I have kicked today’s topic around for a couple of days and I decided that the timing was actually pretty good. As divided as we have seemed to be lately, I wanted to write about something that brought people together and something that ultimately was really good. Because I don’t have permission from any of the other seven people involved in this story, I am changing their names thereby absolving me from any repercussions.

I had just gotten home from the afternoon bow hunt when my duck quack ring tone sounded off. (Outdoor tip of the day: if you have your phone on duck ring when you’re bow hunting the deer just think a duck is flying overhead.) Bob was on the phone. He told me that Bob Jr. had just shot a monster buck. He invited me to come and see it for myself as it would definitely be worth my time plus I would be impressed. Well, Bob has been known to pull my leg pretty hard at times so I reluctantly agreed in case he was telling the truth.

I slipped on my boots and headed to the woods. The drive was a short one and when I parked my truck, I called Bob so he could guide me in to the exact spot where Jr had dropped the buck. Also at the scene were neighbors John and his son Joe. So it was Bob, Jr., John, Joe, me, and a buck that was just as big as advertised. It wasn’t the Turdy Point Buck but it was as close to that as I’ve ever seen. It had points sticking out all over and eventually scored over 190 Pope and Young inches.

John and Joe both shared their history with the Old Legend buck which included sightings and trail camera photos. Both were honest and candid about their jealousy of seeing the buck fall to another hunter but those feelings were also trumped with sincere happiness that Jr. was the guy who brought the buck down. I had just met John and Jack and because of their genuine honesty, I liked them.

About that time another neighbor and his wife, Tom and Marcie, along with their daughter Joan showed up. I had met Tom and Marcie briefly in the past and I liked them. They were invited to the “party” for a very unfortunate reason. Tom had missed that very buck earlier in the day exactly one mile away from the spot where we were now standing. The new arrivals meant that Jr. had to retell the story, which he did, with the same enthusiasm as the first couple of times that I had heard the story. 

It was at this point that Marcie pulled out a square bottle from some place in Tennessee as well as eight plastic cups. She proclaimed this was an event that required celebrating. I was liking Marcie more and more all the time. When everyone’s cup was filled we all toasted Jr. and the Old Legend buck.   

For the next hour, eight people from different places and with different views celebrated, talked and enjoyed just being together on a chilly Wisconsin autumn evening. I guess that’s my point. It was a terrific night not just because the Old Legend had been felled. It was a great night because I made instant friends and reconnected with a couple of others. We all laughed and carried on as if we had known each other forever. How cool is that in today’s world? Only on a Wisconsin deer hunt.  

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