Possible New Record Buck Taken with a Bow

EAU CLAIRE " It had been a slow morning. Perched in his tree stand for more than three hours, Bob Decker hadn't seen one deer in the Buffalo County woods he hunts south of Mondovi.

Growing restless despite the excitement of knowing a potential world-record buck recently had been sighted roaming the area, Decker thought of checking in with his longtime hunting buddy, Paul Olson, who was hunting these same woods between Mondena and Urne Saturday morning.

Then, at 9:30 a.m., Decker heard it, the telltale "snap" of a whitetail stepping on a twig as it walked nearby.

Startled, he looked down from his tree stand and saw a large buck just 40 yards away. Decker eyed the animal's large antlers and immediately decided it was a "shooter buck." A few seconds later, adrenaline surging through his veins, he grabbed his bow and zeroed in on the animal's body.

Thwap! The arrow struck its mark just 6 or 7 yards below Decker. The buck bolted for about 50 yards through the woods, then collapsed. It struggled to its feet after a few seconds, then staggered another 50 yards or so to its death.

"I knew it was a nice deer. I figured I'd shot a good-sized 10-pointer," Decker said.

Decker climbed down from his tree stand and went to meet Olson before going to find his deer. As his friend approached, Olson noticed Decker's hands shaking with excitement.

"I shot a monster, but it wasn't the Field and Stream buck," Decker told Olson, referencing the huge buck that
has caused a craze among deer hunters this fall after a video filmed about a half mile from Decker's hunting spot was posted on the Web site of the outdoor magazine.
The video prompted deer experts to speculate that the animal, with its stunningly large 16-point rack, could challenge Milo Hansen's 1993 world-record buck. The much-discussed buck is pictured on the cover of the November edition of the magazine.

Olson and Decker approached the buck, which had died on a bed of grass and leaves and was lying on its side. At first glance, Decker figured the animal was smaller than he had thought. He soon discovered otherwise.

Olson reached the buck first and yelled in disbelief to Decker.

"It's the Field and Stream buck!" Olson shouted to his friend. "This is unbelievable! It's the Field and Stream buck!"

Hunting deer is in Decker's blood. He learned to hunt from his father, Gene Decker, as a youngster. He shot his first buck at age 18 and became enamored with the sport, spending hours upon hours learning every detail he could about how to successfully hunt whitetails.

Decker's hunting interest is fueled by the challenge of hunting some of nature's wariest animals and the enjoyment of spending time outdoors.

"Hunting is something I've always loved," he said.

Decker and Olson have shared a lot of good times together tracking deer. The duo has hunted in tandem for 15 years and complement each other well, good-naturedly teasing each other while sharing hunting knowledge. Decker said it's not a coincidence that Olson was in the woods when he shot the deer experts believe is the Field and Stream buck.

"He's every bit the hunter I am and then some because of his attention to detail," Decker said of Olson. "You couldn't find a better hunting partner."

Decker is no stranger to bagging big bucks. Six deer heads adorn the basement wall of Decker's rural Eau Claire home, evidence of successful past hunts.

On Sunday, Decker smiled as he recounted

stories of harvesting those deer. He laughed as he showed visitors a tiny four-point rack from a buck he killed last year during a hunt in Minnesota.
While Decker concedes he invests a lot of time and effort into hunting, he believes luck has everything to do with his impressive large buck haul. Like the buck he took Saturday, those animals were killed in the woods of Buffalo County, considered a deer-hunting mecca that attracts hunting enthusiasts from around the U.S.

Decker wasn't the only one marveling at his good fortune. Visitors flocked to his home Saturday night and Sunday to catch a glimpse of the magestic whitetail made famous by Field and Stream. Utterances like "awesome" and "incredible" were commonplace. One man kissed the buck's antlers in appreciation.

A Sunday afternoon visit to Jack Dodge's Elk Lake taxidermy shop prompted similar responses from a group of stunned onlookers.

"My God, look at the antlers on this thing," said Dodge, who has shot numerous trophy animals himself. "It's absolutely incredible. You're not going to see another buck like this for a long time."

In between phone calls from well-wishers Sunday night, Decker humbly reflected on his good fortune.

"I'm not a better hunter after shooting this buck than I was before," he said. "I'm just a very lucky person."