![]() We had permission to be hunting where we were hunting when I killed my buck, and my buck was taken by 100 percent legal means. Nothing ever came of that beyond the discussion with the angry landowner, and no trespassing ever took place during the actual hunt itself. ![]() I think some of that stemmed from the friction caused when the fellow from our group walked across the neighbor's land on his way back to the vehicles. "Many of the Internet rumors claimed that I'd been trespassing when I shot my buck. Stuff like that bothered my mother much more than it bothered me. "He said he had read that I was a convicted felon and that I wasn't allowed to possess a firearm, and that's why I supposedly was in jail. The most bizarre phone call was from a friend who asked, 'Are you in jail?' Since he had called me on my cell phone, I asked him, 'How could I be talking to you on my cell phone if I'm in jail?' I didn't want to get mad and have the experience turn sour, so I just stayed away. I didn't get on any of those Web sites to read about it. I got phone calls from people who said that I was being dragged through the mud on various Web forums. "The rumor mill also started up about then. On Tuesday morning, I got a call from a guy in the telecom business in New York who had seen a picture of my buck in his e-mail! I couldn't believe it. "It's funny how fast the Internet can transmit a story and photo. All three of the above-mentioned guys - Bill Winke, Randy McPherran and Joe Meder - were very helpful to me and I want to thank them. Finally, after a full weekend of intense excitement, I was able to sit down and take a deep breath. ![]() I then rushed home in an attempt to beat the winter storm. Joe stood out there under his garage light and caped my buck in his driveway. The minute I stepped into Joe's studio, I knew I had the right guy. By then, it was starting to spit rain and that rain was freezing to the roads. "From there, I rushed 2 1/2 hours up to Joe Meder's taxidermy studio in Solon, Iowa, to get the head professionally caped. I was so nervous that it's a wonder I didn't cut myself! Unfortunately, there was no easy way to get to the spot where the buck went down, so we had to drag him a long way across a ravine. "I was terrified about field dressing my buck for fear that I would damage the cape. Matt Boeman volunteered to go back with me to drag the buck to a place where we could get to it with the Ranger. Eventually, they realized I wasn't kidding. I almost had to plead with them to take me seriously. 'Yea, right,' is about all I could get out of them. They knew me as a practical joker, so no one took me seriously. "Back at the truck, I told the guys that I had shot a 33-pointer. The entire incident was cleared up quickly, but it came back to be a thorn in my side later on. The landowner was understandably angry and he had a few words with the fellow from our group. One of the guys walked out through the neighbor's ground, the same neighbor who had asked us to stay out earlier in the day. I tagged him and then we left the buck to make sure the drive was over and to meet with the remainder of the group. I was extremely excited, but out of respect for the other guys in the group, I didn't want to rub it in. "I started counting the points and reached 33. I wasn't even sure if I had hit him or not. He immediately lunged forward and went out of sight. He paused and I shot - all in one fluid motion. "When the buck finally stepped into an open lane about 50 yards away, I whistled to make him stop. I never looked at the antlers again because I was too busy trying to ready myself for the shot. He was walking steadily, and I started searching for a hole that I could shoot through. I couldn't tell how big the buck was because it was so thick. I looked up to see antlers coming through the woods. About 15 minutes later, I heard something. I couldn't get a shot and I was upset because I knew we still had tags to fill. "As the drive got started, some does came through immediately. As things turned out, I certainly am glad that I did that!" ![]() When I got to my spot, I noticed a wide gap between me and the hunter nearest to me, so I moved over slightly to better cover that gap. "This time the standers would have to do most of the walking to get into position, and wouldn't you know it, I was finally a stander! But I wasn't complaining, and I soon found myself heading out to my designated position. ![]()
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