Top 10 Big Buck Hunting Excuses

"I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity." - John D. Rockefeller


We all miss a shot or 2 when we are playing Big Buck Hunter or Big Buck Safari. The key is to realize, these aren't disasters... these are opportunities. Opportunities to play mind games with your opponent by whipping out just the right excuse. Popped a doe? Missed the buck? No prob. Just peel off one of these handy excuses.

Top 10 excuses for a Blown Hunting Site (conducted by straw poll):


10. Yeah, but I scared him!


9. I had venison for lunch.


8. Gun must not be calibrated.


7. You should see me hunt with my eyes open!


6. Bucks...Does...I'm an equal-opportunity hunter.


5. That doe looked at me funny.


4. I normally use the orange gun. (opposite of gun used)


3. I think I'll kill that one with my truck instead.


2. I need another beer.


And the #1 voted excuse...


1. I was anxious to see the Big Buck Girls again!

A Little Slice of Heaven

Dante's Paradise (c. 1308) narrates a tour thru nine spheres of heaven. But while Dante’s account is interesting, it is pretty obviously fake. Obviously he can’t really have gone to heaven, because his books mention neither Big Buck Hunter or Chicken Fried Steak. There is one place in this earthly realm, however, where you can find both of these … Mary’s Café in Strawn, Texas (2 hrs east of Dallas).

Mary Trettler is one of the last restauranteurs who still prepares Chicken Fried Steak in the traditional method. Not in the battered & deep-fried method made popular by culinary giants such as Swanson’s TV dinners.

Discerning customers will come far and wide to pay homage to the authentic Chicken Fried Steak. The dish is still lovingly prepared in the original recipe, exactly as it was passed down from the ancient Aztecs. Kim Pierce of the Dallas Morning News writes:

“Mary is so protective of her chicken-fried steak and other dishes that employees must sign an agreement drawn up by a lawyer not to share the recipes, nor even the way the restaurant plates meals.”

“At Mary's, the only deep-fried foods are things such as hand-cut french fries, breaded okra, tortilla chips and calf fries (bull testicles).”

This is starting to sound like my kind of place. The clincher? In the lobby… next to the stacks of 6-packs...you guessed it…Big Buck Hunter.

Chicken Fried Steak and Big Buck Hunter…like Batman and Robin.

Of course the real question is, when you go to Mary’s Café, do you eat first or play first?

Mastering Site Versions

Site Versions - Just Like Alternate Realities (only better)

Ever notice how you can pick the same site each day and it seems to play out slightly differently? One time the buck might come from the right, and if you pick the same sight the next day, the same buck might come from the left. Hows come? What gives?
The answer is there are 4 different versions of each site. What’s the benefit of having different versions of sites? No doubt the biggest reason is so players can’t memorize all of them. Also, if 4 people start up a 4-player game, and they all chose the same site, no one will see the exact same version. That way there’s no advantage to going first or last. No one will see the exact same version as a previous player.

Tournament Site Versions - Groundhog Day
Versions work slightly different in tournament games. Versions are a little more predictable in tournament games. In a tournament game, choosing sites in the same order will always resort in the same site versions coming up. In other words, if you play 2 tournament games in a row, as long as you chose the sites in the same order, you will always see the same site versions. Like one big Déjà vu. As long as you repeat the same order, the same versions will always appear – just like groundhog day. This can be quite beneficial to an astute player. A player can experiment with different site orders to find the highest scoring versions. One site version might have more possible points than another version of the same site. Look for things like number of critters available, long distance shots, and ease of play. A few rounds of experimentation might reveal a set of versions that offer 500 – 1000 more possible points that another. That could result in a 10-place improvement in tournament standings. Also, if you know the exact versions of the sites that are going to come up, you can practice! You can learn how get your accuracy up by reducing your shot count. That could result in a few hundred more points. In the national tournament, adding a thousand points to your score could result in several hundred bucks in your pocket!

Tournament Site Versions - Day by Day

There is one giant caveat in regards to tournament site order. The site order changes everyday! That means the site order versions that come up one day will be different from the site order versions that come up another day. Each day is a fresh and new. What that means is that one day might allow you to find a site order that gives you some extra points, and as long as you play the sites in that order you will see the same versions ALL DAY LONG. But the next day the versions will be different. That means one day might allow a higher scoring order than the next day.
Confusing, but worth the effort.
The best thing one player can give to another player is information. “Hey brother, if you play the sites in order (4-2-1-5-3) you can get some really choice site versions today.” Now that’s love! So if you find a site order that allows some sweet point potentials…share the love. Tell a friend.