Taking My Trophy!

by Chad Meier

10/07 Potosi, WI


Ever since I was 12 years old I’ve been getting all excited about open morning of rifle season in Southwestern Wisconsin on my grandpa’s farm. Most of the time the urge to hunt is so bad I can’t even sleep the night before season because I love hunting so much. The thought of harvesting a huge buck in the morning made me full of energy and just pumped me right up. I live in a small town and I had heard rumor of the neighbors seeing a huge buck, but I didn’t know I would get the chance to take a shot at the big guy. It was opening morning of the 2004 season I had gotten up in the morning and started making my hot chocolate and got my gear ready for the day. This has pretty much been my routine since I was 12. I put my gun in the case and hopped on the four-wheeler and headed on the road up to the top of the hill. I shut the four-wheeler off, grabbed my light and walked across the field to my hunting stand. Slowly it started getting light. The time was almost getting near when it was light enough for me to shoot. I started seeing does early on in the morning, but was still waiting for a big buck to show his face. I saw 3 small bucks early that morning and decided passed on all of them. It was about 7:30 and I was still waiting for the deer I thought about all night to show his face. There is a natural funnel up to the field I hunt and during the rut all the bucks seem to follow it. I had looked off to my left because I had seen a quick flash run over the bluff. After that I had seen some movement at the end of the field. There was a couple does that had come out and crossed the alph-alpha field. It was right then when a nice buck had come out to the field. I put my cross airs on it and decided that he would be a great buck in the future to take and decided to pass. I then looked back to my left and there he was crossing a small opening. I think my jaw probably dropped seeing the huge buck. Everything happened so fast I got two shots off with my 30-06 pump. I was so excited after the shot that I ripped the blinds out of my hunting box and took off running to where I had shot the deer and there he was laying. I couldn’t believe how nice his rack was and how much mass this deer had on his antlers. I grabbed the radio and told everyone what had just happened. I could barely speak. They all said I was rambling on and they couldn’t understand me. My brother had came over with the ATV and must have been really excited because I didn’t have anything to haul the brute with and he left me just sitting there with my trophy. My buck ended up being a 16 pointer with a 20 ¼ inch spread. It is definitely something I will remember forever.y

Yours Truly,

Chad Meier
Potosi, WI

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