Post by weasel1134 on Dec 18, 2006 4:29:25 GMT -5
MARTINO:Public lands can produce a record buck
Firefighter Terry Denton took trophy of a lifetime at Mississinewa Reservoir.
It looked like a side of beef — long, dark and over 200 pounds strong. Kokomo’s Terry Denton dug his hands into the gnarled hide. His fingers dipped in past the knuckles, the flesh still hot. Then he reached for the tines, tall and white like polished sticks of ivory. Then it hit him: “I just took the trophy of a lifetime,” and he began to shake.
Denton did what every deer hunter dreams, taking a buck worthy of the record book. Many hunt a lifetime and never achieve it and he did it where no one would expect, on public property — Mississinewa Reservoir property to be exact.
Indiana is 97 percent privately owned. When compared to other states, this leaves little in the way of land available for all outdoor enthusiasts, particularly hunters. We like our space and need it.
In our area, many believe central Indiana’s public lands, such as Mississinewa, are overrun with hunters. They also mistakenly think the area offers little in terms of trophy class animals. Denton knows better.
Mike Renie has been the property’s wildlife specialist for nearly 33 years.
“I won’t deny that we do receive a lot of hunting pressure but each year there are a few diligent hunters who collect quality deer,” he explained. “The property gives up between 130 to 145 deer every season with the highest number of 181 taking place in 2003.”
After losing private ground where he used to hunt, Denton and his friend Mark Waldron turned to the 11,176-acre Mississinewa Reservoir property. From the beginning, six years ago, both men have logged hundreds of hours and countless miles scouting the public land. Each year they learned a little more about patterns and began seeing more and more deer.
From the beginning of the 2006 early archery season, both men had seen the giant deer on several occasions, but as elusive as they can be, it never offered them a shot. Then, during the regular firearms season things would be different.
“I was in my stand well before daylight,” Denton explained. “Mark had to work so I went by myself.”
Denton, a Kokomo firefighter, sat in his tree-stand until 11 a.m. He had seen several does feed along the edge of the woods, but there was no sign of the huge buck. By noon, after a short lunch break, he was back in his stand.
“I wasn’t in it very long before I noticed a big doe come out into a bean field,” he continued. “She kept looking behind her and that’s when I saw the buck.”
For the next half hour both deer would feed in the crop field for a few minutes and then run back into the woods.
“They kept doing this for quite a while,” Denton explained. “A rangefinder is a great thing to have,” he added. “When I first saw them he was 195 yards away and each time they came out of the woods they kept getting closer and closer.”
Denton was confident with his shooting.
“I practice out to 100 yards, so I ranged a spot along the woods at that distance and decided if he came out at that point I would shoot,” the Kokomo fireman explained.
Then, at 12:40 the doe came out a few yards closer than the spot Denton had previously measured.
“She looked back into the woods and I already had my gun up, I knew he would be right behind her,” he said.
When the giant deer stepped out, Denton touched the trigger bringing his 12-gauge Remington 1100 to life. At the report, the buck wheeled around and disappeared back into the woods.
“I knew the shot was good,” he explained.
After collecting himself he climbed down from his perch and began searching for the deer. That’s when his confidence began to wane.
“When I stepped into the woods, the buck jumped up and ran,” said Denton. “That happened three times and I really began second guessing myself.”
Denton continued tracking the buck through the thick undergrowth.
“After about 60 yards I stopped to look through the brush and that’s when I could see his antlers shining through the thicket,” he added. “At that point I knew he was down.”
Although he had seen the deer before, he had no idea just how big it was until standing over it.
“I had to call Mark and my dad, Robert Denton, to help me drag it out,” the proud hunter noted.
The buck carried nine points and sported an inside spread at just under two feet. It has been green scored at 159-inches which, after the 60-day drying period, is sure to easily clear the 140-inch minimum requirement for inclusion into the Hoosier Record Buck program.
Denton stands as proof that through time spent scouting, a lot of patience and a little luck, trophy class deer can be taken from our area’s public land.
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Photos
Big buck: Kokomo’s Terry Denton shows off a “record book” buck he collected from the Mississinewa Reservoir property. None/Photo provided (Click for larger image)
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www.ktonline.com/sportscolumns/local_story_350172304.html?keyword=topstory
Firefighter Terry Denton took trophy of a lifetime at Mississinewa Reservoir.
It looked like a side of beef — long, dark and over 200 pounds strong. Kokomo’s Terry Denton dug his hands into the gnarled hide. His fingers dipped in past the knuckles, the flesh still hot. Then he reached for the tines, tall and white like polished sticks of ivory. Then it hit him: “I just took the trophy of a lifetime,” and he began to shake.
Denton did what every deer hunter dreams, taking a buck worthy of the record book. Many hunt a lifetime and never achieve it and he did it where no one would expect, on public property — Mississinewa Reservoir property to be exact.
Indiana is 97 percent privately owned. When compared to other states, this leaves little in the way of land available for all outdoor enthusiasts, particularly hunters. We like our space and need it.
In our area, many believe central Indiana’s public lands, such as Mississinewa, are overrun with hunters. They also mistakenly think the area offers little in terms of trophy class animals. Denton knows better.
Mike Renie has been the property’s wildlife specialist for nearly 33 years.
“I won’t deny that we do receive a lot of hunting pressure but each year there are a few diligent hunters who collect quality deer,” he explained. “The property gives up between 130 to 145 deer every season with the highest number of 181 taking place in 2003.”
After losing private ground where he used to hunt, Denton and his friend Mark Waldron turned to the 11,176-acre Mississinewa Reservoir property. From the beginning, six years ago, both men have logged hundreds of hours and countless miles scouting the public land. Each year they learned a little more about patterns and began seeing more and more deer.
From the beginning of the 2006 early archery season, both men had seen the giant deer on several occasions, but as elusive as they can be, it never offered them a shot. Then, during the regular firearms season things would be different.
“I was in my stand well before daylight,” Denton explained. “Mark had to work so I went by myself.”
Denton, a Kokomo firefighter, sat in his tree-stand until 11 a.m. He had seen several does feed along the edge of the woods, but there was no sign of the huge buck. By noon, after a short lunch break, he was back in his stand.
“I wasn’t in it very long before I noticed a big doe come out into a bean field,” he continued. “She kept looking behind her and that’s when I saw the buck.”
For the next half hour both deer would feed in the crop field for a few minutes and then run back into the woods.
“They kept doing this for quite a while,” Denton explained. “A rangefinder is a great thing to have,” he added. “When I first saw them he was 195 yards away and each time they came out of the woods they kept getting closer and closer.”
Denton was confident with his shooting.
“I practice out to 100 yards, so I ranged a spot along the woods at that distance and decided if he came out at that point I would shoot,” the Kokomo fireman explained.
Then, at 12:40 the doe came out a few yards closer than the spot Denton had previously measured.
“She looked back into the woods and I already had my gun up, I knew he would be right behind her,” he said.
When the giant deer stepped out, Denton touched the trigger bringing his 12-gauge Remington 1100 to life. At the report, the buck wheeled around and disappeared back into the woods.
“I knew the shot was good,” he explained.
After collecting himself he climbed down from his perch and began searching for the deer. That’s when his confidence began to wane.
“When I stepped into the woods, the buck jumped up and ran,” said Denton. “That happened three times and I really began second guessing myself.”
Denton continued tracking the buck through the thick undergrowth.
“After about 60 yards I stopped to look through the brush and that’s when I could see his antlers shining through the thicket,” he added. “At that point I knew he was down.”
Although he had seen the deer before, he had no idea just how big it was until standing over it.
“I had to call Mark and my dad, Robert Denton, to help me drag it out,” the proud hunter noted.
The buck carried nine points and sported an inside spread at just under two feet. It has been green scored at 159-inches which, after the 60-day drying period, is sure to easily clear the 140-inch minimum requirement for inclusion into the Hoosier Record Buck program.
Denton stands as proof that through time spent scouting, a lot of patience and a little luck, trophy class deer can be taken from our area’s public land.
• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
Photos
Big buck: Kokomo’s Terry Denton shows off a “record book” buck he collected from the Mississinewa Reservoir property. None/Photo provided (Click for larger image)
Resources
Print this story
E-mail this story
Discuss this story
More from the Sports columns section
MARTINO
www.ktonline.com/sportscolumns/local_story_350172304.html?keyword=topstory
