As owner of Worldwide Trophy Adventures, the world’s largest hunting and fishing consulting agency, Mark Peterson travels the country hunting and documenting adventures at many hunting destinations to show other hunters what to expect. One of these destinations being Salt River Outfitters in the bluegrass state of Kentucky. Friend and Manager of Salt River Outfitters, Joey Cheek asked Mark, “Are you sitting down?” Then Joey sent Mark a picture of the buck later to be called, “Freak Show”! The giant buck showed up on a 175 acre lease that Joey is managing personally for Mark. Mark was presented with a decision. Travel to hunt Caribou in Alaska or hunt a once in a lifetime buck in Kentucky? When a buck like this one shows up on trail cameras there isn’t much of a choice, you figure out how to hunt it, and that’s what Mark did.
The first trail camera pictures of Freak Show were amazing. This buck in full velvet was enticed with the sweet attracting power of Buck Bourbon’s 110 Proof. The buck continued to frequent the feed site night after night as the Kentucky Archery season opener quickly approached. “I didn’t sleep very well knowing I’d be hunting that buck soon,” said Mark. The buck continued to visit the 110 Proof feed pile the next six out of eight nights, but on the opener of the season the wind was wrong for the only stand on the 175 acre lease where Freak Show lived. “A deer like this only comes around once in a lifetime, so I knew that everything needed to be just right,” said Mark.
On September 10th, the wind was finally right and Mark and his cameraman headed to the stand. With his Mission crossbow in hand and Sevr two inch broadheads on the tip of the bolts, Mark had anticipated this hunt for sometime now. “There he is,” said the cameraman as the buck snuck his way through the beans at 200+ yards and then into a timber finger. The first night produced just a glimpse that the buck was indeed real and not a dream. Mark and his cameraman snuck back into the stand on September 11th and after a number of doe and smaller bucks visited the feed site, Freak Show appeared almost like a ghost at 20 yards. “I went straight into kill mode. I didn’t want to look at the antlers. I eased the crossbow up, settled the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger.” Mark said. The bolt and 2 inch Sevr broadhead hit its mark and the big buck raced off into a near finger of woods. Then a crash in the timber. The feeling of success rushed through Mark. “That is the biggest deer I have ever seen in the wild,” Mark said.
Joey arrived as soon as he could and tracked blood for 50 yards and there he was! The buck of a lifetime, a true Freak Show with 36 scorable points and massive bases. The buck was a once in a lifetime deer and Mark is still in awe of the team effort that went into this amazing hunt. Freak Show produced a Buckmaster official score of 262 and 4/8 inches!
About Mark: Growing up in Michigan, Mark was exposed to the outdoors from his father at a young age. Now host of “The Journey Within” TV series on the Pursuit channel and Owner of Worldwide Trophy Adventures, Mark travels the world documenting his experiences for all to see. See where Mark is on some of his hunting slams at Markvpeterson.com.
