Daves Monster 10 Pointer Story Written by: Matthew Sonnenfeld from the perspective of Dave Sonnenfeld It was late in the 2013 Wisconsin deer gun season. I had bought 40 acres in the spring due to a couple poor hunting years previous. It produced for the Sonnenfelds unfortunately not me but it was my son who shot a 4 ptr with the bow and 2 does with the gun. And my daughter Brittany shot her first deer ever. I was so happy for them both. Unfortunately we had to leave the land on Saturday after Thanksgiving due to plans. I planned to hunt on Sunday morning for a couple hrs before Owens party. Matt called me at 7:00 am Sunday 12/1, the last day of hunting. Needless to say my motivation was NOT there. I was still in bed. I asked Matt if he was going and he said hed be here in 15-20 mins. Fortunately he has the greatest wife in the world who did the party prep her self and let him go. Or maybe it was easier to prep for the party her self and not listen to him pouting? So anyways I had to jump out of bed and get ready quickly. Once Matt got to our house I had to interrogate him on why I had 2 different hip boots. Hes been know to borrow my things before and return only when I question him where it is. Upon investigation I learned I had one of my hip boots size 13 and one of my brother Wills size 15. Matt said itd be lucky because last time I had something of Wills, his gun, I shot an 8 ptr. So spirits were starting to rise, and I had decided we better go to some thick cattails I dont like to hunt but I thought thats where a big buck would go. We were starting to get fired up.......until we got to the parking area, then our motivation plummeted!!!!! Long hike last day of the season the chances aren’t that good. But we were there so we went. I told Matt we had to hunt the stuff we dont want to because no one else will and a big buck might go there. Both Matt and I had dreams the night before of jumping a big one in the area like we did several years previous, only we had bucked out already. Gotta do what you have to get your confidence up otherwise sneak mode becomes blazing trails through cattails you drive a truck through. Upon getting way back in I cut a couple fresh tracks so I called Matt over so we could follow them. The cattails got so thick we barely heard and never saw the deer we jumped. Fortunately due to my different sized boots it caused me to constantly turn slightly to the right. This proved a critical component in my stalk!!! I have to credit my brother another EH (experienced hunter) here as he must have known stealing my hip boot would serve me well at some point in the future. We started to swing around, to the right obviously, and make the last push back hoping wed maybe bump into the mystery deer again. Well I happened to cut the fresh tracks on the way and started to follow them. With many furious hand signals and facial expressions I signaled to Matt I was tracking a large deer. He gave me a look like I was crazy, trying to figure if Id lost it and gave up hope for the season and decided to play a game of charades to pass the time. But then he just gave me the thumbs up and we continued on in sneak mode We came to slough of lower grass. I noticed Matt had moved over to get into the higher cats on the edge across from me, an Eh move (experienced hunter) as the deer will be in or always go toward the nasty stuff. As I used my deer sonar I caught a glimpse of a large stump with large antler looking branches. My mind told me it was an apparition and it had to be a stump looking giant buck because a buck that size would not take the time to stop and put on his spectacles to make out what was standing across from him, not to mention not being able to smell Matt. I took my gun off my shoulder and as I raised the gun up I had instinctively taken the safety off. Upon scoping the deer looking object I realized I was having a staring contest with an elk. PANIC!!!!!! I lost feeling of all extremities, but thankfully due to years of hunting, instinct took over. I immediately tried to get the safety off to shoot but the safety wouldnt move. I cursed my broken gun! I lowered the gun only to realize I had taken the safety off earlier instinctively like an EH would do. I raised back up dropped the cross hairs and shot...BANG!!!!!! The stump jumped up and started running, cattails were flying, everywhere, the ground was shaking, the ice cracking. I jacked another shell aimed and BANG...........keeerrrchooooonk!!!!!! I hit him, he went down immediately. He started to drive through the cattails, it sounded like a freight train busting through, only to be aided by a streak of blaze orange to my left doing the triple jump through cattails with hip boots........Sonnenfeld Hunting Outdoor News Olympics???? Id like to see Jesse Owens do that with Hip boots, nap sack, and a gun. Matt got up to the approximate area the deer was but saw nothing. I started to regain my composure and control of my legs enough to start walking up there. And I was able to say Matt that was a big buck. I gotta calm down. I gotta calm down. That was a big buck. I gotta calm down. Matt and I went into blood trail mode. We pulled out all the stops....hounds, Indian trackers, 3 boyscouts, phone a friend, 50/50, looking for an illegally bent cattail, tracks, blood, etc. Nothing turned up. I kept coming back to the sound I heard.... the keeerrrchooooonk!!!! Also, Matt and I jumped a big buck last year t-zone and had to watch him run 600 yds, he HAD bound to keep his head above the cattails because his rack was so big. This deer had to have went down. But finally I was relegated to the fact I missed him. I just wanted a sign that he got away. So we started to grid the area. We lined up 10 yds apart and walked the direction the buck went for about 80 yds. I told Matt wed go another 10 yds, but I think we went about 20 or so. We then both moved right 20 yds each and headed back. I had taken about 5 steps when I heard a muffled BOOM!!!!!! 10 yds to my left and then DAD, YOU GOT HIM. I am told my face resembled that of a kid on Christmas morning. My eyes bugged, jaw dropped, my limbs went numb. I very daintily plowed a giant swath through the cattails. Matt had turned and looked down, literally 6-7 ft in front of him and saw tree trunks of a rack looking at him. So he raised quickly and shot. Thankfully this wasnt his first rodeo and he didnt wreck the cape or antlers. Immediately upon reaching Matt and the deer, in .05 seconds...Sonnenfeld Outdoors standing long jump, we started hugging and both dropped to a knee and thanked God for probably one of if not the most amazing hunting seasons weve ever had. I was so happy to have shared that day with one of my best hunting buddies and son. So happy Daria let him go because I may not have had the motivation to go where we did. It was an amazing roller coaster of emotion from shock to hope to despair to elation. So many things had to fall into place perfectly, truly divine intervention. You cant make memories like this sitting on the couch or without loved ones to share the experience.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 23:32:47 +0000
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