FINDING NEEDLES IN THE BIG-WOODS HAYSTACK

A young deer helped me arrow the big-woods Wisconsin buck.

Mr. Big passed within bow range several minutes after legal light, but I couldn’t see my pin well enough and had to watch him pass. However, a little buck’s antics outside the pocket where Mr. Big bedded were apparently too much for the older deer to tolerate. He soon passed my stand again, no doubt focused on schooling the youngster about leaving his area alone. By then, I saw the pin clearly. Watching the Easton vanish through Mr. Big’s boiler room, I knew my next challenge would be getting him back to the truck. That wouldn’t be easy. Still, who doesn’t love those types of issues when hunting?

Big woods offer a unique romantic appeal. Growing up in northern Wisconsin and typically heading farther north to trap and hunt, I have a strong connection with large tracts of timber. I’m simply at peace