For a whitetail hunter, few things compare to the moment you plug in a trail camera card and see the deer of your dreams staring back at you. It's a feeling not unlike that of a kid opening a long-awaited Christmas gift — first the excitement, then almost inevitably, the obsession. What follows is a mix of stress, anticipation, and everything in between. Maybe it starts with a single photo. Then another, and another. Before long, that buck has a name. It might come from a unique feature — a split brow, a crab claw, a missing G2 — or maybe no reason at all. Once it has a name, however, something changes. That buck is no longer just another deer on camera. It becomes the deer. The one you check for, obsess over, and endlessly think and talk about. The one that can take over your entire season, or even your life. Some deer need names There are a few that still hold a special place in my mind. With several, I've shared the torment with my friend — my moose hunting partner, Paul Karpowich. We hunt deer properties about three kilometres apart, along what is clearly a long-standing travel route for generations of whitetails. We constantly share photos, along with the mutual disappointment of never quite connecting with one of these monarchs. Some deer stick with you, even if their names aren’t exactly creative — like “Tall 8.” A perfect-looking whitetail that would make a few daytime appearances for both of us each November, yet we never once laid eyes on him. He was a fascinating deer — one that would have been difficult to age without years of trail cam history — but we figure he was seven or eight when he disappeared from our lives (he was also featured in my “Age gauge” feature on aging whitetails, in the Fall 2023 issue). As much as I love trail cameras and following big deer, it was always more enjoyable sharing the experience with someone equally invested. We’d joke about who would get him on camera first — and who might get the first real opportunity. So how do hunters come up with names for these deer? There’s no shortage of approaches, and creativity is really the only limit. Some names come from obvious physical traits, such as Tall Tines, Wide Rack, or Tall 8. Others lean a
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