Hamilton Reef
12-03-2005, 12:06 PM
Local hunters bag potential record bucks
Friday, December 02, 2005 By Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor
Byron Center is hardly a place you'd expect to shoot a massive record-book buck, but now that Tom Heald Jr. has, he's going to have to deal with his grandma.
"She said: 'You better not shoot the big one,'" said the 23-year-old Wyoming hunter. He was speaking of the massive 12-point buck he shot on the family farm along M-6.
The deer had gained local fame because its photo had been published in the Wyoming Advance and area residents had reported watching it over the years. His grandmother, Marilynn Volk, had the photo taped on her refrigerator.
"I had been joking with her that if I see it on the farm, I'm going to take it," said Heald. "I didn't realize that it was the same deer until I came up on it and got out the picture. Then I thought: Oh man, my grandma's going to be upset."
Heald's deer dressed out at 187 pounds. Its antlers have a 28-inch outside spread. They were green scored at 191 6/16, making them record-book material.
Green scores are the preliminary scores that are derived from taking a variety of measurements on the rack. The antlers will be measured again for a final score after a mandatory 60-day drying period to allow for any shrinkage.
The minimum score for a "typical" rack to qualify for Boone &Crockett North American Big Game Records is 170. Boon and Crockett is the national record-keeping organization for trophies killed with a firearm.
Heald said he expects it will make the book, though it will not be at the top of the listings.
Heald had been hunting on a blustery day and had climbed down from his treestand because the winds were too high. He took to walking the property. A fawn and a doe ran by, he said. He saw the buck and put the shotgun's scope on it.
"I knew it was a decent-size rack, but I didn't know just how big.
"I haven't told my grandma yet. Hopefully she's already bought my Christmas present."
Not everyone had Heald's level of success, though many area hunters were pleased with the results of the two-week firearm deer season that closed Wednesday.
State officials say nasty weather put a dent in area success. Seventy-five percent of the season's harvest occurs during the first three days. It was cold and rainy the first day of the season, with fierce winds and snow going into the second day.
"I'm not hearing anyone say: 'We're out of deer,' " said Sara Schaefer, the DNR wildlife supervisor for southwest Michigan. "We were down 10 percent compared to last year during the first three days. That weather was difficult for hunters."
Schaefer said that even though fewer hunters had their deer checked, those that did reported seeing a lot of deer.
Frank Kruis, 47, was one hunter who was pleasantly surprised by the 11-point buck he shot on opening day. He was hunting on private land in Woodville, between White Cloud and Big Rapids.
"I've never shot anything that large," said the Wyoming hunter. "It's hard to believe that there is anything that large around there."
Frank's father Ken, a lifelong hunter, said he and his son hunt the family property every weekend starting with the archery season in October.
"I was just amazed when I saw it," Ken Kruis said. "Most of the racks up there are retarded. This is, by far, the biggest we've ever seen."
Ron Miller, 44, was just as surprised to get a double-header on opening day. The excavator from Byron Center was hunting a 40-acre parcel he owns in Manistee County. That's when he took not one, but two eight-pointers in the first hour of the season.
Miller was hunting from a treestand and shot the first deer at 7:30 a.m.. He climbed down and dragged the deer over to a fence row and opted to climb back up and wait. His sons were hunting closer to their cabin and Miller didn't want to disturb them.
Less than 30 minutes went by before another and even larger eight-pointer came out of the woods. Miller pulled the trigger again.
"That's when I got both of my boys and told them their hunting was done. I needed help. Twenty nine years of hunting finally paid off."
Tim Grassmid, 31, also shot a huge whitetail buck, but the Zeeland greenhouse grower said he left Michigan for his and opted to hunt in Missouri.
Grassmid said his 12-pointer is likely to make the Boone &Crockett record book as well. The antlers were being scored as a nine-point typical buck with three abnormal points. The deer's gross green score before deductions and shrinkage was 188 1/8. It's net score was 173 1/4.
"He's a giant. By far my biggest," said Grassmid, who said he took the deer on the second day of the season while hunting with four friends.
"I was sitting in warm-and-windy weather not expecting to see a lot," he said. "I was eating and all of a sudden it was 30 yards away. I grabbed the rifle and shot him. It was all done in just a few seconds.
"I was numb for awhile after realizing how big it was. You hunt your whole life and will never be fortunate enough to have one like that walk by."
While the statewide firearm deer season is over, hunters will continue to hunt whitetails into the new year. The archery season reopened Thursday and runs until Jan. 2. Black-powder enthusiasts can hunt deer in the Upper Peninsula during the muzzleloading season from Saturday through Dec. 12. The Lower Peninsula muzzleloading season runs Dec. 10-19. A special late antlerless deer season on private lands also will be held on specified deer management units between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2.
Friday, December 02, 2005 By Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor
Byron Center is hardly a place you'd expect to shoot a massive record-book buck, but now that Tom Heald Jr. has, he's going to have to deal with his grandma.
"She said: 'You better not shoot the big one,'" said the 23-year-old Wyoming hunter. He was speaking of the massive 12-point buck he shot on the family farm along M-6.
The deer had gained local fame because its photo had been published in the Wyoming Advance and area residents had reported watching it over the years. His grandmother, Marilynn Volk, had the photo taped on her refrigerator.
"I had been joking with her that if I see it on the farm, I'm going to take it," said Heald. "I didn't realize that it was the same deer until I came up on it and got out the picture. Then I thought: Oh man, my grandma's going to be upset."
Heald's deer dressed out at 187 pounds. Its antlers have a 28-inch outside spread. They were green scored at 191 6/16, making them record-book material.
Green scores are the preliminary scores that are derived from taking a variety of measurements on the rack. The antlers will be measured again for a final score after a mandatory 60-day drying period to allow for any shrinkage.
The minimum score for a "typical" rack to qualify for Boone &Crockett North American Big Game Records is 170. Boon and Crockett is the national record-keeping organization for trophies killed with a firearm.
Heald said he expects it will make the book, though it will not be at the top of the listings.
Heald had been hunting on a blustery day and had climbed down from his treestand because the winds were too high. He took to walking the property. A fawn and a doe ran by, he said. He saw the buck and put the shotgun's scope on it.
"I knew it was a decent-size rack, but I didn't know just how big.
"I haven't told my grandma yet. Hopefully she's already bought my Christmas present."
Not everyone had Heald's level of success, though many area hunters were pleased with the results of the two-week firearm deer season that closed Wednesday.
State officials say nasty weather put a dent in area success. Seventy-five percent of the season's harvest occurs during the first three days. It was cold and rainy the first day of the season, with fierce winds and snow going into the second day.
"I'm not hearing anyone say: 'We're out of deer,' " said Sara Schaefer, the DNR wildlife supervisor for southwest Michigan. "We were down 10 percent compared to last year during the first three days. That weather was difficult for hunters."
Schaefer said that even though fewer hunters had their deer checked, those that did reported seeing a lot of deer.
Frank Kruis, 47, was one hunter who was pleasantly surprised by the 11-point buck he shot on opening day. He was hunting on private land in Woodville, between White Cloud and Big Rapids.
"I've never shot anything that large," said the Wyoming hunter. "It's hard to believe that there is anything that large around there."
Frank's father Ken, a lifelong hunter, said he and his son hunt the family property every weekend starting with the archery season in October.
"I was just amazed when I saw it," Ken Kruis said. "Most of the racks up there are retarded. This is, by far, the biggest we've ever seen."
Ron Miller, 44, was just as surprised to get a double-header on opening day. The excavator from Byron Center was hunting a 40-acre parcel he owns in Manistee County. That's when he took not one, but two eight-pointers in the first hour of the season.
Miller was hunting from a treestand and shot the first deer at 7:30 a.m.. He climbed down and dragged the deer over to a fence row and opted to climb back up and wait. His sons were hunting closer to their cabin and Miller didn't want to disturb them.
Less than 30 minutes went by before another and even larger eight-pointer came out of the woods. Miller pulled the trigger again.
"That's when I got both of my boys and told them their hunting was done. I needed help. Twenty nine years of hunting finally paid off."
Tim Grassmid, 31, also shot a huge whitetail buck, but the Zeeland greenhouse grower said he left Michigan for his and opted to hunt in Missouri.
Grassmid said his 12-pointer is likely to make the Boone &Crockett record book as well. The antlers were being scored as a nine-point typical buck with three abnormal points. The deer's gross green score before deductions and shrinkage was 188 1/8. It's net score was 173 1/4.
"He's a giant. By far my biggest," said Grassmid, who said he took the deer on the second day of the season while hunting with four friends.
"I was sitting in warm-and-windy weather not expecting to see a lot," he said. "I was eating and all of a sudden it was 30 yards away. I grabbed the rifle and shot him. It was all done in just a few seconds.
"I was numb for awhile after realizing how big it was. You hunt your whole life and will never be fortunate enough to have one like that walk by."
While the statewide firearm deer season is over, hunters will continue to hunt whitetails into the new year. The archery season reopened Thursday and runs until Jan. 2. Black-powder enthusiasts can hunt deer in the Upper Peninsula during the muzzleloading season from Saturday through Dec. 12. The Lower Peninsula muzzleloading season runs Dec. 10-19. A special late antlerless deer season on private lands also will be held on specified deer management units between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2.