Ridge Runner Gunner

This season during the wisconsin deer season. My crew, which is my dad,3 my uncles, 1 landowner and my sister harvested 12 deer out of the small area that we hunt. Bowhunting i saw several wall hangers and a few small bucks. My unlce saw the same but none came close enought and i managed to bag a small seven pointer on another property where i can only bowhunt. During the gun season we shot only two bucks, which i only saw one bowhunting and they both were small scrap bucks. Me and my dad talked to people around the area and they said the same and no large deer were shot. We can only think of one which was killed on the Hwy and was an 11 pointer with an 18 inch spread. On the last day of the duck season, my unlce and i started to walk the river. We went a small ways and decided to go up to the next bend. We got there shot at the ducks but didnt get any. On the way back to the vehicle we kicked up a dandy buck. It only had half its rack and would be a buitiful 12 pointer. It stopped. Looked at us and walk very slowly into the swamp that i hunt. I have two questoins. Where did all the large deer go that i saw bowhunting. And will the half rack deer I saw, grow both antlers next year if no one gets him late season bowhunting.

Rob/PA Bowyer

Mature bucks will range a 5 mile sq or more. That is a huge area when you come to think about it......Just because you see a buck in one area a couple particular times doesn't mean he'll be there day in, day out or from one year to the next. That is why it is important to pass young buck so your mature buck population increases and you stand a better chance of seeing more than just one.