On sunny Saturday November 22 I made a plan to go out for a evening hunt. My husband was on his way home from a Up hunting trip. I got to my blind approx. 2:00pm. I was situated in a elevated stump blind basically in the corner of a farm field that had wheat in it earlier that year. Was overlooking some Clover/Chicory plots on field edge that didn’t come it that well due to the dry summer.
Around 4 pm I was preparing to rattle and heard a lot of noise moving dry leaves, I thought at first its a squirrel. When noise got louder. I looked thru binoculars in direction of noise thru some trees my heart stopped: I saw huge wide rack near edge of woods making a scrape in the leaves. I couldn’t tell how many points he had, as there where trees and branches blocking a clear shot. I immediately grabbed my gun and tried to capture this buck between branches in my scope as I knew it was a shooter for sure. I had a bad spot, tree trunk covering his body. I kept the gun on him and the second I had view of his shoulder area I shot. He jumped disappeared running into woods. There were also 3 does with him that I didn’t know where there that also ran off. It all happened so fast I didn’t have time to even think about it just react.
I wasn’t so sure in accuracy of my shot due to shooting thru so many tree branches, so I text to husband, who was driving home that I shot one. I immediately took gun and went to check the spot I seen him standing when I shot.. It was approx. 120 yards from blind. I found some cartilage pieces and blood, I was surprised to see it. I start tracking blood trail into woods and I was ready to see him laying but nothing. I found many fresh rubs following blood trail and few trees were sprinkled with fresh blood. I still couldn’t see him. I was worried it was bad shot and he went far away. Bleeding became scarce so I had to use tree branches to mark my previous spots of blood I tracked. Then I noticed more blood, and drag marks from front feet. Finally, after more tracking I noticed a body laying 40 yards from me. I saw these huge antlers towering high over body. When I came close I could not believe my eyes. Huge wide rack, I counted 13 points!
Seemed like lung shot to me but ended up being lung and liver. I grabbed him by one side of rack n start pulling into directions of back where he ran from field. I didn’t had phone on me, I left it in the blind, so I cant call anyone to help.
I also did not want to leave him so far in woods, I heard gun shots around, so people were hunting around and was afraid to leave him.
I dragged him by myself what seemed like a very long way.
I did lot of rest stops and dragged him by short burst pulls. It took me over 30 min to drag him closer to field. when I got him closer to filed, I was finally able to go to blind and call my husband for help. He just back home from his 9 hour road trip from UP.
I told him I shot 13 point and he was happily surprised.
It’s a biggest buck I got in my deer hunting experience.
I harvested 8 and 6 points bucks in previous years and try to shoot at least one doe every season. I have been hunting for 16 years ever since I moved to USA. This buck is real a trophy to me and I feel very lucky.
Katerina Rekowski, certified dog trainer and breeder,
45 years old
Northern Macomb County
NO PURCHASE REQUIRED. Starts 10/6/23 and ends 3/2/24, subject to Official Rules available HERE. Open to legal residents of MI, at least 18+. Void where prohibited.