Years ago when my wife and I were in the archery and taxidermy business, people would ask me, "How do these guys always shoot big bucks?"
"It's simple," I would reply. "You have to let the little ones go." This philosophy proved to be true for Mike Culligan Jr. on opening day of gun season last Saturday.
Mike grew up in the area and was hunting near Milford, where he had all his life. He hunted the same woods during bow season and passed up several small bucks.
On Saturday, he packed his duffle bag full of food and essentials and headed to his favorite tree stand. It was a perfect morning as he climbed up into the branches in the pre-dawn hours.
When the sun came up, the woods came alive. It wasn't long before a doe appeared by his stand. Within a few moments, a crotch-horned buck came along with his nose right to the ground. It would have been an easy shot, but Mike let him go.
Several does passed Mike's stand as the day lingered on. I have to hand it to him. I can't fathom sitting in a tree stand all day. It's just not me, but Mike's persistence paid off.
Just before noon, a spike-horn buck hurried along the same trail chasing another doe. It was obvious that the rut was still on.
At 3:45 in the afternoon _ 10 hours after Mike climbed into his tree stand _ another doe trotted by with her tail straight out. Suddenly, a nice, mature buck appeared.
Mike seemed to think it was a nice eight-pointer as he brought up his .270. As he squeezed the trigger, the buck turned, giving him a good look at the antlers. Mike knew it was bigger than he initially thought.
The buck ran about 65 yards before running out of steam.
When you shoot a deer, you often find it's not as big as you thought. But there was nothing small about this big stag. When I said, "Ground shrinkage," Mike immediately replied, "Ground expansion!"
Mike had shot a massive 12-pointer that ended up weighing 184 pounds on the Brooks' House of Bar-B-Q's scales. The deer was so big, Mike had to get some friends to help drag it out of the woods.
As an official measurer for the New York State Big Buck Club, I had the pleasure of sizing up the antlers. Even though it can't be officially scored until after a 60-day drying period, the buck will be the largest ever taken in Otsego County.
The antlers' gross green score is 164 3/8 inches and, after deductions, will net more than 156 inches. The buck was 4 1/2 years old and will beat the record by at least two inches.
Wow! Guys travel to the midwest or Canada in hopes of shooting a buck like this, and here's one right in our backyards.
I might add that no one had seen this buck before, as far as Mike could tell after asking around. Apparently, he was one of those nocturnal deer that only comes out of hiding when the rut is on. He had made it through three or four seasons, but not this one. Tim's Taxidermy in West Laurens will mount the deer.
So let this be a lesson to you. If you want to shoot big bucks, pass up the little ones.
It sure worked for Mike.
Rick Brockway writes a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Star and is the Big Buck Club measurer for Otsego and Delaware counties. E-mail him at robrockway@hotmail.com.
