Buckskin and Bone
More passages:
- On change: We no longer grow up with traditional rural values. Each generation takes us a little bit farther away from living off the land.
- On canned "guaranteed" hunts: Removing the uncertainty of hunting cheapens the entire experience. Every hunt should be full of questions, mystery and uncertainty.
- On cooperation: There should be partnerships between hunters and wildlife agencies. Stewardship of our natural resources is more than imperative; it is vital.
- On white-tailed deer: I've come to love and respect ... these fascinating creatures that have provided me with so much pleasure, challenge, frustration and satisfaction.
Learn more about Gene Wensel and his pursuits at www.brothersofthebow.com.
MADISON - The 2010 Wisconsin Deer & Turkey Expo held at the Alliant Center in Madison drew large crowds last weekend. And the White-Tailed Deer and Black Bear Trophy contest formed one of the core features of the event.
In hushed reverence to the mighty whitetail, visitors viewed the magnificent display of antlers along the promenade of entries in the competition. Probably the most notable among the approximately 250 entries in the contest: the now-famous Schumacher buck, harvested last year in Fond du Lac County. The 29-point whitetail took Best of Show in the non-typical archery competition with a score of 243 6/8 Pope & Young points.
Wayne Schumacher described the moment of truth. "I first saw him at 10 yards, but I couldn't get a shot," he said. "All I saw at first was this much of his rack (using his fingers to measure a segment of one side).
"I finally got a shot; it was angling away at 18 yards," he said, reliving the event. "The arrow entered behind his rib cage. He went about 70 yards, wobbled a little and fell over."
While traffic was heavy throughout the Expo's maze of outfitters and product reps, the number of entries in the deer and bear contests was down, according to Wisconsin Buck & Bear member Marlin Laidlaw of Marshfield, who traveled to Madison to assist with the scoring. "Last year we had around 200 entries come in on Friday night," he said. "This year it was about half that many."
The head-scratching among interested observers led to several possible explanations for the decline. Some reasoned the economy might have had something to do with it.
"A lot of people can't afford to spend $300-$400 to have a shoulder mount done these days," surmised Rob Bohman, a Buffalo County landowner and Vice Chair of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
As did other booths at the affair, however, the Conservation Congress Wall of Fame exhibit enjoyed brisk traffic as folks sought out information on the Spring Hearings to be held the following evening in all Wisconsin counties.
While entries in the big buck and bear competition were the result of success by mostly older hunters, future contest participants might include younger hunters, including 15-year old Kayla Harmeyer of East Troy. She won the 2009 World Championship archery competition in Ogden, Utah in the women's compound cadet division.
In winning the competition with her Bow Tech Sentinal, Harmeyer attended the Expo as a tech rep for the company, in partnership with Buck Rub Outfitters of Waukesha. About her success, she said, "It was everything I worked for; it finally paid off."
"She's pretty knowledgeable about everything when it comes to archery," said proud Dad, Steve Harmeyer.
The pair deer hunt together, but Kayla failed to harvest a buck in 2009, passing up several opportunities. "She needs a better guide," quipped the elder Harmeyer.
For me, the most pleasant of the many surprises at the Expo was a chance encounter with Gene Wensel, author of several books on deer hunting. He's my kind of guy - old-school, a bit overwhelmed by the latest technology and deeply appreciative of the blessings received throughout his life.
After chasing down interviews and helping out at the Conservation Congress exhibit, I'm ready to head home and stretch out on the couch with Wensel's latest masterpiece, "Buckskin and Bone."
Evening soon takes over the marsh as the melody of a thousand spring peepers rushes through the open window. An occasional honk from a nervous Canada goose nesting somewhere among the bulrushes and cattails punctuates the symphony.
As always, I'm intrigued by Wensel's personal outlook bursting from the pages in the form of the "why" rather than the where, when and how of hunting whitetails.
Time spent in the woods deer hunting is a religious experience for him. "Both require reverence and deep respect," he writes. "Both offer good examples for us to pay attention to and definite purposes to contemplate and follow."
As reflected in his writing, Wensel is beginning to feel the warm glow of a life well lived. "I'm getting closer to the echo of my life," he writes. "The spiritual side of deer hunting becomes even more important as the long shadows of the sunset years become apparent."
I believe I know what you mean, my friend. Good hunting!
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
In hushed reverence to the mighty whitetail, visitors viewed the magnificent display of antlers along the promenade of entries in the competition. Probably the most notable among the approximately 250 entries in the contest: the now-famous Schumacher buck, harvested last year in Fond du Lac County. The 29-point whitetail took Best of Show in the non-typical archery competition with a score of 243 6/8 Pope & Young points.
Wayne Schumacher described the moment of truth. "I first saw him at 10 yards, but I couldn't get a shot," he said. "All I saw at first was this much of his rack (using his fingers to measure a segment of one side).
"I finally got a shot; it was angling away at 18 yards," he said, reliving the event. "The arrow entered behind his rib cage. He went about 70 yards, wobbled a little and fell over."
While traffic was heavy throughout the Expo's maze of outfitters and product reps, the number of entries in the deer and bear contests was down, according to Wisconsin Buck & Bear member Marlin Laidlaw of Marshfield, who traveled to Madison to assist with the scoring. "Last year we had around 200 entries come in on Friday night," he said. "This year it was about half that many."
The head-scratching among interested observers led to several possible explanations for the decline. Some reasoned the economy might have had something to do with it.
"A lot of people can't afford to spend $300-$400 to have a shoulder mount done these days," surmised Rob Bohman, a Buffalo County landowner and Vice Chair of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
As did other booths at the affair, however, the Conservation Congress Wall of Fame exhibit enjoyed brisk traffic as folks sought out information on the Spring Hearings to be held the following evening in all Wisconsin counties.
While entries in the big buck and bear competition were the result of success by mostly older hunters, future contest participants might include younger hunters, including 15-year old Kayla Harmeyer of East Troy. She won the 2009 World Championship archery competition in Ogden, Utah in the women's compound cadet division.
In winning the competition with her Bow Tech Sentinal, Harmeyer attended the Expo as a tech rep for the company, in partnership with Buck Rub Outfitters of Waukesha. About her success, she said, "It was everything I worked for; it finally paid off."
"She's pretty knowledgeable about everything when it comes to archery," said proud Dad, Steve Harmeyer.
The pair deer hunt together, but Kayla failed to harvest a buck in 2009, passing up several opportunities. "She needs a better guide," quipped the elder Harmeyer.
For me, the most pleasant of the many surprises at the Expo was a chance encounter with Gene Wensel, author of several books on deer hunting. He's my kind of guy - old-school, a bit overwhelmed by the latest technology and deeply appreciative of the blessings received throughout his life.
After chasing down interviews and helping out at the Conservation Congress exhibit, I'm ready to head home and stretch out on the couch with Wensel's latest masterpiece, "Buckskin and Bone."
Evening soon takes over the marsh as the melody of a thousand spring peepers rushes through the open window. An occasional honk from a nervous Canada goose nesting somewhere among the bulrushes and cattails punctuates the symphony.
As always, I'm intrigued by Wensel's personal outlook bursting from the pages in the form of the "why" rather than the where, when and how of hunting whitetails.
Time spent in the woods deer hunting is a religious experience for him. "Both require reverence and deep respect," he writes. "Both offer good examples for us to pay attention to and definite purposes to contemplate and follow."
As reflected in his writing, Wensel is beginning to feel the warm glow of a life well lived. "I'm getting closer to the echo of my life," he writes. "The spiritual side of deer hunting becomes even more important as the long shadows of the sunset years become apparent."
I believe I know what you mean, my friend. Good hunting!
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
