Personal best: WI public land whitetail

[Freebird134]

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Just got home. More to come.

[Freebird134]

Hey guys, I've been absent on the forum since getting back from our elk hunt---lots to do to make up for all that vacation time! I've been getting out for evening whitetail hunts near my house in Wisconsin, and have got a few antlerless that filled the freezer. We got a great cold snap that hit a few days ago, dropping our lows below freezing, and I knew it would get things moving.

I am hunting county public land around Madison, WI just minutes from my driveway. Yesterday I noticed they were harvesting corn out of the fields around the land I hunt. But we had winds from the north, and that's a bad wind for all my usual stands. I decided to try something new and hunt the south side of the wood lot I usually hunt. The trucks and combines were all on the north side too, so I figured it would help my chances something would move south. I had really little confidence, since I hadn't scouted the spot, chose a tree almost randomly, and didn't know what to expect.

At about 5:30pm about 12 turkeys showed up behind me, and I was ready to shoot one if they got close enough Between them scratching, and the TONS of grey squirrels (no squirrel hunting on county land!) it was hard to listen for foot steps in the leaves. But at about 5:50pm I heard something bigger in front of me and to my right. I immediately saw antlers at 90 yards. He was moving from my right to my left, and going to pass too far to shoot. So I grabbed my grunt tube and let out some grunts. After 5 or 6 grunts, he stopped and began trashing a small bush and making a scrape! I knew he was ready for some action!

I grunted more aggressively, thinking he was game for a confrontation and he finally stopped scraping and walked right at me. At 50 yards I was looking for shooting lanes, but there were too many branches. At 30 yards he was pretty clear, but facing almost straight at me. He just stood there for minutes looking for the buck he heard. Finally, he started to move forward and turned to his right at ~28 yards....and I drew. I hit my anchor and let out my best bleat to stop him. He stopped and I settled my top pin close to his shoulder and let it go. I could tell it was perfect and "heart shot!" immediately raced through my mind.

He ran about 40 yards before hitting thicker brush, and I saw his front legs give out and I was pretty sure I saw him go down. I waited 20 minutes then went over to collect the biggest whitetail I've killed. It was a perfect shot, entering the top of the heart and exiting through the side. I couldn't be happier!

I've only been hunting whitetails a few years, and I think I'm finally getting a hang of it. I think I'm twice as proud of him because it wasn't just a "go to my typical stand and wait" kind of hunt. I had be flexible and smart about it, and even then using calls helped. I'm stoked!!!!

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[Vanish]

Great buck and story!

[planebow]

Nice buck, congrats!

[BarW]

Nice deer, looks big bodied. But I'm from Texas so all Midwest deer look big to me. Love that palmation on the right antler.

[Freebird134]

BarW: he seemed big to me too, but I"m no expert! But half way to the road I thought, "man, I wish I'd have brought my elk pack and just quartered this deer!"

[ElkNut1]

Nice buck Brandon! Congrats!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

Interesting story. It is often the case that luck and "getting the hang of it" come together. Congratulations on a fine buck.