“All three of us walked over to the brushy area where I shot and saw the full body and rack for the first time,” Venhaus remembered. “It was a lot bigger than I expected.”

Venhaus knew the buck was big, but he hadn’t realized exactly how big.

“The first time I saw the entire rack was when my brothers and I walked up,” he said. “My brother, Adam, kept saying, ‘Holy (expletive), that is one big damn deer.’ It was pretty funny after he said it several times. He started counting the points right away too.”

And there were plenty of points to count -- 29 to be exact. The incredible buck sported 17 abnormal points on its 6x6 frame, 42 5/8 inches of extra bone. The mass was pretty incredible too, with each base measuring 6 2/8 inches The buck’s final net score was a whopping 224 6/8 inches, good enough for second place in the biggest non-typical gun kill category at the 2008 Illinois Deer & Turkey Classic held in Bloomington in February. The only buck bigger was Marty Sharp’s 238 7/8 inch behemoth from Knox County.

Venhaus said he would never forget the moments he shared with his brothers when they walked up to the huge buck.

The buck’s final net score was a whopping 224 6/8 inches, good enough for second place in the non-typical gun kill category at the Illinois Deer &Turkey Classic.

“My brothers were so excited for me, I couldn’t believe their eyes,” he said. “I was soaking up the joy and excitement as well, but I would rather have seen one of my brothers shoot the deer than me. I’m not as avid a hunter as they are.”

Although sharing the experience with his brothers was unforgettable, only one thing would have made it better.

“The number one thing I wish I could change would have been for my dad to have been there to see it,” he said. “He’s the one who taught my brothers and me everything we know about hunting and firearms safety. He’s the one who got us started hunting 16 years ago. He always wanted to see us boys shoot a big deer and he would actually pass on bucks hoping they would walk past his boys’ stands. He always wanted to see his boys achieve first, then everything else took second course. If it weren’t for him, I would have never hunted and never had the opportunity to shoot the buck. He was a great man and I miss him. I hope I can fill half the shoes as my father throughout my life.”