BEAVER DAM, Wis. ? Locals may have heard Casey Heine hollering through the marsh early in the morning of Sept. 29.
That's when he realized the size of his first big buck ? a whopping 35-pointer ? he had shot with a bow and arrow just outside of Beaver Dam.
"It's sure going to be hard to beat!" Heine said.
He could barely stand the mosquitoes at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 out in the field. But nearly two hours later, while he waited for a doe and fawn to come out of some brush, he heard something in the bean field. Then two deer ran along the line fence.
"I knew it was a nice buck," said Heine, 22, of Beaver Dam, about the 35-pointer. "However, I only glanced at the horns once or twice while it was running toward me."
Heine said he had no idea what the big buck, and a 4-point buck, were running from. Nonetheless, they went behind his hunting stand.
"The big buck came around the line fence to my left and ran along the marsh toward the doe and fawn," Heine said.
He made a doe bleat with his mouth, the big buck stopped dead in its tracks and gave Heine the perfect broadside shot at 6:40 p.m.
"I took my time and put the arrow right behind the front shoulder," Heine said. "I'm glad it happened as fast as it did because I would've probably been too nervous to shoot if the buck came walking up to me."
Heine displays the multiple-tined buck's impressive rack.
He knew right away it was a good shot from where the arrow hit the animal.
"I watched it run for about 75 yards and he took one huge leap into the cattails," Heine said.
He found his arrow about 10 yards from where he hit the buck and, because there was a minimal amount of blood on the ground, decided to wait until morning to pursue the animal.
Then, at 6:45 a.m. the next day, Heine found the dead buck lying about five yards into the cattails.
"I looked at the rack and couldn't believe what I saw," Heine said. "I didn't even realize it was as big as it was."
That's when he realized the size of his first big buck ? a whopping 35-pointer ? he had shot with a bow and arrow just outside of Beaver Dam.
"It's sure going to be hard to beat!" Heine said.
He could barely stand the mosquitoes at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 out in the field. But nearly two hours later, while he waited for a doe and fawn to come out of some brush, he heard something in the bean field. Then two deer ran along the line fence.
"I knew it was a nice buck," said Heine, 22, of Beaver Dam, about the 35-pointer. "However, I only glanced at the horns once or twice while it was running toward me."
Heine said he had no idea what the big buck, and a 4-point buck, were running from. Nonetheless, they went behind his hunting stand.
"The big buck came around the line fence to my left and ran along the marsh toward the doe and fawn," Heine said.
He made a doe bleat with his mouth, the big buck stopped dead in its tracks and gave Heine the perfect broadside shot at 6:40 p.m.
"I took my time and put the arrow right behind the front shoulder," Heine said. "I'm glad it happened as fast as it did because I would've probably been too nervous to shoot if the buck came walking up to me."
Heine displays the multiple-tined buck's impressive rack.
He knew right away it was a good shot from where the arrow hit the animal.
"I watched it run for about 75 yards and he took one huge leap into the cattails," Heine said.
He found his arrow about 10 yards from where he hit the buck and, because there was a minimal amount of blood on the ground, decided to wait until morning to pursue the animal.
Then, at 6:45 a.m. the next day, Heine found the dead buck lying about five yards into the cattails.
"I looked at the rack and couldn't believe what I saw," Heine said. "I didn't even realize it was as big as it was."
