Male Hunter # 6

# 6 Kevin Spencer - Flint

Buck Stats & important features * 8 points green score was a 143.total weight dressed out was 184 pounds.

Where did you take this buck? Lapeer,Lapeer County

I don't want to be misleading.I shot this buck opening day of the 2006 season.I'm so proud of this buck and now that I listen to your station every day,I cant wait to get one this year so I can put it on your buck pole.I still cant believe he walked in on me.When I seen how big he was I couldn't stop shaken.Even though I didn't shoot him this year, I prey you can still post this .Thank you for your prayers for us hunters we need 'em.

Male Hunter # 5

#5 Robert Walker - Saginaw

Buck Stats & important features * 14 and a half inch wide 6 point

Where did you take this buck? Linwood, Bay County

Just before it was light enough to shoot this buck came in toward my wifes stand. Lisa (wife) always gets the first deer of the year. (thats just the way I do it). But the deer headed out before she could see good enough to shoot. "Just 10 more minutes" she said. Any way, she text me and said buck coming your way. We were hunting about 150 yards apart. Over my left shoulder is her stand. So i'm looking over my left shoulder seeing nothing, I figure he either bedded down or went out another way. Then I look to my right and there he was about 50 yards out in the thick brush. I hit the doe bleat, he starts moving to where he will pass to my front at about 30 yards. I'm looking for a place to shoot and find only one. And thank the Lord he stopped perfectly in the lane. I shoot, he runs 80 -100 yards piles up and there you have it. A successful day in the Michigan deer woods. Praise the LORD!

Male Hunter # 4

#4 Wayne Barlett - Lake City

Buck Stats & important features * 9 points with a 14" spread

Where did you take this buck? Lake City, Missaukee

I didn't catch it. I shot it with my new Ten Point crossbow!! It was the first time in three years I've returned to the woods to hunt deer with a bow. I missed a 8 point buck (same deer twice) with my old bow and won't hunt if I can't put a kill shot on a deer. This year is the first for Mi. to open bow hunting with a crossbow for anyone over 50. So I returned to the woods and bagged my best buck ever with a bow, a nice 9 point

Female Hunter # 3

#3 - Susie Sherill-Trott - Columbiaville

Buck Stats & important features * Five point, 140 pounds.

Where did you take this buck? Curran, MI , Alcona County

I shot my buck on November 18 at 2:45 PM in our deer camp in Curran, MI. It was a nice 5- pointer. Rob invited me to join him in his blind as I hadn't been seeing many deer at mine. Rob had taken a 4 -pointer out of the same blind that morning. I made a heart shot on my buck at 120 yards and God as always was great and Rob and I found the buck a short time later.

Youth Hunter # 1

#Y-1 Darin Johnson - Sumner

Buck Stats & important features * 8 point thick beams
17 1/2 inch wide spread
around 200 lbs

Where did you take this buck? Gratiot County

My son and I were hunting opening morning when we saw this big buck come running thru the neighbors field. My son Jacob is 14 years old and this is story....At first I didn't think it would come by us, because it was over by my uncle and his friend, and my uncle didn't have time to get a shot at it and it went into some pinetrees, where my uncle's friend was and it was running full force, and he couldn't get a shot at it. It ran out of the pinetrees into the open field by my grandpa, he tried to use his whistle but it didn't stop it, and then it ran towards my dad and I, where my dad yelled at it about 50 yards before it went into more woods. The deer stopped and looked at me then that is where I took my shot. The deer stumbled and ran 25 yards, we waited 5 minutes to let it die, and then my dad and I tracked it with a good blood trail because I shot it thru the heart. So I called my brother to bring the truck so that we could take it and hang it in the barn. The thing that is so special is that I was with my dad and it is the biggest one that I have shot. I was the only one to get a deer opening morning. It is a once in a life time shot so I took it. I love the sport and the quaility time that I get to spend with my dad. I like to make jerky with some of it also.

Female Hunter #2

#2 Mary Poletti - New Lothrop

Buck Stats & important features * Husband-5 point
45 minutes later...I had a 7 point.

Where did you take this buck? Owosso, Shiawassee County

My husband and I were out hunting together the morning of Thursday, November 18, 2009. My husband wanted to leave for the morning. I said, before we go, let's walk the ravine. We got to the south end of the property, and we both decided to sit for a little bit. Chris was not in his spot more than about 3 minutes when I saw him stand up and shoot. A very nice 5 point!

Once we hauled the deer to the top of the ravine to field dress it, I said to my husband, "You don't need me for this. I think I am going to walk around that bend and sit." He agreed. After I found a spot and about 7 minutes elapsed, I looked up to see a very nice 7 point. I shot him and dropped him! Yes, a much bigger buck---and 2 more points than my husband 's buck! (He's a little mad at me now-but he says all of the meat is worth it!)

Female Hunter #1

#1 Katy Negley -Harbor Springs

Buck Stats & important features * Spread is 18, dressed weighed in between 125-130. I shot with a 300 savage at 100 yds. away.

Where did you take this buck? Town & County. * Harbor Springs, Emmet

I shot this buck at 7:30 opening morning with my dad. The buck came in about 10 before I could get a shot off. The buck stood head on for about 10 min. which allowed me to calm my nerves down some! Dad and I hunt together every year and it is a great bonding time for us. This is the largest buck I've ever gotten, and it is getting mounted!

Male Hunter #2

#2 - Andy Motz - Gaylord


Buck Stats & important features * main frame 8 point with split brow tines makes it a 10 point.
The buck weighed 145 pounds and scored just under 110 inches. 14 1/2" inside spread and the longest tine is 7 1/2" long. The deer had almost perfect antlers as the tine lengths did not vary more than 1/4" from left to right.


Where did you take this buck? Town & County. * Elkton, Huron

Sitting opening morning, I was able to have my best friend and long time hunting buddy in the same small tract of land in Huron County. At about 10am, Brad had not seen anything, and he decided to climb out of the tree stand and come sit in my box blind with me. Neither of us had seen a single hair all morning and had just decided to go into town to get lunch at about 11:15. Just as I put the video camera away, Brad said "there's a doe right there". I pulled out the muzzle loader and put the scope on the doe. I was just about to fire when he said "WAIT! There is a buck right behind her...A BIG BUCK!!!". I looked up and saw the buck traveling along the river going to my right. I had to pull the barrel back into the blind and put it through a different window, all with the doe watching every move. Once I got the barrel in the right direction and found the bucks shoulder 25 yards away, I fired and the deer bounded about 20 yards and stopped. The deer stood there, behind a tangle of tree branches, long enough to let me reload my muzzle loader. Then he laid down. I decided to hit him again and shot him in the back and he expired. I had not taken a GOOD look at the deers antlers because I get Buck Fever really bad if I do. So when I walked up on the buck, the antlers were sticking up from the grass. I had to stop right there and thank God for the harvest and the trophy that He allowed me to take this season. Best of all, I was able to share it with my best friend, Brad.

Submit your Buck to the contest

Register your Buck for our Virtual Buck Pole!

Share your Big Buck take with us and enter the Smile FM Virtual Buck Pole.
This year's contest is being judged by Rob & Susie Trott from Great Lakes Outdoor.
Bucks must be taken from the 2009 season and enteries will be judges on buck, story and picture/video.
Entries accepted until December 7th. Winners announced on December 9th. 4 Catagories will be award, Best Overall Buck, Best Buck by Male Hunter, Best Buck by Female Hunter, and Best Buck by Youth Hunter.

Male Hunter #1 - Dennis Clark - Charlevoix

#1 - Dennis Clark - Charlevoix

Buck Stats & important features *
He should score 125 -130, which would make pope and young

Where did you take this buck? Town & County. *
Charlevoix

Shot this beast on Oct 2 with bow. I seen 5 different buck that were smaller and I usually pass the smaller buck bye let them grow up. Anyways, I seen that he had good mass but didn't know what he was, being on the other side of an apple tree. All the bucks went behind me heading south. Well an hour went by and a nice 7 pointer that I seen earlier came back, that I could have shot, but didn't. Then 5 min later this buck with the heavy mass came back, this time he step out same spot behind the apple tree then he started to heading north. I still didn't know how many points just that he had nice mass. He got to my shooting lane and I normally stop the deer by making a noise, but I didn't. I dont know why I didnt but I should have. I shot and the shot was back to far because he was walking. Yes a gut shot deer. Not good. After I shot it started to rain, and rain and rain and rain. We found blood but not much. Tracked it about a 100 yards. We couldn't find it. That night it down pour rain all night. Day break it was sunny so we went back to try and find something more. Never did. I prayed and prayed having a feeling in my gut someone would find him. A week went by and duck hunters were hunting a gravel pit 660 yards away from where I shot.. The duck hunters seen the only the deer tail out of the water, thinking it was one of their duck decoy walked over and said holy smokes.. Lucky for me one of the hunters was a DNR officers name S Spiegl. He asked around who was hunting in the area and I got the buck back.. There was a chili cook off in Charlevoix that Saturday at the church where my wife and I where just about to sit down when I got the phone call. The pastor seen the excitement in my face and came over and got the full story. Most hunters would have cut the horns off and left the deer, but Thanks to a Nice guy I got my buck back.unfortunately, the meat was no good even being entirely smurge in water, but the horns taste good.. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it..You can tell by the picture, I just got a riff of the deer and it didnt smell to good.. No coyotes other animal ever touched him. I did shoot a doe with my bow week before rifle season right thru the heart. And yes I did make a noise to stop the deer. Leason learned...