All I have been thinking about since Thursday evening was how I wanted to write this article.  I should probably take my time, a few days off and really think about it, but it was such an awesome trip that I can’t wait to share it with you.  So forgive me because I probably won’t do it justice.

Let me start out by saying that I am truly blessed to have such good friends in Wisconsin.  John Bulgrin and his wife Heidi always go over and above to take care of me and make sure that I have an enjoyable trip.

As some of you may know, my wife Liza is very pregnant and due on October 28th.  This has caused quite a dilemma for this archery hunter so after a long discussion, she gave me the ok to call John and see if I could do an early season hunt with him since I will most likely be missing the majority of archery season in PA this year.  John was more than accommodating and said, “Come on out”.  Wisconsin Outdoor Adventures never takes hunters this early in the season so it really worked out that John and I could spend some time hunting together, instead of him having to guide other hunters. (Note:  After hunting with John this year in September, I am not real sure why he isn’t taking guys in September???)

John Bulgrin, owner of Wisconsin Outdoor Adventures and me decked out in our new Medalist Huntgear

Last year I hunted with Wisconsin Outdoor Adventures during the first week of November and was able to harvest a beautiful 10 point. (Click Here To Read Last Year’s Review)  I knew that hunting in September would be much different and I truly was not expecting to have an opportunity at a big Wisconsin bruiser. Boy, was I wrong!

I guess I have to start at the beginning.  In Wisconsin, they have an “Earn A Buck” program, which means you must shoot a doe before you can take a buck.  So the first night, John put me beside a cornfield, which I think almost all of Wisconsin is covered in as far as the eye can see.  The first night I had 16 deer around my stand, but just couldn’t get an ethical shot.  The next night I sat in the same stand and had 13 deer around my stand and was at full draw twice, but just couldn’t get it done.  The next night, I only saw two deer and right at last light I was able to pull the trigger and harvest my doe.

This is where I have to talk to you about our new Medalist Huntgear clothing.  Having Medalist Huntgear as our major clothing sponsor, I will be honest that I was very concerned about switching my clothing routine. I had purchased a carbon based suit two years ago and it was very effective at managing my scent issues, so not knowing the Medalist brand or silver max technology, it made me very anxious and nervous to switch my routine that had become very efficient.  Well, after wearing the Medalist clothing for a week of hunting in Wisconsin,  I am happy to report that I don’t hesitate to promote this product to anyone looking for great clothing that not only provides scent protection, but also thermodynamic properties that help control your temperature.  You can actually feel this clothing cooling you off when you get hot.  The only way to describe it is a cool tingling sensation and believe me when it was 87 degrees out, that was a welcome feeling.  We had every type of weather from 35 degrees to a record high of 87, high winds, rain, dead calm etc.  I was able to use every piece of the Medalist base layer system for cold weather and hot weather, the rain gear and of course my Cheyenne shirt and pants.

John Bulgrin and I take time to pose with his buck in the woods

As far as the clothing’s scent control, on the second evening when I had 13 different deer around my stand, every single one was down wind.  Many were feeding within 25 yards of the stand for over 45 minutes directly downwind.  I am a believer that this scent control system is completely reliable and the best thing is that this type of clothing is much easier to take care of than carbon based suits.  You don’t have to worry about it losing it’s effectiveness over time and you can wash and dry it just like all your other clothing.  It was so nice to be able to come back and just hang the stuff outside like the rest of your clothing.  All that being said, I have a few suggestions to improve some aspects, but overall the quality, comfort and effectiveness is exceptional.  I without hesitation would recommend this clothing to anyone who is serious about hunting.

Now on with the story.  So now I have my doe out of the way, it is time to get serious and hunt for some big bucks.  John kept telling me that he was already seeing a bunch of scrapes and that means that the big boys are marking their territory.  According to John, any scrape you see this time of year is generally a big buck.  So the game plan was to hunt the stands where the scrapes were.  On the fourth evening we hunted a new area that John had just leased and a local farmer had spotted a monster buck that was making a bunch of scrapes.  Well this evening was very windy and rainy and I didn’t see any deer, but John saw a real nice 10 pointer and a small six pointer.

Wednesday night was the last night that I would have to hunt and John decided to put me in the same stand that I had shot my buck from last year as there were several scrapes on the corner of a cornfield bordering a bedding area.  This night was dead calm and silent and just a beautiful evening with a certain feeling in the air.

Well the evening came and went and it was approaching the last 40 minutes of shooting light and the only thing that I had happen was an angry squirrel come up the tree and just about run up my pant leg!  Just as I was beginning to think that I would be leaving Wisconsin without seeing any real big ones, out of the cornfield steps a giant.  You could hear him coming 50 yards away in the corn and he went straight to his scrape.  I immediately knew he was a shooter and tried to convince myself to stop looking at his horns, but I couldn’t control myself.  I have had the opportunity to play basketball in front of thousands of people, why is that didn’t bother me, but when I see a big buck I can hardly control myself.  I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest as he was coming directly down the path into my shooting lane from left to right.  He literally took 30 minutes to travel 35 yards and a small buck came out and was checking out his scrape and he let out a LOUD snort wheez.  How awesome was that?  I am sitting in the stand at the end of September, watching a big buck make a scrape and snort wheez at other deer!

This is that Medalist Moment, John’s First Photo with His Big Buck

So he makes his way down the path and I have already played out the exact moment that I am going to draw as he has to pass under an overhanging limb and it gives me great cover so he would never see me.  So here he comes, and you need to remember how quiet I told you this evening was.  He needs to take one more step in the exact direction he is going and I draw my bow.  He hears me draw and takes two steps right at me.  He is now 8 yards away starring directly at me.  I know that I could have put one right in his chest, but there was no way I was going to take a shot like that on this deer.  My only chance was if when he turned to leave and hopefully he would stand for one second.  It felt like I was at full draw for 5 minutes, and as he turns to leave he quarters away and takes off and I let it fly and watched it go under him.  I could have cried!  But the moral of the story was, I could sleep that night, because I know I did the right thing, not shooting him in the chest and waiting, even though I knew he was going to bolt.

So I get down out of the tree, retrieve my arrow and head for John’s house.  Now sitting at John’s house waiting for him to get back, I never expected in a million years that he was going to come back and say he just layed the smack down on a giant!  Quickly my feelings of self pity passed and I couldn’t wait to go retrieve this giant.

After a short tracking job, we found this big guy!  I was in amazement.  The size of this deers body was unlike anything this PA boy has ever seen.  His head was literally approaching the size of a horse.  We weighed him after he was field dressed and he came in at a whopping 220 lbs.  I know John was very excited, but I think I was more excited than he was.  I was truly happy for John and blessed to have been able to participate in the recovery of such a magnificent animal.

I am truly thankful to John and Heidi for giving me once again this opportunity to hunt with them and Wisconsin Outdoor Adventures.  They are great friends and great people.  If anyone is interested in hunting with Wisconsin Outdoor Adventures, feel free to contact me at info@pasportsmenportal.com and I would be happy to answer any of your questions or contact John Bulgrin directly through his web site at huntandfishwisconsin.com.

This is a buck was too big to fit in the back of the truck and we had to leave the tailgate down!

By the way, if you are interested in turkey hunting, this is the place to go.  I could have shot a turkey from my stand on every evening.  They are everywhere!  John also guides for waterfowl and some awesome fishing on some beautiful lakes and rivers in central Wisconsin.

Also, I just wanted to wish all you PA archery hunters good luck tomorrow and always be safe!

John’s Awesome Boat For Chasing Muskie, Walleye, Pike, Bass and More.