Scoring Big Bucks: Same Date, Same Stand, Two Trophy Bucks
By: Brian Kightlinger
Benjamin Lindenberg has only been archery hunting for three years. He loves to shoot his Mathews Stoke any chance he can. Benjamin spends time at Route 157 Archery practicing his skill. The 8th grader from Cranberry High School says he enjoys Science and playing football, but his passion is hunting and fishing.
Benjamin got his Mathews Stoke in 2018. Two local archers, Tom Prody and Greg Dehner, helped mentor Benjamin in archery. Benjamin spent many afternoons with Tom and Greg, practicing his new passion. By the time the 2019 fall archery season arrived, Benjamin felt confident that he could successfully harvest a deer with his bow.
Saturday, November 2nd, Benjamin and his father went to their treestand for an evening hunt. The weather was perfect for archery hunting, and the bucks were beginning to rut. Checking his watch, Benjamin saw it was nearing 5 pm. Benjamin heard something walking behind his stand, so he turned to see what it was. "I see a big buck!" Benjamin whispered to his father. The buck was walking directly towards their treestand.
Benjamin grabbed his bow and prayed the wind would not give their position away. The buck stopped and looked directly at the stand. The wind had given away their location, and the deer turned and started to walk away. Benjamin's Dad grabbed his grunt tube and blew a few aggressive grunts. The buck stopped, turned around, and started marching towards the stand.
The buck closed the distance quickly, looking for the challenger who called out to him. Benjamin was already at full draw, waiting for the buck to give him a clear shot. The buck bristled the hair on his back and walked stiff-legged, trying to show dominance.
Benjamin started to shake with "Buck Fever," but he kept his bow at full draw. Focusing on the buck, Benjamin saw the deer in an opening, so he bleated with his mouth. The bleat stopped the buck at 20 yards, and he steadied his pin behind the buck's shoulder. Benjamin released the arrow from his Mathews Stoke and watched it hit the deer behind the shoulder.
The buck took off on a death run, crashing through the woods. Benjamin saw his trophy go down about 60 yards away. Still shaking with "Buck Fever," Benjamin wanted to get down and tag his deer. Wanting to make sure the deer was expired, Benjamin's Dad suggested they wait a few more minutes in the stand. Benjamin didn't know how long he could stay in the treestand, because he knew the shot was lethal.
Still in the stand, father and son relived the hunt they just shared. Benjamin started to pack up his belongings and was still shaking from head to toe. After waiting for another fifteen minutes, Dad said Benjamin could finally get down and track his buck.
Even though they watched the buck go down, Benjamin wanted to find his arrow and follow the blood trail. After finding his arrow, Benjamin began to following the crimson trail. As Benjamin got closer to the buck, he could see it was bigger than what he thought. He stopped for a minute and counted all of the points. "14 Points! Dad, he has 14 points!"
Benjamin filled out his tag and placed it in the buck's ear. Benjamin told his Dad he couldn't believe he killed a 14 point buck as they took pictures. His Dad was more impressed that Benjamin had accomplished this with his bow. Benjamin couldn't wait until the 2020 season where he could hunt with his bow again.
In the fall of 2020, Benjamin harvested his largest buck with his bow. On November 2nd, Benjamin and his father, Dennis, were out for an evening hunt. They chose to sit in the same stand that evening that Benjamin had killed his 14 points on that evening.
Benjamin and his father had snuck into the stand around 2:40. A snort wheeze caught their attention as they were climbing into the tree stand. Looking for the buck that had made the vocalization, Benjamin saw a Monster Buck about 150 yards away. Benjamin grabbed his grunt tube and made a few aggressive grunts.
Holding his Mathews Stoke, Benjamin looked around and saw the huge buck trotting his way. Thirty yards away, the deer slowed to a steady walk. When the buck stopped at 20 yards, Benjamin was ready to take his shot. He let his pin float behind the buck's shoulder and released his arrow.
Benjamin saw the arrow penetrate deep into the buck's vitals. The surprised deer took off on a dead run and then stopped 30 yards away. Benjamin's father told him to nock another arrow and take another shot. Standing broadside, the buck's vitals were protected by a tree. The buck took a step into an opening, and Benjamin's Dad let out a loud grunt.
The buck stopped in the opening long enough for Benjamin to get another shot. Benjamin's father watched the arrow hit the deer behind the front shoulder. He told Benjamin, “You just smoked that Monster!" Benjamin was shaking with "Buck Fever" and needed to sit down. His father suggested they wait 40 minutes before tracking the deer. Dad looked at his watch, and the time was 3:10! They had only been hunting for half an hour.
Father and son slipped out of the treestand and headed home. When they got home, Benjamin's mother asked why they were home so soon. Benjamin told her the story of the short yet exciting hunt. Benjamin's father called Jacob, his eldest son, and a friend Chris English. Patiently, Benjamin waited for Jacob and Chris to arrive so they could track the buck.
Once Jacob and Chris arrived, they all headed back to the stand. At first, they struggled to find blood. Once they did find the blood trail, it didn't take long to recover Benjamin's monster buck! The 4 of them stood speechless over the buck and commented on the dark antlers. Benjamin finally reached down and put his hands on the Monster 11 point
Benjamin had his two bucks scored by Brian R. Kightlinger. The 14 point from 2019 was scored as a typical 8 point and had a gross score of 104 7/8. Benjamin's 2020 buck scored 147 7/8 inches gross in the non-typical category. Benjamin still can't believe he killed record book bucks two years in a row on the same day, from the same stand.
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