A Massive Kansas Monarch Grows Even Larger [Big Buck HIT LIST]

You did the work to find a massive recordbook buck—but can’t hunt him. We help dull our Week 4 winner’s pain with a fine WRC prize package.

Imagine locating a huge trophy buck that no one else knows about. Then add in the fact the buck makes regular daytime appearances at your game cam setups, and seems about as killable as any mature buck you’ve ever encountered—just about the time that you’re told you can’t hunt it. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Kansas resident Cody Larrimore, and an outsized buck he first found on a friend’s property back in 2018. For sending in photos of an ultra-massive KS monarch, Larrimore is the Week 4 winner of our 2020 Big Buck HIT LIST contest. The weekly win scores Larrimore a Wildlife Research Center scent and scent-elimination prize package valued at more than $67, and also makes him eligible for our September drawing to win a Wildlife Research Center prize package valued at more than $180. Enter today! “Attached are some images of the buck we have named ‘Athos,’” Larrimore wrote. “Long story short, I’m from the east coast and spent the first 29 years of my life in either MD, NH, FL or NC depending on the phase of my life. Regardless, I’ve been an avid deer hunter since the age of 12. My situation changed when I was last in NC and at the time, I was working from home. So, I decided to up and move across the county to KS, which I had only visited twice, and where I knew only one person. Why? It’s always been my dream (since I was 12), to live in the Midwest and hunt whitetails. After all, what better state than the ‘Land of Giants,’ right?

“So I did and I’ve never looked back. My only regret is that I didn’t make the decision sooner. I’ve been very fortunate with the friends I’ve made and the relationships I’ve built with neighbors. Currently I manage roughly 2,000 acres for whitetails.

“My neighbor, and now great friend, introduced me to one of his friends who has property a few miles away. I knew he was a hunter, but he’s a very busy farmer. I was able to convince him to let me put out some cameras, with the help of the HuntStand app, just to see what he had for inventory on the property.

“This is what showed up. This buck is why I moved to KS. It’s now ‘Game Time,’ right? No. As promised I showed the farmer this outsized buck, and he got excited. He wanted to hunt the buck exclusively—and that was fine with me. It’s his ground, his deer. And, from the start, all I asked permission for was to put out a few cameras. Well, this particular buck that we named Athos, is the most killable mature deer I’ve ever witnessed. I have more daytime photos of him than 99.9 percent of the other bucks that I follow.

“In the first year we had him on camera, 2018 (see image above), I was only able to convince the farmer to hunt him ONE time. No luck. He was too busy the rest of the year. That spring, during the ‘ShedRally2019,’ we were able to find both sheds! I couldn’t believe it. The 2019 spring photo (above) is of my buddy who flew in from FL to help me look for them. This photo actually won my buddy the Grand Prize in the Whitetail Properties Shed Rally contest.

“Fast-forward to last fall—I didn’t get the buck on camera until mid-October. As you can see in the Nov. 2019 photo above, he lost some of his width, but put on a ton of mass! He’s a freak and a giant. However, just as the year before, the farmer/landowner was too busy to ever hunt him. Not a single day! Meanwhile, I’m chomping at the bit; imagine being in love with a deer, and deer hunting, and not being able to chase a very killable monster. I was out there every week baiting, checking cams, etc. This deer was in daylight more than not. It drove me crazy! So once again, ‘ShedRally2020,’ came around this past spring. We searched for Athos’ sheds for more than 40 hours, logging close to the same amount of (substantial) miles as the year previous. We had no luck—and to make matters worse, Athos had seemingly disappeared before the end of last season. I was very nervous leading into the 2020 summer velvet season—as you could imagine. But, as luck would have it, Athos showed up once again! And, he’s looking like he blew up! “This area is a small thicket, that leads between two large bean fields. This is where I first got him on camera last year, after he didn’t show at the usual location from the year before. This buck has a very small home range and as you can see, he isn’t camera shy. 

“I’ve got my fingers crossed, that there will be a happy ending to this story come this fall. This buck will be bowhunted (assuming the farmer hunts), as soon as the season begins.

“Sorry for the long email—this buck has captivated my mind since I first got him on camera. He’s the largest whitetail I’ve ever had on camera. This buck is the reason I moved to KS—the ‘Land of Giants.’”

To enter the 2020 Big Buck HIT LIST Contest, simply send us a few clear, high-res. digital trail cam photos (three to five) of a buck (or bucks) TAKEN IN THE SUMMER OF 2020 (Day or night images, photos accepted NOW THROUGH SEPT. 6).

Be sure to include the dates and state where the images were taken, and a few sentences detailing the type of terrain/area where the images were captured (i.e. funnel leading to soybean field, favorite stand site near wooded creekbed, etc.) and some info on the buck(s) pictured. Do you have any history with the buck? Is the buck a likely newcomer to your area? Is the deer somehow unique or unusual for the area? What weapons/seasons will you use to hunt the pictured buck(s)?

Along with your photos, include your full name and age, and also be sure to include your mailing address. Your e-mail subject line should read: Big Buck HIT LIST! Send photo(s) and requested info to: [email protected] 

We’ll choose 10 weekly winners that we began showcasing July 3rd. Each weekly winner will receive one of several different prize packages from scent and scent-elimination specialist Wildlife Research Center; our Week 5 Winner will receive a prize package valued at more than $67 (see image above) that includes a Super Charged Scrape-Dripper with Hot-Scrape scent,  a 1-ounce bottle of Trail’s End #307 scent, a 12-ounce bottle of Scent Killer Gold Body Wash & Shampoo, and two, 12-ounce bottles of Scent Killer Gold clothing spray. But hold on, there’s more. 

At the end of the 10 weeks, all weekly winners will be placed in a drawing to receive a Grand Prize Package of Wildlife Research Center products (see image above) valued at more than $180. Included is a Scent Killer Gold 24/24 Combo, Field Wipes, Scent Killer Body Wash, Shampoo, and Antiperspirant/Deodorant, as well as Laundry Detergent, Dryer Sheets, a Magnum Dripper with Golden Scrape, Key Wicks and a variety of Special Golden Estrus Scents.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get outfitted with the some of the best scent and scent-eliminating products available, gear that will help you get the drop on your favorite Hit List buck. Enter today!

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