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Entries for February 2019
Have I Got Your Attention?
By Mike Handley
When Bill Hoover’s father-in-law, Gerry, told him about a great big deer he’d seen in his yard near Cape Vincent, New York, he wasn’t quite sure how to describe it. “What does it mean when one of the antlers is hanging straight down?” he asked. DROP TINE, Bill thought. The next Saturday morning, Nov. 24, Bill woke earl... READ MORE
Proactive
By Mike Handley
Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda once quipped there are three kinds of people in this world: people who make it happen, people who watch what happens, and people who wonder what happened. As of last deer season, Jared Thill is all three. After years of playing cat-doesn’t-catch-mouse, the agricultural loan officer from Pleasantville, Io... READ MORE
Series of Fortunate Events
By Mike Handley
Alan Flanders would rather count points than what-ifs. Not that it matters now, but the events of Oct. 22, 2018, might’ve never happened if Alan’s buddy hadn’t botched a shot at a monstrous buck in 2017. He might still have an unpunched tag in his pocket if he hadn’t taken his little girl hunting, or if he hadn’t left ... READ MORE
Public Land Giant in Illinois
By Mike Handley
One of the finest whitetails Illinois taxidermist Matt Cheek will mount this year will be the one he almost didn’t shoot on Nov. 1. If the archery permits allotted for the 8,050-acre Pere Marquette State Park hadn’t been so few and coveted, Matt might’ve stayed home during the downpour. He almost did anyway. After sleeping in and ... READ MORE