Ep. 625: What We Can Learn from Ross Hausmann's Three Year Hunt for an Iowa Giant

chasing a deer known as pig Potatoes. All right, welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, brought to you by First Light, and we have got a special special episode for you today because we are wrapping up our Big Buck Breakdown month, where we've talked to hunters from across the country about, you know, hunts after one specific deer, like really special hunts for a really special deer where the hunter kind of went mad obsessing over an animal, trying to figure them out, going through all the ups

and downs. And we've had some really good stories so far, but Tonight's story is one that I am a particular I'm particularly invested in this story because it's one of one of my good buddies who I've been following along with this story for years now, through all the ups and downs on almost a daily basis. Our guest today is the one and only Ross Houseman, longtime friend and and someone who's been within the wire Dunk community for

a long time. Folks, folks, you know Ross, So welcome back to the show, my friend, and thanks for being willing to spill the beans on this story. Thanks for begging me to be on here. Mark and must must have ran out of guests. I guess that's I'm getting desperate. And the one condition you had to come on the show is that you needed your security blanket to help you out. We've got We've got Josh further Hilliard here, buddy,

thanks for coming on his co host. Dude, that's really funny because my wife said the same thing, because where you like Ross's security blanket my hand here. I'm happy to be here. Thanks for having me to so so the the idea here. You know, you guys don't listen to my podcast at all, so you don't know what I've been doing this month. But what what I've been doing is is trying to get into the nitty gritty

of these stories. You know, talk to folks who have been on the use, you know, multiple years sagas after an animal, learning them, studying them, trying to figure them out, you know, going into that year, really given it all, and and I kind of want to, you know, dig into the mind of that hunter, figure out how they did what they did, what their strategy was, how they

were thinking and feeling throughout all of it. So, so Ross basically imagined like you are sitting on a couch at the therapist office, and I'm about to ask you, like all the awkward questions you want to keep inside of your mind, I'm going to ask you to verbalize these things. So that's that's what's in store today. Are you? Are you in your security blanket game for that? We're

We're ready, okay. Um, So Josh, before we get Ross talking here, Um, is there anything that the audience should know about Ross and his personality or anything about him in general that we need to know as context for the story we're about to hear, Because you and I know Ross. Um, if anyone's if anyone, I'm not gonna do that. If anyone's seen some of our video episodes way back in the day, you know Ross. But but Josh, what what does everyone need to know about Ross? As

we get into this. Uh h Ross is Um, I think about this earlier. He is very much like super analytical, very can very much overthink or like I shouldn't say overthink, just think deeply about what he wants to do. Um when it comes with your hunting. Um. So, I think that's part of the reason why you two are such good friends. I think you guys are very similar in that aspect. You guys just go about it, keeping keeping track and making decisions a little bit differently. You guys

eat grown way of doing things. But to get there, it's he's both very analytical. I'll leave it at that. Yeah. I thought I thought, Mark, I thought you were setting this up to be a roast there, but Josh was like, actually pretty nice there, So thank you Josh. Security. Yeah, he was way too easy on you there. Um, if only we had Andy on the show of us, things would be a little different. Yeah, there's a reason we

didn't ask him to be in. Yeah, okay, So yeah, I would say I'd had a couple of things about you Ross that you're gonna have to just grin and bear as we as we lead this out. Uh So, Yes, Ross is a very analytical hunter. Uh. As Josh said, we've all been buddies for a long time now. We've been able to follow Ross's hunts over the years. And there's a few things I know about Ross um. Number one, Josh just said it. He's going to be thoughtful and

careful and strategic with his hunts. He doesn't hunt often. He does a lot of work in the off season, but it seems like when the actual hunting season is here, he's very you know, tact you know, very very tactical with his strikes. There's some years where it's like he doesn't hunt at all and then bam, he hunts once or twice and then his season is done. He killed his buck, Um, and he's consistent in that. Like every year,

it seems like he always gets his buck of. Of everyone in my hunting group, Ross is one guy who, like I just count on, he's gonna it's gonna happen. We're also get a deer or two, no question, Like you know, Peter, I don't know, but but Ross he's gonna get it done. Um. This was one year where we were sweating a little bit. The story at least led to us sweat on that assumption. Um. So Ross

is is consistent. He's tactical. He is very analytical. But one thing I have noticed about Rosses he can sometimes um his and we all do. I do that sometimes too, But his stress level really skyrockets real quick. Like he frequently is like, oh yeah, he's getting the season going and he's holding off for a buck and everything's all great. And then as soon as we inched closer to November.

In past years, Ross all of a sudden is is panicking that he hasn't got his deer yet because it's almost November, and before you know it, he's freaking out. So Ross is a tendency to get really over excited about things too on occasion. Is all of that reasonably fair with a little exaggeration, Ross, It's very exaggerated. Yes, yeah, very much so. No. I I used to get I used to get more stressed out like that. Now, out of the last few years, I think I've been way

more chill. I don't I don't get worked up like I used to, you know, like I think this last couple a few years, Um, I just I don't know, you know, It's just a deer at the end of the day. But I do get a little stressed out. But I don't like things bother me anymore. I just try to have fun and enjoy it for what it is and enjoy the time out there. But I do I do still get a little stressed out. Now. You, on the other hand, you have not come come around being more chill. You are the one that is always

stressed out and always freaking out. So hey, fun season, Fun season was better exactly. So all right, so let's let's get into this story that I think paints a picture of probably how you've evolved and I think presented some interesting challenges to kind of work through the stuff we're talking about right here. Um. So, this buck that I want to talk about today, you named him big Potatoes, right BP. I don't know who before we did this. I was trying to think of when we came up

with that name or how that even happened. Did I name him that or did we all name him that? I can't remember one of the he had like three names, Big potatoes, um, G two was another name. My son named him lighty um. So he's got like three different names, but big Potatoes was was a very popular one. Yes, So so with that name in mind, can you describe for us what this buck looked like. Can you paint a picture for us of this deal, how he got his name or how he stood out to you when

you you know, tell us what he looked like. Now, so we're picturing like the end result, but then give me any other context as far as when he first discovered him to so this this year, he's just a just a really giant framed buck. He's a main frame ten pointer. He had a little kicker off his right. G two. Um, so he's got those like decently sized G two is I don't remember it, maybe they're like nine or ten inches, but then they're a little shorter

than the G three. So he's got that short G two, longer G three and then good G four kind of looked to him and over wide. Um, just a giant framebuck when you see him. Um, the first year, the first year he got eyes on him or got pictures was. I'm sure he was around before that, but you know how they are when they're like two years older. So it's hard to it's hard to kind of know what

DearS what after that unless there's some defining characteristics. But he that first year, I got a picture and Um, it was just one of those deer that you're just like, oh, that's gonna be a really nice buck. Um. You know, years past, I would have I would have loved to shoot him. At that time he was that first year, he was probably a mid one forties ten um and any other year, you know, I would have you know, in the past, I would have loved to shoot him.

But it was just one of those bucks when you look at him and he's got these really long G three's and he's super young. I think when he was I'm guessing he was three that year, he had ten inch G three's already, and I think like ten inch twos or something like that. Um. So it's just like, Wow, this buck is gonna be this buck is gonna be special. H And at that point, I don't know what his name was. At that point, I don't even know if he had really a name. My my neighbor buddy, we'll

call him Golden boy. He uh two and uh And that kind of stuck with throughout too. Um. But then I think with you guys, you know, we named them big potatoes because sometimes you guys study a huge body, which, um, sometimes when you have big potatoes it makes the meat look small kind of thing. So so I don't know if that's how it came about. I don't remember. But then uh, from there on out, it was that year I was you know, I was like, oh no, that that wasn't that buck wasn't on the radar that was

and he was just soft. You know, he's just gonna be one of those awesome comers. And then um, and then yeah, then the next year came and he kind of blew up. So so before you before you go to last year, I have a question for you when it comes to like these really awesome three year olds. This is something that I've been asking some of the other guys about and something you know that I was

thinking a lot about this year too. Um, when you get one of these three year olds that shows up like a younger buck that just seems to have a ton of potential, and you know you're at a point in your hunting journey or whatever you wanna call it where that's not a deer you're gonna target right now? Do you do you do anything different when you see

a buck like this around? Do you, you know, stay out if you think you know where his core areas just stay out of it more often because you're hoping he'll stick around and survive, Or do you start paying extra attention to him in any kind of way, or or doing anything different with his trail camera photos or anything, you know, knowing that he's a deer that you hope to target someday in the future. UM, just taking note a lot of a lot of notes with like the

trail trail campaign, um, and just being observant. And then you know that first that first year, I had some great encoucounters with him. I got to see him get into it like a gigantic buck fight like forty yards,

which was just unbelievably awesome. UM. I still like, I still remember when I was sitting there in that tree, you know, and I thought, he's just such a special buck, and I see him fighting in front of me, and I always like, it's like it's like your kids and he's like playing football and he's just getting his ass speed and you're just watching him as a parent on the sidelines and you're just like, oh my gosh, honey, you know, I hope you're okay, you know, And uh,

this smaller act eight pointer was just just pummeling him and I still remember remember that, and that was just awesome. UM. But just like those encounters where they were at UM what he was doing, UM, had another encounter with them in a different stance, I kind of cruising through a bunch of visuals, you know, and you just kind of and that in the in the in the mind for future reference. UM. I don't stay out or anything. Usually sharing something with a buck that, you know, another buck

that I would have been targeting. UM, like that year there was another buck that was really nice book that that I was hunting, and UM, I really just focus on them. I don't really think about the other books that much, but just taking note with the trail campis and uh. And then I usually you know, use all that information for the the next year. So UM, big

believer in the whole. If they're in this area at this time of year, there's a very good chance they're gonna be in that same exact spot the next next year at the same time. I've seen that over and over again. UM. That kind of stuff is why I really play off of like where did I see him, what time of year, what was he doing, and then use that for the next year. And and you know, my my decisions, so I can't remember in yeah, you're

just got to remind me here less. So moving into were you did you decide for sure like leading into that year, like yeah, absolutely you were going to target him last year? Or were you even thinking about passing

him last year as well? Oh? Man? That was it was like because so last year he was a hundred, like a hundred and seventy two buck probably, And and finally to a point where I'm like, I can finally let dear go and not care, you know what I mean, Like in the past, you just you just want to shoot, you know. And and I finally got to the point in my life where I'm like, I don't really need to shoot anything. I just like having him around and like seeing him growing. I like seeing him get big.

And so last year I thought, you know, with my buddy golden boy, so we thought, you know, he's probably four and we should let him go. And he's got a good chance of living because everywhere he has been and everywhere you know, where he's at has been in an area where he probably can make it through the season. He probably can make it through guns season. And so we kind of made the decision just let him, let

him go. Um. But it was still in my mind, you know, like if he walks through a twenty yards broadside and it's a hundred and seventies in buck, like, man, it's gonna be hard to to stay um discipline with that. So that first time it went out that that year, uh, I was I think it was like the twenty second of October had a fantastic hunt. Started out slow, one

of those like cool mornings. The sun was coming up, and the deer kind of started trickling trickling in a little late, and I saw two bucks coming through, and one was this this mature a pointer that that just big bodied a pointer, not gonna be much bigger than like a hundred thirty inches. Ever he's at that time, I think he was four years old. And then I see, um, big potatoes. I see him standing there with this buck, and I see this eight point just bristle up and

just push him off. And at that time I was like, oh no, you didn't, you know, because I was like, Okay, if this little a pointer can push this buck off, I'm like, man, I bet you it would probably be a good idea to shoot this a pointer if he gets comes by me, so, uh, this is the first sit that year, and I grunted at him and he comes in like he's got a chip on his shoulder.

I mean, big bodies, all posturing, and he just kind of sidestepping through it like eighteen yards and I shoot him and kill him and then that pretty much ended my season right there. Ah. So it made it easier for the rest of the year because I didn't have a bag any but but it was like it was one of those things where I was like, I'm gonna pass them, but man, it's gonna be it's gonna be tough. Um. But I was happy with my decision to shoot that a pointer because I didn't um. I kind of wanted

him to feel comfortable in that area. Didn't one I'm being pressured by other like mature a deer that maybe we're smaller act you know. I wanted him to hang around there. I wanted him to be kind of comfortable kind of thing. Wasn't my thought process. Whether that has made a difference or not, I don't know, but that's kind of Have you ever found that too, you know, in your years hunting this spot in some of the other places that you've had, you know, a decent amount

of time hunting. Have you ever found that to make a difference in any kind of way you can notice like this isn't a huge property. You don't have some monstrous farm that you know only you have access to your hunting relatively small stuff here. Um, you know, I guess when I'm getting is is that kind of idea trying to take out like a bully buck to keep a high potential buck in the area. Does that even have a chance of working on a small piece like this?

Have you found that to be the case? I don't know. I think so, yeah, because there's usually there's usually a few bucks. But you know, I'm definitely privileged to live in Iowa. I worked really hard to get down here and have opportunities to have but man, I mean, it doesn't get much better. But with that said, in my area, a vast majority of the books that make mature that get to be mature bucks are not big racked like a lot of them. There's a tremendous amount of a

pointers that probably aren't even poping young. You know, like there's there's just not that many big bucks. And I talked to my buddies about it a lot, and then we always wonder, you know, you have always had these up and comers that are like, man, that's gonna be a nice buck, and they just they just disappear. They just they don't stick around. They leave, and and a lot of times I want to stick around. Are these just these big fat a pointers which are nice bucks,

but they're not really the big big rack bucks. So I don't know, maybe maybe, you know, burning some tags on those bucks would help kind of get some of those other to stick around. I don't know, but I have no idea. If it it, um it will help in the future. But there's usually like one one big rack buck in the area, and it always seems like those eight pointers. And there was this ten pointer that was like, well it was Benja Benjamin Buttons, right, so

the story of Benjamin Buttons. So he was like he's always busted up and this year he's busted up again, and so this year he really do feel like he pushed um big potatoes out of out of the farm. I think he kind of had the run of the place when the rut came around, and he I think he was a fighter. I got pictures of him last year, big scar bloody scarred down his back. You know, he's

all busted up. He broke all of his times off and this year he busted off his both his G four's and he kind of was the buck that I was seeing most of the rut this year, and um, big Potatoes kind of just vanished. So I don't I don't know. Maybe there is something to it, but but um, uh further, can you really quick give us the rundown, like the honest truth of the Benjamin Buttons saga real fast that people know this buck that we're talking about.

Can you can you share what happened here? Yeah? Okay, so this bu no not you Ross, not you Russ. I want Josh, the Benjamin Buttons buck. So you gotta go way back here. So are the buddy is out there shed hunting? You guys are out there shut hunting one year and you found a side of this buck. I believe right at least that you think it was. Like you guys were convinced that this deer was two and a half and by looking at the shed, you know, it's hard to tell, but by the size of the antler,

you're probably right. But man, Ross sends this trail camera photo following year, and this thing looks like he's about to tip over old age. I mean he's all of five and a half, giant rackum, big fat body, sway a butt. I mean, he's like he looks like an old buck. And they're trying to say, these guys out and the ile were trying to pull all over eyes and say it's through and a half. I I just didn't believe him, and I don't think any in our

kind of little group chat budd's believed him. And so I can't remember who came up with the name of the story of like the movie of Benjamin Buttons, where the guy gets old and he gets he's born old and he looks younger as he gets older. That's that's kind of the story of this book, that he looks super old even though I think he's you know, at the end of the story, I think he actually was young last year. Well he looks he does not look young.

He didn't look young last year. I don't believe. I just have a really hard time believe he was through and a half. But let me tell the true story here. He was three and a half and he was a hundred and sixty inches and you guys are wrong. Well I don't know, but uh he did got he got killed this year, right, yeah he did so. So last year he was awesome, like he had deep splits, uh yeah,

stickers off his basis. Um. Like when you see him, you're like, oh my god, this buck is going to be like a once in a lifetime buck if he continues to have all this trash and he's like and then at the time, yeah, I thought he was three and a half. Maybe he was older, but I thought he was three and a half. And um, he was one of those bucks that was just busted all up by the end of the year. And then this year he was on the farm again, but he like got smaller.

He went from like he went from a hundred and sixty inches to probably at ten pointer, like lost all of his lost his split times, lost his stickers. Um. And I'm positive it was and it's him because he has a very um, a very specific shaped shaped rack that was the same same head, same facial kind of like he's got that unique look to him. So it's almost like when those like six or seven year old bucks start going downhill. M hm oh man no, but we all thought you were It was a bad girl.

It was a bad girling year. There's something to it. This It was like a late spring and and uh, it just seemed like it seemed like the deer just didn't really put much antler around this year, at least around around here. And Ross, if I remember right, he was not You guys were going to give him the past last year, right, like you're not going to shoot him? No last year. Yeah, last year, we weren't going to shoot him. We all thought you were nuts. Yeah, yeah,

no he was. He know. I was like the gate the goal was like, oh man, can you imagine this Buck and big Tatoes make it one more year? You'd have to like to Boone and Crockett Bucks running around and on the same same farms. Like how often does that happen? You know? I remember you floating those pictures pictures around throughout the season last year, and we're all getting excited and dreaming about two and all that stuff.

Um and and so that's that's what I really want to talk about now, is you know, going into last year, you were, you know, going to try to pass these bucks. You end up seeing BP the first night or first morning, whatever that was. But you shoot the Bully eight and now you're you're basically done, So I'm curious what you did from there. But I guess before as I'm saying this, there's one thing we didn't cover before getting this, which is trying to get like a lay of the land.

So can you describe a little bit for us, like what's this kind of area this buck's living in, Like, like what kind of habitat is it? Um, what's it looked like, what's the kind of stuff he was living in? That kind of thing would help us kind of, I think envision what you'll discuss next. Yeah, so there's um

um in this particular farm, there's like timber CRP. Neighboring farm has you know, a lot of edge, a lot of a lot of timber and CRP as well, there's um very it's a very big section, lots of lots of cover um, a lot of native grass. It's just a rolling hills um Rocky Ridge is kind of really cool, cool diversity in that sense. And um the property that I'm hunting is kind of long and narrow, hard to access UM, so it takes a little bit of gotta

be a little careful getting in and out. Access from the north and getting back into the timber, back into the cover or where the deer at is kind of tough in the afternoon. It hunts best in the morning. The property kind of purges the deer out into the crop fields at night, and getting in the mornings a lot easier. You can get into as they come back in. But um, yeah, a lot of diversity, not great access, um,

just a beautiful place. Yeah, yeah, it really is. Okay, So with that picture in our mind, now we're in. You shoot the big eight pointer, your your archery tags filled. What was your game plan from that point on? Now knowing that you know BP was alive as of that day, you were really really hoping he'd make it through the year. Um, and you're thinking, man, I've got the chance for like you know, buck of a lifetime next year if he survives.

So did you start scheming, planning doing anything that fall? Did you? Did you at any point think, man, I should be scouting and still watching the property or were you doing anything to start preparing yourself already in October and November for the next year. I just mainly kept running cameras, was the main thing. I had a lot

of cameras out just kind of get information for next year. UM. It's a big, giant like community scrape in the in the back of the property that usually gets the most activity. You can see kind of every single buck in the area, but hit it at least once. UM. And then I had cameras kind of in and around different kinds of doe betting areas, keep tractoring the RUTUM. But besides that, I just I had a great time just hunting with buddies, UM and being a part of some other hunts that

were just fantastic. I just was trying to enjoy myself and cross my fingers that he made it pretty much UM, and start really doing more scouting and stuff. Until after the season. I kind of stayed out of there quite a bit. I did drive in a few times. UM. Josh was with me the one time, and what kind of went went in the property. We bumped um. We bumped him out of out of one of the best areas there, which UM kind of put that in the

memory bank. UM. Other than that, kind of just staying out and using the trail camp pigs for the next year. So you mentioned a community scrape, that you put a camera on. But can you, uh, like, what are your camera setups like? Otherwise are they all on you know, these scrapes near betting areas and stuff like that. How many do you run? Um? Can you give me any more details about what this kind of strategy looks like

for your in season cameras. I'll put uple cameras. UM. The so like some of the fields, like the crop or the food sources. UM, definitely different. You know, like when you're on cameras, it's hard to you don't really get. You don't get a lot and a lot of times they can be kind of deceiving or misleading. UM. But I'll put cameras in and around like the food sources. Just get inventory and just see what deer us want, what food sources, and then I'll have cameras I leave

back in the timber. I don't really check or touch the one in that scrape. UM. It's just a good one to know what the heck is going on and what's kind of around. If I have to check that one, I usually drive back. I just drive the truck all the way back in there and check it. I feel like that's probably the UM least invasive just because of

all the farming and stuff that goes on. Um, and then some other cameras I'll leave kind of just kind of in and around doe betting areas just to get an idea of what's going on every rut and where all the bucks are at let's see. So then there's some kind of really good in and outs of the property and pinch points where you can catch a lot

of deer kind of in and around. I have a food plot in there, um and in the back, you know, like I'll have cameras that can check that are easy, easy in and out sell cams, and then some of other cams I'll just leave up and don't bother with until after the season or later on. Okay, So you get through you're watching cameras. I remember getting every time you get a picture chef cameras and saw he was on there. You were giving us the alert that he

was still alive. You were super stoked about it. Um when you got into well, I guess before I ask anymore, Josh, is there anything else you feel like we need to cover or we should know about BP and this hunt before we get to like this year. Is there anything I'm forgetting about last year. As we were talking about this with a Ross and different things, he was talking about, do you feel like we have a covered I think

pretty pretty well covered. One thing I'd ask you, Ross is, you know you don't have to be too specific here, but like, uh, can you talk a little bit about like neighboring pressure and kind of your overall feelings on on getting Bucks to the next age class if you had some pretty good success with that over the years, and kind of like what does that look like in your mind? And and feeling good about letting Bucks go. Um, it seems like it changes. It seems like it changes

every year. It used to be a tremendous amount of pressure, uh, and then it went to pretty much no pressure. So this this last year when we when I decided to let him go, there was not much pressure. The gun pressure was like minimal. There's a there's a few guys that hunt um a neighboring property that had a pretty good chance to get them. Ah, and that was about it. They hunted, they hunted. Uh, let's see, they hunted the shotgun season and he was coming in and out of

theirs at that time. So for some reason, he kind of makes a switch. He made a switch. He did it last year and he did it this year, and he and come come around December, he kind of moved a little bit and he starts hanging out in the neighbors and then he comes, uh, comes over to feed. So they had for a while there. I mean, my butt was pucker and during shotgun season, I was not I was not very optimistic. I thought they legitimately had a good crack at him and fortunately, m fortunately they

had didn't have any luck. But besides them, and besides that one season there, there really was minimal pressure. Now this year was a different story. But you know, compared to other places and what other guys go through, I mean, we had a there's a he had a really good chance of making it last year and it worked out. So what about sheds? Shed hunting for this bucks and lers? I can't remember, honestly if you found his antlers or not. Um,

So what did your shed hunting strategy look like? And and I guess more generally, what does it usually look like when you're after when there's like a buck like the big one you really after, do you shed hunt this property or any property? More? When there's a deer like that, do you have a different take? Do you start sooner or later, or or anything different at all. I guess I'm curious about that general question and then what you specifically did with this deer those two three

years that he knew about him. You know, My my main goal for the for his sheds was to find them while they were like really in good shape still like any like my biggest fear when you get a big antler, You're trying to find that really nice shed when they when they shed, the dang squirrels like get to him so fast if it's in the timber. So actually that that last year, I just was had the cameras going like the whole you know, through January, February or whatever, and so I wanted to try to get

a picture. And then it's soon as I recognized he dropped him. Then I was going to go look and he he shed. I got a picture of him actually coming into the property, and he had one he was lost one side, and I think I had a picture of him going out that that previous nights. So I knew, okay, he's like with in a reasonable distance either dropped it where I'm at or or somewhere where I can look and um. And then of course right after that, I

never got any pictures of him with antlers. The next day he's got like a real identifiable like a couple of little tiny scars on his muscle, and he has like a different look to his face. Like so, I mean, when you see him, you just know it's him, whether he has antlers or not. And so, and I was running those cameras like crazy. I got those pictures. And then once I knew he shed, I didn't care anything else. I didn't care about any other deer. I just was

wanted to go look around for those antlers. And so I walked and walked and walked and walked, and I couldn't. I had had a really hard time find them. Um. And then luckily after I don't know, I spent spent quite a while, put on a lot of miles, and I finally found found that antler and in uh in some CRP. But usually like shed hunting, I'm just like I run cameras like i'll like I do for deer hunting,

trying to see where do you're at? Uh, and then also get an idea when they when they're dropping pretty much. Do you have any guests or could you give us like an estimate, like how many days you shed hunt? I used to shed on a lot, a lot, a lot more Now I'm just kind of I don't know, I'm a lot more laid back with all this stuff.

I used to go out all the time. Now I'm just kind of like, yeah, I'd rather just have a good time with bodies and kids and you know, and wait for wait for those couple of weekends altogether, you know what I mean. Like I used to go all time. I used to walk the same stuff over and over and over and over again, um, every weekend. But then having a son known and all this other stuff makes it a little different, you know. Yeah, yeah, it changes things.

So what you're trying to say is that now you're gonna start saving your properties for me and Josh can walk well, you know, having a shed, having a shed pelus, it would be it would be a blast. I I honestly, honestly, God Like, I'm just getting to the point where I just I don't I don't care about They're just deer, you know, and already got so many antlers. I don't really care about them anymore. I'm getting the point where

they just need to go. You know, Mark, he's already he says all that, and he's already sent us a picture of a shed that he's found this year, like this passwork. He's already been shed on his in January. Oh that that was a group effort. Peter found that one. But it was it was a good time, all right. So so you check chair cameras, cameras obsessively till you said dropped. You worked, You worked the yields and the timber, and did you have any when it came to those

shed walks when you're looking for his antlers? Were you like covering specific spots extra hard? Or do you literally grid search this property, like cover every square inch um, regardless of you know what kind of habitat of this? How Like what led to finding that that antler? Total grid search? Like I knew, I knew where he was at during the day, I knew where he was feeding. And then it's just like I just broke it down,

just walked everything. Um, that's not that's usually for shed hunting, like I find, you want to find deer and then you just want to look at everything. You know, like, um, not wasting your time on stuff that's like, um blow odds. You know, just finding the high probability, high traffic stuff and then just walking the crap out of it pretty

much is what I do. Yeah, okay, makes sense. So then that leads me to you know, you kind of you said something right there that's interesting, which is like you knew where he's at during the day, you knew where he was feeding. You know, you kind of had a lot of his pattern dialed in. So now it's two, you find his antler and you you're saying, you know

all this stuff, So like what did you know? Can you describe for me what you had learned by that point, having you know, observed him and studied him for two years now, like keeping tabs on him, him being like a high priority deer. You have two years worth of camera photos, you have two years worth of observations, you have two years worth of shed hunting for him and scouting your property and all that kind of stuff leading

into the hunting season. If if you and I were like sitting, you know, drinking a beer at the table, I said, all right, man, tell me everything you think you know about this deer, Like show me on a map. Um, what do you what do you know about him during the season, What do you think he's doing? And how do you think you're gonna kill him? What would you have told me before the season? As far as you know you're planning for that stuff and what you knew? Um,

so it vast it vastly changed. Like what he was doing this year was completely different than last year. But what I thought I knew was what I thought he was going to be a homebody. I didn't think he was going anywhere. Um, pretty much just from running cameras and seeing him, I knew about as far west as he went, because my buddy, like he never got has never gotten a picture of him except for in summer. Um, he has like a really defined home range going to

the to the west. And then I knew exactly where he goes to the east. Um, and he's spending so much time where I was at that. I mean, I thought it was was a done deal as long as I was patient and waited for the right the right opportunity to go hunt him. Uh. I I was confident he was going to be he was going to be in my food plot. And the first week of October.

I think I would have told you, Mark would have been like, you know, if I get a cold front that first week of October and I get the right wind, I'll have a really good crack at him. And then, um, if I didn't get him that early October, towards the latter part of October, I knew, I knew I probably would get a second opportunity before he goes rotten. Which that's always you know, that's always hit or miss, that's all. It gets a lot of luck involved when he when

it gets to the rut. But but I thought, I thought I knew enough about him where Mark, I bet you, I could have bet money I was going to kill him in the beginning of October. Um, and I almost did. So was that based off of historical pattern, like what he did the year prior or a year before that? Yeah, yeah, just you know what I see what I've seen, and then also cameras, so let's see last year, last year

was in my plot that that beginning of October. First time he shows up daylight, I think it was like, um, it was the first or second and he was there for that first week and then he kind of changed it up again. And then he'd be there. He'd be there in the in the middle of the night here and there throughout the middle of October, no daylight stuff. Um. And then he'd turn on again towards the end of

the end of October that last week. So speaking of that food plot, then what was the habitat stuff you've done? You mentioned you're playing a food plot. I know you've done some other stuff there too. Um, what what did that? What? What work have you done here on this property? So the so the access is terrible. So like one of the main goals is to be able to hunt up front more and not have to go deep into the ones.

That way I can I can hunt more with better access and you know, kind of be a little more undetected. And then um, it will hunt a little bigger too. But towards the front, there's a theater sect. There's uh, some good cover, there's some good dope in there, and there's some like kind of way that wasted land, you know a lot of the rome grass and all that stuff.

And and so I don't know, it was a six years ago I started a starting orchard there and then in the last for this year was the first year I got quite a few apples, and then I also

put in maybe like a third acre of radishes. Um, put in some oats rye radishes winter piece, and then have some clover and then that's my main main hunting kind of for evening October says early October mainly Okay, So you've got this high level of confidence that if you've got the right conditions, you'll kill him on the food early in October. If not that he'll be in there late October. You have camera scatter on the property,

on scrapes and some different little pinch points and things. Um, you have some some of those are standard cameras, some of those are cell You've got these historical patterns, You've got the habitat um you know any you know what was what was going on in your mind leading into opening day and season opens October one, where you're at where you you know, September, where you're like, I'm hunting tomorrow, I'm gonna kill him or you know what was it

looking like when those early October days we're showing up on the forecast and you're sitting there thinking about whether or not you can you can do this the way you wanted to what did that strategy end up looking like? So I think it was the end of September. It

was September. He showed up on the plot and I'm like, oh, perfect, like perfect timing, you know, And then um, we got you look at the forecast and we had I think maybe you guys got it over in Michigan too, But we had an awesome cold front the beginning of October, and what we got plugued with east winds and where had those Those east winds were like I don't know if they were like seven days straight and it wasn't like there was no very ability. It was the same

crap over and over and over again. And I unfortunately wasn't able to hunt that spot that first weekend because I just cannot make an east wind work there. I could have run and gun and picked a tree in and tried to make it work, but just having so many doughs around coming in there, I just felt like I would have like it was too big of a gamble, and I decided to I decided to wait. And of course, then later that night I get, you know, like I have my cell cam set up to send me pictures

at like eight o'clock at night or whatever. And then I'm sitting there after I didn't hunt, and here he is walking right right into the plot at on daylight, and I'm like, dang it, I just knew, like I knew he was going to be there, and I could have probably taken a crack and and I had to hanging hunt to make that east wind work. But man, there's so many does coming I would have been coming from directly kind of downwind, that just one would have just blew it up. So I just, I mean, I

had to. I had to live with that decision. But man, that was kind of hard not hunting that cold front on that spot. So he showed up. And then then looking at the forecast, I think that next week, that next next weekend when I would have been able to hunt, um, there was another kind of a cold front. I think it was going to be in the fifties again, which was pretty good for October if I remember right. And I had one of those. I had one of those, Like, I mean, I was so confident that my heart was

like racing while I was sitting in that stand. I think it was like like the seventh October seven, And I remember I was sitting in the stand. I got this awesome seater. Now I have stand hung up in I can hunt pretty much any westerly wind um, and then most of you are going to come from my

myself and then straight straight from the west. And I remember getting up in that stand and it was kind of one of these days that I a really good friend of mine, you probably could call him a mentor passed away um that week several days before, and it was like a whirlwind of like emotions, like everything you could possibly feel, you felt. It was just a horrible few days. And I was just like, man, I cannot

wait to get in that tree. And I was like not to kill that deer, but just to like sit there, you know, and just like not think or just to think think about everything that happened the last few days. But when I got up in that tree, I was so confident. I was. I don't know, do you ever when you ever you like, as you lies your hunt or whenever you're going to sit in a spot, do you ever get like do you ever get like your heart going? Like can you can you raise your heart

rate and all that stuff? Mark at all? Are you able to that when you visualize stuff? Yeah? Yeah, and like I know those days, Like I love that feeling when you have like that absolute kill set where you to go in with sky high confidence and like you're not just going in for a hunt. You're going in like knowing that everything is right and and those are the I mean, those are my absolute favorite hunts. I love that feeling. I mean I was, I was so pumped.

I finally had a time to just go decompressed after everything that happened. But I mean I felt so confident. It felt it felt like that Buck was like walking in Like that's the feeling. I felt like, I was so um, I don't know, I'm I was gonna manifest that stuff. I was like, man, this is gonna it's gonna happen. It's gonna be awesome. It's gonna be like

a tribute Buck. Um, it's gonna be fantastic. And I remember sitting there, conditions were perfect, um, and all of a sudden, I just sitting there, it's quiet and just like beautiful out and pow right behind me. I jumped, you know, like you're like, oh my gosh, that was so close. Uh he's He's like holy, that was unbelievably close, Like it just caught me off guard. I jumped out of the out of my seat, and I'm looking around, you know, and You're like duck in your head, like

what in the world? And uh so the neighbor was actually target shooting. I didn't even hear him drive in, surprisingly, and he was probably like I don't know, he's probably like a hundred and fifty yard hundred yards behind me, and he just um started target shooting right there. I'm like, oh my gosh, you gotta be kidding me. I was like, oh, this is a horrible luck. But I mean, I wasn't

I wasn't mad. I wasn't like this point. I was just kind of laughed at it, like he was just like what the heck, Like all this, all these places to shoot, and he chose to come back here and shoot, you know. And uh so I then at that point, I was like, well, you know, I know, dear, are gonna come out still, you know. And they hear gunshots all time because all the everybody had all these farms are always shooting guns, you know. But thing that was too close to the food. I'm like, there's no way

he's gonna come out tonight. And I'm like, I just gotta get out of here. So I just bailed. So my first time I didn't really even do anything. I just sat up in the tree, got my heart rate up, but just thinking about the hunt and then the and then and then I got it blown out. But the awesome part is that night then I got a picture um of big potatoes on the camera there. So I'm like, awesome, he probably wasn't very close. He's still comfortable coming in.

He didn't come in that night. Um, we're still good. Didn't get burned up or anything like that. Um, So that I'm like, you know what I'm going in the say. So I tried it the next day one last time, and uh I saw two two really awesome three year olds. I had a fantastic, fantastic hunt, but he just he just uh he just didn't show. Yeah, two days in row,

October seven, eight. Um. And one of the things I feel like I always think about when hunting, like a spot like this, a relatively small property, when you after one deer, is this like worry of like blowing him out of the area because he's the only dear year really after And so if you screw it up, you know, then you're really in trouble. So I'm always you know me, You've heard me talk about this. I'm pretty paranoid about going in ever about hunting too much until it's like

go time. So you've now hunted two days in a row in early October. Where you thinking, man, I'm just gonna keep on hitting him every time the conditions are right, or at this point did you think, Okay, I gotta back out and wait till we get to that second period that you mentioned being late October, like where's your head now? Um, I was gonna burn that. I was gonna burn that up while it was still good, and then um, which I think I'm pretty sure it's hard

to remember back, but I think we got to. I think the whole dang month of October was east winds. I mean it was just horrible, like east northeast, the absolute worst winds for hunting that if I would have had better conditions, I would have hunted it until until I burned it up pretty good, I think right there, and then just wait until until the end of October. I mean when it's when it's hot, it's hot, and

I feel like you gotta hunt it. Um, But I think those first two hunts were the best, best hunts I had, best chance I had and then and then I'm I'm pretty sure after that we got plagued with more east winds, which didn't didn't work for there, so I had to go try some other stuff. Is what happened? All right? Josh? What do you want learn about this point? Anything you remember during this period of his his texting to the group, his questions, is worries, his concerns, or

anything you're curious about. Yeah, I totally forgot about the whole target shooting incident. That job, I remember that. That was funny. Um have you heard anything in the neighborhood about any sightings? Was there any any concern there? Um? But what what other people were seeing them at that point? M No, I know people knew about him, Um, I think neighbor did. There was a buck on the on one of the roads that was some you know, people were seeing all summer long, and jeez, everybody in the

Dane County knew about it. It was just insane. It was like, oh, this is crazy, and I didn't know, we didn't know for sure if it was him or not. But but um, then in October, I didn't really hear anybody talking about about him. And then after after those early hunts, Uh no, there there was kind of it was pretty quiet, all right, So then what what what happened next? Walk us through the following days as you're checking the forecast and trying to decide do I hunt?

Do I not hunt? Um? Take us through the next eventful moments. Uh So I don't, man, I don't keep spreadsheets like you Marxists. Really hard to recall some this stuff, so you gotta I gotta get with it. But the weather in October was just like the most got awful hunting weather I think we've ever had besides that first first little bit of October. It was, if I recall, it was just terrible, and I think I just was patient, and I just wanted to wait, wait it out until um,

until it got it until got a little bit better. Um. And I didn't. I didn't really hunt until at the end of October. I think it was like the I finally tried to go back in there and I actually went to that same food plot and I went in the morning, and I was hoping it's kind of like in a transition area. So if he was out feeding

in the in the the fields. H as a deer come back through, they'll kind of stop, they'll do a little browsing and they'll keep working their way back through, is what the kind of the goal of that spot is. So it's good in the evening, it's good in the morning. So I got up in there really early that morning,

I think it was. It was a like a very light northwest wind, so it was north northwest, so it was it was kind of like that just off wind um, kind of blue, just on the other side of fence, down the fence, not really where he should be coming from more dear for that matter. That the fence kind of acts as like a barrier. I figured I can pull that off. So I got set up in there

and it was kind of quiet. I had a small I had a small eight point buck come through, and then some does and I don't remember what time it might have been, like about eight thirty Elsedden. I heard that unmistakable clanking of antlers on branches. Like when I heard it, I was like, that's about making a scrape.

And I had no idea what bucket was at the time, and it was off in the distance, so there's like a big cedar thicket, and he was in that cedar thicket scraping a tree, and I see him just step out of that, you know, like you get some thick cedars. It's kind of dark in there, and he like just walks out of that cedar thicket and stands there really tall, like an upright and it was just like super cool. And I pulled up my vinals and I look. I'm like, oh my god, there he is. And so he popped out.

And he's also already on the south side of me. So he's supposed to be coming from the north to the south, but he got past. He's already south of me. And so these doughs we're kind of down in this little dip in between me and him, and he walks out and he's just you can just tell he's like he's like super cautious, and he comes out kind of bumps the doughs a little bit, and when he turns and starts going down that dip, when I lose him,

I'm like, oh man, he's coming. He's like he's like he's on his way of the food plot right now. And so at that point, I'm like kind of getting myself ready, and he walks right up to that fence that is directly south of me, and I have that wind blowing kind of down that fence, just off wind like it's good and it will if it stays consistent. And he walks up to the food plots, stand up there.

He stands there for what seems like ten minutes. You know how those big bucks do they They they can just stand like statues for a long time and just like assess everything before you any further, for you any further, sorry, but I want to get a quick look inside your mind. In this moment, You've got this giant deer standing just on the edge of the plot about to walk into a spot you can get a shot at him. You've been watching this deer for three years. You essentially passed

on him the year prior as a booner. I'm assuming that's the biggest deer you've ever passed. So there's like tons of pressure and excitement and craziness leading into this moment. You've killed a lot of deer over your life, but I also know that you've had some some some buck fever things over the course of your hunting life, just like me. Um So how are you handling this moment of truth? Like in your mind as this is coming together and you're realizing he's about to step into position,

how how are you feeling? Did you feel good in that moment where you were you locked in? What were you telling yourself? What was what was happening in between

the years? So when he first stepped out, I think I had that initial like adrenaline rush, you know, and then as he started kind of once he committed, it's like it's really exciting, and then and then I kind of calmed down when I know when I knew he was, when he was knew he was getting closer than I was kind of trying to get into like a mantra, you know, like like pick a spot, slow it down kind of thing, you know, because a lot of times I think I I rushed, I rush, and just trying

to keep repeating like slowed down, pick a spot, slowed down. You know. Um, it's kind of what I was trying to trying to get my head um ready for, so trying to get that mantra going. And as he came out, he like he just tucked himself up against that fence like tight, like it didn't. I was like, why what is he doing? You know? But he just like, I mean, he his side was like brushing up against that barbed wire.

It's like he was trying to get every little ounce of like of sent out of that food plot before he committed. And he stood there up tight against that fence at like twenty five yards while I was kind of talking myself through it. And at this point, I'm like, man, this thing I'm I knew in my mind. I knew I was going to get an opportunity, that I was going to get a shot. And he stopped out that fence and I was telling myself, you don't like slowed

down and pick a spot. And I was trying to stay calm, and then he started making a little scrape like and that wins just an off wind. You know, you don't want him sticking around in one spot for too long. And I was like, oh, man, just hurry up. You know. He was just taking his time talked up against that fence. And then I felt that like unmistakable little gust of wind that you can get on your face sometimes it just makes your like makes your hair

stand up when it happens. And I felt that and I knew, like instantly, I knew it was over because I get there was a little tiny gust and he was at twenty five yards. I didn't have a shot at him. It was too thick through his theater. And if he had kept on his path, I would have probably got like a fifteen yard broadside shot. It would have been just perfect. But right when that wind gusted, took literally like one second and he caught my wind and he just bolted out of there and just bounded

out of out of sight. So that was my first encounrent with him that are this year. So now, what what were you feeling? Did you feel like you were screwed? Did you feel like not a huge deal, I'll get another shot later. I mean, how did that affect your morale and then your strategy? I just I knew I wasn't gonna be sitting there much more anytime soon. It's kind of what I thought. And when I when I sat down, I just kind of sat down and was just just a kind of just laughed. I was like, oh man,

that was awesome. But oh well, you know, there's just so many things have to come together when you deer hunt. You know, like if you didn't make that great, I would have shot him. You know, so many little things have to work out, and um, like the absolute worst time to get augusta wind. It didn't do that all morning, and it was just right at that moment, and I kind of just like I was like, oh, I guess it just wasn't wasn't meant to be. It wasn't wasn't

supposed to happen. It's awesome encounter, Like it was great that I got to see him. Um. And but then I was like shooting, Now what am I gonna do? Um? You know, how long is a buck? How long is this buck going to avoid this area specifically for this stand? Is this stand burnt up? Like? Where should I try next? Where is he gonna want to be next? How is he going to skirt this food plot? How is he gonna send check it? Um? That kind of stuff. That's

kind of what I was thinking. So what do you do? Oh? And then I hunted the crap out of that place, bouncing around. So for all of November, Uh, I just bounced around dope. So it kind of stung a little bit because that end of October time is like the best time in my opinion, and then once November comes, it's just like a crapshoot. And when I had him, when I had him smell me that that that day, it kind of it sucked a little bit. It stung a little bit um. But then I just started bouncing around.

I started hitting different kinds of different dope betting areas, UH focused on, you know, stand stand sites that were based on wind and dope betting areas, and I just never could catch up to him. I just never. I could never. I never saw him. He was around, but he just seemed like he kind of vacated. And I don't think it was because of obviously smelling me, because it smells people all the time, you know, But he just seemed like he rutted somewhere else. He kind of

I think I didn't get many pictures of him. They got a couple of pictures right in the beginning of November, and then I had no pictures for two weeks, never saw him for two weeks. I think he showed up at the very north edge of the property like that middle middle of November, like thet or something like that. Just one picture that where he was clearly tending a

dough kind of to the north. But he seemed like he just vacated the property, which I mean, there were so many questions like, well, what the heck, why does why did he move? Like he's been he rutted here the last four years or whatever five years. Why why did he suddenly make a change. That's always like those crazy questions, yet you never have the answer to. And I didn't know if it was because of that day, because of Benjamin Buttons or what. But he just he

kind of just left. He kind of left. He went northeast. I knew had a pretty good idea where he went. Um, and I went and scouted some different stuff. I when hunted a different area to see if I to shake it up and try to change it up. And the sign wasn't that great. I didn't get the vibe that that he was really in there. I didn't really see much. Um. I just I think I think I put all my eggs in in the basket that he was going to

be there the whole November and he wasn't. So then I think I wasted way too many days thinking like, oh, if I if I just keep it going, if I just keep it going, eventually he's going to show up,

you know, and he just never did. And then by that, you know, by the but the next thing you know, it's it's like he missed out on that that early November, which is pretty good, and then they're locked down and it just seems like kind of I kind of in play November very well if you hindsight, obviously, but in retrospect, if you were to look back on that month knowing kind of what you know now, would you have made any big change that you think could have could have

you know, change your results at all for that month or was it kind of out of your hands just because he just left and he was in places you could hunt. I could, I could hunt a little bit where he went. But I just I don't know that the rut is so random. I just you know, it's it's hard last few years and spend more about like hunting a specific book, and it just seems like once November comes, it's like, oh, it's kind of like it

just sucks. Like if if you want to shoot a nice buck gets you excited, not a specific book, then November is awesome. But man, when you when it's when it's a specific buck during November, it gets it gets pretty tough, and I don't know, I don't really know exactly what I would do differently. I think I would have probably um tried to bounce around a little bit more.

But but elsewhere, um, maybe on some stuff that I had permission on I tried it, but but um yeah, I just being able to adapt like on the fly and know a little quicker when to change it up is what's the hardest part, I think, or know when to when to bail on what you're doing and make a change is kind of always hard because it seems like if you take too long, then you're too late.

So true, Hey, Ross, did you have like any point during that time period where you're after him and just did it like doubts start to creep in or did you have any other encounters with any other deer, Like, man, I should just shoot that buck this one. He's not gonna show up. It's not gonna happen. Well, it was kind of like your mindset, No, I was. It was pretty much I was set on just shooting that deer.

There really were. There's a lot of the young gears around that, a lot of young geer that that should be really awesome in the future, and I didn't really I have my heart set on anything else there. The only thing I, you know, that would have changed that is maybe if I was hunting some public or something this year, and um, I would have changed my standards there.

But Benjamin, Benjamin Buttons was the one that he was the one that was kind of running the show around the farm, and I had him broadside several times, um, and he was very visible, and um, besides him, it was kind of a ghost it was kind of a ghost town. That's why I kind of had the I kind of got the vibe that that maybe maybe he was actually the boss buck in that area. And I also, I mean there are also some dogs running and deer all November or all fall two, which was pretty pretty tough.

I mean I could that have had an played a role? Yeah, probably, Um, they were run deer pretty regularly. One time I wasted in the stand and I had him run through. Um and and yeah that could have changed up too. But besides, besides, besides a big potatoes like, there wasn't really anything else I wanted to shoot. So is guns season the next big event here? Then in the story hunting and never caught up with him never saw him. So then gun season starts, um, and they were a hot mess, very stressed,

very word. It was very intense, though, was the first few days. You know, I was like, oh man, you know there's gonna be some guys hunting, but you know what, what are the odds, you know, somebody gets them? Not that good, right, you know, like it's not very good at access. Like by the time these guys get in there, if they do their pushes, or if they do they're sitting, they're already blowing it up and winds out of the north and this and that. But cheez, it was. It was.

It was pretty intense the first couple of days. Some people we're hunting next door and they just pretty much just I don't know what was going on. They walked in there and the story goes, that must have jumped him and just just so I don't know, unloaded on him as he's running away. Um, the rumors the guy said, oh, it was you know, a hundred buck and I hit him, but I I followed blood to the fence and then he crossed fence and then I you know, he didn't

look anymore. So I was like, well, you know, you hear that it's like, oh, there's only one buck that's running around, there's not two. So it was kind of like the that sucks. First off, it's like how how do you hunt? Hunting? Hunt? Never see the day gear? And then somebody just walks in and then they jump

him and started shooting lasting at him. That's gun hunting for you, right, And then of course the deer is running away, and then who who doesn't follow up on a deer that they wound even though they crossed the fence, let alone one eighty It's kind of like why would why wouldn't you actually put a little effort into this? So there was like no closure there for a while, like I don't know did he die? I had no

idea do you live? Like what what happened? So there was like, um, yeah, there was like at a lot of unknown. I actually I know. I messaged you guys. I was like, oh, he's dad. I just wrote him off.

I was like, oh that's over. Um. And it wasn't like a bummer like oh I didn't get him, as more like a bummer like oh no, you don't don't get to hunt him anymore, or he's not around kind of thing you know, give me a little more like No, Bs, you've been you've been very optimistic, you've been very sunshine Ross in your description so far of how you've handled

this season. Ross, I want the real story, like were you were you seriously like, oh well he's he's gone right them off and just like onto the next one. Or were you laying in bed that night like cussing them You're cussing things out and stressing out and all that good usual raw stuff. I was more mad at my wife. She didn't show me. She didn't show me any sympathy. Like even when I say she didn't even care, it's like she didn't want to hear it. I was like,

what the heck? You know that stung, that hurt, that hurt me deep inside right there. What you want to hear about this? And I need hugs right now? But she yeah, she uh no, really, I you know what is what it is, that's how it goes. I I yeah, I mean it sucks, especially when you try. Really it's hard to get dear to five or six years old. It's it's tough. It doesn't matter where you are Iowa or Michigan or anywhere. It's it's it's tough on small

small acreage is where there's a lot of pressure. But I didn't, I really the passing to my friends stuff like that. I mean that even like you know that that put a whole different perspective on the season. Like my my season was like way more, you know, it was. I kept things in perspective a lot better. And you know when that when I heard that, it's just like, you know, it is what it is and just kind of move on type of thing. Yeah, but I you don't used to let that stuff on me. I just

it's not worth it. They're just dear. Yeah, having kids definitely helps with that a lot too. Oh for sure. I get so much more value out of just like uh, hunting with Like I get a awesome group buddies down here. We all like share hunts together and just have a great time together. There's no selfishness or anything like that,

you know. And uh and then you know with you guys, sharing sharing stuff with you guys, and it's just it's just way more fun than that that Like hunting camp kind of feel like getting back to that stuff is just that's where it's at. Yeah, So where we're's your where where were things going after this. You you texted us, he said that he's dead. We all kind of mourned

for you for a while. We we uh figured the store was over, and we kept on getting reports like oh yeah, there's more guys this day, or there's your more stories and more guys the next week or whatever. It was. So at this point, Mark, I gotta tell you. So then I got to say this too, because so he gets shot, and then there's this other bu u uh google buck awesome dear that I'm really hoping that can make it through. And then all of a sudden, I get I get a text from the other neighbor.

He's like, I just shot. I just shot a buck. He's staying standing down there and I'm like, well, did you hit him? He's like I don't know. And he's like I'm like, well, you're gonna go check. He's like, well, I'll go check after chores. And I'm like, oh my gosh. I thought I thought both my but both I hate say it's not what I mean, but both. I thought both bucks were like done, you know, So then that I'll be honest. Then I started getting a little pouty.

After that. It was like the pressure was insane. This year there it was like guys everywhere. But like but after that, um, I put up some cameras. So last year he kind of shifted. He like I said before, he shifts, like in December, he shifted to a different area. And then he would he would bed bed on this one ridge and then where I can't hunt, and then he would cross a different field into and then feed into a bean and cornfield and whatnot. So last year

you did that. So then I'm like, well, I better put some cameras up. He crosses a road, so I put I lined the road up with some cameras to see, you know, let's see if something happens and you were clinging to a little hope, then I guess maybe, yeah, you don't. You don't. There's so many rumors. Um the one one guy says he shot the shot the buck, and then my other buddy says he saw the book that same night. It's like you just don't know, you know,

And there was no there's no way of knowing. So I put cameras up along the road and try to see if like, okay, if this he did this last year, I'm going to see if I can get him at these fence crossing, crossing the road to come in this field to to feed. And sure enough I got a picture of that dear, just like one of those hazy um those pictures where they're like that they're weigh in the background, you can barely see him. He guts zoom weigh in and you can just make him out, you

know kind of picture. And I'm like wow, Like, I was like, oh my god, he's alive. I think I messaged you guys and other buddies right away. I'm like, holy kind I can't believe this, dear, he is alive. Like, and how long? How long after that when you thought he got shot? How how much time passed between these two things? Two weeks? Wow? Yeah? So he was gone for two weeks, no sign, no nothing, and then he showed up. Ah close to the end of shotguns season. Um,

I think he showed up. It was like right before, right those last couple of days of shotguns season, he showed up, crossing the road in the dark. Did you have a tag during this gun season or no? No? No buck tag? Okay, so I got a late muzzle order tag for uh for the gun seasons? Gotcha? They're just sitting on the sideline watching all this happen. Yeah, yeah, thinking why why the heck didn't I get a shotgun? Everybody else is having they're having a great time. Let

me tell you. So he's back, He's alive. You confirmed he survived. Um now it was time for you know, retool of the system, re rejigger the game plan. What was your new plan of attack? Uh? What was? What did you do? So? Right when I got that picture, I think I don't remember too too long after that, I'm like, okay, now I gotta prepared for a muzzle order. Um so I when I'm like a scouting mission. Right away,

I did a big loop check some stuff out. Actually, you know what, I maybe pick maybe I did this before I got the picture. I think I did this before I got the picture. But I did like a maybe there was a little bit of hope left. But I did a I did a scout scout about and tried to figure out, Okay, what am I gonna do for muzzleloader. I knew he was coming out of there. I had a pretty good idea how he exited the timber. And then I found like a pretty good set up

on a terrorist and I could shoot. I could shoot this bowl where he would come out and cross and be you know, within twenty yards or something like that. And I'm like, and I found a really awesome set up. And I was pretty much I sent you that picture. I don't know if you remember that picture because you're asking asking me about it, and it was a it would have been. That was the setup. I think. I was really confident and I thought if he was alive,

that's where I was gonna get him. And then when I got this picture of him, like, Okay, this is this is gonna this is gonna maybe happen again. And then you're sure enough. Right where I was gonna sit, somebody put up a pop up line right there, and I was like, oh my god, somebody else see what I was thinking, Like was gonna happen or you know, like I was like, wow, somebody else knows maybe what I what I was thinking or what I knew or whatever, And yeah, there was a blind right there. I was like,

oh jeez, what now what am I gonna do? You know? So uh yeah. Then I still I kind of kept track of like the traffic going in there. It didn't seem like anybody was hunting it. So I'm like, well, you know what if now he's hunted, I'm still gonna go for it. Um. But never never really never really came about. Um did anything? Then? Did did he show up on camera anymore before we get to like that Christmas time period? Or was he he got the ghost picture of him you found on the spot you thought

he could kill him? And then and then what so? I think I had that picture at the road there. I don't remember. I think it was so is Christmas time we got we got that awesome cold front and you guys got that too, didn't you. Yeah, mega mega storm cold front came through lots of snow. It was one of those one of those like and it was like,

oh man, it's following, it's falling, falling on Christmas. And I'm like, dang it, you know, because I'm not like at that time Christmas we were going back to Wisconsin where I'm from, I'm not gonna be able to hunt you know, this cold front and a buddy of mine, shatter Box, during that, um, we had that like crazy wind. Deer were feeding like crazy. It was. It was it was an awesome cold front. Oh you know what Mark, I just thought of something because I don't have my spreadsheets,

so I can't come up with this stuff. Um. Next time that we got that hazy picture of him across the road and then uh, the guys that I did like a loop around the property around the section, just kind of seeing what was going on, and as we came back down the road, we saw him, um, just after he crossed the road going into that field. So that was the second time, and he was just standing right off the road. So that was probably like fifteen minutes after dark, and that was right before Christmas. I

don't think I remember here about that one. Yeah, so that was like the that was the last day of Guns season, I think. So he pretty much walked right past that pop up line and thank and thankfully nobody was in it, and then he crossed the road that last fifteen minutes and we saw him there and like, oh, this perfect, like you know exactly what he's doing, and he's here at a reasonable time, like I can catch

him before dark in that spot. And then Christmas came that cold on game but I couldn't hunt it, which was like, oh man, I'm thinking might miss out on this. So I went back to Wisconsin. And then of course you're sitting there. I'm sitting there. Was I'm sitting there in Wisconsin and at night, you know, like eight o'clock to get my pictures, you know, and then all of a sudden, I see, oh my god, he showed up. And now he's he's in the property where I I

want him to be the whole time. He finally showed back up, and I think the I think it was the fourth and I got pictures of him, so Christmas, even Christmas Day and a couple of daylight pictures, and I'm stuck in Wiscott. Yea, none of us, none of us understood why you didn't just hop in the truck head they and see a family. I mean, I was like I was. I was excited to get the pictures, but it was also like, oh man, if it was if I was like, man, I can't wait to get back,

you know. Um, I think it what did Christmas? I don't know if he came back on the or whatever. Um, but we had that we had like a blizzard come through. It was like the fifty wind or whatever. And so we get back and I drive down the road and to hunt that first night, and I think it was the twent so was the night of I think, and I drive and driving down, I got all anticipation. I'm driving down the road and I was going to make a game plan of what to do based on kind

of the tracks that I saw. So I was driving real slowed down the road, kind of checking for big tracks, checking for the traffic. And there were no tracks down the road at all. So where he was coming out of he wasn't coming out of anymore. And I totally locked out because that blizzard drifted in that hole for outside, so now where he was crossing, he he couldn't cross anymore. It was big, giant drifts. So once that blizzard came through, he started switching what he was doing. He wasn't coming

out of that property anymore. He was coming out of ah, the cedar thicket um where I was at, So he had to kind of change it up. And so when I drove down that road, I'm like, Okay, this is

gonna be perfect. I'm gonna set up um. Right before Christmas, I pulled out like one of those wagon blinds and got it set up, and I like that night I was gonna sit on the ground tucked into a cedar in the CRP and there's one trail that comes out of those cedars where generally late season, that's kind of how they'll act sit And I was gonna sit on the ground. I was gonna sit there, but it was

it was just too dank cold. I'm like, I could do it, but being still and all that stuff, man, I was like, I don't know if I can pull that off. Um, So I ended up going into that blind and I sat there and I watched probably like forty pile out of where he where he had been, and he no showed. So then for then then you go through that like a little bit of a moment, you know, at the end of it gets dark and you're in that stupid blind and you're like, oh my gosh,

should I get out now? Like when should I get out? Is he coming out like poking up of that take it right now? Like what do I do? And but I just pretty much just made a run for it, you know, as quick as I could get out of there. Um, I know, I blew up a few deer, but um, luckily I did not bump him. So then any questions, no, I think I feel like we're approaching the climax here. So work worked me through the final the final moments. So that cold front ended that that Tuesday. I think

it was Tuesday, I'm pretty sure. And um, I still had that morning off, so I was going to make one last go at it. It was like that last I think it was maybe too below that morning or something like that. It was that last really cold morning, cold night before we got the big warm up then and then you know, looking at that extended forecast, I'm like, oh, this is gonna be this is gonna be terrible. It's gonna be an the forties and it's gonna be warm

and just not great late season stuff. So I'm like, this is my last go at it. Um, you know, and mornings, like I actually love late season mornings and a lot of people don't don't, but I've had a lot of luck mornings late season. And that property in particular, you can hunt, you can hunt late, you can hunt in the afternoon and you'll see a ton of doze, but you won't see any bucks. But if you hunt the morning, you'll see all the box. There's something to it.

I don't know why that property is like that. I don't know if it's a layout or what. But um, in the past, I've had a ton of luck that first fifteen minutes as they kind of come through, So I thought, Okay, this is gonna work. Um. I had a little bit of internal debate on where to sit. I was going to sit on the ground, if I should sit on the ground again, Um, there was a south wind, so the wind was not great. It was blowing straight to the deer where they would be coming from.

So like, how am I gonna pull this off? I gotta get tucked in this fence. I was gonna go kind of brushing along the fence and get that south wind kind of like blowing as far off of the deer as traffic as possible. But it was so damn cold, And then I had to get in there so early so I didn't bump any deer. I got there. I don't know if I got there like an hour and

a half before light or whatever. And I'm like, there's no way I'm gonna sit to blow for an hour and a half on the ground and then and then um all so you know, as the sun comes up and whatever, and then be still enough to work to the point where I'm gonna be able to pull this off. So I'm like, screw it, I'm going to the blind, um, and I'm just gonna button it up and cross my fingers that this south wind like won't uh won't ruin

ruin this opportunity. And so I was sitting in the blind, So hold on deep, detail this blind a little bit more when when you say, like the blind, is this like a sealed up box blind? Is gonna keep your wind in? Is this, you know, detail that a little bit more for me. And then also just again I want to make sure you understand the set up here. This is like it's correct me if I'm wrong here.

But we're on like a crp field that's in between the cedar thicket where you think you're bedded, and then there's like a cut corn field on the other side of it. Is that right that they're feeding in or is it the beans over on the other side. So the I think actually in the neighbors they have like by there, like their farmyard, they actually have like a lot of corn laying rounds like feed and stuff like that.

I think the deer actually go right up in there, um, right up into like the the yard right there, and that's the north of me, and then to the south is the cedars and I'm like right in between. So where I put that blind was to set me up for um, you know, a reasonable you know, like within a hundred yards shot of any deer that is going to those seaters has to come through there pretty much. And that blinds like it's not an old wagon, you know, built out of pretty much scrap would it looks like

a gingerbread house pretty much. It's nothing fancy, and uh, it's set up just right in between. But it's kind of sketchy because I mean getting in there in the morning, like you you're risking bumping deer. But if I just thought if I got in that thing early enough I could I could maybe pull it off. And cool thing was I built that with my friend of mine that

that died too. And you know, I was sitting there and I was kind of going through that like those early morning minutes where it's dark yet and you're just kind of thinking about stuff, and I was like, man, maybe this is where I was supposed to shoot this deers out of this blind because I'm like, we built this blind together, you know, I was thinking about that.

We spent a whole summer building that blind, um and uh, and he knew about the deer, you know, And and then I was hunting him and stuff like that, and I was like, man, this this is where I was supposed to shoot that deer. I was like, I was supposed to shoot that deer out of this blind And I kid you not. Like a couple of minutes after that, that deer pops up over the over the hill just to the north of me and that in the beans

as and starts coming down towards me. I was like, it was like that initial like plump binoculars and like, oh man, it's gonna happen kind of thing. And so he so he he's coming towards me. And and then of course at the same time, you know, you got dolls coming out, and it's like, oh man, they're right down wind to me. I'm like, you gotta be kidding me. These those those dolls are gonna bust me. It's gonna blow it because he's coming just off wind. He'll be fine.

These dolls are right but right right behind me. But for some reason, the wind currents or whatever the wind was doing, it was they weren't catching me. He comes up over the hill and he's heading straight for me. He's gonna cross the fence, but for some reason, you know, he turns and does a ninety He does a ninety degree turn and starts heading parallel to me, and I'm like, what is it like? And then you start freaking out.

You're like, don't do that, you know, And he hits one of those drifts, and so he stops, and then you can tell he's kind of thinking it through, and he turns around and he heads back to where he was and then he finally finds a spot at the fence. And when he gets to that fence, I'm just he's just waiting. I know, we've all end to that point where a deer hits the fence and you're just waiting

for him to cross. And once they crossed and make that commitment, and there it's like it's go time kind of thing, that feeling you get with that he's standing right at that fence, taking a while, and when he makes that commitment to jump and trots down, I'm like, it's happening. So at that time, I buttoned everything up, I opened up the one window. I gotta there's like a two track from the utv UM and there's a trail that comes up up to that that lane, and

that's what I anticipated him coming up. So I got the gun set up right there, open that window, ah, and just waited pretty much, and I'm watching and watching. He comes down that hill and he goes down in this little dip and then he disappears. So at that point you're like, well, you don't know exactly what he's gonna do. Is he gonna change direction? Is he going to still come up this way? And it seemed like it was like fift minutes. It was like it seemed

like an eternity. It was probably like five minutes, but it seemed seemed like fifteen minutes. And Uh. Then I thought, oh my god, he's he's scared in me. He went around me or maybe maybe smelled me. I wasn't sure. Then all of a sudden, you know, you look through like crp grass or native grass and stuff like that, when you see those like shadowy figures of deer coming through it, it's really cool. Um. I get the first glimpse and I'm like, oh, dope, okay, there's doughs coming.

He's gonna be right behind these doors. And another one you see the shadow coming. You're looking for rack, and it's just a dope, then a fawn, then another dough and I'm like, okay, this many deer coming up this trail. He's gonna be right behind him. And then shortly after that, I get this other shadowy figure that you can just see the body kind of moving through those through all

the grass. And then you just slowly see those times kind of just pop up out of the grass walking up the hill and kind of doing that bound says he's walking, and I was. It was just like unbelievable side It was just so amazing. And he walked up and at this point he's at like thirty eight yards and he quit, kind of did a little bumped the does off a little bit and and I'm merked him.

Of course I gotta do that. And then and that's when I shot, and I just dumped him right right there and uh, at like thirty eight yards with the muzzle or so. It was pretty amazing. I think I would always prefer to shoot a buck the last day

of towards the end of every season. You know, everybody likes the hunt more than the most and uh, it's pretty happy that the way it ended, and probably the most meaningful book I think I've ever shot, for sure, and pretty pretty awesome tribute to my friend of mine. And then also just all the memories behind it. It's gonna it's gonna be a pretty awesome thing to look at on the wall for the rest of my life. Yeah,

that's a that's for sure. And we all got to even uh we tried to do a group video chat to see you walk up on him, even got the video of the recovery and all that stuff. It was pretty cool to get to see it. Um, heck of a deer? What Josh, what what are your final questions on this on this hunt or this deer any and

the final things in your mind? Uh? Well, it's kind of interesting, like thinking about you talking about the previous year, what you had one hunt the previous year, one hunted one day and then this had to been probably one of your longest hunting seasons, right, I mean you probably had too many seasons. You've gone all year just grinding out like you did. Um, I guess, yeah, what did you learn in that one set and the subsequent kind of scouting that he did last year. Was there anything

that that played into how you attacked this buck late season? Um, the biggest, biggest thing was just knowing where he was coming out of along that road and then kind of planning accordingly. I think I think the historical stuff is what what I learned the most that that helped me, you know, be successful. I I don't know. I mean I would have hunted, maybe I would have saw him, but I don't know if I wouldn't have had those

cameras in those areas to give me that confirmation. I don't know if I would have maybe made the same decisions, you know, putting those cameras in those locations based on like the historical stuff. So then to kind of piggyback off of the Josh's question there just in general, then a sudden not necessarily what did you learn from you know, your intel that lad you killing him? But if you were to zoom out even further and just look at this whole multi year saga, is there any greater lesson

about hunting that you've learned from this deer? Did this, dear teach you anything that's going to help you kill the next one or one ten years from now or anything like that. Um, yeah, I think the main thing you can now, I know it like the historical stuff like I know that plays a big role. But I think you just have to always expect change or you know,

you have to always adapt obviously. Um. I don't know how many times, you know, you prepare for a season and nothing ever works out how you imagine, and it always it's always changing. And I think with this, dear, it's kind of like a you know, um, good example of how things can change pretty quickly. I had those early opportunities and the and then the rut was completely different than it had been. And you know with mature, dear, they they kind of they'll change change their routine very often.

And you've got to be able to do that too, on the fly, um, and be on the go and not not put all your eggs in one basket. Yeah, that is the truth. Hard to do. Hard to do when you get a plan in your mind and you you think you've got to figure it out and then at all you know, the card table gets slipped over and you've got to figure it all out in the moment. That is uh, that is the fun of it. I guess every year when you have to pick them all

back together and piece it piece in place. Um. Here, here's something I don't know if I don't know if anything comes to mind, but but you've you've mention a few times how meaningful this whole experience was given, you know, your your friends, involvement within it, and losing him. Um. Yeah, is there anything that you learned from your mentor over the years you guys got to know each other, and I know you guys spent a lot of quality time and and and I think he was someone he looked

up to. Did you learn anything from him that sticks with you now that when you look up on that wall and see that dear next year or ten years from now or twenty years from now, and your kids or your your son comes back and you look at that, dear, and will you look up there and see your friend and think of any lessons or stories or or or things he told you that that will come to mind? Again? Yeah, I think that's an easy one. I think just being generous, um,

most um generous person I've ever met. Um. I think I had changed my perspective on the hunting in the last few years, you know, going from being like a solo kind of thing and like secretive and I wanted to let anybody, do you know what you know about your deer or whatever, what your hunt? Uh, just embracing just like the friendships and the camaraderie and the people of it. I think is I think he helped me

change that. I went, Um, there's a lot of there's a lot of Yeah, there's a lot of awesome people out there. He was one of them. And I learned so much, so much in the last I don't know, fifteen years from him. He was like a mentor, um, and he kind of he kind of did so much for me that like he got me to the point where like hunting and stuff like that, I just want to be able to give back, you know, in that respect someday. Um. You know, Um, I think that's a

big thing. Keeping keeping it in perspective. He never really wanted to carry care about deer, you know. Um, you thought I was always stupid for wanting to wanting to get big, big deer antlers you know, and that kind of stuff. But but um, yeah, I mean I I he gave me so much. I just want to be able to give back. Now. I guess that's where I'm at.

You know, well, that's a pretty special relationship. You guys had an an incredible like story that you couldn't you couldn't write a story more kind of spot on for for for a storybook ending than than this one ending the way it did. And uh, I know me and Josh and and all the guys have been very very excited for that this end of the way it did. And uh, it was an up and down roller coaster a year for you, and uh to have it end this way, it was pretty wild right down in the

ninth inning. And somehow you you made it happen. So congratulations, my friend, thank you very much. It was it was definitely, it was definitely awesome, Sason. I won't forget yeah further any last thoughts now, Just like Mark said, happy for you, proud of you how you handled the whole situation. It was. It was not an easy one, um, and I think you handled it much better than maybe a Ross from

five or six years ago would have handled it. So kudos to you for everything you've gone through this this year. And and the perspective thing is a big one and something I need to work on too, So I'm happy for it man heck of about heck of a season. Yeah, well we'll have to get you down here, Josh, since you'll be drawing a tag and Mark won't be to get to get you on a big one down here.

I needed I needed to. I needed to shift my years away from the years that Josh hunts there because he he shoots the big deer before I ever get a chance at him. So I gotta make sure I'm just totally You're separated by full twelve months up there. He he kills in the second day of the hunt when he shows up. Um. Now now the end of

the story here, though? Is that ross? The big thing, the big pressure that you didn't mention here, The thing that was probably weighing on any more than anything, was that with our group of buddies, whoever doesn't kill a buck or and given season is entered into buckless mania, which is uh uh, you know, a free for all cage fight the next year during our Turkey camp. And you and I managed to kill deer this past season,

so we are immune from buckless mania. But there's one person on this phone call who has to enter the viper pit. Uh. Further, how you feeling coming to this man. I, Uh, yeah, I better start training up. I've got some stiff competition. Uh. There's a lot of us that will be in it this year, so it's gonna be a it's gonna be a big cage fight for sure. We kind of had. We went from maybe the best season we've ever had

as a group. I think we all killed last year, Uh, to what just three of the three of us now killing this year. So less than half the group or more than half the group will be in Buckleasmania this year with me so fun times I had at Turkey Camp. Ross, if you had to put your money on who's going to survive the cage fight, who's gonna win it? H Josh, don't take this personally. It's got to be a b Andy Bradley can a whoop everybody. He's got those mates

and forearms just huge. H. The other way, I'll take whatever whatever fate comes my way. And I don't think I want to deal with Andy. He's got a bad right, bad right hip. We'll just stay on that side. There You good tip, Good tip. Alright, guys, Well let's let's wrap this one up. Appreciate you're sharing the story. Ross, I Uh, I'm glad we have to do this. Thanks buddy, and that is a rap. Thanks all for joining me

for this one. Appreciate you following along. Hope you enjoyed this one month series of big buck stories as which trying to learn from these specific deer, these very focused hunts of sorts. I certainly enjoyed the stories. Different kind of flavor for us to kick off the new year, and from here we're gonna dive into a new line of thinking. Stay tuned for a month of habitat, management, ideas, projects, tactics, and uh and a whole lot more on that front.

So if you ever wanted to improve land for deer and deer hunting another wildlife, you are going to want to stay tuned throughout the month of February. We got a lot of good stuff coming up. So until then, thanks for listening and stay wired to hunt.