In fact, if you read Oklahoma Game & Fish, then you know that some of the biggest bucks in the state are sometimes taken in the smallest, most inconspicuous places imaginable. For example, Stillwater's Chad Hane lives on a 5-acre tract -- and it was just big enough to surrender the state's archery record non-typical to him!

Hanaway, a diehard deer hunter who's a veteran of 28 seasons, has taken some nice bucks, but the buck he killed last season left him speechless. Hanaway hunts all three deer seasons -- archery, primitive arms, and gun season -- and hunts nearly every day.

After a lackluster archery season, Hanaway took a nice 8-point buck during primitive season. Mark had high hopes for gun season: While he was feeding horses, he'd caught sight of a big 10-pointer in the pasture. As a seasoned hunter, he knew that the big buck didn't grow its large rack by being careless, and so he devoted himself to hunting the impressively endowed whitetail.

Chores finished early on Nov. 22, Hanaway grabbed his blackpowder rifle and rushed to his stand accompanied by his wife Wendy. After several days afield, the Hanaways hadn't had so much as a glimpse of the huge buck, and in an effort to spend a relaxing evening together, husband and wife climbed into their "doublewide" ladder stand to begin their vigil.

Opening weekend afforded Hanaway lots of sightings, mainly does and small bucks. With a 139 5/8-inch typical already in the Cy Curtis records, Hanaway knew that he'd have another buck in the state's records -- if the 10-pointer showed up.

Mark had just remarked to Wendy on the pleasant evening when some does appeared on a trail leading toward the pasture, behind them a buck that veered off through thick brush, reappearing 30 yards away. Slowly Mark raised the blackpowder rifle, settled the sights on his target's shoulder and fired, dropping the buck on the spot.

"The buck fell before Wendy got to see him," Hanaway said. "I only got a brief glimpse of the buck before I shot, but I was sure I'd shot that big 10-point I was after. Boy, was I surprised!"

A few minutes later Mark and Wendy stood over the huge buck. The presumed 10-pointer had 24 points and a nearly 2-foot spread. "I was speechless," Hanaway remembered. "I've taken some exceptional deer, but this was my best one."

The huge buck's rack initially scored just over 218 inches, but Hanaway is considering having the antlers rescored owing to differing measurement interpretations. Even at that score, the buck has the distinction of being the largest non-typical ever taken in Oklahoma County.

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Where will our state's next big buck be killed? I'm betting that when it comes to trophy-grade deer, it'll be hard to keep up with the Joneses.