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Tagged Out in Wisconsin
NOVEMBER 13, 2008 -- BRANDON WIKMAN
This fall I sat perched in a Buffalo County cottonwood for nearly thirty days. I
tallied hundreds of hours in the tree stand and have exerted thousands of hours
dedicated to planning, preparing and pre-visualizing the brief moment I experienced
Sunday morning. The moment of successful harvest!
Sunday morning I mailed a carbon shaft arrow 'express delivery' into a very respectable
whitetail with my good friends at Bluff Bucks Outfitters. I believe this weekend was by
far the best few days in the woods Wisconsin and the Midwest has seen all season. The
complex variables of weather, deer activity, rut phase and luck finally came together.
It has surely proven itself through not only my fortune, but also hundreds of happy
hunters sporting grins and grabbing antler for picture perfect trophy photos.
The Midwest has just escaped a major rut melt down due to last week's 70-degree miserable
temperatures. Deer activity was sparse and much of the buck activity was during the night
when temperatures were cooler. The entire past week I've been frequently watching the
weather channel and awaiting our cold front savior. Friday the warm system pushed
eastward and we got blasted with a high-pressure system that brought snow with it. Not
only did it bring frigid temperatures, but also brought back the rut.
Sunday morning I woke extra early to get ready. I had to finish washing my clothes and
taking a scent-free shower. I definitely needed one after somehow managing to burn an
egg omelet. As soon as I walked out the door, I felt a positive vibe in the air. A special
feeling hunter's happen to get every now and then.
In the cloak of darkness, I crept my way through the woods. Watching each and every step,
I managed to dodge every crunchy twig en route to my tree stand. I decided to use a young
buck decoy anticipating I'd stir a mature buck's feelings. After placing the decoy, I scaled
my tree and prepared for first light.
I sat cold and shivering the entire morning without much deer activity. I spotted my first
deer at 9 o'clock in the morning. It was a buck busting through brush chasing a doe. All
I could see were antlers and a blob of brown. He never came within a hundred yards of the
tree stand.
An hour had passed since I seen the buck, so I decided to fumble around in my bag for my
Extinguisher grunt tube. I barked out a cadence of tending grunts and combined a few estrous
bleats to compliment the scenario.
I swiveled my head for a glance behind me and caught movement. As I turned around, there he
stood! The buck had my decoy pinned and wouldn't keep his eyes off. I instinctively reached
for my bow and waited for a broadside shot. At only 20-yards away, my arrow found its mark.
This fall has been one of my most memorable hunting experiences yet. An unbelievable
encounter with a 160' 10-point at thirty yards and a handful of 140's out of distance and
camera light. So many obstacles must be overcome when trying to kill a nice buck, as many
hunters understand. This fall in Wisconsin was no different than any other season for me
in that it took time, patience and a little luck.
Please feel free to contact us with
questions and/or comments.
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