A Wolfe Island Wallhanger
On a clear, 30-degree late December afternoon, beef farmer Duncan MacDonald headed to a stand in a maple tree that was sheltered from the howling Lake Ontario wind by cedar and pine trees. His season of guiding clients was over. A driving west wind was gusting at over 30 mph, producing a sub-zero wind-chill factor. Duncan's watering right eye reminded him that only one week earlier he'd been blinded in this eye from an incident while handling cattle. It had been an incident that threatened to spoil any chance of participating in his favored annual event -- a few days of bowhunting the late-season whitetails of Wolfe Island.
It was now Dec. 28 and he was running out of time. There was one piece of property he had scouted that looked promising, but it would be tough to hunt. It looked like a prime parcel for late-season whitetails, as it provided water, cedar, spruce, pine tree cover for protection from the elements, and agricultural foods on four sides. Although Wolfe Island whitetails have never encountered an open gun season, the biggest bucks rarely make an appearance. With the rutting season winding down and the demand for food on the rise, Duncan felt that this patch of island land had exceptional whitetail potential.
Three previous short visits to this stand location had produced sightings of several 2 1/2-year-old 8- and 10-pointers. But this seasoned whitetail hunter knew from the available deer sign that a much bigger buck was using this cover. A weather front was approaching Wolfe Island's position at the mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Duncan sensed opportunity and headed to the dense patch of softwoods and brushy cover that deer often drift to in tough weather. The whitetail hideout was surrounded by prime farm country with corn, alfalfa, soybeans and wheat that connected to a brush line that passed a scouted tree stand location at 30 yards.
As dusk approached, a big, white- antlered buck appeared in the brush line and jumped the farm fence. It was a big buck that Duncan had never laid an eye on until this moment. The hunter eased to full draw and aimed behind the front shoulder of the huge buck, quartering by at 18 yards. With a squeeze of his release the Mathew's SQ2 launched a well-placed arrow. The big island buck loped off 60 yards. Then he paused and dropped. The Wolfe Island trophy whitetail featured 10-inch tines on 23-inch beams with a 20 1/2-inch inside spread. Those measurements produced a gross score of 174 1/2 inches of antler!
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Bowhunts on Wolfe Island are available from Oct. 1 through Dec. 10. For more information, write Brown's Bay Inn, P.O. Box 219, Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, K0H 2Y0. Or call (613) 385-2533 or visit www.brownsbayinn.com.
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