Once again my nephew Nick kills a stud of a buck here in WI. We first got pics of this buck last year in the spring and noticed he had half a tail, so we named him Stubby. We figured he was 3.5 years old last year and wouldn't have shot him if we saw him. Well after the gun season it was good to see that he made it through the winter. This spring he showed up again and hung around our bean field all summer long. Its always great to see how much they grow from one year to the next, and he didn't disappoint. On the second night of the season here I had him walk out and feed on in the bean field broadside at 15 yards. Unfortunately it was low light and I decided to pass on the shot. Over the last week and he half he started to really get on pretty consistent pattern, walking down an atv trail leading to the bean field just before dark. Unfortunately for me, I had no time to get up there and hunt. Last Tuesday my brother and dad set up a ground blind for my nephew to sit in on Friday night and hopefully get a crack at Stubby. At about 6 PM they started to see deer trickle into the beans and feed all around them. There was a big doe that Nick thought about shooting, but they decided they were only there for a big buck. An hour later they could hear another deer approaching from the west of them. Sure enough, it was Stubby, following the same pattern. He stopped broadside at 20 yards, but Nick had to wait for another buck to clear before taking the shot. Normally this kid is the most patient shot I've ever seen, but this time he rushed his shot a little bit and hit him high in the spine. Another quick follow up shot and the game was over. This picture here will not doubt be one of my favorites of the season. I have a very large family, yet there isn't a lot of times we get to hunt together. Pictured left to right: My brother Jeff (Nick's Dad), my dad Gordy, another nephew Evan, myself and of course, Nick. This is by far one of the biggest bodied bucks I have ever seen on our property here in WI. He ended up tipping the scale at 231# dressed. It made me question my guess at his age of 4.5, but after I caped him out yesterday and looking at his teeth, he very well may have been a freak of a deer. I haven't scored him yet, but he was 20 1/8" wide. Congrats again on another awesome buck Nick! Your contagious smile and never get down attitude are an inspiration to myself and a lot of other people more than you know. I am very blessed to have again been a part of your story.
