Wisconsin Bowhunter Starts New Deer Season With a Bang

Most avid trophy whitetail hunters have heard about the bucks produced in Buffalo County, Wisconsin — and if you've watched much outdoor television, you are probably familiar with the plentiful action that takes place around waterholes in the early part of their bow season.

Mitch Stamm took full advantage of the hot weather on September 14th, 2025, when he tagged an incredible eight point buck he called “2 Footer."

He had been watching the buck for two seasons before that and made an agreement with the neighbors to pass the buck through the 2024 season, thus giving it one more year to grow. That deal played in his favor when he took another mid-160s buck early that season, and now it was time to concentrate on his new target.

At 5 ½, 2 Footer was fully mature and his distinctive wide rack lived up to the name.

Mitch had prepared for the hunt by following the buck on cell cams, and once he knew where it wanted to be he sweetened the pot by planting rye near a waterhole.

He a box blind as well, and from his elevated position he could easily cover the small plot and a nearby waterhole with his bow. 

Though he was fully prepared for the challenge, a small hiccup in his plan occured when he caught a job videoing a wedding on opening day. And, of course, the buck was in the plot just before dark that evening!

The next day, he attended a birthday party for his nephew and spent most of that time trying to talk his dad into going with him on a hunt that afternoon. At the last minute his Dad said, “It is too hot,” and Mitch decided to go and self-video the hunt, arriving at the blind at 4:30. In spite of the heat, deer began filtering through the plot shortly after.

The small blind presented another challenge. Mitch couldn’t see very well where he expected the buck to come from, but suddenly he appeared!

“I had made a scrape tree and he was headed right to it from 70 yards out," he recalled. “I drew when he was at 32 yards, but there was no shot.”

To make matters worse, when he let his bow down he hit the camera tripod. The buck stopped, then moved into a spot where Mitch had one shot through a small window. Fortunately, he was only 15 yards away at that point, and Mitch watched his lighted nock slam into the hide right at the back of the shoulder. The buck blew out of there with a good bit of the arrow sticking out — not exactly what Mitch had wanted.

After reviewing the footage with some friends and comparing the shot with a few scenarios on the DeerCast app, everyone agreed that the MegaMeat broadhead had probably done its job.

The 200-yard recovery took a little time, but at the end of the trail they spotted the super wide 8-point rack sticking up. There's nothing wrong with tagging out early, especially on a true giant!