Giant buck taken in Sheboygan Falls
By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Nov. 6, 2009
Hunting Thursday morning before work, Michael Gregoire of Sheboygan Falls watched the white-tailed deer of a lifetime walk by, just out of range.
"Tough to do, but better to let it go and not ruin my chances for later," said Gregoire, 38, recalling his decision to pass on the 48-yard shot.
The tool-and-die foreman then went to work, but took a half-day vacation for the afternoon.
Great decision.
When he returned at 1 p.m. to the 160-acre farm in Sheboygan Falls owned by his brother Ed Gregoire, the big buck was out in a field, chasing does.
Michael Gregoire slipped along a tree line, got into his ground blind and waited.
For the next 3 hours he was treated to the spectacle of the deer rut. Looking out from his blind at the grassy border of a field of standing corn, he saw at least a dozen antlerless deer at various times.
And one gigantic buck.
Actively following does, the buck twice passed withing sight of Gregoire but offered no shot. Then, on the trail of yet another doe, it came to within 20 yards.
Calling on experience gleaned over the past 14 years of bowhunting, Gregoire grunted at the buck. It froze, offering a broadside shot.
Gregoire's arrow pierced the mesh shooting panel on the blind and hit the buck low on its right chest. The deer kicked and ran.
With the sun dropping behind the treeline, Gregoire walked to his brother Ed's house.
"I think it's a good one," Michael told his brother. "I think."
Two hours later Michael and his brother Doug Gregoire took up the trail. On hands and knees at times they followed a light specks of blood through dogwood and canary grass. Paydirt came 70 yards from the blind. The deer had been shot through the heart.
The buck was on its back, with one antler hidden in the grass. The brothers rolled the 200-pound deer over, revealing an extraordinary rack.
Even Michael, who had seen the buck on trail cameras and on the hoof, wasn't prepared for its size.
"There was a lot of yelling," said Gregoire. "Put it this way, we didn't have to use our cell phones to let the others know we found it."
The buck has 12 points (another point is less than 1 inch in length and not scorable). It has a split brow tine on its left side. And it has massively thick antlers.
How much mass? If it was judged to be a typical rack, enough to put it in world record territory.
According to an unoffical gross score done Friday, the buck tapes out at 217 5/8 inches.
The rack has an inside spread of 16 1/2 inches and an outside spread of 20 5/8 inches. The antler bases are 6 1/2 and 6 3/4 inches in circumference.
In several places along the antler beams, the circumference is between 5 and 6 inches.
Deer racks are classified as typical (standard antler formation) and non-typical.
There was disagreement Friday among scorers who viewed the deer either in person or in photographs. The differing views are related to the G2 point on the buck's right side.
Some judges felt the formation would put the buck in the non-typical category. Others felt it would result in a deduction, but still be scored as a typical.
According to one judge, the deduction would result in a net score of 208 5/8 inches.
According to the Boone and Crockett Club, the typical world record white-tailed deer measures 213 5/8 inches. Known as the Hanson Buck, it was taken with a rifle in Saskatchewan in 1993.
The Wisconsin record for a typical whitetail is 206 1/8 inches. That deer, taken by Jim Jordan in Burnett County in 1914, was also shot with a firearm.
Official scoring must wait for a 60-day drying period.
If the buck is judged to be non-typical, it will still be a great trophy but fall well short of the records. The Boone and Crockett non-typical record is 333 7/8 inches. The Pope and Young record (archery only) non-typical is 294 inches.
Interestingly, the Wisconsin record non-typical buck taken with archery equipment was recorded almost exactly a year ago. On Nov. 1, 2008 Bob Decker took a buck in Buffalo County that scored 233 2/8 inches.
Friday afternoon, the low-key Gregoire was enjoying the moment - regardless of where the deer places in the record books - and celebrating with friends in Sheboygan County.
"I'll keep hunting," he said, acknowledging that he isn't likely to top this buck. "Or maybe I'll have to take up golf."
Maybe. At least for now, the Sheboygan Falls legend of the Gregoire Buck (pronounced "Gregory") is spreading.
The photos below, taken by Paul A. Smith of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, show Michael Gregoire with his 12-point buck and a group shot with Gregoire and his father Don and brothers Ed and Doug.
By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Nov. 6, 2009
Hunting Thursday morning before work, Michael Gregoire of Sheboygan Falls watched the white-tailed deer of a lifetime walk by, just out of range.
"Tough to do, but better to let it go and not ruin my chances for later," said Gregoire, 38, recalling his decision to pass on the 48-yard shot.
The tool-and-die foreman then went to work, but took a half-day vacation for the afternoon.
Great decision.
When he returned at 1 p.m. to the 160-acre farm in Sheboygan Falls owned by his brother Ed Gregoire, the big buck was out in a field, chasing does.
Michael Gregoire slipped along a tree line, got into his ground blind and waited.
For the next 3 hours he was treated to the spectacle of the deer rut. Looking out from his blind at the grassy border of a field of standing corn, he saw at least a dozen antlerless deer at various times.
And one gigantic buck.
Actively following does, the buck twice passed withing sight of Gregoire but offered no shot. Then, on the trail of yet another doe, it came to within 20 yards.
Calling on experience gleaned over the past 14 years of bowhunting, Gregoire grunted at the buck. It froze, offering a broadside shot.
Gregoire's arrow pierced the mesh shooting panel on the blind and hit the buck low on its right chest. The deer kicked and ran.
With the sun dropping behind the treeline, Gregoire walked to his brother Ed's house.
"I think it's a good one," Michael told his brother. "I think."
Two hours later Michael and his brother Doug Gregoire took up the trail. On hands and knees at times they followed a light specks of blood through dogwood and canary grass. Paydirt came 70 yards from the blind. The deer had been shot through the heart.
The buck was on its back, with one antler hidden in the grass. The brothers rolled the 200-pound deer over, revealing an extraordinary rack.
Even Michael, who had seen the buck on trail cameras and on the hoof, wasn't prepared for its size.
"There was a lot of yelling," said Gregoire. "Put it this way, we didn't have to use our cell phones to let the others know we found it."
The buck has 12 points (another point is less than 1 inch in length and not scorable). It has a split brow tine on its left side. And it has massively thick antlers.
How much mass? If it was judged to be a typical rack, enough to put it in world record territory.
According to an unoffical gross score done Friday, the buck tapes out at 217 5/8 inches.
The rack has an inside spread of 16 1/2 inches and an outside spread of 20 5/8 inches. The antler bases are 6 1/2 and 6 3/4 inches in circumference.
In several places along the antler beams, the circumference is between 5 and 6 inches.
Deer racks are classified as typical (standard antler formation) and non-typical.
There was disagreement Friday among scorers who viewed the deer either in person or in photographs. The differing views are related to the G2 point on the buck's right side.
Some judges felt the formation would put the buck in the non-typical category. Others felt it would result in a deduction, but still be scored as a typical.
According to one judge, the deduction would result in a net score of 208 5/8 inches.
According to the Boone and Crockett Club, the typical world record white-tailed deer measures 213 5/8 inches. Known as the Hanson Buck, it was taken with a rifle in Saskatchewan in 1993.
The Wisconsin record for a typical whitetail is 206 1/8 inches. That deer, taken by Jim Jordan in Burnett County in 1914, was also shot with a firearm.
Official scoring must wait for a 60-day drying period.
If the buck is judged to be non-typical, it will still be a great trophy but fall well short of the records. The Boone and Crockett non-typical record is 333 7/8 inches. The Pope and Young record (archery only) non-typical is 294 inches.
Interestingly, the Wisconsin record non-typical buck taken with archery equipment was recorded almost exactly a year ago. On Nov. 1, 2008 Bob Decker took a buck in Buffalo County that scored 233 2/8 inches.
Friday afternoon, the low-key Gregoire was enjoying the moment - regardless of where the deer places in the record books - and celebrating with friends in Sheboygan County.
"I'll keep hunting," he said, acknowledging that he isn't likely to top this buck. "Or maybe I'll have to take up golf."
Maybe. At least for now, the Sheboygan Falls legend of the Gregoire Buck (pronounced "Gregory") is spreading.
The photos below, taken by Paul A. Smith of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, show Michael Gregoire with his 12-point buck and a group shot with Gregoire and his father Don and brothers Ed and Doug.
