Last month while visiting my mom and dad, I asked Dad about a buck he shot a long time ago.
A really nice eight-point.
The kind of deer that sticks in a hunter’s memory for the rest of his life.
It was probably more than 50 years ago. Maybe closer to 60.
Back then he had a full shoulder mount made. For years the buck hung in their living room. Eventually it was donated to the nature center at the Navarino Wildlife Area.
The other day I decided to go see if I could find it.
But first – the story….
Dad’s Buck
Dad was hunting just outside the city limits — maybe a hundred feet.
He had climbed about ten feet up into a tree along the edge of a field where a trail came out of the woods. From there he could watch the opening and wait for deer to step out.
Then he heard something behind him.
A deer walking down the trail.
When he turned his head, there it was.
A big buck.
It came down the trail grunting, probably trailing a doe, and walked right past him.
Ten feet away.
So close that drawing the bow was a problem. Standing in the tree, Dad pulled the arrow back as far as he could — maybe three-quarters of a full draw — just enough to clear the bow.
When the buck stepped in front of him, he let the arrow go.
The arrow struck in the brisket area. The buck spun and ran toward a nearby swimming pool area.
That night Dad and a couple of kids grabbed flashlights and went looking for it.
They didn’t have to go far.
They found the deer leaning against a tree — dead, its rack resting against the trunk.
When they dressed it, they saw the arrow had passed through the diaphragm.
Not the shot anyone would plan.
But it worked.
The Buck on the Wall
Dad had the deer mounted — full shoulder mount, head and cape.
For years it hung in the living room.
But apparently one of us kids didn’t care much for having that buck staring down from the wall.
Eventually Grandma had enough and said something along the lines of:
“If that thing doesn’t move out, I am.”
So the buck moved out.
About that time the nature center at Navarino Wildlife Area was just getting started, and Dad donated the mount.
And that’s where it’s been ever since.
Finding It Again
The other day I stopped at Navarino and met with Tim, the director of the wildlife area. He showed me around the nature center and pointed out a few mounts that might be the one.
Three bucks.
One of them is Dad’s.
Standing there looking at them, it struck me how long a story can live.
A moment in the woods.
A bow drawn in a tree.
A flashlight beam on a rack leaning against a trunk.
Half a century later, the story is still sitting there on a wall.
So… Which Buck Is It?
One of these three bucks is the eight-pointer Dad shot all those years ago.
Which one do you think it is?
Buck #1
Buck #2
or Buck #3?
Watch the video to find out –
Sometimes a deer is more than just a deer.
It becomes a story that gets told at the kitchen table.
Something remembered long after the season ends.
And every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you can go find that story again — still hanging on a wall somewhere.
About Navarino Wildlife Area
Navarino Wildlife Area is one of Wisconsin’s largest public wildlife areas, covering more than 15,000 acres of marsh, woods, and grassland in Shawano County. The area is known for deer hunting, birding, hiking trails, and a nature center that tells the story of the land and wildlife found there.
