CONTEST LEADER - Rick Mularz of West Branch bagged this eight-point buck on the opening day of the rifle season while hunting near Prescott. The antlers had a 19-inch spread and the buck dressed at 177 pounds for 236 contest points. - Courtesy photo

West Branch man’s eight-point leads 2008 Big Buck Bonanza
by John Morris

EAST TAWAS - A West Branch man’s eight-point buck is the current leader in the 2008 Oscoda Press and Iosco County News-Herald Big Buck Bonanza.

The buck was taken near Prescott by Rick Mularz of West Branch on Nov. 15, opening day of the firearm deer season. The buck weighed in at 177 pounds and the eight-point rack sported a 17-inch spread. With a total score of 236 points, this will be the buck to beat with 12 days left in the contest.
The second biggest entry is a seven-point buck shot in Tawas Township by 13-year-old Blake Katterman of Tawas City. The buck, shot on Nov. 15, scored 225.5 points. The big seven-pointer had a 12-inch spread and weighed in at 178 pounds dressed.

The third biggest entry belongs Tom Nelkie of East Tawas, who bagged a trophy nine-point buck on Nov. 15 in Wilber Township. The rack has a 16-inch spread and the buck dressed out at 159 pounds for 220.75 contest points.

In a word, the opening day of the rifle deer season was, well, “slow.”

Many hunters who gathered at the ninth annual buck pole at Miner’s Grove in Tawas said Saturday was “too windy,” which left deer too spooked to move.

“It’s been slow,” said Mike Stonehouse, owner of Miner’s Grove. The buck pole had about a dozen deer hung by 4 p.m. Saturday. Typically, the Miner’s Grove buck pole is filled by that time.

By 6 p.m., there were 14 deer on the buck pole, including five eight-pointers and one 11-point. The buck pole filled for the first time at 8 p.m. Saturday.

It was slow as well at the East Tawas State Dock, where the Department of Natural Resources has its annual deer check station. By 2 p.m. Saturday, just seven deer had been checked in at the station, according to Erin Cooney, a temporary worker with the DNR.

Cooney, however, expected those numbers to increase in the next couple of days, which they did. By 2 p.m. Monday, 76 deer were checked at the station, including 35 on Sunday and 34 by early Monday afternoon.

That number is down slightly from last year, she said.

Jeral Russell checked his spike horn, a large 1-year-old buck taken Saturday in Plainfield Township, at the check-in station at the state dock. Russell said he wasn’t seeing a lot of deer that day.

It was slow as well at the East Tawas State Dock, where the Department of Natural Resources has its annual deer check station. By 2 p.m. Saturday, just seven deer had been checked in at the station, according to Erin Cooney, a temporary worker with the DNR.

Cooney, however, expected those numbers to increase in the next couple of days, which they did. By 2 p.m. Monday, 76 deer were checked at the station, including 35 on Sunday and 34 by early Monday afternoon.

That number is down slightly from last year, she said.

Jeral Russell checked his spike horn, a large 1-year-old buck taken Saturday in Plainfield Township, at the check-in station at the state dock. Russell said he wasn’t seeing a lot of deer that day.

Bill Hjorth, owner of Bunyantown in Oscoda, said hunting success was better on Sunday as the area was blanketed with less than an inch of snow early and deer were moving more.

Hjorth said the number of deer coming in to be weighed on the buck pole is about the same as last year.

“I’m seeing more hunters and more people are coming up,” he said. “The size of the deer and quality are better.”

In all so far, 57 cards were turned in for the Big Buck Bonanza.

Rounding out this week’s 200- plus point entries are Gary Courey of Oscoda, a nine-point, 218.25 points; Nicole King of Oscoda, an eight-point, 217.5; Tom Schmidt of Tawas City, an eight-point, 217 points; Adam Griggs of Oscoda, a nine-point, 216.5 points; Bart Darnell of Oscoda, an eight-point, 213.25 points; Kevin T. Hughes of Bay City, a nine-point, 211.75 points; Amy Green of Bay City, an eight-point, 209.75 points; Todd Huebel of Tawas City, an 11-point, 207.75 points; Scott Bond of Oxford, an eight-point, 206 points; James Green of Bay City, an eight-point, 201 points, and Sam Spriggs of Tawas City, a seven-point, 201 points.

Other entries this week included Melissa Perrin of Twining, an eight-point, 199.75 points; Josh Hager of Tawas City, a six-point, 197 points; D’Anne Youngs of East Tawas, a seven-point, 196 points; Cody Wojahn of Tawas City, an eight-point, 195.75 points; Duane Griggs of Oscoda, a 10-point, 195.75 points; Merlin Griggs of Oscoda, an eight-point, 194.5 points; Denis Letienne of Turner, a nine-point, 189.5 points; Danny Schmidt of Tawas City, a six-point, 186.75; Joey Kolts of East Tawas, a nine-point, 180.625 points; Rick Youngs of East Tawas, a nine-point, 179.875 points; Robert Liebler of Centerline, a seven-point, 179 points; Ron Lewis Sr. of Lenox, an eight-point, 174.75 points; Michael Timreck of East Tawas, a seven-point, 171.25 points; Cody Jordan of National City, an eight-point, 167 points; Dennis Revord of East Tawas, an eight-point, 167 points; Kendall Krause of East Tawas, an eight-point, 165.875; Davey Brown of Tawas City, an eight-point, 165 points; Chris McCoy of East Tawas, a six-point, 160.125 points; Nick Nieman of Blissfield, a six-point, 156 points; Matthew Murringer of National City, a seven-point, 154.375; Josh Gentges of Tawas City, a six-point, 153.5 points; Tanner Dewald of Tawas City, a six-point, 153.25 points; Jeff Petri of Turner, a six-point, 151.75 points; Jim Freel of South Lyon, a four-point, 151.25 points; Bill Kidder of Tawas City, a four-point, 150.75; Jon Look of Tawas City, an eight-point, 150.75 points; Brenda Petri of Turner, a six-point, 149.375 points; Shelby Alda of East Tawas, a five-point, 147.75 points; Bill Adams of Wilber, a six-point, 144.875 points; Robert Stover of Garden City, a six-point, 141.75 points; Kim Dowidait of Garden City, a three-point, 140 points; Mike Stover of Garden City, a four-point, 139 points; Michelle Kidder of East Tawas, a four-point, 134.25 points; Pat Revord of Comstock Park, a five-point, 134 points; Nick Revord of Tawas City, a four-point, 133.25 points; Steve Slosser of West Branch, a four-point, 130 points; Lucas Onderdonk of Commerce, a spike horn, 128 points; Randy Hill of East Tawas, a four-point, 125 points; Eric Stein of East Tawas, a four-point, 125 points; Robert Smith of East Tawas, a spike horn, 124 points; Jeff Green of East Tawas, a spike horn, 122.25 points; Ryan Loeffler of Tawas City, a spike horn, 117 points, and Zach Stringer of Tawas City, a spike horn, 116 points.

The contest, which runs through Nov. 30, is open to hunters in three counties, including Iosco, Alcona and Arenac. And everyone who enters their buck has a chance of winning one of the many cash and merchandise prizes offered by local merchants.

The winner of this year’s annual Big Buck Bonanza will take home more than bragging rights to the local top buck of 2008 - the lucky hunter will get to admire his trophy for years to come after AuSable River Taxidermy of Oscoda provides the winning hunter with a free shoulder mount of their buck, worth $350.

Second prize of $50 from the sponsoring newspapers goes to the buck with the most antler points.

There is a $30 cash prize for third place, also from the newspapers, to an entrant in the general prize random drawing.

But that’s not all that’s available to entrants in the form of prizes. All of the remaining contest prizes from the various merchants are awarded based on a random drawing at the end of the season from the cards of all those who entered the contest by taking their deer to a contest weigh station.

Those weigh-in and registration stations are located at Bunyantown in Oscoda and Miner’s Grove Party Store in East Tawas. Weigh stations ask that, if possible, you bring along a friend to help get your trophy hung up on the scales.

Rules for the contest are simple. Any buck shot in Iosco, Alcona or Arenac county between Nov. 15-30 is eligible, regardless of the hunter’s place of residence.

The biggest buck winner is the buck which gets the most total points under the contest point system.

The scoring system awards one point for each pound of field dressed weight, one point per inch for each inch of antler spread at their widest point and five points each for each point on the antlers. To be counted as a point on the rack, the protrusion must be at least one-half inch long.

For example, a 175-pound field dressed buck with a 10-point rack and a 14-inch spread would total 239 contest points.

Prizes offered by local merchants in the contest include:

Klenow’s Market of East Tawas, two pounds of jerky valued at $35;

Dean Arbour Ford, Kelly Smith, of Tawas City, Free Oil, Lube and Filter (see ad);

Muffler Man of Tawas City, Lube, Oil and Filter;

Wellman’s Beer and Bait of Oscoda, $20 gift certificate (excludes beer and wine);

Ed Freel’s Market of Tawas City, a $25 gift certificate for fresh meat;

Tawas Do It Best Hardware of Tawas, a $25 gift certificate for the heaviest field-dressed buck entered by a woman;

AuSable Do It Best Hardware and Surplus of Tawas, Dickies Camo Jacket;

Office Lounge & Grill of Oscoda, a $25 gift certificate on food only;

Alward’s Market of Hale, 10 pounds of home smoked bacon valued at $40;

Window and Siding Gallery of Oscoda, a vinyl window.