BIG HORNS IN THE BACK OF A TRUCK?

[CANOPY SAM]

I have a question for this forum. I was on my way back from the cities yesterday, and pulling into a gas station in Milaca I saw a couple guys in a little pickup with a dandy buck in the back end. They definately had been hunting cause they had all the archery gear in the truck as well. Where could they have taken this deer legally at this time of the year? Is the Camp Ripley season already open?

I sure hope they got that animal into a freezer quickly. I'm pretty sure it would have been cooked on it's own in this heat!

[Mark Christianson]

It was probably a deer target.

[CANOPY SAM]

According to the literature, full-bodied targets don't bleed!

[Sutty]

Probably one of the pay n slays

[harvey lee]

If sutty is correct then they must have been tenderizing the meat in those temps.Ripley is not open yet unless your a poacher.

[Mark Christianson]

I cannot imagine anyone targeting deer in that heat over the weekend.

Guess I am not sure what to think........

[CANOPY SAM]

I hadn't even thought of that possibility. As I pondered this strange situation today another noteworthy item came to mind. I vividly remember that this nice ten-point was not at all in velvet. I've seen numerous bucks around GR over the last few weeks, and they've all been in velvet. Isn't it too early for the big boys to be out rubbing off the fur?

Maybe this was a decoy after all? These guys were both in full green camo, they had a 4-wheeler on a trailer behind them, and all the hunting gear in the back of the truck along with this animal. I've hunted whitetails for 25 years, have harvested dozens of animals, including some very respectable bucks, and I have excellent vision. I am certain that this was a freshly killed whitetail buck.

It just doesn't add up. Is there a fenced in population of deer in the Milaca area that people can pay to hunt? I didn't catch the license plate - could they have been coming from somewhere in Wisconsin?

[Mark Christianson]

There is almost no possible way a buck would not be in full velvet still.

Very strange.

[Code-Man]

The deer are in full velvet right now. if they had all there gear and a decoy they could have been doing a lot of stuff.

A. Poaching

B. Setting up deer stands and practicing with the bow. A lot of people practice in there full gear especially when they hang deer stands so they can find there shooting lanes/spots.

C. Trying out a new bow and getting new toys at cabelas on the way home?

No clue but all i know is the deer I have been seeing are in full velvet and wont be losing it for another month.

[Greg K (aka:CRAPPIEBAIT)]

Might have been a full body mount on it's way home from OR on the way too being stuffed.

[Sutty]

He said it was bloody so unless it was in a freezer and just on its way to get stuffed but I doubt that since they had gear and were in camo.

On a similar note I stopped by the DNR headquarters last week to turn in my moose app so it would not be late. Anyone been by there lately? They have an awesome buck that was poached here in the metro. It is a full body mount in the lobby, Apparantly the guy had paid for the full body mount but had not picked it up yet and than was turned in by someone. The story was he had already filled his tag and borrowed a buddy's to shoot this one. Man what a deer I hope I get to see one like that some day in my stand...

[Mark Christianson]

Is that the deer that is laying down in the glass case?

If so, its at the Wall of Shame at the Deer Classic each year.

Pretty awesome deer. Too bad it fell to the hands of a poacher.

[Sutty]

Yep thats the one. I think it said it was poached 3-4 years ago.

[WalleyeWeasel]

" ROAD KILL" ????????

[Mark Christianson]

It was reported to not have any velvet...........

[camdu7]

So I was driving on Hwy 2 between Bena and Cass lake on Friday and saw nice buck in the back of this junky s-10 with a topper on it. The buck was kinda proped out of the topper. I thought it was a 3d but when passed them it looked like a dead deer. Also no velvet? Same deer??

Indian hunting? Why no velvet? About the strangest thing I have seen in a while.

[Cooter]

All my assumptions go out the window due to the velvet issue - road kill, reservation hunting(don't know those regs), or crop damage. I know the crop damage sounds crazy but a bud of mine has a good chance of getting permission from the local DNR biologist to start shooting bucks as well as does for crop damage. Also, what about the chance they came here to WI and hunted in a CWD zone? Again, the velvet issue?

[matthothand]

i think road kill is the most logical explanation of the death of the deer...but the lack of velvet? Would it be plausible to have removed the velvet? Not sure why a person would or what the rack would look like without being polished or worn though. Where are those hardy boys???

[Ely Lake Expert]

This subject is baffling, if someone figures it out please post and let us know.

[joe_stack20]

Did you honestly see the Antlers attached to the deers head????? or just assumed they were actually attached to the deer. Reason i am asking is when the season actually does roll around.....I have joked with guys that have shot a smaller doe...snd have tied with rope a set of antlers from years past onto the hanging deer! Kids might have been playing a joke on some roadkill or something too.....Baffling

[CANOPY SAM]

Honestly, no. I didn't see the whole body of the deer. I did see the antlers clearly attached to the head of the deer. I am certain by the coloration, inside spread, inconsistent tine length, and overall appearance that this was a real deer, and not a decoy. I actually stopped my car to watch this small black pickup drive by with this deer in the back. The buck was impressive enough, and at this time of the year, I had to get a good look.

I'd venture a guess that it would have scored between 135 - 150! The horns were not bloody - as if the velvet had been removed.

Upon deep consideration, there are two plausible explanations to this. Either they had paid to shoot a buck in an enclosed farm hunt, or this was a big shoulder mount from last year, and they had just picked it up from the taxidermist on there way back from setting out stands, and doing some practice shooting. The latter of these two explanations is the most likely. I didn't get a GREAT look at the deer - just a drive by at about 25 miles per hour. I just know that it wasn't a decoy.

With all the gear on board it really appeared that these guys had just shot this deer. Maybe that was their intention. "Lets go out and really turn some heads!" And then again, maybe they just got their seasons mixed up a little bit!

It was in small, black pickup - mid 90's - like an S-10, or Ranger. I wasn't looking at the truck, I was looking at the deer - in total disbelief. It was driving east off of 169 at the big off ramp in Milaca. There is a game farm with a bunch of big white-tails pretty nearby there, but I think they too are still in velvet.

Anyway, pretty startling thing to see at the end of July. If anyone else knows any info on this I'd be interested to hear it. Sadly, I didn't even think to look at their license plate. - might've been some TIP money in it!!! LOL!

[onthejob2]

At first I think you said there was blood, later in the posts you mentioned a shoulder mount????

[tjm]

My guess would be came from a game farm.Heres a pic of a deer that never loses his antlers from year to year and they tend to shed velvet late July early Aug.