A Giant Buck and a Whale of a Tale

Everyone that enjoys fishing or hunting loves to hear the story of the big fish or the big buck. In most of the stories it is an elaboration of what actually happened. The old saying in all myths there is a little bit of truth. I will not deny that most good fishing or hunting stories have a bit of excitement added in to amplify the chase, the catch is slightly bigger each time or the adventure is much more exciting then it probably was. I mean come on, most of us have heard our grandparents say, "it was so much harder back in our day!" Usually followed up with, "Back in my day, we walked to school uphill both ways, in the snow, without shoes". I think most people will agree a story whether true, not true or as movies like to say "based on a true story" (aka there is about a shred of accuracy and the rest is imagination) is only as good as the story teller. So without further delay I will attempt to tell two tales one about the first catch on the lake and the other about the giant buck. I will let you, the reader, decide which parts are true and which ones are an elaboration even though I claim that everything I say is true.

The first story is that of the Giant Buck. I will start off by saying what any hunter wants to here... this boy was huge. He had a rack on him that would have been the envy of any mount. His hide seemed to glisten in the sun and it had the pose fitting for the king of the herd. He was every bit the picture that is shown on every hunting magazine. In fact I do not have a picture of this beast, so instead I pulled a stock photo off so we can be on the same page of what I was looking at and put it below.

Now anyone that hunts would agree that this is a beautiful animal and it would be hard to pass up during hunting season. Now where was I? Yes, the story of the Big Buck, so it was very early on in buying the property. I was not even fully unpacked yet but I was itching to get out and explore the property. Bow season had recently opened up for deer and I wanted to be out chasing white tail so bad on the new property. The issue was I had done no scouting, had no clue on the pathways of the deer and most of my gear was still packed away and I had no clue exactly where everything was.

I did not have patience to wait so I decided at the very least I would go out on a Saturday morning and sit in my tree stand to see what I can see. At the very least start getting the flow of the land. Some hunters may not enjoy sitting out and seeing nothing or even sitting out without the intent of trying to hunt especially with the evolutionary trail cameras now available. A trail camera is nice but you will never convince me that it is better then the senses that God gave us. The truth is I love sitting out in the woods or the field. After some time its like you become one with the woods. The animals know you are there but do not care and the things you can see... from the squirrels playing, the birds flying or even the simple things of feeling the wind blow slowly by you. It can be one of the most tranquil experiences we can get. Even if you are not a hunter I would challenge you go sit in the woods for an hour. Leave your phone (yes, leave it you will be alright) be quiet and just listen. It may be uncomfortable but you will be amazed at what you will see, what you will feel and just maybe you may hear the Lord talk to you.

So I had made my way in the early morning, it was the start of fall so it was light sweatshirt and jeans weather. By noon it would be too warm for the sweatshirt but it was perfect. I made it to the tree stand just as the sun was coming up. All I had on me was my K-bar, I do not like going out into the woods without that. I did not even bring a pistol this time which normally I do that too. Not with the intention of hunting but just to have it. Needless to say I climbed up into the tree stand and settled in. Enjoying the piece and quiet before the woods began to wake up and started with the early morning bustle. I watched the squirrels begin to play, leaping from limb to limb, hearing them rustle the leaves as if they were a pack of elephants. The blue jays chase off the cardinals and robins for that coveted spot they wanted to perch on. Even saw an armadillo waddling around, bumping into everything in its path without a care in the world. It was my first time in this stand and the first time in the woods so I planned to sit out there for a couple hours and I did. Not surprisingly I did not see a deer at all. I was not thrilled with the location of the stand but as the time came to a close I was happy that I got to enjoy a nice morning in the woods.

Eventually it was time for me to head back to the house and I planned on taking the long way around back to the house. Working my way through the woods exploring as I went along. Also, practicing walking as silently as I can in the woods. Something I find challenging and fun to do when out on a walk, a great thing to do if you intend to ever stalk and hunt. I climbed down out of the stand and began to walk up the edge of my property. Not more then 50 yards from where I was sitting there is a wet weather creek that flows down into my property which was as dry as a mouthful of sand. As I was nearing the wet weather creek coming from my neighbors property which is slightly wooded I was frozen by the crash and appearance of the Big Buck. I do not know who was more surprised me or the Buck. We both sat there looking at each other. I did not know what to do and all I had on me was the K-bar which was not going to do me much good.

I stood there looking at this beast and he was a sight to behold. Antlers that would rival just about any I have seen on the wall. He had a frame that stood out and he postured as if he had been king of this area for quite sometime. Once he got over is surprise he began to stomp and snort. Hitting the ground like he was trying to see how far he could indent the earth. His bellowing snort was impressive and was daring me to make a move... I did not take his dare. I sat and just watched before he decided I was not worth his time and he sauntered into the woods and disappeared. Never to be seen again. That was the end of that, I have never seen the monster again. It was also an experience I will probably never have again in my life. It is a memory and a story I can pass along to my kids and grandkids and just like you readers they may roll their eyes and say that it is unbelievable. That is okay, I know the Giant Buck was there and he was a sight to behold. He also taught me that from now on I at least go out with my bow if I am going to sit in the woods and watch. You never know when that Big Buck may stand in front of you...

The Whale of a Tale, now there are hunting stories and there are fishing stories. I enjoy them both. Especially as the fish gets bigger, the fight gets longer and the mastery of the fisherman just gets even better. The difference in this story is, I have the picture to prove it. As you will see below. The details surrounding it I will try not to elaborate or add too much. I will preface and say that it was the first fish of this size we caught on our lake and man, when I saw it I was excited. My father was excited and my mother was probably laughing at how excitable both of us were over the fish.

Every fisherman has there favorite fish to catch. I do enjoy fishing for bass but my favorite is northern pike. There is just something about the way they fight that makes them so much fun. I have also fished all over from Iowa to Maryland, fishing rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes you name it I love fresh water fishing. It has kept me out of a lot of trouble and I have had a ton of fun in the water. Even fishing with waders on as ice chunks are floating down the river. If I had to choose fish or hunt I will choose fishing every time. There is just something about it that calms my spirit, clears my head and relaxes me.

The lake where this fish was caught has bass, bluegill and sunfish. There used to be catfish as well but I do not think they survived. These were all here before I bought the property. Needless to say all three are fun to catch. It has been under fished and so when you go out you are sure to catch something. Up to this point we had caught what I consider small catches. We are actually working to thin out the smaller ones to encourage larger fish (a discussion for another time). Also, at this point I had only really shore fished with tons of success, I am talking about every other cast you are getting a fish. That is just fun no matter who you are even if they are small. We had acquired a Jon boat from a trade with my neighbor and it was one of the first few times taking it out. My father was with me and we set out for a morning of fishing. We were talking about how it would be nice to catch something bigger and wondering if there was any out there lurking just waiting for the opportune time.

We started our voyage and before you knew it we were alternating in pulling fish in. Just like before small to medium but nothing to really write home about. We were enjoying the time just chatting about nothing and catching fish. As the morning started to slip away we were both starting to talk about the last circle of the lake before heading in. As I started to paddle around we were throwing out the lines nonchalantly when my cast got stuck. I am talking it was reeling fine then just snagged. Snags stink and normally I can get them free but this thing was not moving. We tried to maneuver to a different angle and still it did not really move but I did feel a little play. This got me worried I had a limb or something else which I told my dad "I hope I don't have a turtle". I have snagged a turtle before and let me tell you they feel like a rock is hanging on your line and they are quite unhappy when you try to get the hook out of them.

I gave my dad the paddle and asked him to keep maneuvering me around to see if I could get whatever it was to the surface to unhook it. Eventually something did float to the surface and as if it was dead, the big fish you see below came to the surface and did not move. My first words were "Holy Shit!" Look at this thing before the bass decided it was time to run. It came to life and disappeared into the muddy water taking my line right with it and starting to turn the boat. My dad steered with the fish and tried to keep it from getting to shore and being able to roll and tangle into deadfall on the edge. They love to do this if you let them. If they do your pretty sure to loose them which is frustrating if your by yourself. Having my dad he was able to keep us far enough away while allowing me to give line and then pull it in again. Slowly tiring this thing out enough so I could get it to the boat. When we finally did, I remember yelling to my mom who could not tell what we had but from all our hooting and hollering she was sure to know we had a big fish. Asking her to grab the camera and a bucket because we wanted to get a look at this thing. We eventually got it to the pier and out of the boat. As all good fisherman we had to take pictures. One that you see below and others to capture the time spent with my father. Something I hope to do more of when they retire down here.

Sadly I did not have a scale and could not weight it. We eventually let the fish go back about its way and continue to be the big fish of the lake. It ranks up there with one of the biggest bass I have ever caught and it is a great memory. I will not attempt to guess the weight of the fish or even the length. The reason is because if you ever hear this story again that 7 lb bass may turn into a 10 lb bass. That's how all good fishing stories go. I will simply say it was exciting and a perfect surprise for the morning fishing. We have gone on to catch a few more this size and every time it is a surprise. We always look forward to the next big fish.

So there you have it, the two tales, one about the Giant Buck that has never been seen again but I believe still haunts the woods. The other a Whale of a Tale of the first big bass caught on the property that continues to lurk in the muddy water. Both are memories and joys that are satisfying after all the work put into the property on a daily basis.

The most important part is they are both true with only a little flair added for dramatic effect because what's a good fishing or hunting story without a little bit of excitement?