The first 7-year-old deer is a heavy 14-pointer that hit a decoy

They called the 14-point buck with heavy antlers “Moose.” And the Iwashige family had been chasing the oversized Kansas whitetail since the youth season opened in September.

“We had been taking camera photos of a few dollars in one spot, but then a new big dollar appeared and it became our target,” says Grant Iwashige. Outdoor living. “My ten-year-old son, Wyatt, had already taken a dollar during the youth deer season. So my seven-year-old son Ryker wanted to try to get Moose with a crossbow.”

On Nov. 9, Grant and his two sons were hunting from a blind spot on a friend's 240-acre ranch northwest of Wichita. They had gotten trailcam photos of Moose that day and knew they were in the right place.

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“We had gotten two trailcam photos, one in the [morning]and the other in the afternoon,” says Grant. “We knew Moose was within 20 yards of the blind when we got in there that Saturday afternoon.”

Finally, the three hunters saw Moose walking away just ten yards from them. The buck was upwind and Grant wanted him to notice the decoy they had in front of the blind, so he rattled it.

“Moose stopped, listened, pinned his tail between his legs and ran,” Grant said. But he believed the buck would come back, and 30 minutes later it did.

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“He came stomping back in front of our blind and gave the decoy a hairy eyeball,” Grant continues. “I told Ryker to pick a spot on the trestle when he stopped in an open shooting range. Then I grunted to stop Moose, and Ryker took aim and pulled the trigger. The entire blind started to shake as Ryker shot and whacked Moose from 43 yards out.

The arrow passed completely through Moose, and the 125-grain serrated broadhead did quick work on the oversized buck. Moose ran only 100 yards and the Iwashiges watched the deer fall.

Grant called his wife Clarissa, who soon arrived with their youngest son Callahan, 4 years old. The entire family followed the blood trail to claim Moose and joyfully celebrated Ryker's very first deer. After using harnesses to drag the buck through the mud, they loaded up Moose and drove to a skinning shed.

They didn't weigh the buck, but photos show it was a large-bodied deer. The buck's rack is long, wide and heavy, with 14 points to score and one irregular point growing out of the main left beam. With a spread of just over 18 inches, Grant gave the rack an unofficial green score of 193 5/8 inches.

“It's the biggest deer I've ever seen,” Ryker said. “Everyone who sees it says it's huge.”