Congratulations to all of our 2009 Winners!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Smile FM Virtual Buck Pole! The pictures and stories were AMAZING!

Rob & Susie Trott from Great Lakes Outdoor TV have selected our winners for us and they are...drum roll please!!!!

Best Overall: #3 Male Hunter Brian Bartos
Best Female #4 Carrie Brown
Best Male: #8 Adam Emery
Best Youth: TIE Dead Even: #3 Jada Johnson & #2 Jake Hoskins
Most Inspiring: #7 Richard Brown

Congratulations to everyone. Our winners will receive an exclusive Smile FM Camo & Hunter Orange hoodie, a bag of jerky and a CD prize pack...and most importantly the honor of winning the Smile FM Virtual Buck Pole! Happy Hunting.

*******BEST BUCK WINNER*******Male Hunter # 3

#3 - Brian Bartos - Traverse City

Buck Stats & important features * 10 point buck, approx. 175 lbs.

Where did you take this buck? Muskegon, MI

My brother called me up to help me with some work on a cabin my wife and I just bought. I didn't really want to travel the 2.5 hours down to muskegon from Traverse City, but I'm also not one to pass up free help. I thought I would put my bow in the car just in case I had a spare minute to hunt. My wife and I went down and we got the work done, and I got a day to hunt my Dad and Mom's place in Muskegon. They had had the property logged so I didn't recognize excatly where my trusty stand was, and consequently I got into it later than I would have liked. I was frustrated, but then I calmed down with the peaceful morning. After 30 minutes and a couple calls on my grunt, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around only to see a bony head walking toward me. I hid behind my tree and took a couple deep breaths before putting my release on the string and getting ready. He walked right in - to within 12 yards broadside, and I drew halfway. He walked in some more and I fully drew back. I couldn't help but notice the size of the antlers, but quickly focused on the vitals of the deer. He locked eyes with me, only to see my arrow coming at him next. He ran off and I was extremely thankful for the good shot. I texted my wife and she got out of bed and helped me track the buck, only I didn't give her any details about how big he was. I was too nervous to follow blood, but thanks to "eagle eyes" we were on the trail. He went a ways, and I vowed if he went to the swamp we would get breakfast and come back. Then, just before the swamp I spotted him down by the edge of the power line! I yelled for Angie to come over and the look of surprise was classic. We had a hug before calling my dad and brother to come see. My grandpa and uncle even came out special to see it. This will always be a buck to remember for me.

***WINNER*** Male Hunter #8

#8 Adam Emery - Eau Claire

Buck Stats & important features * 7 point buck, 13 1/2" inside spread. Scars on his forehead from fighting with other bucks. Main beams approximately 17 1/2", G2 tines ~ 6", G3 tines ~4".

Where did you take this buck? Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County

The buck was a day after Thanksgiving blessing from above. I sat in my treestand patiently on an evening hunt with no activity for several hours. About 30 minutes before dark, the unmistakable crunch of leaves echoed through the brushy tangle in the woods about 150 yards in front of me. After a few minutes, I caught a glimpse of antlers, but did not have a clear shot opportunity. I got into shooting position hoping that the buck would walk into a clearing, but it turned around and I lost sight of it. A few minutes later, the buck came back and stepped into a very small shooting lane through many branches about 90 yards away. I settled the crosshairs onto the mighty beast and squeezed the trigger. As my eyes readjusted after the shot, I could see that the buck was down! I climbed down from my tree, walked over to the buck, and saw that it was much bigger than I anticipated. Needless to say, I spent a few minutes as light faded thanking my creator for his awesome gift!

***WINNER--MOST INSPIRING*** Male Hunter #7

#7 Richard Brown - Rudyard

Buck Stats & important features * 7 point buck - about 175 pounds.

Where did you take this buck? Rudyard, Chippewa Co.

I am submitting this for my husband. He had his leg amputated in Sept. after a long year of surgeries trying to save it. He was supposed to finally get his prosthetic the Monday deer season opened but the doctor took that day off to hunt. He has a deer stand out back as we have enough property he has always hunted out back. Being determined to hunt he rode the four wheeler to the stand and climbed up the ladder each morning and evening. Tuesday morning, he says, he saw nothing - then the sun came up. Suddenly there was deer walking around in the field then he saw the buck he wanted to shoot. It took two shoots to put it down, rode the four wheeler back to it with our two smaller childern. He climbed off gutted it and tied it to the four wheeler to bring it back home. I am proud of my husband as with all that has happened this year (and just last week lost his mother) he has not let it get his down. He doesn't think of himself as disabled, he may not be able to carry things himself but there isn't much of anything else he can't do.
He did get his prosthetic a week ago and is doing very well getting used to walking again.

***WINNER*** Female Hunter # 4

# 4 Carrie Brown - Fennville

Buck Stats & important features * 10 points, 145-150 pounds 15" spread. Longest tine is 10"

Where did you take this buck? Fennville, Allegan Co.

Hello! My story begins this summer.I hunt our neighbors property. What a blessing it is to have 40 acres of prime hunting in your back yard! My husband set out our trail camera in July and in our first set of pictures was a large buck in velvet. My husband named him "Out Back". We were so excited to see such a large and beautiful deer. In prevous years it had seemed that the our local deer population consisted mostly of does and young bucks. We would keep putting the cameras out throught out the summer and into the fall, but would never see Out Back again. Where did he go? Did he leave the area? We hoped he was okay.
As hunting season was getting closer I started thinking about where I was going to hunt from this year. My husband uses tree stands, but I just am not totally comfortable shooting a gun from "up above". I like it on the ground. As clumsy as I am I would end up falling on a deer before shooting it. So my sons Clayton 8, and Lucas 4 headed out to find a spot and build a blind that could accomidate the three of us if needed. It was so much fun! We found a nice tree in what I thought was a good location and went to work gathering sticks and putting in seats. I was so excited to get out and hunt! So later in archery season my brother-in-law went hunting in a tree stand about 50 yards from my blind. He comes back in the morning all excited-he just shot a seven point buck. It ran right by my blind and died. Okay, I will admit it, I was a little bummed. I was happy for him but pouting at the same time. "That was supposed to be my deer" I thought to myself. What was really exciting was that he showed me a scrape not to far from the buck. An active scrape just 30 yards from my blind! How cool. I kept checking on it and it was getting "freshend up" I was getting very excited. On the Friday before opening day we put the trail cam out on the scrape. Saturday morning my husband brought it in. Four pictures on it. Could this be it, are these pictures of "the one for me"! DOES! it was all does. Oh the ups and downs. The next day I was up early and so pumped to get out. I packed a water bottle bottle and some snacks my Husband joked with me "typical women, bringing grocerys" I laughed and just said " I am prepared to be out a while". We debated on wheather I should take my 20 ga. or his 12 ga. We decided the 12 would be best, just in case. I got out to my blind and settled in. I love the mornings when the forsest comes alive at day break. Then it happend Sunday November 15th 7:55 a.m. "Out Back" walked up to the scrape and into my freezer! He stayed around! 10 points of beauty! Thank you God for blessing me with such a great story to tell. This sure beats the button buck (my first kill) of two years ago.

***WINNER*** Youth Hunter #3 ***TIE***

#Y-3 Jada Johnson - Gaylord

Buck Stats & important features * 9pt. buck in velvet 201lbs live and 170lbs dressed, on nov.27 shot with a 308cal

Where did you take this buck? Otsego County

Well my dad took me hunting for the past four yrs and i was looking for a good rack buck i had past small one's over the yrs but we had game cam photos of this buck still in velvet and that's the one I wanted! We live on a large tract of land and it is well managed for whitetail,we don't shoot small bucks ever so they can grow and it works.(QDM) We waited for the right wind and got it on nov. 27th,it was spiting snow and cold that was a good sign they would be hungry,we had a food plot with winter greens in it and knew they were hitting it . When we got to the blind they were there already and we had to bump the deer off the field but it wasn't long and the doe's were coming back,the buck came in behind them i wasted no time my dad said it was the velvet nine pt.,he was videoing it for our dvd series(Bigboysadventures) he said he was on it and to take it and take it i did, I pulled up my 308 and pulled the trigger and shot it though the lungs it ran about 100yds and dropped but I did not know that at the time but I was praying I would find it and it came true. I called my mom right away and shared with her what I had CAUGHT haha what I shot, a nine pt. in VELVET in november how cool is that GOD IS GOOD! (p.s. what's up with the 18 and older)

***WINNER*** Youth Hunter #2 ***TIE***

#Y-2 Jake Hoskins - Grand Ledge



Buck Stats & important features * 7 point, 13 1/2 inside spread, 148 pound UP Buck

Where did you take this buck? Iron Mountain, Mi; Dickinson Co.

My Dad and I went to the U.P. to Grandpa's house in Iron Mountain, Mi to bear hunt during the 3rd season and deer hunt during the Youth hunt weekend. We did not have any luck bear hunting and did not see any deer the first morning of the youth deer hunt. In the evening, my dad, Grandpa and I went back to the deer hunting spot. After an hour, I told my Dad, who was watching the other way, that I saw a deer. It was my buck standing 40 yards away! The buck looked behind him and my Dad told me to get my gun ready. However, I thought the buck would see me so I did not move. The buck walked into a field, stopped and looked right at me. He wagged his tail, turned and started trotting away. My Dad whistled, the buck stopped 104 yards away. I squeezed the trigger and my buck dropped with a shot to the neck from my .30-06, 180 gr. core-lokt bullet. I had my first buck at 12 years old.

Youth Hunter #4

Y #4 Donovan Quist - Mc Bain

Buck Stats & important features * His buck is an eight point. The inside spread is approximatly 14 3/4. The longest tine is 61/4.

Where did you take this buck? McBain Missaukee County

This buck was taken by my son Donovan. He is 10 years old and got this buck September 27, 2009 during the youth hunt. He shot it with a bow, he was in a tree stand and the buck was about 15 yards away. He made a kill shot in the liver, the buck went 120 yards and died. He took his buck in the afternoon it was windy and damp. His Uncle took him hunting ( his Dad was on a trip ) on family property. He's grandpa dressed out the deer for him. We are all very proud of him and give God the glory for giving him the shot and the ability to do it.

Hunter #9

#9 Tim Schlehuber - Gaylord

Buck Stats & important features * 9 point with a 14 inch spread, perfectly symetrical besides the point on the one side that never grew

Where did you take this buck? Mackinac County

This buck story started a year and a half ago. I decided to read the bible cover to cover for the first time. When I came to the Psalm - Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart - I wrote it down and put it on my dresser. I finished the bible right before bow season this year and I looked at the Psalm and said after 20 yrs of hunting, this year my hearts desire is to shoot a big buck. I told my Mom I had finished the bible and about the Psalm, and told her as a small gift from God that he would give me the buck this year. I prayed all through bow season and never seen a buck. I started opening day of gun season with the same prayer and at 2:30 pm I shot a nice 6 point. It wasn't the buck I had prayed for but thanked the Lord and was thoroughly satisfied. I then turned my prayers to my wife and stopped hunting. On Thanksgiving day, the weather was starting to look better for hunting and my wife convinced me to give it another try for the big one. I agreed and headed to my blind. It was dark and about 5 min to shooting hours and I could see a deer in the baitpile. It was then 2 minutes to shooting hours and I could see it had a very nice rack. After watching it for 10 minutes I could identify the 4 points on one side for a restricted tag. I took the shot and put him down in his tracks. Immediately I thought about my prayers and that Psalm and gave praise to the Lord. Then I thought my wife is going to kill me cause she still hasn't got a deer yet. God was faithfull and I never doubted his ability to answer that prayer. That beautiful 9 point is being mounted and will forever be a reminder of that Psalm.

Female Hunter #5

# 5 Traci Stein - Lansing

Buck Stats & important features * My buck weghed 120 pounds field dressed and was a 3 point. He should win the longest single tine award. On the left he had 2 points but on the right he had a single 9" tine (he was a 4-point, he just forgot to grow his other branch!! :) )

Where did you take this buck? Battle Creek MI, Calhoun County

This buck, my very first deer, came to me on my third time out ever hunting. I decided mid-day on Saturday Nov. 21 that I'd go out for a couple hours before dark that eafternoon just to get out of my husband's hair (he's a medical student at MSU and really needed to write a paper!). So I went out and decided to try a new tree. My Dad helped me find a good spot. He's been hunting since he was a kid, so he knows a good spot when he sees one! So I got up in my tree around 3:30pm and starting watching. Squirrels were everywhere and were continually tricking me into thinking a deer was headed my way. At about 4:10 I suddenly heard a crashing sound coming my way from behind one of the three trees I was standing in the middle of about 4.5 feet off the ground. So I got my gun up and popped the safety. Of course in my excitement I used one finger to pop it and it made a loud clicking sound. The crashing sound stopped and I thought for sure I had made too much noise. Instead, he kept on coming. Next I saw him through my scope, he was maybe 20 yards from my tree. He was close enough that he took up the majority of my scope, so I found his shoulder, whistled at him so he'd stop and look, and then....I really don't remember pulling the trigger or feeling the gun kick. All I remember is watching his tail drop and see him take off down the hill. I knew I hit him when I saw his tail drop like that. I watched him run to the bottom of the hill, near a swamp, and then he vanished. Next thing I did was call my Dad, who was also hunting. He told me to look for hair and see if I hit him and he'd head my way. In all my excitement I had a bit of trouble determining where exactly he was when he stopped and I shot. I ended up finding blood before hair. Then I knew for sure I hit him! Once my Dad found me we followed his blood trail and found him about 200 yards away, in nearly the exact spot he 'vanished'! I got him with a near-perfect shot through the shoulder. I hit him in his left atrium, my husband says if I'd hit his ventricle he wouldn't have run so far. I'll have to work on that for next time (yeah right! ;) ), because dragging him up that big hill was an awful lot of work! All in all I am very proud of my first deer, even if he isn't a monster. I'll get to remember this story all winter as we enjoy the meat. Thanks God!