Whitetail World Loses Big-Buck Hunting Expert from Eastern Illinois

The whitetail world lost a friend and big-buck hunting expert with the sudden passing of Gerald "Gabe" Shaffner of West Union, Ill. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Shaffner)

The whitetail world lost a friend and big-buck hunting expert with the sudden passing of Gerald “Gabe” Shaffner of West Union, Ill.

On Nov. 7, 2011, Shaffner came home from his day of hunting and told his wife, Sharon, “I just killed the biggest buck of my life.”

Little did he know, these words would ring true.

On Monday, Feb. 13, Shaffner was killed in an accident while cutting firewood near his home. He was 69.

Shaffner was well-known in whitetail circles and had killed more bucks registered in the Illinois big-buck program than anyone else. He had also just recently wrote several chapters for a book being assembled by frequent Deer & Deer Hunting contributor Don Higgins. We will provide a link to this book on our website when it is available later this year.

The Deer & Deer Hunting staff sends its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Gerald’s family, friends and relatives.

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