Anyone who has visited my web-site and looked at the deer pictures posted there, has seen my brother-in-law Stan. Stan has taken many mature bucks over his 30 year hunting carreer, but this year's bucks were two of his finest ever !

On the 5th of November, Stan was hunting one of his favorite stands, near his home in southern Michigan. He was perched high up in a hard maple, overlooking a plot of ladino clover tucked back into the far corner of a CRP field. It was a cool,sunny afternoon, and seven does and fawns had entered the clover patch and were intently browsing away. Their attention soon focused on something on the far side of the hedgerow that ran along the back edge of the field. A big, heavy racked buck came into the clover patch, but food wasn't on his mind ! Stan readied his bow .... the buck was at 22 yards, and would present a perfect shot if he came closer to the does. The wind was blowing from the does toward the buck ...and the buck soon realized that none of them were "worthy" of his attention. Stan drew back his bow and got ready ... it looked like the buck was going to go back through the tree-line and leave. It was a quartering shot, and he realized that this was as good a shot as he was going to get. Just as he released the arrow, the big eight pointer turned to leave, and the arrow struck way back, passing through the hindquarters. Stan watched as the buck ran across a weed field, then stood there at the edge of the woods 150 yards away, before disappearing down a steep bank. He knew that the only hope for recovering this deer was if he hit the femoral artery. As daylight faded, he made the decision to let him go overnight as the weather was cool and clear. We would take up the track in the morning, and hope for the best.

The next morning was clear and cold. My nephew Mike, Stan and I headed back to where the action had taken place the night before. Stan showed us where the buck had been standing when he shot, and it wasn't long before we were on a heavy blood trail. We jumped ahead to where the big 8 pointer had stood before going into the woods, and it became clear that the arrow had indeed severed the femoral artery ! Looking down the embankment, we spotted the white underside of the big deer. He had only traveled another 75 yards from where Stan had last seen him.

STAN'S Y2K BOWBUCK

November 15th was the opening day of Michigan's firearm season. It was cold and very windy as Stan and my nephew , Mike, headed to their stands in the pre-dawn darkness. They had seen several bucks on this property during bow season, including a decent 8 pointer, but they had no idea what was about to cross their paths. (They did not know at the time, but just the night before, a huge buck was seen with some does in an open field adjacent to their lease. Cars were pulling over and watching the spectacle as the high racked buck tended "his" gals....oblivious to the spectators around him.)

Shortly after daybreak, a shot was heard on the property behind Stan. He focused his attention in the direction of the shot, and about 10 minutes later, noticed a deer making its way through the thick slashings . The tall white rack stood out even at 75 yards, and Stan instantly knew that this was no average buck ! Every deer hunter knows the adrenalin rush you get when you see a big buck, and even seasoned hunters are prone to get the "Fever" in these situations, but Stan concentrated on looking for his best shot. There was a small opening a short ways ahead of the big buck, so he held and waited for the deer to walk into the small lane. A perfect shoulder shot put the big trophy down after a short run.

G-2s = 13 inches, G-3s= 10 1/2 inches !! STAN'S Y2K GUNBUCK

DEER SEASON 2000

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