Silent Strategies: Hunting Big Bucks with Code Of Silence- 6 Shooter
The Chronicles of 6 Shooter
There are plenty of big buck stories in circulation these days. Everyone, including me, is making a business from content production. Yet there are a lot of these amazing stories that just fly under the radar. This one would have been one of those too, but luckily a mutual friend got Josh Herz and I together to bring our the Chronicles Of 6 Shooter.
There's something about big deer that can haunt a hunter's dreams. Josh Herz spotted one, studied it, and became consumed by it—this deer, known affectionately as "6 Shooter," was a mainframe 6x6 bruiser who worked his way into Josh's life in unexpected ways.
Sheds and Trail Cameras- The Beginning
Josh's first encounter with 6 Shooter came on a chilly March day when he stumbled upon the buck's impressive sheds. Big, symmetrical antlers with six perfect points on each side hinted at incredible potential roaming the woods.
Take Away: Shed’s can tell you a piece of the story, but not the whole thing. More often than not the shed antlers a hunter finds in the late winter and early spring are assumed to be on that bucks Winter Pattern but we know what assuming does. There is a saying in business of “Trust but Verify” and that is exactly what Josh did here.
Fast-forward to October 2023—Josh placed a trail camera exactly where he'd found one of the sheds, and on October 16th, 6 Shooter made his grand appearance, captured perfectly on camera. From that moment, Josh's obsession ignited.
Take Away: Josh used strategic camera placement to verify half of that old saying. Camera placement is the obvious part of this equation. Trusting your gut and what the previous sign said is the other one, but there is something else here. Mid October is widely thought of as the October Lull but hunters in the know, like Josh, know that Big Bucks get on their feet in Mid October and start hitting those scrapes in earnest. This is a time to trust that fresh sign and build a story of that bucks core area. They generally aren’t running across the landscape looking for hot does in the middle of the 10th month, but they are making their presence known and apparent in their extended core area. This is where you can kill them.
Treestand Time- Make it Count by Using that Intel
That fall, Josh's wife, Amber, pursued 6 Shooter with her bow. Despite countless hours in the stand, she missed by mere inches. Heartbreaking, yes, but any seasoned hunter knows that a clean miss beats the alternative, and close calls like these are precisely what keeps hunters returning to the stand year after year.
Take Away: Josh and Amber used the most recent data and sign to concentrate on that target bucks core area. Time on stand starts to matter as bucks move into scrape season and beyond. In the early and late seasons, a lot of hunters will go on the traditional bed to feed patterns and concentrate on evenings, with the occasional morning tossed in. More and more folks will also make a pattern from the data they have put together and try to take that buck on that pattern, but as October flips it’s mid point volume sits can start to stack the deck in your favor. The lazy mornings of September are gone. That is the time frame where you should be on stand as much as possible.
Shed Hunting Success- Hope in the Face of Tragedy
The following year brought highs and lows. Josh tragically lost Boone, a promising young dog he'd hoped would become his new shed hunting partner. The loss took much of the joy from shed hunting, but Josh learned someone else found one side of 6 Shooter's antlers, confirming the buck had survived another hunting season and harsh winter.
Take Away: Hunting is supposed to be fun, and the loss of a family member who was an integral part of that mix can lead to a massive hole in that notion. It is hard to stay in the game with such a heavy weight on your heart. But understanding that research, keeping your ear to the ground, and relationships with folks in your hunting areas, you can still drop pieces of the puzzle in place. Through a well-maintained network confirming 6 Shooter was up and moving post-season was that puzzle piece. It is not the same as having the sheds in your own hands, but at the end of the day, as we build strategies to hunt big bucks, sheds are actually just data points, and that data was still there.
Hunting Big Bucks- Putting it all Together to Arrow 6 Shooter
By the summer of 2024, trail camera photos confirmed that 6 Shooter wasn't just surviving—he was thriving. On October 1, Josh hung a stand at midday in sweltering heat, gambling on the buck's pattern. Despite his efforts, 6 Shooter remained elusive.
The "rutcation" of 2024 arrived with heavy snow, turning the world silent and white. During this period, Josh's brother Phil saw 6 Shooter within 30 yards but accidentally spooked him by bumping his stand. Shortly after, Josh also had a chance, taking an ill-advised shot at the deer but fortunately missing. Deer like 6 Shooter often push hunters into uncharacteristic decisions.
Finally, on a crisp November evening with just minutes of shooting light remaining, 6 Shooter stepped into Josh's view once more. Josh was packing up, ready to end the hunt, when he spotted the buck approaching. With his nerves quickly gathered, he made the shot. The following day, aided by tracking dogs that ultimately weren't necessary, Josh recovered 6 Shooter, ending nearly two years of pursuit.
Take Away: It’s the little things that matter. Right down to the noise you make on stand, how much time you can spend out there comfortably and the imprint you’re leaving on the landscape. Pressure makes people and deer do things that they wouldn’t usually. This is where Code Of Silence can help make a difference. With the principles of sensory gating at the core of all Code Of Silence gear, Josh was able to be silent, visually ambiguous, warm, and comfortable. Those are the little things that help you kill big bucks. Confidence kills, and with our gear, a hunter can know they are going to the stand with the best whitetail hunting gear possible- at any price.
Final Shot
Hunting isn't always about easy success—it's about the obsession, the heartbreak, the near-misses, and finally, the moment when it all aligns. For Josh Herz, 6 Shooter was exactly that deer. While 6 Shooter no longer roams the woods, the chase, the misses, and the final triumph will remain unforgettable.