Lawrence County man shares experience hunting atypical buck ‘Cactus Jack’

PIERCE CITY, Mo. – A Lawrence County man is celebrating after finally harvesting the buck he’s been after for three years. 

Luke Beaty was leaving church when an atypical buck crossed his path on the way home during archery season in Nov. 2025.

“Oh my God,” Beaty remembered thinking. “He’s here.”

Beaty watched the deer, nicknamed “Cactus Jack” by some locals, before deciding to return early the next morning. Close to 10 a.m. Nov. 10, 2025, Beaty saw the buck and began rattling — simulating buck fights with antlers, a tactic that can attract curious deer.

“He kept going through the woods, and I started praying,” Beaty said.

After noting the time, Beaty decided to rattle again after 15 minutes to see if Cactus Jack would return. He rattled for a few minutes when he spotted movement. Secured in a tree saddle about 10 feet off the ground, Beaty maneuvered through the tree’s limbs. It was Cactus Jack.

“He takes two steps to the right, like he’s going to go the other way,” Beaty recalled, before grabbing his call. “I turned the complete opposite way, did one long, deep grunt and then two short, snarky grunts.”

The buck moved toward Beaty, who grabbed his compound bow. Cactus Jack entered Beaty’s shooting lane at 17 yards.

“I felt comfortable with my shot,” Beaty said as he released.

The arrow hit the buck, and it took off.

“I started freaking out and had tons of emotions going through me, as you can imagine,” Beaty said. “I’ve been chasing it for three years.”

Beaty called his father, who first taught him to hunt when Beaty was a child in North Carolina. Once his legs stopped shaking, Beaty looked at the ground and saw his arrow.

“I made a real good shot,” he said. “I was happy with it.”

Beaty picked up his arrow before meeting up with his father and brother. The trio tracked the blood trail for about 150 yards before finding the buck. After harvesting the deer on private land near Pierce City, Beaty prepared the skullcap for scoring.

“I didn’t shoot this deer for any records or anything else,” Beaty said. “I shot it for me, but in all reality, none of this would be possible without God.”

Beaty visited the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Southwest Regional Office in Springfield on Jan. 12 for preliminary measuring. MDC Private Land Conservationist Brad Graevs and Forester Taylor Kennemer scored the antlers as official measurers for the Boone and Crockett Club and the Pope and Young Club.

The final score was 217 2/8 inches, Graevs determined. It had 172 3/8 inches of main frame, meaning the score of the normal points, and the total abnormal points were 44 7/8 inches. Total deductions measured at 9 3/8 inches, and the scoring process took five hours. The record will undergo review by each club before being accepted as official.

“We’re happy to be able to provide the service of measuring antlers for Missourians who are interested — and lucky enough — to harvest a deer that qualifies for the record books,” Graevs said. “It’s a good feeling to help a hunter commemorate a great hunt with an entry in the record books, especially if that’s what gets them outside enjoying Missouri’s natural resources.”

Hunters interested in scoring their deer can call their local MDC office. Find contact information online at mdc.mo.gov/contact-engage.