SETTING THE STAGE
Over the next couple of weeks Barry hunted other areas and focused on filling his doe tag.

"It was starting to get to me," Barry admitted. "I wanted to go after that buck, but I couldn't seem to shoot a doe. As bad as I wanted to hunt that area, I didn't want to mess it up or have him walk under my stand and not be able to shoot."

Everything changed on Oct. 7. As mentioned, Brady already had earned his purple sticker because he had taken two does the year before. Being 13 years old, he also qualified for the youth hunt. Since the 2006 youth season was the first opportunity for Brady to buck hunt, father and son went back to the property that held Mr. Big.

"I'd thought about that buck a lot since seeing him," said Barry. "I was pretty sure he was living on that ground. It has everything -- cover, food and water. There was no reason for him to leave. So when the youth hunt came along, I couldn't think of a bigger thrill than to let Brady be the one to shoot him. Hunting is all about building memories, and what a memory that would make!"

Climbing up into the same tree, Brady was armed with a gun and Barry had his bow. The goal was for Brady to kill the giant and for Barry to shoot a doe so that he could get his buck sticker. However, one spent shell and a quiver full of arrows later the giant still lived. But having a purple sticker was no longer an issue. Brady shot a doe and Barry arrowed two. Mr. Big was not seen that day, but he was now fair game for Barry.

A TWIST OF FATE
With football behind him, Barry now serves as the superintendent of Elmwood schools.

For him the job is a labor of love in small-town Wisconsin. Though it's not a job requirement for Barry, residents expect to see him at most school events, and they enjoy seeing him at those events. Between concerts, plays, conferences, meetings and sporting events, not many afternoons are left open for hunting.

"We don't have school activities on Wednesdays," Barry noted. "So, that's the one day when I typically try to get out to hunt."

Things got a little crazy in the Rose household in the fall of 2006. On the weekend of Oct. 21, Barry was inducted into the football Hall of Fame at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Add that to all of the normal school events going on, and Barry needed a break.

"I go to almost every school functions and I felt guilty even thinking about skipping the high school concert," Barry admitted. "But with everything else going on that weekend and a cold front moving in on Monday, Oct. 23, I really wanted to unwind in the woods.

After checking with the high school principal to be sure he planned to attend the concert, I decided to go hunting on Monday afternoon. I still felt guilty the whole time I was driving to my spot."

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