Badger Deer Camp - Badger Sportsman Magazine

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My First Big Buck
The moment after the smoke clears or you pull the
trigger or you release an arrow on a trophy whitetail is
precious and should be savored. I can still remember the
feeling like it was yesterday. I saw him for two seconds,
then dropped him in his tracks! He did not feel a thing;
true respect, no pain, no suffering.
Immediately after the shot, I pulled my bolt back and
slid another shell into the chamber of my trusty deer
rifle. I looked through my scope, to confirm that he
wasn’t going to magically vanish. Next, I turned to my
bait, the two does, that I had been watching for the last
hour. Resting my crosshairs on the larger of the two does
I squeezed off my second shot of the season. A mature
buck and doe each lay in different shooting lanes, each
100 yards from me.
A feeling of true self came upon me, as I found myself
alone in the middle of the forest. That day I was the only
hunter on the property. It was the day after Thanksgiving.
I walked up to my buck (still ready to see it vanish right
before my eyes) and sat down with him. I admired the
beautiful creature, giving my respects (to whomever it
is) for providing me with this food and allowing me to
harvest this trophy.
What a moment in my life. I was shouting praises as
I proudly ran to my car. Don’t want to admit how fast I
drove back my cabin. Dad knew, before I said a word…
I was so excited! Harvesting my first buck with a rifle,
though not as intimate as a bow and arrow, was a true
milestone in my journey as a hunter. The experience of
completing a personal goal, for me, shooting a big buck
was a priceless memory that I will cherish for the rest of
my life!
My hunting partner, my dad, has been hunting up
north, in the big woods of the Chequamagon National
Forest since he was a boy. He was never able to harvest
a mature whitetail buck in those years, however times
have changed. I’ve heard the stories about back in the
day when a hunter would be happy just to find a deer
track, let alone harvest a big buck. Wisconsin… well 3
years ago had the largest deer population ever recorded.
Food plots used to be considered as an extreme habitat
improvement. Food plots are now common practice
among landowners.
NOVEMBER 2011 ❘ Badger Sportsman ❘ badgersportsman.com ❘ 35