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Whitetail buck versus Combine! Who do you think won? UPDATED!

By Hunting NetworkJanuary 18, 20098 Comments

LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015

Harvesting a standing cornfield can be tedious work. Long hours, driving at slow speeds, and always having to be alert when handling a $150,000 machine is enough to drive any one person mad! What they don't prepare you for is exactly what happened on a crisp autumn day, on a farm, in the Midwest. While harvesting an average sized cornfield at night, this good sized whitetail buck almost ended up in your next can of corn!

The picture has been screaming around the internet's chat forums for months now, with a constant question attached to it, is this photo real? Could this mature whitetail buck, who has been avoiding deer hunters all season long, met his demise by way of the machine!? And if so, you have to feel bad not only for the whitetail buck himself, but also the hunter who left the woods every night wondering if he would ever get a chance!
After all, it's so easy to see why the buck chose the cornfield to bed in to begin with. Lots of cover, lots of food, and the security of not having anyone (or anything) sneak up on him. But what of this combine? Why didn't this whitetail buck, who surely has years on him, take off out that back door that these mature deer always seem to contain?

Much discussion in hunter chat forums centers around the "combine buck" (as he is know known) possibly having health issues. But judging by the bucks body size in the photo, he would appear healthy to any onlooker. And what of the cut corn in the photo? Why is it down, like it has been combined already, in front of the combine itself? Raises suspicion to any Midwestern whitetail deer hunter who's watched for hours as combines take in standing cornfields only where corn is STILL before.. said combine.

While it is true that deer can sometimes get caught in these GIANT combine machines used by our farmers, the results are almost expectantly, far worse! If this photo is real, it is surely an peculiar case. And while the authenticity of this bizarre tale may never be truly revealed, the fact remains that a combine traveling at just a few miles per hour can be just as deadly as a arrow traveling at 300 fps.
If you or anyone you know has any information on the authenticity of the "combine buck", please contact [email protected]

UPDATE. 

In late January of 2009 Bowhunting.com recieved an email confirming the authenticity of the now famous buck who was caught in a combine. Tremont, Illinois resident Jeff Hodel was the driver of the combine with a 40 foot head. While driving at around 5 MPH, combining the standing cornfield, he believes the buck doubled back to possibly check on some does before getting caught up. The buck was still alive but unable to move. Mr. Hodel had to postpone his combining in order to put the buck out of it's misery. His wife, Jenny Hodel took the now famous pictures.

Bowhunting.com would like to thank Patrick for setting the record straight on this amazing story with the timely email response we received. A big thanks to Jenny Hodel for her amazing pictures which truly capture this unforgettable night on an Illinois cornfield. Thank you again.  

 

 

 

 

 

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