Several years ago Dave Hegg of Geneva, Illinois bought 40 acres in Fulton County. The farmer from whom Dave bought the property continued to till 7 acres in exchange for allowing Dave to hunt on an additional 40.
"All of the guys I hunt with immediately agreed to pass on small bucks and we shared the same message with all of the hunting neighbors that we met," Dave said. "Everyone seemed to agree. The property was logged the year I bought it, so the hunting was pretty sparse the first year. But every year seemed to get better and in 2006 our policy really paid off. During the first gun season, I saw deer all morning long, passing on several does and a 4-point buck. Then I saw another big buck chasing a doe, one we'd seen for the past three years. Still much of the deer movement was down in a valley where we had not put up any stands. So after lunch I put up a scent-proof tent blind with better visibility of the valley. The big buck came in from behind. The tent obviously didn't bother him. I caught sight of him at 20 yards, but he was walking away .I got the gun up and grunted once. He turned and I shot. He dropped like a stone. He's a main-framed 5x4 with several stickers. There aren't many firsts for someone who just turned 50 but this was an exciting day!"
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