What a buck!

It was the buck of a lifetime - and it was featured on the trail camera of Newberry hunter Bill Rushford.

The date was Nov. 23, and there was still seven days of hunting in the 2008 firearm deer season to set his sights on the trophy.

Seeing such a huge buck on camera produces mixed emotions - you're excited because you know it's out there, and you're worried it might not make another appearance.

Then at 4:55 p.m. on Nov. 27, the worry of it not returning was dashed, as the buck followed a doe into Rushford's hunting grounds.

"There was a swirling northwest wind and I only had my front window open," Rushford said. "It came in on my right ... and to make a long story short, I shot it right through the plexiglass in the window."

The 38-year-old native of Curtis said the deer was only 15 to 20 yards away when he hit it, and a large amount blood on the snow where it stood let him know it was hit good.

"I double-lunged him, there was lot of blood," he said. "He ran about 80 yards ... (and) when he died on the run he slid into a bunch of little trees.

"I tried to count the points and unhook the head from the trees and was still holding my rifle, and my ears were ringing because my 7 millimeter mag went off in the blind."

Rushford's explanation of the hunt gives us a hint as to how exciting it must have been to walk up on the big buck.

And how big was it? Really big.

The rack has 15 points, although one is just over an inch long and isn't thick enough to be including in scoring under Boone and Crockett rules, Rushford said. The inside spread is 21 inches.

Commemorative Bucks of Michigan scorer Jim Curtis of Marquette met Rushford in Munising to put his tape to the rack. Measured as a non-typical rack, the green score was 197. After deductions, the net non-typical score was 1928, Rushford said. Scored as a typical rack, Bill said the rack measured out at 160.

Once the 60-day drying period ends, he said he'll have the rack officially scored as a non-typical and expects it to remain above the 190 score that is required for Boone and Crockett records.

Rushford said according to CBM records, the final score should be the No. 2 non-typical rack taken in Luce County, with the No. 1 downed in 1917.

After skinning the buck and getting it ready for mounting with taxidermist Rocky Streeter of Curtis, Rushford said they estimated the deer was 4 or 5 years old. The antlers had lots of tree bark on them, and Rushford said he plans on looking around the woods near his blind to see if he can find where the big buck was leaving his sign.

"I want to see one of his rubs," he said.

Rushford - who said he's been hunting "since before I should have been hunting" - isn't done deer hunting. In fact, he's out this weekend with his muzzleloader and still has through Jan. 1 to archery hunting.

"I've still got a tag so I'll be out," he said. "And I think I'll be a little more selective now."