A Wisconsin Hill Country Slob

A week after my Minnesota hunt I spent some time with a new bowhunter and friend getting him started on a new property we had gained access to in South Eastern Minnesota. I spent the weekend filming but my mind was already drifting to the hills of Western Wisconsin and what the season had in store for me there. The private property I am hunting this year in Wisconsin is a brand new property for me and I had gained access late in the summer so I was not able to do any scouting prior to the season. I had however spent many hours dissecting topography maps and aerial photos to determine likely spots for a successful hunt in hill country.

On October 24 I setup on a finger into a coulee with trails crossing 3/4 of the way up on either side of me and a logging road cutting across the finger below me. I felt good about the wind direction and spot I had chosen but the evening hunt produced no deer sightings. I left my stand set for the night and snuck back in again in the morning. At about 8:00am I grunted in a 2 and 1/2 year old 10 point buck that was extremely difficult to pass up. He had fair mass, good spread, but he wasn't what I was waiting for. At noon I called my wife to discuss the great encounter I had that morning and she gave me a little grief for passing a "10 point buck".

It was my last hunt for the weekend on the evening of October 25 and I decided to freelance another new spot further west on our property. To my dismay I entered an open hardwoods where I could see hundreds of yards both east and west. I walked down a finger to a shelf where the landscape dove off sharply below. This shelf had many deer trails cutting across it but the most intriguing aspect was the dozens of fresh rubs on nearly all of the trees and good diameter trees to boot. I picked a leaning tree above the trails on the shelf and setup for the evening. I felt that if I wanted to see bucks in this open mature woods I would need to do some calling this evening. I had never had any great luck rattling before other than a few small bucks and even a doe, but I always try it on ground where pressure is lighter. About an hour and a half before quitting time I grabbed my antlers and simulated an engaged buck fight for 30 seconds or more. It wasn't 3 minutes after I hung up the antlers and I spotted a large buck making his way towards me with an intent pace. When he got below my stand I knew quickly that he was an older mature buck and came to full draw. At 11 yards I let my arrow fly and made a perfect double lung shot. The buck ran about 100 yards and expired. The bucks dressed weight was 204 lbs and his antlers have an inside spread of 18 7/8".