Timmy Whitehead, center, helps Charlie Black (left) and Ken Hogan (right) of Shaler remove a buck Hogan shot that will be processed at Cabot's McKruit Custom Meat Cutting.

Butler County hunters celebrated an earlier start to antlered deer hunting season Saturday morning at various spots across the county.

Some had success stories, others were still hoping to find their own before the day was out.

This year marked the first time that rifle season's opening day was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, rather than the Monday following the holiday.

Hunters shared their stories with the Butler Eagle while dropping off bucks to be processed at McKruit Custom Meat Cutting in Cabot, which had processed 10 deer by about 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Ben Lesniak, of Butler, went out early with his brother, Kevin Lesniak, at Moorehead Road on a piece of land owned by his grandfather. Around 9:45 a.m., Ben had bagged a buck.

“I'm home on leave from the Coast Guard, so this was my only day to hunt,” he said, adding this is his 15th season hunting.

Read more in Monday's Butler Eagle.