Oklahoma State student Cort Travis is feeling very thankful this time of year, especially to his landlord who allowed him to hunt on the land where he took this massive Oklahoma buck.

Travis was able to shoot the buck on Oct. 29, two days before the muzzleloader season ended. He passed on many bucks with his muzzleloader in hopes that the monster buck he saw on the trail camera would show up.  

"I wish I could say I patterned this deer and did all the right stuff and it was all because of everything I've done, but that's not exactly how it happened," he said. "It just so happens I was in the right place at the right time. Pretty lucky."

After taking the buck, Travis learned a neighbor had been watching the buck and seeing it on his trail cameras for two years. The age of the deer was estimated to be 4 ½ years old, and the buck had a significant jump in antler growth in the past year. 

"Apparently, the buck had put on roughly 50 or so inches from last year," Travis said. "He absolutely blew up."

Travis said the neighbor was OK to learn that another hunter had harvested the buck.

"He was very, very nice about it," Travis said. "He just wanted someone to shoot him that he knew.  He wanted to get his hands on the deer just to see him. I took it by his house. He was really happy and excited for me."