Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we enjoyed the experience.
John made the front page of the local paper again. Last Monday as we
were driving home from the office for lunch we witnessed two bucks
fighting and locked horns. The 8 pointer flipped the 11 pointer over
and broke its neck and then dragged it back and forth across the field.
It was about a 90 minute show by the time it started, we went to the
house to get his bow and license and got back there to shoot the one
that was still alive (the 8 pointer). It was awesome and at the same
time pretty sad. They were so vicious. By that time we had quite a
crowd, including the neighbors (we had to get land owner permission to
shoot it), bowhunters, the newspaper and the DNR. John called the DNR
on our way home to make sure he could shoot the deer that was still
alive, they said he could as long as we got land owner permission and
had a legal bow tag. When the DNR arrived the game warden took John's
tag off the deer and said they had to take possession of both deer due
to a relatively new policy (2 years) where it fell under 'rare and
exceptional' conditions. They said they would get estimates from
taxidermists on what the two deer would sell for and then anyone
interested could buy them back ($3000+ if outfitters or Cabelas wanted
them). Needless to say John and everyone else there were a little upset
with the DNR at that point. By that time the newspaper had left so we
called her and told her the story had changed in that the DNR took the
deer. She was upset and called the game warden to find out about this
'rare and exceptional' policy, etc. About 5 p.m. the game warden's
supervisor called John and said the one deer was his as he had shot it
legally and they had no right to take it. The second one was property
of the state and would we would have to buy it. So then we called the
newspaper back and said the story changed once again. What a nightmare.
We were in Black River Falls Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. to get the deer.
They couldn't apologize enough, had gutted the deer and put them in the
freezer overnight. We agreed on $42 for the second deer, $24 for a bow
tag and the rest for the deer. All is well that ends well. We stopped
at a taxidermist in Camp Douglas and he is going to mount them with the
antlers locked. Then we pryed them apart. We lost some of the meat.
Not sure what time they got them in the freezer Monday night but hams on
the biggest deer had about 8 different holes where it had been gored by
the other deer, apparently before they locked horns so not sure what
caused it but that meat was bad. John picked up the antlers yesterday
so he could measure them. The 8 pointer was 141+ and the 11 pointer was
116 4/8. Don't ask me where the mount is going to go. We already have
six whitetails, two mule deer and an elk hanging in our dinky little
cabin. He is going to do a corner mount, but when we got home (we also
have alot of windows) there isn't room in the corners to hang them as
the windows are too close to the corner. Someone suggested the bedroom,
and I said 'yes, John can sleep with it and I will move out'. If I had
not watched the deer fighting, right to their death, I don't think I
would have even let him mount them. But it was awesome and will be a
lifetime memory for both of us. This Monday was not quite so exciting
coming home for lunch. Enjoy the pictures.