Big Bluff Buck
Opening weekend in central Wisconsin, a special time for hunting, history, and generational stories. A time that I can’t miss, now living in the state of Washington, it meant a 5-hour flight back home to where everything began. Our tradition always begins with a 20-minute drive west towards the rolling hills and the “tirty-point-buck” song.
Wisconsin Gun Deer Season 2022 with Jarod WhaleyThis year the temperatures were low, the winds were high, and there was snow packed on the ground. I climbed up into my Radix blind, turned on the Mr. Heater, and waited for the opening light; which is typically around 6:30am. Right away I had a small buck in the field and was excited about where the weekend could go. Unfortunately, Saturday was slow and I only saw a few other deer throughout the day.
After a very cold, windy, and slow opening day of Wisconsin whitetail gun season, it was time for day two. Sunday morning started at a frigid 7° F . Otherwise, a calm, clear morning walking to the stand. Again, the action started early, right at opening time there was a group of five does that came out and crossed the field around 300 yards. The rest of the morning resulted in no other deer activity. We decided to get out at 9:30am and go back for lunch.
A nice warm bowl of chili later, we were headed back to the woods. As I crossed over the knoll to get to my blind, several doe/fawns were feeding in the freshly cut cornfield. I snuck my way into the thick brush behind the blind and climbed in without spooking them. They fed for much of the afternoon, until about 3pm when they walked down the hill. For the next hour, things were slow. And then just like most evenings, that 4pm time hit and the open corn fields started to come alive.
“Save” List Buck
By 4:15pm we had 4 doe, 3 fawns, and a nice young heavy 8-point buck (but we have placed him on our “save” list for the upcoming years) in the corn. A few minutes later, two more bucks were headed up the hill into the field, one another young 6 or 7 points and a shooter buck. As I sat there staring through my vortex razor binoculars where I knew they’d be coming up, the smaller buck showed himself but the shooter had not.
Around 4:25pm, I caught his tines rising up. The other deer in the field were getting closer to me and making that larger buck curious about their actions. He started making his way up the knoll of the field and I knew then that the GoPro had to be turned on and my brand new Savage 110 .308 barrel made its way out the window. The buck slowly made his way up, feeding in the corn, not giving me a shot.
At 4:31pm he turned broadside, raised his head towards me, and BANG.
The 4.5-year-old buck dropped and started to barrel toward the wood line. I lost sight of him but watched his front half lean heavily towards the ground and his white tail twirl facing upward; knowing he was going to be on the ground shortly. After a deep breath and a moment to collect my emotions, that ever-important first phone call went to my father.
After what seemed like the longest 10-minute wait, I packed up my gear and climbed down. Walking over to where I had shot him, 90 yards from the shack, I saw where he took off. Looking over the knoll, I could see the tines. After a 45-yard run, the buck somersaulted and laid to rest.
Getting my hands on him for the first time, I started counting points. In what by rule is most likely a 10 point, he has 4 more that have either been broken off this fall or are not quite long enough to count (needing to be 1”). My biggest buck to date, on the ground, Sunday evening of opening weekend of the 2022 WI gun deer season.
Jarod Whaley, 2022
