By Brandon Wikman
This week I’m hunting in Tigerton, Wisconsin at a brand new hunting operation. Owner of Full Draw 365, Steve Reis, provided me a warm invitation to come film an episode here in the western part of Wisconsin.
To many, this part of Wisconsin isn’t known as a monster buck mecca like prominent Buffalo County. Cameras, television shows, and outdoor personalities have herded to the Mississippi River region in pursuit for bluff-roaming bucks. Yet, this special place not known to many produces just as many if not more quality bucks.
I’ve spent a few days in stand and have seen more colossal whitetail bucks than I truly can fathom. It has been one of the most enjoyable and memorable hunting experiences of my career. The cameras have been rolling and documenting big buck footage every single day.
We’ve had several close encounters with bucks thus far, including an in your face, eye-to-eye big buck rush. A few days ago, I was in stand overlooking a food plot. As I twiddled with my release and string I heard a rumble of a grunt. I looked up, reached for my binoculars, and spotted a doe blasting through the woods at hyper speed. As you can guess, a buck followed. I tried to grab some sort of glimpse of his antlers as he darted through the forest. He had no reason to stop, which was until the doe took off and left him to hang. This is when I busted out my grunt tube and greeted the giant with a challenge. The game was on.
With a few short staccato grunts, he was turning around and heading directly toward me. I clipped my release to my string loop and began counting down the steps as he marched his way to my dream. His body sagged to the ground and his head drooped from his bushel basket of a rack. At this point I could easily see his skyscraping tines, banana-like mass, and beastly attitude.
The largest buck of my life stood a mere 45 yards away. His eyes and body were positioned looking directly at me. He stood there as my heart fluttered and knees buckled. I was ready to throw carbon his way once he gave me a shot. As time stood still, the buck’s nose began to sniff, ears flicker back-and-forth, and head sway side-to-side. I could tell he was getting slightly nervous, considering he couldn’t find his rival. Within seconds, I watched his barrel body spin and bound back toward the woods. My jaw dropped. It was over.
Needless to say, it was a heart-wrenching moment that is a critical part of hunting with a bow and waiting for a quality shot.
I have a few more days here and will keep you posted with any enlightening success, dramas, or mishaps. Good luck hunting to everyone.
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