explained. “Basically, we restrain ourselves from harvesting any buck younger than 3½. It can be very difficult sometimes; there are years when I know I may not see a buck that I can shoot. But when I can hang my own stand, do my own work, and sleep in my own bed … that’s what gets me juiced. Shooting a buck that I feel I’ve helped grow really gives me joy.”

ing a cigar and enjoying the moment. I call that buck my 30-Year Deer because I had waited that long to take him where and how I wanted to. He was 4½ years old and had lived a tough life. When I butchered him I found two bullets — a . 22 and a muzzleloader ball — in him, as well as an antler wound. He remains the most memorable buck I’ve killed.”

are extremely well-grounded individuals who have worked extremely hard to get to where they are at. That strong work ethic is no doubt the reason why they’ve learned to appreciate the hunt’s more subtle details ... and the reason why they’ve been so successful in the deer woods.

— Scott Bestul is an accomplished white-

Mountain Monarch

Southeast Field Editor Walt Hampton has managed whitetail herds on military bases throughout the country, shooting hundreds of deer in the process. But most of that hunting occurred in elevated shooting houses that overlooked food plots or, occasionally, bait piles.

“I’d grown tired of that,” Hampton said firmly. “Plus, I can’t stand sitting for five hours waiting for the last 15 minutes of shooting light. I grew up walk-hunt-ing and I longed to get back to that.”

Hampton’s chance came in 2003 after he’d left Federal service and returned home to Virginia.

“I was hunting with my boys that fall and told them to drop me off in an area I’d known for years, and one I always suspected would hold a good buck,” he said. “There was a breakover saddle in that mountainside and that’s where I headed. I spent the first 45 minutes just sitting in the spitting snow and cold, then I started still-hunting toward that saddle. It was the first time in years I was thinking of nothing but deer.”

The veteran hunter’s hunch about the secret spot proved correct.

“I spotted a doe on the opposite hillside, and then more around her, followed by a spike buck. Then, I spotted a deer below them. When I put the glasses up, I spotted one beam that extended beyond his nose. I knew that it was a good mountain buck.

“The rest of the deer continued sidehilling, eventually crossing a fence onto property I couldn’t hunt. I remember thinking ‘Oh, NO!,’ but for some reason the buck stayed on my side and eventually walked toward me, heading for an opening. I jut put the cross-hairs in that spot and when he walked into them he looked right at me. I’ve been shooting a 6 mm for many years, and he was so big that it was the first time I wondered if I had enough gun.

“When I shot, he bolted and died after a short run. I walked close enough to see one beam and those tines sticking up out of the grass. So I sat for awhile, smok-

Conclusion

In talking with Bernier, Alsheimer and Hampton, I noticed they all shared one glaring similarity: All three men

tail hunter and award-winning outdoor

writer from southeastern Minnesota.

www.deeranddeerhunting.com

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