MANITOULIN—Encouraging photo entries from the bow hunt along with the annual deer gun hunt on Manitoulin Island appears to have been successful in this year’s Tom’s Big Buck Roundup contest.
We had a total of 16 entries in this year’s contest—double last year’s total.
But first off, again this year I would like to thank all those hunters who took the time to submit photos and provide information on their entry for the contest. Thank you, if it wasn’t for the photo entries you submit, there wouldn’t be a contest.
Secondly, no matter how many entries we receive, the 16 this year or eight last year, choosing the prize winners is by no means easy. In fact, it is extremely difficult.
Monsters I say! Many of this year’s entries were very big bucks. And at least in one the buck harvested was unusually large. The two largest included one harvested by Rylan Carrick, a 13 point, 249 field dressed buck. His mother, Melissa Carrick explained in an email on Wednesday, November 20, “Last night my son Rylan (16 years old) shot a 13-point buck with his bow, weighing 249 pounds field dressed. He’s been putting a lot of time to hunting and this deer seemed to only come out at night, but he snuck out just in time for (Rylan).”
Rylan harvested his massive buck at a family property in Mindemoya in the Blue Road area.
Not to be outdone, Daylin Orford, of Gore Bay, explained the buck she harvested was, “Shot on November 10 at 5:20 pm at 55 yards using my son’s bow, an Excalibur crossbow. It was harvested on our property just off Bell Road. He weighed 208 pounds dressed and had 14 points.”
Lexi Bayer harvested a 14-point buck on November 10 in the Sheguiandah area. The deer weighed 202.5 pounds field dressed.
Mathieu Jones, in his entry, reported, “I took this buck on November 7 in the morning in Tehkummah. I knew he was big so I brought him out from my hunt camp and to my cottage in Manitowaning as my scale was there and I wanted to weigh him as best as I could (and weighed in at 277 pounds). He is measured wet (no 60-day drying period obviously) as a mainframe 10 point with 166” gross score.”
“My taxidermist here in Windsor hunts the Manitoulin Island and McGregor Bay area and he said he has never seen a buck this big from around there in over 40 years,” said Mr. Jones. “He says bucks with necks like this come to him from guided hunts in Saskatchewan. He also aged him at 6.5 years.”
There were several other large bucks entered, including an 11-point buck harvested by Austin Glover.
John Hosszu harvested a really nice eight-point buck on the first morning of the first day of the deer gun hunt at his property on Barrie Island.
Jack Bertrand, who is 13, started hunting solo this year. He got his first ever deer (button hook) in Manitowaning with his bear archery compound.
Jennifer Graham sent us a photo of a buck harvested by Joseph Graham, 21. “This guy was harvested in Tehkummah on his freshly purchased property of 4.8 acres. It was his first buck on his first piece of property—11 pointer.”
Tyler Nadeau, who was hunting for the first time alone, harvested a nine-point, 120-pound buck at 1/2 Chance Hunt Club on Barrie Island. And, from the same camp, Camden Nadeau, who is 13, harvested a seven-point 116-pound buck.
Twelve-year-old Macy Middaugh from Camp 83 on Barrie Island harvested his first buck, a six-pointer shot on Monday morning.
And the winners are… The first-place prize of a $100 gift certificate was won by Rylan Carrick, and the second place prize of a $50 gift certificate (both from Williamsons Up Top Sports Shop in Mindemoya) goes to Daylin Orford.
