EP:384 | Hunting Scrape Traps and a Legendary Deer Story

·1 hr 40 min·5 clips

Cuz Strickland recounts winning rifles and appliances with a 209-inch monster buck nobody had ever seen in 1981.

The episode begins with host introductions from West Point, Mississippi, and a story from Cuz Strickland about a massive 209-inch buck he killed in 1981 with a lever-action 30-30. Guests Ben Rising and Javin Mullet from White Tail Edge are introduced, with background on Javin's Amish Mennonite upbringing and IT work. Ben describes his current hunt for a specific big buck, detailing how he sets mock scrapes as traps and recently got winded by the deer. The hosts discuss various hunting tools and sponsors. A segment called 'blood on the biologic' celebrates recent hunter successes. A rapid-fire Q&A with Ben and Javin covers first bucks, favorite gear, scent control, and camera strategies. Cuz asks about why three-year-old bucks disappear on his Mississippi farm, leading to a discussion on buck movement and sanctuary management. Ben explains the importance of sanctuaries and how mature bucks sometimes bed in open timber. The conversation shifts to the mental preparation for taking a shot at a big deer. Javin modestly shares his recent buck kill story. Ben discusses the challenges of hunting with friends and his preference for solitary, focused hunting. He describes what excites him about his current target buck but refuses to share details or pictures, citing past negative experiences with antler jealousy. The hosts ask about scrape hunting strategies; Ben explains how to create and use mock scrapes with products like branch butter to manipulate deer movement. They discuss community scrapes and primary versus secondary zones. Ben explains why he's going back to hunt the same buck that winded him, citing the deer's aggressive behavior. Comparisons are made between hunting in the Midwest and the South, noting differences in deer density, movement, and hunter pressure. Ben tells the extended story of 'Misery,' a giant buck he hunted intensely over multiple seasons but never killed, who was eventually taken during gun season. The episode concludes with anecdotes about Amish hunters in Ohio and reflections on deer management and genetics.

As heard by us

A giant-buck story turns into a candid look at obsession, trust, and hunting scrapes.

Gamekeeper Podcast works best when it stays with the uneasy life of a giant buck after the shot. Cuz Strickland tells the story of killing a deer so big that he did not yet understand scoring, then follows the ripple effect: pride, suspicion, attention, and a tighter guard…

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Why you'd press play

You get Cuz Strickland in Toxie's chair, a monster-buck story, and then the room turns toward scrapes.

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