The South Bend Tribune report this story first. “Chris Collins knew the giant buck he’d seen for a few years still lived somewhere on his farm near Lake Maxinkuckee.
“I found his shed antler last spring and saw him last summer in our bean field,” said the Marshall County real estate broker. “We saw him again on our trail cameras and my brother (Alan) and I were thrilled he was still around.”
The Collins brothers named the buck “Twin Towers” because of its large (29 inches) brow tines to go along with massive main beams.
They manage their property for quality bucks and this one certainly exceeded the standard. If they were going to kill him, they knew their window of opportunity was closing.
“We’ve been specifically hunting this buck since mid-October,” said Collins. “We passed on several mature bucks because we knew this was the one we wanted.”
On Nov. 9, Chris saw Twin Towers emerge from a bedding area to freshen his scrapes along a wood line.
“I thought for sure he was headed my way, but after posing for a few minutes he turned and disappeared into a thicket,” he described. “I slipped out of my tree stand after dark hoping I would not spook him. I would return to the same stand again when the wind was right.”
That chance came the day before Indiana’s gun season opener. Collins climbed into his tree that late afternoon.
“I knew it would be my last chance with him,” Collins said, realizing that mating bucks can be nomadic and another gun hunter may get him first.
About an hour before dark, the giant buck eased out of the same thicket where he had disappeared a few days earlier.
Six does were feeding in a nearby food plot between Collins and the buck.
“He couldn’t resist scent-checking the does and moved within 50 yards of me and completely relaxed,” Collins said. “I felt comfortable shooting that distance with my crossbow but I knew it was wise to be patient and wait for him to come closer.”
Collins grew excited but waited him out. After 15 long minutes had passed, the buck turned and headed his direction and stopped about 35 yards away, offering Collins a broadside view. He fired, and the deer went down with a heart-shot only a few yards from where he was hit.
“I have taken many deer that gross-scored up to 170 but nothing on our farms has ever come close to Twin Towers,” said Collins.
The 6½-year old 10-pointer field dressed at 215 pounds and the antlers’ preliminary score was 2/8ths of an inch under 200. Collins has never registered for record book qualification with any of the other quality bucks he’s taken, but has decided to have this one scored by Michiana’s top certified scorer, John Bogucki, once the antlers have dried.
In all likelihood, it will go down as one of highest scoring bucks taken in Marshall County, and perhaps this area.
We’ll let you know what we find out.”