During my 45 years of pursuing whitetails, I’ve certainly had some strange/rare encounters, but nothing that holds a candle to this one.

Dave Kramer is on a late-season muzzleloader hunt in Iowa, and his buddy Carter is filming. The guys are overlooking an unharvested soybean field, and whitetails are pouring into it. One whitetail they’ve named the “Bonus Buck” has appeared on trail cams late in the season, and although it’s a big 6x5, Kramer probably would pass on the buck in hopes of putting his tag on something even larger (remember, this is a prime property in Iowa).

As you’ll see in the 3-minute Facebook video below, Bonus Buck arrives to the field in good shooting light. Unfortunately, the buck has experienced some type of leg injury and is limping badly. Dave and Carter are discussing the situation when suddenly the buck shakes his head side to side, sending his left antler flying!

Soon afterward, the buck is confronted by a big-bodied 4x4, and this is surprising to me: It appears that Bonus Buck is well aware of the fact he’s lost one antler. Instead of lowering his head to fight or spar with the 4x4, Bonus Buck stands on his hind legs and punches violently at his challenger with his front hooves. Crazy! I’ve seen antlerless deer do battle this way, but never a buck.

Bonus Buck is run off by the 4x4, but he eventually appears back on the fields, and at that point, Dave and Carter agree that killing the deer is the right thing to do. While watching the video, I was reminded of at least three times in my hunting career that I’ve used my tag on an injured animal to put it out of its misery (two whitetails, one pronghorn).

The unique story doesn’t end with the pull of the trigger. Bonus Buck is hit well, and as he sprints away and tumbles to the ground, his other antler falls off!

P.S. Be sure to hit “enter fullscreen” and turn up the volume for best viewing.