Grandpa Lowell's Drop-tine Buck (Part 1)

The Drop-tine Buck

In the late 1980’s near the Pierce-Pepin County line, a whitetail buck, more legend than animal, had been giving the slip to some of the most successful hunting groups in the area…for several seasons.  Known throughout the bluffs and cornfield country simply as the “Drop-tine Buck;” He was the source of hundreds of conversations at local watering holes and restaurants.  When the October air starting turning the sumac leaves red and the sugar maples orange, his name surfaced at coffee shops in Durand, at the breakfast counter in Plum City’s Pondview, and over pickled pork hocks and saltines at Exile Bar.

Heck, by early November, Father Blenker was even mentioning this monarch at the end of his sermons at St. John’s Church.  He wished those that were in the building safe hunting and thanked them for taking off their blaze orange hats before taking communion.

Ol’ Droptine was a genetic freak of nature for that time.  At his peak, he was a main frame 12 point with several stickers on each side.  Mayme Olson got a Polaroid photo of him just 3 days after the 1987 gun season.   ‘Drop-tine’ was munching on suet and sunflower seeds from the Olson’s cardinal feed only 40 paces off their back deck.  In the photo, he sports 16 countable points, including a 7 inch dagger dropping straight down from his left side G-2.  The feeder he was next to was roughly 2 feet wide, and the inside spread of the monster buck nearly framed it perfectly.  Experts at the Rod and Gun Club estimated his rack to be more than 190 inches at that time.

‘Drop-tine’ had survived a few close calls over the years during the hunting seasons. This made his legend grow like a snow ball on a slushy November playground.  During the ’86 archery season, Kurt Ingli had the monster at 20 yards in a shooting lane below one of his favorite Wildcat Coulee oak trees.  ‘Drop-tine’ had his head down nibbling sweet acorns when the veteran bow hunter released his arrow.  The aim was true.  For some reason, the giant buck snapped his head around as the arrow screamed toward the point of his front shoulder.  A subtle ‘clang’ from aluminum hitting calcium was the result, as Kurt’s offering was harmlessly deflected by the massive main beam of Mister Drop-tine. 

The Clare hunting group were hot on his tracks the final two days of the ’86 gun season.  Vernon Clare managed a shot at him from 80 yards the last minutes of daylight on Saturday.  The buck showed no signs of being hit, as he calmly jumped the fence into Nugget Park.

A couple small drops of blood on sixes of snow led to hope that evening that the ‘Drop-tine Buck’ would be in the back of a pick-up come Sunday before the Packer game.  No such luck.  The Clare’s called on the Biederman’s to help with the tracking effort.  24 hours and nearly 2 miles later, not one of 13 members saw the animal.   There was worry the buck didn’t make it the winter.

The following July, while making the rounds bailing hay, Jack Luebker saw the buck in full velvet on the family farm.  He counted 14 points including the trademark drop-tine hanging down the left side.  Hunters were all hopeful as the fall neared that they would get another shot at the legendary whitetail.  Bow season and gun season passed with nary a sighting. 

December 1^st of that year, the old buck nearly met his maker as he jumped a guard-rail on county road S near Maiden Rock.  He cleared the rail but ran smack dab into the front quarter of Howie Anderson’s county truck that was plowing 4 inches of heavy snow.   The giant buck cart wheeled and limped out of the ditch trying to climb up a steep grade near a small rock quarry.  Unable to make the climb, he retreated, and headed straight up county road S for more than 300 yards.  He disappeared into the berry bushes on top of the hill as Roy Inabnit swerved out of the way to miss him.  Roy avoided the deer, but could not avoid Ardvid Schwake’s mailbox.

Several hunters saw ‘Drop-tine’ in 1988, although none were close enough for a shot.  It became a passion for hunting parties such as the Clare’s, the Ingli’s, the Biederman’s, and the Unser’s to pursue this majestic animal.  The unmistakable rack of the deer was matched with a now pronounced limp from the buck’s injured right leg; no doubt a result from the collision with the county truck. 

Gordy Luebker had ‘Drop-tine’ inside of thirty yards during the muzzle loader season of ’89.  The giant was sneaking back through a 4-man drive and didn’t realize Gordy was waiting for him behind  a Morgan Coulee jack pine.  An excellent marksman, Gordy slowly raised his Thompson Center Muzzleloader and settled the sights behind the left front shoulder.  There was a small click as Gordy locked the hammer back. The now broadside buck raised his head and locked eyes with Luebker who was beginning to squeeze the trigger. Instead of the typical large ‘boom’ and cloud of black powder, the only thing Gordy’s gun emitted was a small pop and puff of gray smoke from a spent cap.  The powder inside the gun had failed to ignite, and ‘Drop-tine’ trotted up a ridge to another year of safety. 

However, this would be the last of his Houdini-like escapes.  (TO BE CONTINUED)