If you caught my last post, you know that F&S Whitetail columnist Scott Bestul and I just returned from an 8-day bowhunt in southern Iowa . We were after a 150-inch buck. There are lots of them, comparatively speaking, in The Hawkeye state. But even here, the best place to find one is at the taxidermist’s, especially with 75-degree temperatures in early November and a sea of corn still standing. So between morning and evening hunts, we dropped in on Risher Taxidermy (641-647-2648) just outside of Centerville, IA, where we found owner Monica Risher working on a ...

... 130-class 140-class main-frame 10 taken a couple miles from her shop by 8-year-old Spencer Buban.

“I think it was his first buck,” she said, and a heck of a first buck at that.

On her desk were several racks the likes of which we were hoping to see with a buck attached, including a 23-inch wide 10-pointer that looked to score in the mid 150s.

On her walls were a couple of Booners, including this heavy 177-incher.

But the best buck—like so many other giants hiding in the standing corn—wasn’t where we could see it.

“The hunter still has the rack, but I’ll be working on this one as soon as he decides how he wants it mounted,” said Monica, handing us a pair of snapshots.

Nothing like a 200-inch buck to get you back into your treestand.