This is a story about my hunting experiences in Florence County, Wisconsin. The Buddy Buck story begins in 1993. The season had come and gone, with only one nice eight-point buck taken by my father. My father had been sitting on the north end of swamp at that time. He went back to camp because he forgot his lunch. My father was slowly making his way back to his deer stand. As he neared the edge of the swamp, he noticed a nice buck chasing two doe. He quickly shot once and the buck flinched then continued across the swamp behind the doe. The buck seemed to be slowing down after the first shot. My father fired again and then the buck stopped. That's just what father needed, a third shot, anchored the buck for keeps.
The following year Brian, my oldest son, again was hunting with me. At first I could only see three-fourths of the deer, I thought it was a doe at first. I asked Brian to shoot the deer but he could not see it. The next thing I knew, the deer stepped through an opening. That's when I saw the biggest rack on a buck that I can remember. Brian and I then knew that the deer was huge trophy. We tried as hard as we could to find an opening to get a shot the deer. The only possible shot that could have been taken was a frontal one, for Brian, at 150 plus yards away. As the buck looked back towards the blind, I told Brian not to shoot. It would have been his first opportunity to shoot a deer and was a far too beautiful an animal for a beginner to take this difficult of a shot that range. We were both fortunate though to have an opportunity of seeing a trophy class whitetail buck. But as luck would have it, the shot never transpired for either one of us.
As the 1996 Deer gun season began, I wondered whether the big buck of 95'made it or if some other hunter managed to place him on the wall. There had been four feet of snow on the ground in during the winter of 95'/96' and still these bucks were able to survive. A person has to have admiration for these majestic creatures we hunt. What do these creatures do up north during the harsh winters? Some say that the deer to migrate south. The deer signs that I found during the winter, while scouting and varmint hunting was minimal, to say the least. The locals claim that the deer do migrate to the south to Goodman Timber swamps. I have yet to substantiate this claim.
Opening day, late afternoon about 3 o'clock of the 97' season and Brian's third year with me, he noticed an enormous buck to the south, sneaking along the edge of the swamp. The buck's antlers were visible from at least 400 yards or more away. There was one problem, which was that the buck was closer to my brother Ross. He was hunting there because we thought that the deer could have been escaping through a small thicket along the south edge of the swamp. This buck went undetected past Ross at about 40 yards. I could not shoot at the buck, for the fear of hitting Ross. That buck was not to be seen for the rest of the deer season.
This year yet another new member was added to our hunting party, Adam, my youngest son. He had just started his hunting career. The Friday before the opening day of the 98' deer gun season, just hours before 650,000 plus hunters hit the Wisconsin woods. Brian, Adam, Ross, my father, and I began to look for deer sign around our stands. Another year that the bucks were hardly scraping and rubbing trees, but this is common in the northern woods. The buck signs in Florence County are much more isolated compared to the Manitowoc County, were we hunted earlier that fall. We started looking at scrape sites that bucks had visited in previous years, we were lucky enough to find two decent ones. The scrapes were three feet in diameter. These types of scrapes are from trophy bucks and are the ones most hunters' dream of. My brother Ross has repositioned his stand to the west of his last location. He sat there so he would be able to cover the area where the big buck of 97' had gone. This way we hoped we would not be putting either one of us in a compromising position again.
Adam and I sat together side-by-side in a little 4x4 foot ground blind. Nothing happened all day long. The weather was picture perfect. All of a sudden, I heard a buck grunt. Even though my eyes were shut and I had been resting in the afternoon sun, I knew this buck more than likely chasing a doe. Then branches and small limbs were breaking in the clear-cut. As the deer ran through the woods, we watched carefully. I was startled and began to second-guess myself where the deer were going to appear. I whispered to Adam, "There's a deer, be ready." Adam said, "It's too much noise for deer. It's more than likely a person coming though the woods." "Be quite!" I said. Again, I heard more grunting this time. That time Adam heard it too. Now we were aware and listened for a few seconds, which felt like hours. I whisper to Adam, "Be ready now, I know where they should appear. Watch the south point." Then the buck of 97' disappeared. But, just then the deer came in to view and we were patiently watched. Then the deer appeared as though it came out of a trap door. There wasn't just one deer there were two. First, came a doe, then the buck. I shouldered my up .270 Remington to aim and then I fired. Suddenly Adam shot his 6mm. I pumped the gun and fire again. That time I saw some hair fly off the bucks back thru the scope. He disappeared.
I sat still in shock, I was so amazed to what had just happened. Then all of a sudden, antlers appeared just above the grass in the swamp. "No!" I said, "he's still alive and looking around!" I began to get out of the blind, rather quickly I might add. All I could remember was that I must cover the buck and watch out for Adam. After all this was his first chance to be in on a kill. Adam and I began to get into position to stalk the wounded buck. I then saw Ross had his rifle on the deer when we approached. I was confused because he was not shooting. The both of us stalked the buck very slowly, step-by-step, I was filled with so much excitement at first I fell. Then, I thought to myself slow down, just be ready. Could the buck still run? The stalk seemed to be taking forever. We both saw just the antlers tips. Now, at about 20 yards I could see the buck. He looked like he wanted to get up and run away. Surprisingly, just then the buck tried to get up and run, but could not. I asked Adam, "Can you finish him off?" He said, "No, I can't see his body." We needed to get closer. Again, the buck tried to escape, "Shoot behind the shoulder" I shouted. Just then the roar of Adam's 6mm was heard. I saw the bullet hit right behind the shoulder. Exactly where it should be. Finally, the buck was down. As we approached the downed monarch of the north woods, I thought to myself what a magnificent buck we have just taken, and I could not have been hunting with finer hunting companion and newly found outdoorsmen.
Could this buck be one from earlier years? The buck was about three and one half years old, He was a perfect 10 pointer, estimated his live weight at 230 pounds. He had an inside spread of 19-5/8, the longest tines are (G2) 9-5/8, (H1) base circumference of 5-1/8, with a outside spread of 21-1/2 inches, with a green score of 151 5/8 inches, official scored 149-5/8. Buddy Buck of Florence County won first place at the Reedsville Sportsman's Club Whitetail Classic in 1999.
This article is about the mental aspect used to hunt whitetail deer. With this information you could begin to understand our early North American ancestors mental attitude towards the game they hunted and respected. You must remember I am not a physiologist these renderings are only my experience with telepathy the wilds of this our great state of Wisconsin.
First, ask yourself do you wonder how one particular individual can continually harvest deer. What is the reason this individual is able to continually be successful? I believe they mentally prepare for each and every hunt. Though luck does have some a factor in it. This is not an easy subject to convey verbally. You need to prepare mentally and be ready for the hunt, things in your mind like paying bills, things you plan on doing later, work, thoughts that clutter the serious thought process of focusing only on deer hunting. All other thoughts must be eliminated from your mind. Remember you need to think of only of seeing these beautiful animals in their natural environment. Right now you probably think that I am crazy or just maybe even a space case, but if you try to do things that I have trained myself to do you will be amazed at the results you will achieve.
The thought process may start right after work, or school. Remember this is only the thought process it does not replace scouting and stand location, if you have not done your home work and do not have a good hunting location you can not mentally call animals to your location if they are not there to begin with.
Once you have the stand location picked out you must consider when will it be the right time to hunt, wind, weather all play into this. Again you must begin thinking soon as you get out of school or work and only about the hunt. No other thoughts should be on your mind other than deer, this sound silly but just try it! Now that you are on your stand here you must really begin to think how truly beautiful mother nature is. Enjoy your surroundings be one with the land. Imagine that you are not a human being, but a tree in the woods sounds funny right.
Now that have become one with the land and you are just a tree in woods, imagine that beautiful deer coming down the trail at you. Just imagine the deer think how pretty the deer looks, see how pretty it is can you see the whiskers on the nose, the eyes blinking. Look at its ears turn trying to pick up the slightest little noise. Continue to think like this as long as you can. You will only to last just a few minutes at first. In the beginning the thought process hard and short but the more you practice the better you will get. I have begun the thought concentration days before the hunt and actually been able to visualized hunting on my stand in a dream once.
Try this next time you are at a party. Think that you are part of the furniture that you are sitting on. Once you start the intense thought process people should not even notice that you are there, they may even try to sit on you. This really works but you must try this kind of intense thinking every chance you get, not just one awhile. I know this sounds weird but just try it.
One particular time I had a vision. In this dream weeks before 1982 deer gun season I visualized shooting a buck on a windy day. I do not remember seeing more than the head and neck of the deer and that the deer was not a very big buck. I was looking to the west and could not tell what time it was, but that the day was gray and dull, very windy and over cast.
Friday before the 1982 deer gun season I had told my father of a dream I had while scouting around our stands. I told him of a vision of shooting a small buck by a particular stump. Here I pointed out the exact stump I would shoot the buck by. This is where my father looked at me in disbelief. The first day went by with out seeing a single deer. That Saturday evening a front came through and the next day was very windy.
Sunday morning at about 10:00 AM the buck appeared just as in my dream. Exactly as I had envisioned, he turned and went to the southeast then stopped by the stump I told my father about just two days before. My Winchester model 70 .243 roared and the deer took off. Every thing seamed to be happening in slow motion. I knew the shot was good, because the deer had been no more than 50 yards from me. As bolted the rifle and fired two more times at the buck he had gone no more than 30 yards. Then he disappeared into the spruce trees. Now upon hearing the shots my father came over to see what all the shooting was about.
We took up the track right where I told him it would be. It was just as I had explained on Friday, the look of amazement on his face was sure worth telling him about. We only went fifty to sixty yards and the little whitetail buck was mine. We have had many discussions from that day about what had transpired that morning, as for me I have not been able to match that experience, not for the lack of trying though.
Native Americans claim to have had visions such as the one describe to you here. As for thinking up a deer remember to practice and you should be able to master the art of thinking up a deer.
The 2003 deer season had been one to put in my record book. Deer always seemed to be around me all year. Bucks would go by all out of range I mean just out of range about 40 yards. I wish I could shoot consistently that far. One could lay one out there but I just have too much respect for the deer and do not want to wound one. That is the worst thing a skilled hunter could do. The worst thinking I hate to do is dreaded night search for wounded deer, it's not so bad tracking one when you know that you made a good shot on but a lot happens from the time you let the string go until the arrow hits its mark.
The seasons first kill started on October 11 after I setup my son Brian and him bagging a 6 pt buck out of one of my stands. I heard Brian shoot. Then I could hear a deer running hard from the north towards me. As the buck ran towards me, on the first jump I could see a blood stain low behind the right front shoulder. I can not just any deer shot good or not go by me, so I shot and hit the buck as it ran by (my shot hit high in middle of the back and exited the left rear leg). The buck only went another 15 yards and expired just behind my stand now that was cool to see. After checking the buck over Brian's shot had made a perfect shot right through the heart.
My first kill of the 2003 was on October 18, 6:30 AM sitting in the south most big poplar trees. Listen a deer coming in from the west "Get ready" I thought there an ear just 25 yards out. To get into position I had to swing to left, draw just as she steps out into a little clearing then takes two steps turns to go back in, I released the arrow, the arrow hit just a bit farther back than I would have like but the angle looked good towards the right front shoulder. "Listen" just a few non-hurried steps then sight crunch, and silence SWEET! She must be down. After an hour I walked over to where Brian had been hunting and asked him if he saw her come by. He confirmed she had not and we both felt she went down between us somewhere. After just 15 yards of tracking it the dense early fall woods there was my trophy a nice 2-year old doe. (Check out the photo)
The next deer was a nubbins buck out the tree north of my previous stand. The deer came out about 6:15 PM south of my tree. I was set facing the north, the deer was heading towards the north five to ten yards on the left side of the tree, then turned to head northwest. I drew my bow and put the sight right on the middle of his back between the shoulders, then squeezed the release, nice a spinal shot. He is down, look oh no he's crawling on front legs. Some how I manage to get my quiver back on my bow while watching the deer and take out another arrow. Just a little rattled at this time. I draw and anchor, hold and take a deep breath and release, well that did go exactly as planed. Just as the arrow gets to him he drops down and the arrow just hits him across the top of the front shoulders. Quickly I get another arrow out and take my time he's not going anywhere soon but to heaven. This time I wait until he stops moving. Anchor, paused count to three released, right through both front shoulders. Now that was a nice shot! At closing time my brother Ross comes over "what are you doing crawling around on the ground at prime time". I then showed him the dead deer.
Now for number deer number three this one during the 2003 gun deer season. Didn't' see much on Saturday opening day it was a cold, dull over cast and snow/rain not a nice day by far. Sunday the weather was cold 30 degrees in the early morning then it warmed up by 7:30 AM turned to rain. About 8:00 AM sitting and watching the south into the spruce and trying to listen for deer through the rain on the roof of my blind. There what's that about 130 yards to the right o the opening in the spruce a deer moving right to left, the deer should go just at the back of the opening (check out the scope picture). Just as the deer goes through I fire, down the deer goes that .270 130 grain found its mark. After 10 minutes or so I got my stuff together and take off after the deer armed with only my .223 Striker. The .223 was loaded with 55-grain soft point. That should do the job for finishing off a northern whitetail. About half way to the deer it jumps up and before I could get the pistol up and aimed on the deer it was gone into the thick spruce trees. Come on! That .270 130 grain ballistic tip should have caused some massive wound. After searching around I found some blood where it had been lying. Better blood than I thought I might have. There in the bed on both sides the way it looked, with big chunks of coagulated blood that deer is hurting. Well I marked the bed with my handkerchief and off on the blood trail I go. Here's when I should have went for Brian. After about 50 yards I heard the deer it's to thick I could not see the deer go, sounds like its moving good too. Going much slower from here on. Now just taking it one step at a time, watching and looking for blood, then for the deer. First 25 yards then 50 more, there she is just ahead about 50 yards away in the clear-cut laying watching back trail for me.
Up comes the Striker "quick" she could take off again. The little .223 55 grain shot hits her in the back behind the front shoulders, she attempts to get up again but cannot. Then she tries to get up again. Take a rest on a tree the next shot was in the neck she's down. She was first hit in the left rear leg with the .270 130 grain ballistic tip, which did pass through, the left hind leg smashed the leg all to hell. The first .223 shot went between the shoulders, and the second one was in the neck.
Just then Brian who is sitting not to far from me came over to see what I had shot. He offered to tagged her and dragged her out for me NICE. He tagged her because he had to go home on Sunday night and now could leave earlier. He did not mind that at all. He is in school studying to be a paramedic and does not have much time to hunt this year.
The next two deer I shot during the 2003 gun season where back in TR. My son Adam wanted to go deer hunting so I told him we could go Wednesday morning down in the swamp where we bow hunt in the fall he said that sounds like the plan. Well he didn't listen to me again this year and has difficulty loading the Mossberg 500 12 GA in the early morning light. Adam always seems to have loading the gun and I had to climb up into the tree and help him load it. Every year we seem to go through this. He does not get into hunting like the rest of us. Do get me wrong he could learn to like it's just the interest is not as strong and getting up early is not fun. Maybe someday he will come around. Well its Wednesday morning 6:30 AM and here comes a deer "a buck" in by me but, before I can turn around and get ready he is 15 yards away behind me standing. Slowly I turn to get into position, aim the red dot on the deer's body and fire "COOL" a two foot diameter fireball the deer goes down, the shot broke his back. At this point I am a little worked up, bolt a fire again, bolt and fire again. Reload and wait the deer it not moving. Not leaving my stand at all I waited. Then at about 7:00 AM and here comes another deer, coming from west, wait I thought until she gets be the swamp edge it should be about 75 yard shot. She gets right to where I thought she would stop right and did. Now! I squeezed the trigger on .223 Striker and she took off she's hit. Three shots later, yes I said three the deer is about 200 yards from where I first shot at her and now she is about 100 yards in the swamp now. The swamp is frozen and I can hear her in the swamp breaking ice about where just about where I last saw her on the forth shot. I waited until 8:00AM. I called to Adam and told him to come over and help me find both the deer. After a little searching he found where took the first shot, I told him to track her blood trail around to where I had shot at her last in the swamp and see if I hit her any more. So after awhile he was almost to where I saw her last. I climbed down and helped him out. The deer was not 30 yards from the last place I had seen her. Adam tagged her. She was hit only once high in the back and just behind the front shoulder. She should not have gone that far hit like that. The hole was about 2" in diameter. We had good blood on the trail all the way thank God. Now back to the one by the tree stand that I shot at first, a nice little 5 pt buck. Well that was one nice morning of hunting. (Check out the photo with buck and doe)
This is the second time I my hunting career I shot 5 deer in one year.
Friday my younger brother Ross shot his first buck with a pistol. A nice little 8 pt with the .357 in just a little north and east of where I shot the deer on Wednesday mornings hunt. Ross fired two shots, the first shot in the left front shoulder, the second shot on the run was in the middle an broke his back, two shots, two hits not to shabby with a wheel gun!
Predator
