The Wisconsin gun opener started off with dense fog all day on Saturday, and then rain all day on Sunday. Not a great start for me only seeing 2 does and 5 fawns all weekend. I was not able to hunt on Thursday and a nagging back injury had me off to a slow start on Black Friday.
During the archery season, I was hunting 4 specific deer, three different 8 point bucks and a nine point buck – two in Columbia County and two in Iowa County. Around 8:00am opening day of the Wisconsin gun deer season in Iowa County, I was already cold 20′ up my tree stand. I had just passed on a doe and 2 fawns when I heard a loud single shot come from the neighboring property to the West. I hung my head in frustration thinking to myself that they just killed “Dagger”, one of the big 8 points I’d been after. My next thought was good for that lucky hunter, as perhaps he put as much effort into him as I had. I had several nice bucks on camera on this property but one stood out. I typically don’t give nicknames to deer, but this one had a slanting brow tine on his left side and every time I viewed a trail cam photo of him, “Dagger” is what instantly came to mind.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon. I stopped at the taxidermist to drop off my archery buck, and headed to the farm about 10 miles away. I noted no fresh tracks in the bean field and only one large set of day old tracks that went directly underneath my stand. I hung a scent wick dipped in “Flaming Doe” estrous scent, a not yet on the market scent product I am field testing for a company in Texas. There was still standing corn surrounding a small woods a 1/4 mile to the North and I hoped to possibly pull a buck from that direction. I climbed up into my same stand as opening day, wishing I hadn’t been dealt yet another southerly wind. The stand was appropriate for the wind, but I was convinced that a northerly wind would allow me to use my climber on the opposite end of the woods where there was more open shooting and more activity. Scanning around I picked out several fresh beds in the snow and was convinced I should have come earlier before daylight as it appeared that deer had come and gone.
Nothing was moving, except for a single squirrel and one woodpecker hammering away at a dead tree. After about an hour and 45 minutes, I caught movement at the bottom of the draw that funnels into the neighbors property. There is fairly dense brush, mostly of the clothes ripping thorny variety, and I couldn’t tell what the deer was, other than it appeared to be big in my binoculars. It started to slowly move up the draw, pausing for a minute or two after only taking a few steps. Again, scanning through my binoculars it turned it’s head toward me and shook it’s head. Antlers.
As it cautiously crept up the draw a few steps at a time, pausing for unbearable periods, it finally stopped in an opening. I shouldered my 25.06 and quickly found him in the scope. It was Dagger! I was in disbelief, having already convinced myself that he was hanging in the neighbor’s shed. I clicked off the safety and noted that their was a slanting tree protecting his vitals.
Waiting, waiting and waiting some more, he would not move. He just stood there for about 5 minutes gazing in my direction and testing the wind at his back. I was standing with the rifle shouldered and my arms began to shake from holding the crosshairs on him for so long. I was afraid to lower the rifle for fear that he would step through the opening and turn, screened by trees and brush never offering another shot. I debated aiming at his neck but elected to engage the safety, lower the rifle and let fate have it’s way.
After a few deep breathes, I saw him take a step. I quickly shouldered the rifle again and clicked off the safety. One more step and I carefully aimed, exhaled and fired. Dagger dropped like he was struck by lightning.
Immediately I sent a text with one of the trail cam pictures attached to the property owner, and my best friend, and shared the news. He offered to come over and help and I gladly accepted. What a season.
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