Tarsal Glands, Premonitions and Trophy Bucks

EDITOR'S NOTE: This week you'll meet several deer hunters who have taken the bucks of their lifetimes while extreme whitetail hunting this year in Manitoba with Whitetail Outfitters.

Tom Runcle of Chetek, Wisconsin, had waited five days while hunting with Whitetail Outfitters to take his buck. "I'd bear hunted with Whitetail Outfitters for the last two years and had a dynamite hunt each time. On the first morning of my hunt, I had a 10-point buck and a 6-point buck come by me, but neither was the buck I wanted. I'd already decided that I would shoot the best deer of my life or go home with a deer tag in my pocket. On Tuesday, I sat in the same stand and didn't see any animals. On Wednesday, I was in the same stand for the morning hunt and had an 8-point buck come up to a tarsal gland I'd taken from another buck bagged on the hunt. I'd used tarsal glands to lure in deer at home but never seen it as effective as it was up here. However, because the deer was smaller than one I wanted to take, I let him pass.

"On Wednesday afternoon, I decided to hunt right behind the camp less than 200 yards away when I saw the biggest-bodied deer I'd ever seen in my life. He was huge, but his antlers weren't very big at all. He could have been an older buck on the decline. My guide, Wyman Sangster, had put out some deer lure, and the buck skirted around the lure. I'd also put out the tarsal gland I'd used the day before. When the buck smelled the tarsal gland, he stopped immediately and came right to it, putting his nose right up to it.

"On Thursday morning, I went to another stand on the side of a hill and at first light I spotted a 9-point buck coming from the north. But he left as quickly as he appeared. I never had a chance to glass him. On Friday morning, I returned to the hillside stand. I waited one-half hour and then saw a huge buck moving along the edge of the thicket. He had his nose in the air testing the wind, probably trying to smell a hot doe. I was hunting an area riddled with deer tracks. I believe the buck stopped to try and smell a doe before continuing into the opening. when the buck was only 70 yards away, I fired, and he hunched-up. So, I knew I'd hit him. As he ran out into the planted pines, I could tell I'd gotten him. Since he was circling back but still on his feet, I fired a second time. He vanished.

"I got out of my tree stand and found hair where I'd shot him the first time but no blood. I knew that my gun was properly sighted and that I'd shot for his vitals. When I didn't find any blood, I wondered if I'd hit him low. I continued following the trail and found two little spots of blood. When I got to the spot where I'd hit him the second time, I found more hair but still no blood. I walked about 10 yards over the hill and finally saw him piled-up. The buck scored about 152 points on Boone & Crockett and was the biggest buck I'd ever taken. He was huge and weighed at least 300 pounds live weight.

"We had a great camp: good food, knowledgeable guides and some of the biggest deer I'd ever seen. If a hunter wants the hunt of a lifetime, then this is the place to go. I think I'll have to fast for a week to get my weight back down to what it was before I came up here. As quick as I can get back up here, I'll be back."

Walter Appelle of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, had had a tough hunt. During this second trip with Whitetail Outfitters, he was hunting with Mike Nichols and Bill La Francoise, both friends who had hunted with him the year before. Just before the three hunters were ready to leave camp last year, Appelle had taken a nice 10-point buck at 1:30 p.m. on the last day of the hunt. Therefore Appelle had decided to come back and try for a better buck -- again with his same two friends. La Francoise had bagged a huge 165 B&C buck, and Nichols had taken a nice 9 point. Those two left camp early, leaving Appelle to finish the hunt alone.

"After four days of hunting, I'd only seen one doe and had gotten really discouraged," Appelle said.

On Thursday, I went and spent the night with Appelle before his Friday morning hunt. I told him that I had a premonition that he would take a really big buck around 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning. My heritage is Welsh, and the Welsh are known for their mysticism. So, several times I've seen my premonitions come true. Appelle half-heartedly believed that he might take a big buck on Friday.

As Appelle explained, "About 8:30 a.m., I heard some noise in the willows in front of me, but nothing stepped out of the brush. Then about 9:00 a.m., I heard more noise from the brush but still saw nothing. I had a productive scrape line off to my left that I'd hunted the year before. The year before, every day for three days, a doe would come down that scrape line. I'd hear a buck in the thicket grunting and hitting his antlers against a tree, as though he was trying to get the doe to come to him. Then after she left the scrape, the buck would circle around me and go off with her. For three days I knew that buck was there, but I never did see him. Although I could hear deer running through the thicket, I never saw any deer.

"At 9:30 a.m., I remembered what John had said about me taking my deer at that time. I looked at my watch and picked up my gun and thought, 'Maybe John's right. Perhaps I'll get a deer at 9:30.' But nothing happened. However, around 10:00 a.m., I heard a lot of noise in the thicket. At 10:15, I saw a big buck coming out of the thicket headed toward the scrape line. I brought my gun and scope up quickly but couldn't get a clear shot. When the buck was 50 yards away, I knew I couldn't let him get away. I looked for an opening, fired through it and hit him a little bit back from his shoulder. The big buck stumbled, and I fired again. The buck went down. He moved slightly, and I fired a third time. I knew that the deer had a lot of points and a really good rack. I knew that if I didn't get the deer that day I would leave the following day empty-handed.

"I took my time getting out of the tree because I was nervous and excited. Too, I only had one good arm to climb with since I was due to have rotator cup surgery on one of my arms. When I saw the deer's antlers, I said, 'Thank God I waited.' When all my friends went home and left me in camp by myself I really got discouraged. I knew I'd have to stick out the hunt if I was going to get a big buck. This buck was the biggest one I'd ever taken. When I think back in hindsight, I know John was right. My deer was in front of me at 9:30, I just couldn't see him until 10:15. What a great hunt and a great adventure I had. I'm really glad I stayed in camp after my buddies went home. I got the deer of a lifetime."

If you're looking for the deer of a lifetime and an adventure you'll never forget, contact Whitetail Outfitters, owners Doug Grantham and John Nixon, at Box 1052, Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada ROC 220; call toll-free (888) 398-3459; email hunt@whitetailoutfitters.ca; or visit the website www.whitetailoutfitters.ca. Whitetail Outfitters' hunting dates and costs for 2001 include: archery -- 10/29 - 11/10, $2200 US; muzzleloader -- 10/29 -- 11/10, $2200 US; rifle -- 11/12 - 11/24, $2400 US. Canadian government licenses and fees cost $125 US for hunting, including archery, muzzleloading and/or rifle.