Shoe,
Sorry to not answer sooner. I've been out of town with the family on a little 'make up for all the time I spend hunting' vacation.
Tony and I go back quite a way. We graduated together in Fish and Wildlife Biology from ISU back in the late '60's. I don't get to see him much any more but we did get together over pizza early last fall. At that time things were up in the air. I haven't talked to him since then.
I hunted that corner of the state for many years and my field experiences often have an impact on my paintings. The original inspiration for 'Cornfield Buck' was a photo Tony took of a huge buck. Though the photo had great visual impact the detail was very poor due to low light and I ended up using a central Iowa rack.
About 8 years ago I started looking for a new hunting area and ended up in SE Iowa. Much of the detail material now comes from that part of the state though I try to keep the overall setting looking like it could be any of many spots in the midwest. Since Old Rivals I the racks are all actual deer from the midwest, mostly from Iowa. It is very handy to live in a state that produces so many monster bucks.
Good Hunting!
Old Buck