MANITOULIN—Wow! After a sparse four entries in last year’s ‘Tom’s Big Buck Roundup’ photo contest, hunters who took part in the Manitoulin Island deer hunt really came through this year, with 23 entries being submitted.
All I can say is ‘thank you!’
Of course, when you have that many entries, it makes it tough to decide which two will win the prizes in this year’s contest.
And, many of the deer that were entered this year were monsters, from 10-15 points and with several weighing between 250-280 pounds.
There were also several cases of hunters sending in photos of the first buck they have ever harvested.
And there were lots of good stories behind the people who took part and the deer they harvested.
And now for the final contestants.
Alex Simpson of Toronto, who shot a 10 point, 188 pound dressed buck on November 24 in Sandfield explained, “I hunt with the Hutchinson family and this year we had eight guys and three antlerless tags. That buck was the last one shot Thursday night with no antlerless tags left in our group. This year was the first year not having my grandpa Doug (Hutchinson) around so it was a big change for the group, but we know he would be proud. The deer was shot on a property my father Hugh just purchased to add to our group’s land. My dad and I both put a stand on this property and both got a deer
”Dan Polsky of Sturgeon Falls harvested a 10-point buck that weighed 195 pounds field dressed on November 21. “We were hunting in Gordon township, off Poplar Road.” The deer he harvested had a non-typical rack, “There are ten points that are at least one inch long.”
Fifteen-year-old Noah Holmes of Assiginack harvested a 165-pound 11-point buck on November 21. His mother Melanie noted, “He doesn’t figure he will win but I wanted to share it with you; we appreciate your efforts to engage the hunters in friendly competition.”
Nathan Hovingh explained, “I shot this buck, my biggest deer yet, on Monday, November 21 at 4 pm. I killed the deer on my good friend’s property, not far from Sheguiandah. Unfortunately, we don’t have a scale so it didn’t get weighed but it is a 10-point buck.”
Estelle Lambert told The Expositor, “I harvested my buck in the Mindemoya area on Manitoulin Island on November 21. The weight of my buck was 160 pounds field dressed, with an 11-point rack.”
Mike Corbiere of M’Chigeeng First Nation wrote in his note submitted with the photo of his prize, “this is the buck that I shot in M’Chigeeng on Wednesday, November 23 at 8:30 am in the morning. He was 200 pounds dressed, 10 points.”
Well, it is time for me to pick the two prize winners: the first prize of a $100 gift certificate from Up Top Sports Shop in Mindemoya, courtesy of The Manitoulin Expositor is Isaac Sloss who lives in Kagawong. He explained, “I harvested it on October 10 in Spring Bay. It field dressed at 236 pounds, and 280 pounds before it was dressed, and it had nine points. I harvested it with my compound bow.”
The second-place prize of a $50 gift certificate from Up Top Sports Shop goes to Adam Sinclair who is from Mindemoya but now lives in Powassan. Actually, the award could go to both Mr. Sinclair and his six-year-old son Colton. Lisa Tann-Sinclair of Mindemoya explained in the caption beside the photo that, “Father and son out for an evening hunt. Our son was snapping sticks and heard the deer and it came right out to them and they got to experience the hunt together.” The deer was 15 points. “Unsure of accurate weight but it was a big one! Pictures don’t do the rack justice,” she said.
No doubt, honourable mention has to be given to John Sagle. He explained, “see attached an eight point harvested on November 26 in the Slash, weighing 273.5 pounds.”
