By: Greg Haak
November 7th 2011, it was prime time in South Central Wisconsin. Deer activity was picking up. With many nice bucks on trail cam this year I had visions of putting an arrow through one of them as I walked to the stand on that crisp morning. I decided to hunt a new stand on one of the properties I don’t get out to very often. Just two days before I hung a stand in a funnel between two big chunks of woods; I was sure it’d be a hot stand if the bucks were chasing.  I got in my stand about 5:45. At first light it didn’t take long to see the first deer of the day, a decent buck from the second I saw him. A little while later I had 35 turkeys come in; 10 of which were strutting toms, you wouldn’t of thought it was November! It was the weirdest thing. 

As the morning went on I saw a doe, two fawns, and a spike. My plan was to sit all day but debated that idea between 8:30 and 10 when the activity died down. I decided to stick it out and around 10:30 the lack of activity got me thinking how hungry I was because I had eaten all my food during the mid morning lull. My phone began to vibrate, it was my boss, so I quickly answered and talked very quietly to him; as I am talking with him two does came busting out of the woods into the CRP 200 yards away. I told my boss I’d call him back. About 5 minutes after hanging up the phone another doe came flying by me with 3 little bucks hot on her tail; shortly thereafter another little 8 pt followed her path. Things slowed down again until around 1130.  I was watching the CRP when a buck popped out in the field for 5 seconds. It was a quick encounter but I could tell he was a nice buck outside the ears but he lacked in height. It’d be hard animal to pass knowing he would be my biggest bow buck. After he went back in the woods I contemplated what I’d do if he presented a shot and decided that I was going to take him. Just seconds later he appeared 35 yards out coming straight to me. He walked into my shooting lane mouth wide open. I let out a grunt to stop him, settled my pin behind the shoulder and released the arrow. With the Buck quartering away I hit the off shoulder, he ran 40 yards stopped looked back then I heard a large commotion. I sat in my stand for an hour, which seemed like 3 days. When I got down I went and got my dad. After a short track job I had my largest bow buck to date. About a week after I checked my trail cam and had a picture of the buck I shot a few days earlier.