras. He made his appearances in the evenings normally, which aligned well with the hunting access in the area he was frequenting. As often is the case, the rut drew closer, and his patterns began to change. His appearances changed to being on the same cameras in the mornings. We were a little perplexed with the drastic change in timing and became increasingly more uncertain of his core area as he began to change his patterns.

As the cooler temperatures arrived in mid to late October, we were strategic with our efforts toward this deer. We wanted to lay eyes on him and did not want over aggression to push him off of the farm. Whether our presence caused him to relocate or his preference as to where he spent the rut changed, he disappeared with no other camera or in-person sightings in 2017. That was our first year with this deer and the year he earned the nickname “Ghost.”

The 2017 season came and went. We harvested deer, filled freezers, and enjoyed everything that we enjoy about deer season. With every sit in the stand, there was a glimmer of hope in the back of our minds that maybe Ghost would make a mistake, let us see him, and at least confirm he was still around. He never showed, and we never found his shed antlers during the spring of 2018. We spent the summer of that year wondering, waiting, and analyzing where in the world he could have gone.

To satisfy our curiosity, we put trail cameras out a little earlier in the summer of 2018. We were undoubtedly hoping that Ghost made it through and that he would return to his old stomping grounds in the hot months looking for an easy meal and a place to stay in the shade. Just as he had delivered in 2017, Ghost graced us with his presence early and often as we checked cameras. He was still the same mainframe 8 point and still had the kickers off his left side tines. He was, however, a year older, a little bigger, and apparently a year wiser. Hoping to avoid the prior year’s trend, we tried some different strategies by increasing the number of cameras deployed and putting them in new areas to see if we could solve the Ghost puzzle. We spent hours looking at Onyx maps, listened to podcasts, and read articles seeking some new strategy or advantage to help us get closer to an encounter with Ghost.

Much like 2017, 2018 and 2019 came and left without much progress in cracking the code of Ghost. Desperately searching for information, photos, or sign that could provide some insight, it began to look like this was a deer that was set in his routine and spent a large part of the hunting season elsewhere. Not only was getting within bow or rifle range proving impossible, simply catching a glimpse of Ghost wasn’t happening. Trail camera pictures of Ghost weren’t uncommon early in the year, but his departure in early September was as predictable as the sun rising and setting.

2020 brought the first indicators of some change in Ghost’s behavior. In the spring of this year, we found the matching set of his heavy antlers. He was kind enough to drop them within about 50 yards of each other. This gave us hope that we would get another turn in the game of chess that hunting him had proven to be. We estimated him to be a six-year-old buck and knew that every passing year meant he was becoming wiser and harder to outsmart. In the summer, the trail camera pictures of Ghost didn’t arrive as early as they had in previous years. Instead, a trusted friend who often drove on the gravel roads near the farm spotted him on several occasions. While glad to know he was still around, we were fearful that he was becoming visible within sight of the road could possibly result in him being hit by a vehicle or taken by a poacher and that was certainly was not the final chapter we hoped for the farm’s monarch. While still proving quite elusive, Ghost did finally show up as we were bow hunting in 2020. It seemed as if he had become bored with being elusive, and instead decided to taunt us with when and where he showed up. It was becoming evident that he may always stay at least one step ahead of us.

The shed antlers we found in 2020 allowed us to put hands on the impressive mass. Having tangible evidence that Ghost was not a figment of our imagination, this also created a revival of sorts in our motivation to conclude the legacy with our hands on this impressive buck.

The year 2021 provided a very similar chapter as the previous years. By this point, the predictable early season disappearance of the now seven-year-old buck was expected. We continued to catch sparse glimpses of him while hunting with no discernible pattern as to where he would be and when. With the revived motivation to hunt him was the familiar acceptance that he would be a part of our lives but not a part of our harvest.

Spring 2022 arrived, and we found the matched set of his antlers within 100 yards of where he had dropped them the year prior. Another year of growth, another year of added inches, and again, another win chalked up for this elusive legend.

By the time the 2022 archery season had opened, we had grown comfortable in making hunting strategies based on other deer we wanted to see or harvest on the farm. The idea of basing a hunt on a deer that had proven to be completely unpredictable and nearly impossible to see was no longer a priority. The second weekend of October came around with unspectacular temperatures and more wind than was preferable. Family obligations, Friday night football, and honey-do lists were proving reluctant to release their grip on our free time. The weather conditions were still serviceable in creating some optimism that we may be able to see some deer movement.

In pursuit of Ghost and a few other deer that we were after, we sat in several locations on Saturday night that were accommodating to the wind direction and in the general area of where we thought the larger bucks on the property would be frequenting. Kaleb and I had good hunts on Saturday, seeing above average deer activity and seeing a couple of bucks that were indeed hitlisters, but we weren't presented with shots within bow range. Right at dark, Kaleb had an encounter with a buck we not-so-creatively refer to as “The Tall 9”. As Kaleb was watching this buck enjoying the recently harvested corn, a large-bodied buck slipped in and out of the thick cover along the field edge and caused the 150” nine-pointer to move along. It was too dark for Kaleb to determine which deer had just arrived, but the size, wraith like behavior, and location caused us all to wonder and hope that it was Ghost.

The next day, Sunday, October 9th, Kaleb and I were unable to hunt due to a family birthday party. Using the intel gathered the night before, Wes and Kevin returned to the area that Kaleb and I had been in. Kevin elected to hunt the same stand Kaleb had been in when he had encountered the two large bucks the night before. The temperature and wind had both been on the rise that day, so we weren’t optimistic that they would have much activity.

At 6:30 PM, Kevin knew that there was only about an hour of hunt left, but also knew that this hour was likely the one that mattered most this time of year. He had debated making the three-hour drive home earlier in the day as the weather didn’t seem to warrant staying up late the night before the work week started. As he had just sent his wife a text providing his estimate of when he would be home after an unsuccessful hunt, Kevin caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The movement redirected his attention to the presence of a big-bodied buck that had slipped down the field edge. The brush the deer was in and cover around the stand prevented a clear view of the deer initially. Kevin quietly shifted in the stand and used his binoculars to try and determine if he recognized which buck had snuck into bow range without a sound. Kevin was never able to get a definitive look at the buck’s antlers to positively identify him, but he did see enough of the antlers, particularly the bases, to let him know that this was a buck was no doubt a shooter.

Kevin was able to briefly become a contortionist in the Millennium stand to get his bow in position for a shot. While the buck was at about 45 yards, Kevin sent his arrow down range and made a well-placed double lung shot. There are many hunts with time to prepare, ponder, and execute. This particular hunt had about 30 to 45 seconds of making a split-second decision and relying on years of hunting experience to execute an ethical kill.

Kevin sent Wes a message advising of what had happened. After giving things a while to calm down, the two assessed the arrow and the beginning of a blood trail that showed a buck would be laying at the end of their short walk. Kevin knew he had tagged a big, mature, mid-Missouri buck but wasn’t sure which deer he had just harvested. He told Wes numerous times that he suspected he had shot the big nine pointer from Kaleb's hunt the night before and was pretty confident the down deer was not Ghost.

The tracking job wasn’t a long one, as the buck had made it less than 100 yards. As Wes brought the beam of his flashlight to reveal the crown upon the buck’s head, there was immediate recognition as to the identity of this giant bodied deer, it was Ghost.

Kevin quickly changed his initial plans to make the trek home. My phone began to ring on my drive home from the family birthday party and I was greeted with Kevin’s voice. “When can you get here?” he asked me. After I informed him I was probably still an hour out, he told me, “you gotta come see this dude.” In that very moment, I was reminded how good of a friend Kevin is. He wanted Kaleb and I to get a glimpse of this legendary deer and wrap our hands around the massive bases of his headgear, this time still attached to the top of his head. He knew that the hard work to catch up with Ghost was a group effort and he wanted all involved to have a moment to soak it all up and take in this chapter of the story. Upon our return home, Kaleb and I immediately jumped in my pickup truck and drove out to meet Kevin and Wes to finally lay eyes on Ghost.

After five years of history, pictures, moving stands, moving them again, shed hunting, hunts designed to encounter Ghost, long conversations over coffee and aerial maps, and asking ourselves if Ghost really existed, the legendary story of this magnificent deer had finally ended. As we marveled at the massive eight-year-old buck, there was a combination of reverence and unrestrained elation about what had just happened. There was a respect for a more than worthy opponent and appreciation for the opportunity to share the woods with him. Also, there was oddly a sense of remorse. Not remorse for harvesting the deer, but remorse that the journey with this deer was over.

The five-plus year voyage that was focused on Ghost was coming to an end. The experiences surrounding hunting deer such as this can’t be measured. The antlers on Ghost’s head, however, could. After double-checking their work to confirm accuracy, they found that Ghost carried over 90 inches of mass and main beam length on his way to a green gross score of 165 1/8 inches. While an impressive tally, they paled in comparison to the story that was his life and our pursuit of him.

As the days have continued to come and go, I have pondered and reminisced the story of Ghost and the roles we were blessed to play in it. I wondered if this was the ending I would have chosen. However, I quickly came to the realization that this wasn’t a story scripted by me or any other human. This was the story of an incredible creature created by God, who was kind and loving enough to let us be a part of it. This journey had created countless hours spent with a brother, my son, and our incredible friend, Kevin. As I pondered the journey, I was reminded how lucky we were to have friends like Kevin – a selfless, God-fearing friend who loves his family, His Maker, simple living, and homemade dill pickles.

Ghost obviously played a critical role in this story but he is not the most cherished trophy that it produced. The most important trophy that Kevin and the rest of us Ghost chasers will have forever consists of half a decade full of deer camp memories, a metric ton of Casey’s pizza and bologna sandwiches, relationships built through sharing real life moments of pain, hurt, and loss and eventually standing together admiring Kevin’s biggest archery buck to date.

Ghost represents more than a 165-inch deer. What he represents is so much more than that. He is only a chapter in the journey of a band of brothers who have hunted and lived life together. It doesn’t matter whose home the pedestal mount of Ghost lives in. He belongs to all of us. The journey and those that walk it with you are what truly matters. And you never know, there may be another journey just over the horizon. A journey we may call “Wally”….