A Pennsylvania hunter nicknamed ‘Tiny’ gets the big buck of a lifetime

A Pennsylvania hunter who has thanked his neighbors for every deer he’s harvested over the past 37 years has finally received a large buck he calls a “tiny” that’s perfect for hanging on the wall of his home.

Gary Cunningham, 59, of Erie County, won a wide 14-point buck that spanned 20¼ inches on Nov. 30 at a farm near his home.

“He’s a main-frame 8-pointer with a bunch of kickers and everything that comes off him that makes him a 14-pointer,” he said.

A hunter in the Northeast said he first saw a deer in his neighborhood two years ago when it fell from his tree stand. He was wearing a back brace and a leg brace when the deer appeared with several others near his house. “I was like, ‘Wow look at his size,'” he said.

Deer have since appeared more often in his game camera photos, but only at night. “I hunt archery for him, but he never appears during the day,” he said.

Deer have long tusks and broad rump. “The neighbors nicknamed him ‘Tiny’ because he was so big.”

On the second day of rifle deer season, Cunningham finally had the chance at the buck of a lifetime. “He was chasing a dog through the red brush. And I almost shot Doe and then I started walking. He was right behind me when I shot him and busted him through the red brush,” he said.

Walking toward the downed deer, he said, “I could see the antlers, but I didn’t know exactly how big. And when I got there, I was emotional and shaking. I made the first call to my wife, Cindy, and I told her ‘Tiny’ was shot. And she’s like, ‘You didn’t.’ And I said, ‘I did.’ And she replied, ‘Holy cow, I can’t believe you did it.’

More: A Pennsylvania hunter waited 17 years to find a big buck and he did

Even Cunningham couldn’t believe it right away. “I’ve been hunting now, I’d say 37 years, and this is my first wall-hanger trophy buck.”

A hunting friend, Tyler Lingarkos, was in the area and heard Cunningham shoot. He called to see if Cunningham had gotten a deer and was excited to hear he had a “little one.” Lingarkos was “literally running the field,” Cunningham said, to get to the money. Instead of shaking his hand, Lingarkos gave him a big hug and took a variety of photos of Cunningham with his legendary deer.

Cunningham hunts deer primarily for deer. “I’ll take the first legal buck that comes to me. And I’ve always told everybody, if I’m going to get a trophy, God will send it to me. Well, He did.”

Cunningham always respects every animal he butchers.

“I always put my hands on them, and I say a quick prayer, and I always thank God for my harvest. It was definitely emotional,” he said.

“He sent me a trophy. But I’ve always believed that every deer you shoot is a trophy because there’s a story behind it,” he said.

Since Sunday, many of her neighbors have sent her photos and videos of “Tiny” and congratulated her.

He is entering a deer in a big buck contest where the top prize is a free taxidermy mount. If he wins the competition, he plans to mount it on the deer’s shoulder.

“Anyway, that’s a trophy for me. I mean it’s the biggest deer I’ve ever seen,” Cunningham said.

“I never thought in my lifetime that I would get something like this,” he said. “Everyone said it was the money of a lifetime.”

Brian Whipkey is an outside columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on the home page of this website under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors

This article originally appeared in the Erie Times-News: Pennsylvania hunter finds giant wall-hanger of bucks in Erie County