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Colin Bourrier's Manitoba Monster: Part III

The evening clouded over, and a light drizzle set in. Colin and Pete picked up flashlights at the house, headed back to the stand and took off in the direction the buck had fled. They didn’t track far. Their lights shone on a magnificent sight--huge, velvet-clad antlers beamed back.

 

Pete ran to the rack, picked it up and counted off 18 points. Colin stood frozen, staring in disbelief. I knew I had arrowed a good buck, but this was an unbelievable buck, a giant! he thought. It was not the spike or the 6-pointer, that was for sure. He was pretty certain no one in the area had ever seen this buck before, or he would have heard about it. What a shot the kid had made. The buck ran 80 yards before expiring. It lay dead just off a trail barely 100 yards from his house.

Colin and Pete laughed and high-fived all way home. They still couldn’t believe it. Back at the house, Pete called Albert, who was driving home from his hunt, and told him that Colin had shot the spike. “Too bad you guys didn't see that 6-pointer,” Albert replied. He’d be there shortly to look at his son’s first bow deer. Pete smiled and hung up.

Colin told his mom, sister and brothers about his prize buck. Yeah, right… They were skeptical to say the least, and insisted that Colin and Pete take them down to see it. They grabbed umbrellas and flashlights, hopped on quads and took off down the trail.

Colin’s mom had seen a lot dead game in her life. She was awestruck by the giant deer. She hugged her son and congratulated him over and over as they stared at the frosty-looking velvet antlers. “I’m sure that was the deer that was grazing in my flowerbeds all summer, that’s how he got so big,” his mom said with a laugh. She smiled and remarked at how the deer and bear that Albert shot often looked much bigger alive than when they were on the ground. “But Colin, yours is just the opposite,” she said. “Surely that buck is larger down than it looked alive!” All the kids got a big kick out of that. Colin looked at his buck once more and thought, Wow, it really does look massive.

Albert pulled into the driveway and began unloading his gear. He told Colin and Pete that he had seen a few deer, but nothing major. Colin flicked on his light and led his dad the short ways through the bush. Albert froze and stared at the buck and then at his son. “He was speechless,” Colin remembers. “I'll never forget the look on his face. When he finally could talk, he asked me if I knew what I had just done. He told me that was every hunter's dream buck.”

Epilogue

Albert, a taxidermist, gross-scored Colin’s buck at around 205 inches. The monster had 18 points, long beams, killer brows and good mass. A mature buck for sure, probably 4 ½ or 5 ½. They decided to mount the buck just as Colin had seen it, in full velvet. Albert reports that once the water was gone from the velvet and the rack had dried, it scored 199 inches and change (score sheet below).

From my research I am convinced this is the largest wild buck ever shot by a 15-year-old bowhunter in North America. The achievement was made even more incredible since Colin shot the buck on his family’s land, 200 yards from his bedroom window. 

One last thing: Albert confirms that neither he nor Colin nor Pete nor any of the neighbors had ever seen the titan before. The buck showed up for the first time one August afternoon and walked within 10 yards of a 15-year-old boy who had never shot a deer with a bow before, how cool is that?

Sarah Palin: Moose Hunter for VP

Like you I know nothing about Sarah Palin, 44, Senator McCain's pick for VP. But I just heard on FOX that when a reporter questioned her about Hillary's infamous "who would you want to answer the phone at 3:00 am?" ad Palin quipped that in the fall she would be up, because she often got up at 3 to go moose hunting with her dad. The guy reading the teleprompter went on to say that Palin's bio reads like an outdoorsman's journal. I also heard she is good on guns. I guess I have to take back what I said the other day, that we wouldn't have a real hunter in this election. So what do you think of the pick?   

Colin Bourrier's Manitoba Monster: Part II

After supper on August 29, Colin Bourrier dressed in unscented hunting clothes. He reminded his younger brothers to keep the noise down and especially not to rip and ride the trails on their dirt bikes because he and Pete were going hunting. He packed up his bow and arrows and and headed for the tree stand he and his dad had set. They only had one stand up, so Pete would ground hunt along another trail closer to the alfalfa. 

What a beautiful evening, calm and clear, perfect for hunting, Colin thought. He was barely up and settled into his stand when he heard meow, meow… He looked to the bottom of the spruce tree and saw another avid hunter--the family cat, Miles. Colin didn't want him hanging around, so he ignored Miles and the cat left.

Things settled down and the woods were nice and calm—until Colin realized he had forgotten his release! He climbed down, hustled back to the house and returned a few minutes later. He eased into his stand for the second time. Yes! Now I can finally concentrate on my hunt and enjoy this great evening, the boy thought.

But instead of peace and quiet, Colin heard his brothers in the yard, singing and playing basketball. One of them cranked up a bike and roared up and down the driveway. Colin had to laugh, but he figured his chances of seeing a doe, much less one of the little bucks, were pretty remote. Maybe hunting this close to the house wasn't such a good idea, he thought.

Twenty minutes later Colin was happy, if a bit surprised, to see one of those does wander by at 35 yards. Where were her fawns...? Two minutes later he spotted another deer--buck! It seemed to materialize out of nowhere, ghosting from the willows without a sound, walking slowly and sniffing the ground, very much at ease. Its coat shone summer red; its rack was enormous! 

Colin grabbed his bow, stood up, clipped the release to the string and drew back as the buck strolled to within 10 yards and stopped broadside. The boy carefully aimed behind the shoulder and let the arrow go. He heard a loud whack; the buck lunged forward and ran off low at top speed. Was this kid really just 15? He had handled the knee-buckling encounter like a much older pro.

Colin sat and waited for a few minutes in disbelief, wondering: Did what I think just happened really happen? He packed his gear, scurried down the tree and ran over to get Pete. He told his brother-in-law that he had just shot a buck, a nice buck he thought, and that he had heard cracking sounds not far off in the bush the way the deer had sprinted off. They should go look for it...

Check back tomorrow for Part III

Email from an old friend this morning...

Hey brother, I just spent an hour looking over your BIG DEER Blog. Really nice and a large range of info. You must have your hands full running and maintaining it. I think it’s great, just sorry I didn't spend time looking at it sooner.

I have been getting pumped about the upcoming season, even though the only place I hunt anymore is in and around my backyard out here in the sticks. I have seen some really nice bucks this year and have started using trail cams to see what I am not seeing in the front fields. I have gotten really selective about what I shoot in my old age. The last few years I have seen as many as 20 deer in a day, but never put my sights on them. I just enjoy being out in the woods with nature. Hearing the sounds of the woods coming to life in the morning with the sun filtering though the trees. Seeing your breath and the frost burning off ground, wondering what will happen next to make a memory that will last forever. Just like so many of the memories you and I made over the years back in the 70s and 80s. Really great times with my high school brother, all the sports and hunting and canoeing and fishing (the girls and parties too). Man, the time sure has gone by fast.

I have really connected to your drop-tine feelings. That is one buck I would really like to get a chance at, but I have never seen one in the wild either. That’s what keeps us going back into the woods I guess, for a chance to fulfill those dreams.

My schedule is pretty flexible right now, work when I want, take off when I want. I should be able to hunt more this year, maybe we can get together. I really want the triple play--kills with bow, black-power and rifle. I have never gotten all 3 in one year.

Well, take care and I hope to see you soon. Good luck this fall, I’ll keep up with you on the blog. Your high school brother and old friend, Ricky

Ricky’s letter touched my heart, thank you friend. Time really does fly. Kiss your wife, hug your kids, call an old pal or family member you’ve fallen out of touch with. Go hunting with him a day this fall. Remember what’s important.

BIG DEER Exclusive: Colin Bourrier’s Manitoba Monster (199”)

The rest of the week read this 3-part special on the biggest wild whitetail ever killed by a 15-year-old bowhunter.

Introduction by Albert Bourrier, Colin’s dad:

Early last year my son, Colin, purchased a Martin Cheetah bow and set it at 47 pounds. He practiced like crazy, and his arrow grouping got very good. Last May here in Manitoba, Colin arrowed a big black bear--19 12/16” skull--and was very proud of that accomplishment. I was proud too. 

As the 2007 archery deer season approached, I told my boys that I was going to hunt hard in the early season, hoping to shoot a velvet-racked buck. Colin, who had just turned 15, was anxious to hunt whitetails for the first time with his bow, too. I got the impression that for him any buck would do.

A week before opening day in late August, we scouted our field and the neighbors’ fields. Our property consists of 80 acres with our residence. Ten of those acres are planted in alfalfa, the rest is bush. We observed two does with fawns, along with a 2-point (spike) and a 6-point buck feeding like clockwork in the alfalfa most every afternoon.   

Colin continued to practice, and his arrow groups were getting better and tighter. He was ready. Two days before the opener, we hung a tree stand along one of the trails those small bucks were using. The stand was well-camouflaged in a large spruce tree that sat in a bottleneck of poplars, spruce trees and thick willows near an opening with a waterhole. The trail and the setup were only 200 yards southwest of our house.

I decided that my first hunt of the year would be in an archery-only area about an hour’s drive from home. I invited Colin to come along, and reminded him that bigger bucks could be found there. He declined and chose to hunt at home with his brother-in-law, Pete. They were hoping to see one of those small bucks, and maybe one of them would get a shot. --Albert Bourrier

Check back tomorrow for Colin’s hunt.

1st Velvet Bow Giant of 2008!

Five minutes ago from Mimo: Nice velvet buck to get things going. Archery started Monday and this lucky hunter connected. In Manitoba.

Will try to get details on this buck soon, but suffice to say another smoker to whet your appetite. As coincidence would have it, wait till you read tomorrow about the top bow monster from Manitoba last year. Big Deer everywhere! Cheers, huntin' time is a-coming!

First Bucks of 2008 (South Carolina with rifle)

Hey Mike: Thought I would let you know that I am now working with Cypress Creek Hunting Lodge, and to show you how we did for opening weekend (August 15). We shot an 8-point that scored almost 110 inches, even though it was only 2.5 years old, and a 4.5 year old buck went right at 130 inches. We also had another monster hit high in the back that we couldn't find even with a trail dog. Hopefully we can get a few more big velvet bucks before they go underground for the transition phase around Sept 1. Thanks, Jeff Hunt

First bucks of the year down, thanks Jeff for the report! It reminds the rest of us that our hunting is not far off now, so if you've been procrastinating it is time to get off your ass and get ready. BTW, I’ve always wanted to try that: hunting a velvet buck with a rifle in the hot, humid, thick, snaky, mosquito-infested low country in August. Different. Sound like fun to ya?

BIG DEER in Africa

Earlier this summer my friends Lindsay and Cole hunted South Africa, where Cole shot the first animal ever in BIG DEER gear. Lindsay filed this report:

Here's the picture that the PH took of Cole and me with the kudu he shot in Africa. It was a 54.5" SCI Rowland Ward bull, taken with a .270 at 100 yards. We were in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, which is in the northern bushveld of the country near the Botswana border. Cole shot it on the last morning of a 3-day hunt, and since he had been searching for the perfect one the whole trip, it must've been the good luck of your shirt that he was wearing that helped him get it! He passed up several younger bulls and 50" ones, so it ended up being a good thing that he held out for the big one! They estimate that the bull was about 10 1/2 years old, and was at the end of his prime, which we know partially because his teeth were so worn down. Also making this bull a pretty special one was the fact that his tips point outwards, a very rare occurrence among kudu. The country that we hunted was very thick, much more so than it would be hunting in Texas, even though we were there during the winter. Our guide was a professional hunter named Christo Carstens, who owns the outfit Amber African Adventures. Overall, it was a great experience, and though Cole also took a bushbuck and an impala, the kudu was the true prize!

Yes, must’ve been the shirt, one of which I will also wear under my camo for good drop-tine luck this fall :)

Eric’s Mojo is Back (Mojo the Big Deer)

Hello Mike: I just got back from my hunting properties and videotaped hours of bucks that will get chased again this fall. The videos were taken with a cheap camera (soon to upgrade to a better one) and then I created still shots for viewing.

These images are of Mojo, a buck I first saw 2 seasons ago and hunted with no luck. (I did bow kill a 141" gross 9-point in late October 2006 that made me happy). The 2007 season rolled around and I did not see hide or hair of Mojo all season. I reasoned he may have been killed during the summer of 2007.

Well, after checking the secluded back field earlier this month (August 9 through 12, with a great evening moon phase) I got a nice slap in the face when my binos and camera captured him! He's back, and look what a couple of years did to him! BTW, Mojo just seems to mosey around alone away from other bucks.

It appears that I will re-hang my stands back on his old travel pattern this season and hope for the best. I am definitely going to have some sleepless nights awaiting me. Mojo is my target buck for this year. I also spotted some other nice bucks, but I hope I don't cave into second stringing any of those. My bow is tuned and my arrows are sharp. Eric, somewhere in the Midwest.

Eric, cool story and great deer, split brows baby! It’s fascinating how a giant can come and go like that. Sometimes for whatever reason they move their core area a few miles and you don’t see them. Then as they age, they sometimes come back home. Tip: Go back and look for Mojo as soon as he sheds velvet in mid-Sept. If you see him with hard horns around Sept. 20, he’ll be in your area come October. But after shedding some bucks shift a little ways to live in a fall/winter range off your hunting land—hopefully Mojo won’t leave, but glass and spot because there’s a slight chance he will.

Anyhow, you are smart to pre-set your stands in Mojo’s old travel corridors because if he hangs around (he probably will!) he’ll use those spots.

Bloggers, please join me in wishing Eric good luck with this awesome buck. He promises to keep us posted on his scouting and hunting for Mojo as fall progresses.

Best Bow Target: Cabela’s Arrrow Hawk

Best bow target I’ve used in a while. The layered foam is durable and self-healing. Pull out carbon shafts with field tips or broadheads with one hand—easy! No more bracing your foot on a block and pulling like hell. 20"H x 20"W x 14"D; $69.99. If you need another target in your backyard, click here and buy it.