Adam Hupf Buck: 191-Inch Wisconsin Typical Archery State Record

The 2014 hunting season was a busy one for Wisconsin bowhunter Adam Hupf. He hunted elk in Colorado, black bear in Wisconsin and put an arrow through a Wisconsin typical archery state record whitetail.

Hupf, of Beaver Dam, Wisc., has been bowhunting his hometown area for 16 years, a territory that is not commonly regarded for big bucks. However, that notion may be changing as it has now produced two consecutive state archery records in the last three seasons, notably Dusty Gerrits's former state archery record buck, scoring 189 7/8-inches, in 2012.

Hupf successfully punched his Wisconsin black bear tag, but a broken arrow in Colorado thwarted his elk hunt. Upon returning from Colorado, Hupf checked his trail camera photos and noticed a few large bucks moving in the early morning. Although he had just returned, Hupf decided he would take to the stand the very next morning.

Of those bucks on his trail camera, the one that stood out the most was the one Hupf first encountered three years ago. Hupf only caught a couple glimpses of the giant during the 2012 and 2013 seasons but was never afforded a shot opportunity.

Hupf noted, though, that during these hunts a southerly wind was present when the buck was near his stand. Hunting with the wind coming from the south, Hupf determined, would be the only way to take down the giant.

Through conversations with his neighbors, Hupf was able to learn that the giant was living on an adjacent property and occasionally moving through the area. Trail camera photos told the story as the neighbor's compared photos; both were after the same buck.

---

Settling into his stand on October 11, Hupf noted the southwest wind in his face. Though this was not the wind he wanted, Hupf stayed put. It turned out the be the right choice. As the hunt progressed, the wind slowly shifted to the south.

However, the action was slow and with just 20 minutes of legal shooting light left, Hupf stood up to get ready for any late-breaking action. Just as he stood, movement caught his attention as a small buck slipped by. Hupf's location was not compromised and shortly after the encounter the giant appeared. Hupf grabbed his bow, slowly flipped his portable seat up on his treestand and clipped his release onto his bowstring.

The buck made its way to within nine yards and stood quartering towards Hupf. A two-minute wait felt like two hours before the buck fully turned broadside. Hupf held the pin behind the front shoulder and sent his arrow straight into the vitals. The buck jolted and ran as Hupf tried to regain his composure and relive what had just happened.

Hupf waited before descending the tree to recover his arrow and begin tracking. Just five feet into his efforts he found the beginning of a strong blood trail, which confirmed that his quest for the giant would soon be over.

Hupf backed out and called his father, brother and a friend to help with the recovery. The search was over after 150 yards when in the group yelled, "There he is! What a buck!"

As the guys marveled, Hupf initially thought the buck might be near the 180-inches gross mark but decided to wait the 60-day period before measuring. Rumors of the big buck spread to the point where Gerrits and Hupf exchanged text messages to meet and talk about their bucks.

Hupf was put in contact with Mark Miller, an official measurer for the Wisconsin Buck & Bear Club, and the buck was scored on December 13 by a panel of six measurers at the Cabela's in Green Bay, Wisc. Adam Hupf's buck received an official typical net score of 191 6/8-inches, with 13 measureable points, a 18 4/8-inches inside spread and 43 4/8 inches of circumference.

Story provided by Bucky Ihlenfeldt, Wisconsin Buck & Bear Club