Big Buck - Venture North Outfitting

S P E C I A L FALL E D I T I O N
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VOL. 17, NO. 2,1-ftLL 2003 OHlALE TIL DECEMBER 30, 2003
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Kevin Wilson of Edmonton, Alberta, took this huge
whitetail in 2001. The body size was above average,
marking the 400-pound range, and the antlers were also
very impressive. The headgear ended up grossing over
161 inches. Kevin is a veteran bowhunter with a passion for
pursuing these king bucks. He is also a gifted outdoor writer
and outfits for whitetails. Check out his website at:
www.venturenorthoutfitting.com. Kevin Wilson photo.
As an outfitter and guide, I've enjoyed closing many
clients' tags on outstanding whitetails. Over the last two
decades, I've encountered scores of big bucks during my own
excursions and while accompanying visiting hunters. Many of
my own experiences have been with bow in hand. During one
week of hunting in mid-November alone, I fondly recall
rattling in 14 different bucks. Each would have scored well
over 140 inches and, of those, at least two would have
surpassed the magical 170-inch barrier. Wishing I'd had a rifle
in hand, I resigned myself to the fact that that's what I like
about archery: it's not so much the kill, but the
accomplishment. To put it bluntly, even though I take pride in
consistently putting hunters on big deer, I have yet to break the
170 barrier with archery tackle myself. With many foiled
opportunities to my credit, or perhaps I should say discredit, my
2001 whitetail by virtue of asymmetry again managed to keep
me out of the Boone & Crockett (B&C) category. At the time,
I felt confident that this was "the one," but the tape doesn't lie,
and with a gross score of 161 B&C, I continue my quest to
break that 170-inch barrier with archery tackle. Following is a
tale of how yours truly came so close, and yet so far.
As every seasoned deer hunter knows, success comes in
many forms. Closing a tag on a trophy whitetail generally
involves a healthy dose of good luck, but for hard-earned deer,
By Kevin Wilson
72 BIG BUCK
so far
it involves more. Hard-core hunters invest a great deal of time
scouting, locating herds with good genetics, nurturing
landowner relationships, familiarizing themselves with the
landscape, learning and even keeping inventory of the deer in
their area. But most importantly, they hunt a lot! This mix of
academia, public relations, determination, sacrifice, and
commitment is an equation that I along with most other
whitetail fanatics know all too well.
For me, it began many years ago. A good friend, mentor,
and well-known Alberta outdoorsman by the name of George
Mitchell, whom I'd met on a caribou hunt in the Northwest
Territories, introduced me to a friend of his. Well aware of my
passion for big whitetails and very familiar with a particular
property, George knew that the area produced exceptional deer
and wanted to see if I could connect with my bow.
To fast forward a bit, over the past few years, I've managed
to close the gap on many different bucks of which the largest
would have scored well over the 190-inch mark. Truly
magnificent, this area produces big deer year after year. Every
year one of my hunters or I myself have an opportunity at a
deer over 150 inches on this particular property. By
opportunity, I mean a buck standing or walking within 30 yards
of a treestand or ground blind. This place is just that good. It's
a massive area, and regardless of where I place my stands, there
are always big bucks roaming about. In my opinion, if there is
such a thing at all, this area epitomizes the idea of a big buck
Utopia.
Although I've taken numerous Pope and Young bucks, my
2001 whitetail is my personal best with a bow. Although I hate
to admit it, I screwed up on a comparable deer in 2002. At 20
yards, another 160-class buck caught me attempting to go to
full draw. But again, that's part of what I enjoy so much about
bowhunting. In my mind, arrowing a trophy-class specimen of
North America's most challenging game animal is an incredible
accomplishment.
In Alberta, bowhunters enjoy an extended season, with the
opportunity to hunt in September and October as well as the
later November rut. With much of my time preoccupied setting
stands for clients and guiding, I managed to get out a few times
during the early season but didn't see anything that appealed to
me. As the rut approached, I began to notice a pattern. Walking
many traditional trails, there was one particular route that had
larger-than-average rubs on it. Systematically marking
territory, whatever buck was making the rubs was clearly a
dominant deer.
As the days progressed, during the latter part of October
and on into November, I rediscovered a series of traditional
scrapes that were reopened, and some were extraordinarily big.
Over several years, I'd learned that although big buck activity
may not be noticeable, the habitat is simply too good to pass up.
Big deer live in those woods and that's all there is to it. The one
thing I found puzzling was the lack of quality feed nearby.
Landscape parched from the second summer of intense
drought, I was getting the feeling that deer numbers were down
and that many had perhaps shifted to a better food source. But
I still couldn't pull myself away from the glaring rubs and
scrapes. Opting to gamble on the fact that the deer would likely
utilize that particular area during the rut, I strategically hung
three different stands. Two were placed in huge poplars and one
in a spruce tree. Recognizing that all three were great ambush
spots, my plan was to rotate from morning to evening and dayto-day so as not to burn out any one spot.
Scheduled to bring hunters in the third week of November,
I had the second week to myself. In my experience, rattling and
calling works well during the pre- and peak rut periods from the
middle of October to the middle of November. Monday, the
11th, would be my first outing of the week and, in turn, be the
beginning of an arduous string of will-testing days on stand. A
harsh reality of hunting Alberta whitetails is that despite the
quality of deer which reside throughout much of the province,
we simply have lower deer densities, and that can translate to
challenging days on stand. One of the first things I tell folks
south of the border when they inquire about hunting Alberta is
that we have some of the biggest deer in the world. That said,
our deer numbers are lower. On average, I expect to see
anywhere from zero to 10 a day. This translates to about two
every two hours on a good day. Well, suffice it to say, as the
week progressed, I rattled in two respectable bucks: one was a
140-class buck and the other would have scored in the 125
range. Both came running to within 15 yards, but I was really
hoping to get a crack at the elusive buck making all of the
massive rubs and scrapes. Out of six days, I went three without
even seeing a deer! Almost unheard of, I began to second-guess
not only my ability but the wisdom in setting up near what I
thought was incredible rub and scrape-line activity.
By the end of the week, I was completely baffled. Unsure
which stand to sit, I opted for one strategically nestled in a
heavily wooded spruce bluff. Academically, the stand was in a
perfect location. A perfect morning stand, it offered a 30-yard
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BIG BUCK 73
shot opportunity in almost all directions and was situated in an
ideal staging area for deer to mingle as they funneled off the
field to the south.
After a number of non-eventful days, I'll admit it was a
chore responding to my early morning alarm. The prospect of
rolling out of a warm bed with the very real possibility of
repeating another frustrating day on stand was less than
appealing. But one thing I know for certain is that you can't
shoot a buck with your eyes shut, and snoring doesn't help
much either! So gathering my gear, donning my camo and
hopping in my cold truck, I repeated my morning ritual,
arriving on site about an hour before legal light. Making my
way through the dark, I proceeded to my stand. Taking about 30
minutes to walk in, I took extra care not to get overheated. By
the time I settled on stand, there was about half an hour
remaining until legal light.
In over 20 years of hunting, I've learned that the first few
minutes of legal light can be dynamite for rattling and calling.
Feeling that my luck had to change soon, I took advantage of
those precious first minutes of the day but to no avail. Puzzled
by the silence, all that could be heard was the odd bird and a
few squirrels that seemed less than enthusiastic about my
presence. Over the following hour and a half, I continued to
grunt call and rattle every half hour. Nearly falling asleep, it
was around 10:00 a.m. when I heard rustling behind my stand.
I quickly stood up and carefully turned to face the tree in hopes
of glimpsing whatever was making the commotion. Adrenaline
coursing through my system, I was elated to see a doe and fawn
briskly walking through the timber. Headed straight for me, I
wondered why they were in such a hurry. All I could hope for
Video Review: Monster I
By Michael Hungle
Monster Bucks XI, Volumes 1 and 2, mark the start of the second
decade for Realtree Outdoor Productions' exciting, entertaining and
informative deer hunting videos. Volume 1 is subtitled "The Legacy
Continues" and Volume 2 is entitled "North American Trophies." Each
video is 110 minutes long and features 17 hunts along with messages on
conservation and ethics, hunt commentaries and shooting competitions.
These videos are jam-packed with in-your-face footage of live deer,
great over-the-shoulder camera angles, tasteful kill scenes and beneficial
hunting tips. The action in these videos is 100% fair chase. All action takes
place in the wild and not behind enclosed high fences or on game farms.
Volume 1 features hunts from Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, Georgia,
Montana and Saskatchewan. As for highlights, Michael Waddell calls in
and arrows a 160-dass Kansas buck. Bill Jordan takes a monster Texas
buck grossing over 170 Boone and Crockett, while David Blanton scores
on a huge drop-lined buck.
In Volume 2, the cameras travel to Kentucky, Wyoming, Iowa, Kansas,
Texas, Georgia, Montana, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The monster buck
action continues in this volume as David Blanton puts a 168 Alberta 11pointer on the ground. Then, for the first time ever, the Realtree cameras
capture the harvesting of a Boone and Crockett buck when David Morris
shoots a 6x6 buck that nets 172 Boone and Crockett.
These entertaining productions are a must for deer hunters. They are
available in both VMS and DVD format. To obtain a copy, visit your local
video dealer, call Realtree at 1 -800-474-8733 or visit Realtree's website at
www.realtree.com.
74 BIG BUCK
was that a buck would be trailing behind.
Then it happened, just 80 yards further to the east, I saw a
massive body ghosting through the timber. Although not what
I would call hot on their trail, there was a buck. And not just any
buck mind you, this was a great buck. Even though everything
happened so quickly, I remember immediately recognizing him
as a 170-class deer and thinking he had more points on his left
than his right antler. Regardless, anyone would be a fool to pass
him up! The only problem was that he was beginning to veer
off course. Originally following in the doe's and fawn's tracks,
he was now starting to angle off in another direction.
Thankfully, I had the Primos "Can" with me. Quickly tilting
and rolling it in my hand, the doe estrus bleat immediately
captured his attention. Now alert to something he wanted, the
buck approached in curiosity. At 50 yards, I drew my bow.
Centering the 30-yard pin on his chest, I followed him through
the trees until a clear shot was evident. Then, as I grunt-called,
he slowed and I released. The arrow instantaneously struck
with a loud "whack."
By all appearances I'd hit him well, but I wasn't sure.
Straining to listen for a crash, I thought I heard him go down.
Waiting 20 minutes, I slowly gathered my gear and climbed
down from the treestand. Anxious to check my arrow and the
blood trail, I made my way over to the point of impact. Blood
was evident, but it wasn't as good as I'd hoped for. "Could I
have hit him in the shoulder?" I remember thinking to myself.
Following the trail for about 40 yards, I decided it would be
best to wait a few hours. And let me tell you, those were some
of the toughest hours I've ever had to endure. I know patience
is a virtue, but when it comes to big whitetails, hours can seem
like days.
Several hours passed, and as I proceeded to follow sporadic
droplets of blood, I became less optimistic that I'd find him.
With archery tackle, a clean kill is generally found under 100
yards. Now standing approximately 200 yards from the
treestand, I had a sickening feeling that I would never find my
buck. Then, as if things couldn't get worse, the blood trail
disappeared altogether. Standing silent for quite some time, I
didn't know what to do next. There wasn't enough snow on the
ground to follow tracks and any evidence of my deer had
simply vanished!
Then, as I turned to proceed down another trail, movement
caught my eye. There, not 20 yards away, was my buck, and he
was trying to get up! Quickly nocking another arrow, I took
careful aim and put a finishing shot into him. Again, this all
transpired so fast that it took a moment to realize the
significance of the moment. Despite the imperfection of the
chain of events, my new-found trophy was down for the count.
Upon further inspection, I had indeed struck him square in the
shoulder with my first arrow. Weighing over 400 pounds, he
was solid muscle.
Taking a moment to sit down beside this incredible animal,
I thanked God for both the privilege and the opportunity to
retrieve him. Now able to hold the antlers and evaluate them up
close, I realized that although he was a monster, he would likely
not make the 170 mark. Bitter sweet, this exceptional whitetail
is now proudly displayed in my trophy room, a reminder of the
opportunity awaiting anyone wanting to hunt impressive
Alberta whitetails. •-*