Nosbonsing

Anglers & Hunters Inc.

Big Buck Night

Date: January 19, 2008

At the East Ferris Community Centre

Ken Leppert of East Ferris, shot this 15-point buck Nov.12. His daughters Rochelle, 10, and Cassie, 6 wereproud to show it off after it won first place in the gun division of the Nosbonsing Anglers and Hunters Big Buck contest.

Hunters harvest big bucks, bears; Warmer winters, better food allowing deer to grow larger

Posted By Dave Dale Saturday, February 2, 2008

Behemoth bear and well-racked bucks are becoming more common in the Nipissing District with trophy kills beginning to mount.

Shorter, warmer winters and backyard feeding stations are credited with giving bucks the time and energy to grow impressive racks, said avid East Ferris hunter Mark Rich.

And monster bruins are enjoying a longer season to feed and better chance at survival without a spring hunt to thin their ranks, said Ken Loya, of Mattawa, the new world record holder for black bear.

His 780-pound giant taken this October had a skull that measured 20 13/16th inches, good for top spot in the Safari Club International Foundation listing for crossbow hunters.

Just two years ago, Loya harvested another massive bruin weighing about 700 pounds with the largest skull registered by the Foundation for the Recognition of Ontario Wildlife.

Rich said he used a crossbow to bag a buck in early December with a 10-point rack distinguished by an inside spread of 22 inches.

"A lot of people are novelty feeding and with the milder winters, they come out of it in better shape," said Rich.

The rack placed first in the bow division of the Nosbonsing Hunters and Anglers Big Buck contest in Astorville last month and Rich predicts it might score a net 170 or better using the Boone & Crockett scale.

The average space between the left and right tines is about 17 inches in this part of Ontario, Rich said, and this buck had four points that were between 10 3/4 inches and a foot long.

The gun division of the Nosbonsing contest went to Ken Leppert, also of East Ferris, who has a trophy non-typical rack with 15 points and a gross measurement estimated by Rich to be in the high-190s.

High-quality feed provided to the deer on a daily basis means the deer don't have to burn energy migrating to traditional winter grounds, Rich said.

The lack of extended cold spells and early springs means spring feed goes straight into building racks, which gives a buck a better chance of winning battles during the rut and passing along its dominant DNA to offspring.

"I think the trend will continue and get better," Rich said.

Leppert said he was watching out for his buck for about two years, although he never saw him in the day and only caught images with a game camera set up at night.

Another older buck at six years or so, his reproductive instinct got the better of him, Leppert said, describing how the male followed a young doe out to a deer trail connecting a bedding area and field.

Calling it a once-in-a-lifetime hunting moment that makes up for countless missed opportunities, he said the trophy-aspect of the rack is beaten by the family experience they had.

Leppert said his dad, Elliott, 71, was hunting with him that morning in a stand one field over.

"He was pretty pumped," he said, adding that his two oldest children, Rochelle, 10, and Kirk, 9, were brought in to help find the blood trail, making it a team effort he'll treasure forever.

The buck weighed almost 300 pounds "and we were able to pull it out together," he said of having his father there that morning.

"I was very grateful to have that opportunity."

ddale@nugget.ca