I posted this on the LW a while back and thanks to their great archive search engine I found it.

Here are the two stories as they are printed. I will paraphrase them to condense the and show the differences. <font color=red>North American Whitetail (NAW)</font id=red> issue came in Jan 2002, <font color=blue>Big Buck Magazine (BBM)</font id=blue> came out with their issue in May I believe (Spring issue)

<font color=red>NAW - &quot;Was this really happening ?(Zaft)An incredibly massive whitetail buck with a high tined rack was trotting my way. He was about 150 yards out and coming along the brush line I was in&quot;</font id=red>

<font color=blue>BBM &quot; Then out of the corner of his eye he (Zaft)picked up movement. Peering up he glimpsed a massive buck lazily meandering towards him ...&quot;</font id=blue>

<font color=red>NAW &quot; As the buck went behind some thick, leafy cover, I bounded about 15 yards forward and stopped, still standing, near a large broken-off poplar. I took several deep breaths, trying desperately to calm myself in the face of this shocking developement.&quot; </font id=red>

<font color=blue>BBM &quot; Instinctively, Wayne nocked an arrow and hunkered down in hopes of getting an up close and personal opportunity of a lifetime &quot;</font id=blue>

<font color=red>NAW &quot; The buck was closing the distance and hardly breaking stride. In front of me I had a good opening for a shooting lane, one about 8 yards wide where I though the buck would enter. I estimated the distance to this point at 34 yards, well within my comfortable shooting range as an experienced 3-D tournament shooter and bowhunter.&quot; </font id=red>

<font color=blue>BBM &quot; Patiently watching the buck wander in his general direction, Wayne was granted a privilaged glimpse as the whitetail worked his rub line. The giant buck eventually leapt a barbed-wire fence and began to saunter away but still paralleling Waynes position. At one point the buck was 20 yards but didn't present any sort of ethical shot opportunity. ............ Continuing his vigil, Wayne waited patiently. Then it happened. Recognizing his small window of opportunity, Wayne drew his 67 pound compound bow and took aim. At just that moment the buck jumped the fence a second time. Then, just as the hooves hit the ground, Wayne zeroed his 30 yard pin on the massive ches, focused and released all in a matter of two seconds&quot; </font id=blue>

<font color=red>NAW &quot; As the deer entered my shooting lane, I drew in one fluid motion and then grunted with my voice to stop him. He gave no reaction so I grunted again- this time somewhat louder. The buck slowed to a walk and he looked my way however he wasn't stopping and my shooting window was closing quickly. I had to take a shot NOW to have a good chance at a clean kill&quot; &quot; I saw my Carbon Express arrow strike the deer a bit high and far back. The Gametracker First Cut 125-grain broadhead passed completely through him.&quot; </font id=red>

<font color=blue>BBM &quot; Hitting the deer slightly back from the lungs, the buck lunged forward and raced away, with his head and belly to the ground.</font id=blue>

<font color=red>NAW &quot; The giant buck bounded away, I noticed no sign of a fatal hit. As I stood there, I was overwhelmed with anxiety as that sinking feeling of &quot;a bad hit&quot; flooded through me.&quot;

&quot; I chastised myself for misjudgint he distance (just under 30 yards instead of 34 yards) and hurrying the shot.&quot;</font id=red>

<font color=blue>BBM (no mention of what Zaft thought of the hit) </font id=blue>

<font color=red>NAW &quot; I waited for probably the longest 40 minutes of my life all the while reliving the shot scenario and trying to convince myself that maybe the shot had been better than I envisioned&quot; </font id=red>

<font color=blue>BBM - &quot;Then after 30 minutes, Wayne proceeded.&quot;</font id=blue>

<font color=red>NAW &quot; I could easily see where the deers cloven hooves had torn up ground, but I could find no blood. Finally, I found a couple of small droplets on some leaves but no more&quot;</font id=red>

<font color=blue>BBM &quot; Confirming his suspicions, the blood (from the arrow) was darker than he'd hoped for, suggesting he'd hit the buck in the back half of the body.

&quot;he made the wise decision to wait and allow the buck to bed down and expire.&quot; </font id=blue>

<font color=red>NAW &quot; After losing the trail, I started making short loops through the trees. Soon night fell over the land and to me it felt like defeat&quot; </font id=red>

The rest of the story is pretty much the same. NAW makes it sound like Zaft heard the farmer had found a deer, BBM says Zaft asked the farmer. NAW was first person (Zaft) and BBM was retold. I can see huge differences in the story. I called Big Buck Magazine and told them my concern. I taled to Gary Donald and he said the story was written as Zaft told it. Why the discrepencies ? He didn't know.

Ya'll tell me now, was the first stroy true or the second ? Did Zaft stay put or move ? Was the buck trotting or working a scrape line leisurley ? Was there a barb wire fence or not ? Did Zaft grunt at the deer or not ? Did it run off appearing hit (head down and belly low) or did he run off appearing unwounded ? Did Zaft find first blood or not ? Did he lose the trail first or decide to stop looking ?? I believe Zaft told the truth as it happend in the first telling, the NAW one. I think the second was worked up and published to candy coat and smooth over everyone because Zaft took a very hurried and poor shot at a fast moving deer that he hit poorly and lost. That seems like the truth to me. I think Zaft looked all day the next day (morning and evening anyway) and had given up for the most part. I think the farmer told someone that told someone and Zaft heard about and claimed his deer that way. I don't doubt it was Zaft's deer, I do think maybe the coyotes finished the deer off.



Stealthycat's Photo's