When 24-year-old Matthew Daniels pulled the trigger on the evening of Sept. 23, 2025, he didn’t yet realize he was about to tag the biggest buck of his life — a massive 194-inch Kansas giant that had haunted his dreams since midsummer.

Daniels doesn’t hunt family ground. Every deer he chases comes from public land or permission-only farms — a challenge that makes success even sweeter. He spends a lot of time scouting and knocking on doors.

Spotting the Giant

Daniels’ 2025 season started off slow. Trail cameras weren’t showing any bucks that piqued his interest, so he shifted his approach. He started driving around in areas that he knew held a lot of deer and glassing fields. That’s how he first spotted him — late July, feeding in a beanfield.

There was just one problem: the buck was on a piece of private land Daniels didn’t have permission to hunt.

He went back several times just to watch him. Daniels could tell the buck was using that area pretty regularly, so he reached out to the landowner and was lucky enough to get permission to hunt there.

From then on, the game was on.

The Pattern and the Miss

Throughout August, Daniels watched the deer nearly every evening from a distance. He was on such a consistent pattern that Daniels decided not to hang trail cameras to not risk bumping him.

When Kansas’ archery and muzzleloader season opened on Sept. 15, Daniels slipped into position with high hopes — and a brand-new muzzleloader bought specifically for this hunt. “There’s not really any trees. There’s only a couple really small trees in that area which is actually the only reason I was using a muzzleloader to begin with because I’m a pretty diehard bow hunter. But just with kind of the scenario of where the deer was, and I only had a certain amount of time that I was allowed to hunt that property, I ended up actually buying this muzzleloader specifically to try to hunt this deer,” said Daniels. What happened next nearly ended his season.

Daniels watched him for probably 20 or 30 minutes before he came into range with plenty of daylight left. When Daniels pulled the trigger, and the primer went off, but the round didn’t. About two or three seconds later, it fired as he was pulling his face away from the scope.

For a few agonizing moments, Daniels wasn’t sure if he’d hit the deer or not. “That was my first time ever hunting with a muzzleloader,” he said. “It really shook me up.”

The shot missed. But that wouldn’t be Daniels’ last encounter with the Kansas brute.

Six Encounters Later …

Over the next week, Daniels hunted the buck seven or eight times — and laid eyes on him during six of those sits. “He just never made it within range in good light,” he said. “Sometimes he’d come out right at the end, and I’d sneak out early before he got too close.”

Then came Sept. 23. After two days of storms, the skies were finally clearing — though heavy clouds still dimmed the light early.

Daniels used a waterway to access his hunting spot, which is a grassy strip that runs through crop fields that’s designed for water to drain through the field so it doesn’t erode the crops. He bumped a few deer on the way in but knew from scouting that the big one he was after was bedded somewhere else.

As the evening settled, Daniels scanned the field edge from his setup. With about 15 or 20 minutes of legal light left, he saw the buck come over the hill. He was following a few does, just like before.

This time, everything went right.

It was still pretty dark because of the clouds, but he had just enough light. “When I shot, I heard the bullet hit — that sound you never forget. The smoke cleared, and when I looked through my binoculars, he was already down.”

The buck fell within 20 yards.

A Hunt to Remember

After taking a few moments to collect himself, Daniels called his wife, who came out to help with the recovery. “She’s my main hunting partner,” he said. “It was awesome to share that moment with her.”

The deer ended up scoring 194 inches — Daniels’ biggest ever. He plans to have it shoulder-mounted in a unique “Ridge Runner” pose, which includes part of the deer’s front legs on a pedestal base.

A Family Tradition

Hunting runs deep in the Daniels family. Matthew’s father holds the Kansas state record for a typical whitetail — the third-largest ever taken with a bow in the world.

“It’s kind of funny,” Daniels said. “My dad has one of the biggest deer ever taken, but he’s never been a trophy hunter. He’s always hunted for food. I guess his deer inspired me a little, but for me it’s more about the challenge. I like chasing mature bucks — ones that are smart and have survived a few seasons. That’s the real trophy.”

Between his wife’s recent doe harvest and his Kansas giant, the Daniels family had a season to remember — one that proves persistence, patience, and respect for the hunt still pay off in a big way.