A field of velvet dreams

Here are the promised pictures taken by Gretchen Steele.

Jim Mordacq’s big 8-pointer

Jim Mordacq is the best deer photographer I know. The Springfield resident has a knack for taking good pictures of deer. More than that, he is committed to getting deer pictures. 

A perfect example is the buck he calls Big 8, pictured above in January of 2008. That was the first time Mordacq took a picture of the buck. Not his best shot ever, but it was a cold, snowy day and light was failing.

The next time Mordacq saw Big 8 was Nov. 15, 2009. The buck was on a hill keeping an eye on a doe. Over the next few days Mordacq snapped plenty more pictures of the buck. And as he wrote in an e-mail, “Although technically this buck wasn’t harvested the joy of pursuing and photographing him makes him a true trophy to me.”

Here are some of those numerous photos.

Trip to Alberta, anyone?

All the sudden a trip to Alberta seems to make some sense. Crazy, you say? Consider the compelling reasons in this post, all of which arrived via e-mail in recent days.

This first buck (pictured above) is being touted as a Canadian record non-typical by several sites, including Mike Hanback’s Big Buck Zone and the Wild Hunting and Fishing TV Network. The deer, being called “The Eymundson Buck” reportedly had a green-score gross measurement of 287 inches. The story is also reportedly going to be featured in the February issue of North American Whitetail.

The second deer arrived with no story, just this jaw-dropping picture. So if you were planning to visit Illinois next year, maybe it’s time to change your plans and go north to Alberta.

S. Illinois brow tine buck

One of my favorite bloggers,Mike Hanback, posted this picture and entry from a Louisiana hunter named Troyce who shot this impressive monster on Nov. 11, 2007 in Southern Illinois. The buck is a main-frame 10-pointer with 21 total points and a 20.5-inch inside spread. One brow tine is 10 inches long and palmated with six points on top of it. The other side has a splite brow tine that is also about 10 inches.

Troyce said the rack green-scored 195 inches.

Troyce said he was hunting in the afternoon and a doe walked by. Five minutes later, this buck appeared and he shot the deer at two steps.