Daniel “Ponch” Langford Jr. was all smiles with this big Kentucky buck.
- Hunter: Daniel “Ponch” Langford Jr.
- Buck Score: 170 4/8 inches
- Date of Harvest: September 7, 2024
- Location of Harvest: Kentucky
- Weapon of Harvest: Mathews VXR
Daniel “Ponch” Langford Jr. is a seasoned deer hunter, and the story for this massive velvet whitetail started in June of 2024. The landowner was cutting hay on his land, and while doing so, spotted this big deer with a few other bucks.
“Ponch, I saw a giant back by your stand — biggest deer I’ve ever seen on my place,” he said. “You need to get a camera out.”
Immediately excited, but due to a busy schedule, he shrugged off the comment.
I’ll get cams out eventually, he thought.
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When Ponch put out his cams, the deer appeared the next morning.
By early July, curiosity, and thoughts of the deer, crept into his mind. After a second sighting by the landowner, Ponch deployed some cameras.
The property is mostly open terrain with rolling hills and a creek bottom with corn and soybeans. Ag fields stretch across the southern end. “I have a stand located several hundred yards north of those fields, in a funnel that the deer use to go from bed to feed, which explained why the landowner was seeing this deer so much,” Ponch said.
The morning after posting cams, the massive deer appeared. “When I got the pic of the buck, I knew this had to be what the landowner saw,” he said. “He was out past his ears, had a nice kicker off his left G2, and had everything you look for in a big whitetail. With plenty of time to grow, I knew this deer would be special. Getting the occasional pic of him really got my blood pumping.”
Leading up to deer season, Ponch studied his HuntStand app, thought about the buck’s patterns, and finalized game plans. Unfortunately, the buck ghosted him but reappeared one week before deer season. Finally, the deer showed a consistent pattern traveling from bedding, through the funnel, and onward to the ag fields.
“If I stood a chance at this deer, I knew I was going to need a north wind,” Ponch said. “Using the HuntStand app, I checked the conditions for opening evening, and couldn’t believe it — a north wind with cooler temps.”
This is my chance, he thought.
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This opening-day Kentucky buck was already beginning to shed velvet.
September 7, 2024, brought opening day. That morning, he washed his camo, shot his bow, and felt great about the afternoon hunt. By 2 p.m., he was walking to the treestand.
“My adrenaline was so high I was shaking the entire walk to the stand,” he said.
I have to calm down, I haven’t even laid eyes on this deer, and I’m torn to pieces, he thought.
Around 4:30 p.m., two small bucks walked through. They exited the bedding to the north and walked a trail leading southward.
An hour later, Ponch looked up through the funnel and spotted a heavy-bodied deer. “Unlike the first two bucks, it stayed on the trail and came right at me,” Ponch said. “When he got to around 60 yards, I realized it was a buck that had been running with the big buck I was after. I knew his bigger buddy could not be too far behind him.”
The old, heavy-antlered 7-pointer moved on through and went toward the distant ag fields. After it left, several other deer walked in and out of view, too.
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Ponch arrowed this deer with his Mathews VXR.
Closer to dark, the massive target buck appeared. Standing about 100 yards away, it traveled the same pinch-point trail as most of the other deer.
“It was like everything froze,” Ponch said. “There was no wind. No sound. It was just me and him. I was nervous, shaking, and honestly, scared to death the buck would turn and take the same trail as the first two bucks did, and go over the hill well out of bow range.”
Waiting for his answer, he stared at the sky to keep adrenaline low.
“When it got to where I could hear footsteps, I slowly looked back down in front of me to see him standing at 25 yards facing me,” Ponch said. “I’d already clipped my release onto my D-loop.”
The buck resumed walking, and at 20 yards, Ponch drew back. The deer walked to 8 yards, and he was still facing him — no shot. After a long hold, the deer turned, and Ponch sent it. The fletching buried up behind the buck’s shoulder.
“The buck reared straight up on his hind legs like a horse would, and with me only 12 feet off the ground, we almost looked in each other’s eyes,” Ponch said. “The buck just tipped straight over. Worried the buck might get up, I put a follow-up shot on him, and he expired in less than 30 seconds.
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Key HuntStand Usage: Various base layers, the HuntZone wind-indicator tool, and weather forecasting.
Instant shakes set in, and he called his wife to share the good news. He walked over and admired the buck of his dreams.
“The emotions were crazy,” he said. “The hunt for a giant buck that I’d lost plenty of sleep over was done on the first evening. The landowner came out to help me get him loaded and was excited to see the deer up close.”
The massive velvet 12-pointer scored 170 4/8 inches.
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