The Hunting Stories Podcast
Elk. Bear. Hog. Turkey. Deer and More. Hunting Stories that will make you laugh or maybe cry; real life chronicles from the field.
The Hunting Stories Podcast
Ep 149 The Hunting Stories Podcast: Daniel Schaeffer
The bond between father and son often transcends life itself. In this emotionally charged episode, Maine hunter Dan Schaefer reveals how his hunting journey became irrevocably intertwined with the memory of his late father, creating a spiritual connection that defies simple explanation.
Dan's path to becoming a hunter started later than most. Despite growing up with a father passionate about hunting, young Dan earned the nickname "Wiggles" for his inability to sit still in the woods. Years later, he embraced hunting in 2017, diving headfirst into pursuing multiple species across Maine's challenging terrain. Little did he know how profoundly his father's passing in 2021 would transform his hunting experiences.
What follows are three remarkable harvests that blur the line between coincidence and spiritual connection. First, Dan wakes from a vivid dream about his father—the first since his passing—and hours later takes a magnificent 13-point buck they had discussed before his father's death. The following season, using his father's rifle, Dan harvests a unique piebald buck on his father's birthday. Finally, Dan completes the tribute by taking a massive 225-pound "Piggy" buck, earning the same "Biggest Bucks of Maine" patch his father had proudly worn on his hunting jacket.
Throughout these experiences, Dan feels his father's presence guiding him, steadying his aim, and bringing these deer into his path at precisely the right moments. Each success becomes not just a personal achievement but a shared experience that bridges the gap between this world and whatever lies beyond.
Whether you believe in spiritual connections or not, these stories remind us that hunting creates powerful bonds that can echo through generations. Dan's journey shows how pursuing game can become a profound way to process grief, honor legacy, and maintain connection with those we've lost.
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Howdy folks and welcome to the hunting stories podcast. I'm your host, michael, and we got another great episode for you today. Today, we're actually connecting with Dan Schaefer. Dan is a listener who reached out using the form that I talked so much about. So, dan, thank you so much for doing that. I really do appreciate you, brother. It was great to hear your stories. You did not disappoint. I think all the listeners are going to very much, so enjoy this episode. But thank you also for being brave and filling out that form and reaching out to me.
Speaker 1:Beyond that, guys, I apologize for the AI song. I'm going to go ahead and get rid of that. I got mixed feedback at best, so we're back to the old school stuff. Also, I did release an episode on Friday. I hope you guys enjoyed it. It's just a little bit of news. I'm going to do it every Friday. No opinion, just news on conservation, wildlife, public lands and things like that. I encourage you to explore more. I'll throw some of the top topics up there. Um, but yeah, let me know what you think of that. Uh, send me some messages on Instagram or Spotify or wherever you are listening. Um, that's it, guys. Let's go ahead and kick this thing off. Let Dan tell you some of his stories. Thank you All. Right, daniel. Welcome to the Hunting Stories Podcast. Brother, how are you, man? I'm good. How are you? I'm good, brother. It's funny. We talked before and I'm like what do you want to be called? You're like Dan or Schaefer, and I immediately start with Daniel, so I apologize for that.
Speaker 2:Man no worries Immediately. I screw up.
Speaker 1:Either way, man, I'm glad to have you here. You're another one of the wonderful listeners that has found my little online contact me form and filled it out. So thank you, man, I appreciate it. Yeah, no problem, thanks for having me. Yeah, so let's do this. Brother, I'm excited to hear your stories, but why don't we tell the folks who they're going to be hearing stories from today before we kick this thing off?
Speaker 2:All right, my name's Dan Schaefer and I live in Maine. I've been hunting since 2017. And since I started hunting, I just wanted to be kind of involved in all of it, so I just deep dove into. First, I started with turkey hunting. Then I'm like okay, white tail bear, uh, applied for moose permit. Um, everything that I could do, I tried to do on my and I tried to do it on my own. I didn't want to hire a guide, um, and then I actually went and got my guide's license. Um, cool, try to do as much as I could in a little amount of time.
Speaker 1:So Okay, yeah, so you said you started in 2017. Did I catch that, yep?
Speaker 2:Okay, what, what got you fired up? Uh, so I was kind of like a little bit like on a health kick, like I wanted to. Uh, I was like, oh, I can get some, you know some meat that isn't you know whatever from the grocery store and what's better, what's more organic than that. And I was actually also interested in becoming a game warden, because I was, yeah, I was kind of interested in like the police department and then I was like, oh, game warden would be cool. But I realized I, you know, haven't done anything outdoors, so I needed to kind of learn, learn it. So I kind of deep dove into that. And my, my father, who always was a hunter, um, you know, I always had like knowledge of hunting, but like not actually I never really hunted myself, so, um, and then I kind of wanted to do it for him because he had gotten sick, so got, he was a big part of everything.
Speaker 1:So that's crazy man. So when you were younger, did he try and get you out and just as a you know a child, just you weren't interested. Or was he just sort of like did his own thing or like why didn't you kick it off earlier? That's, that's an interesting origin story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he, uh. So he was like really into it, like we we lived in Maryland and he used to come to Maine and help guide up here and do some hunting up here. And then I can remember him taking me out a couple of times, but I was I don't know how, how old I was, but I just like kept snapping sticks and moving. Like my nickname as a kid was like wig for wiggles, because they just be like oh, you're always constantly wiggling and moving around, that's a great nickname.
Speaker 2:Yeah so he was just like. He's like I don't know if you're cut out for it, type of thing. That's funny, man. That's too funny.
Speaker 1:Well, that reminds me of something which is like. I spoke to a friend in the past and he told a bunch of stories about someone else and I want to get a bunch of old timers on Like old timers on like old timers don't necessarily listen to podcasts. It is a younger demographic and I'd love to get some of those folks on. So if your dad wants to come tell some of his stories, I invite you to have him come on and either I can host or you can host and I can be a fly in the wall, because I would love to have it and I and I'm telling this to not only you, dan, but I'm telling this to all of my listeners If my listeners, if your dad hunts and you want to capture some of those stories, do it on my podcast. I'll help facilitate. I can be the host or I can be just a fly on the wall.
Speaker 1:I just want people to be able to record, because I didn't get that opportunity with my father-in-law. I tried. He had pancreatic cancer and he didn't quite understand podcasts and he always just sort of pushed me off a little bit back when I first started. He's passed away now, but I wish I had his stories from his mouth. So to all the listeners, if you have an old timer, a dad, a grandpa, whoever it may be, and you do want, send them my way, I'll do it or you can do it. I'd love to have some guest hosts. I think that'd be a cool thing to do. So think about it, dan, and listeners. But I took us on a little rabbit hole there. Sorry about that.
Speaker 2:Well, that's all right. But well, my dad passed away in 21.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, well, I'm sorry to hear that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no worries, yeah, so, but, and then all my stories kind of relate to him, so it'll be Good, good, okay. Well, I feel a little bit like an asshole there, but I'm wishing no. No, you're good.
Speaker 1:My father-in-law. Same thing, man. I wish I still had him here to share camp with, if nothing else. That being said, that's a decent transition. Let's move to your stories. I'd love to hear about your dad.
Speaker 2:All right. So, yeah, I started bear hunting the fall of 17, I think it was, or at least the fall of 18. I think it was fall of 18. Did my own bait site, things like that. So from 2018 to 2020, I've had, I had bait sites in different locations and each one got ruined by either like an anti-hunter or like somebody's dog or different things like that. So I could never like I could never get that kind of monkey off my back.
Speaker 1:As far as getting a bear goes, Did you ever put any cams out and like capture people messing with your stuff?
Speaker 2:So two of my cameras got stolen, so it wasn't, and I didn't have cell camera. So, yeah, never got to catch anybody doing it. Yeah, but then in 2021, my dad passed away in August of August, 7th of 21. And that and like I remember, like every time something would happen to my bait site, he'd always be like you know your time's coming. Just, you know you've worked really hard. I know that you know you're going to get one. Your time's coming. Just you know you've worked really hard, I know that you know you're going to get one.
Speaker 2:And, uh, and like that year, he knew I was prepping my bait site and he's like this is going to be the year you get one, I can feel it. And so he passed away and it was kind of hard to keep going. I didn't really want to, I didn't really feel like hunting, like that's understandable man, yeah. So I I just kind of I try to like keep at it, kind of keep my mind off it and just like know that I was kind of doing it for him. And you know something that he was passionate about, yeah, so, long story short, I ended up I did shoot a bear that year, awesome, yeah, which was cool. It was just, you know, he came out and I had actually passed up a couple small bear before that, and so it was kind of like, and then towards the end of the season I was like, yeah, I'll take this one. And it wasn't, it wasn't like a like a great big bear, 130 pounds, just kind of average main black bear. Yeah uh, but yeah uh was that the start?
Speaker 1:yeah, was it the same site that people had been messing with that year?
Speaker 2:no brand new. Uh, I was helping uh I was actually helping a guide friend and he gave me a parcel. He's like you can put a bait site out here if you want. So I did and I'd help him bait a bunch, and that's kind of how I got some access to some land that was a little bit more remote and, um, a little bit less, uh, a little less off the beaten path.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that makes sense, man, Are you sure? Did you? Do you think that your cameras, when they got messed with and other things that messed with, are you sure it was anti hunters? Or could it also have been some rascally hunters that just like stealing?
Speaker 2:stuff, other people's things. Yeah, I mean, it could have been like one of my sites did have like some bleach on it, so oh yeah okay, yeah, I feel like that's like pretty extreme, but that's like premeditated gonna message your site.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so interesting. Okay, we'll continue, sorry, yeah, no worries.
Speaker 2:So then, uh, so, yeah, uh, that was a really tough year for me and then, um, kind of to lead up to it, I can can uh, just again talking about my dad leading up to, uh, the fall season of 2022, um, throughout, I had a camera and I had two really big bucks on camera. One was a nine pointer at the time and another big 10 pointer in the fall of 21. I had a run in with the 10 pointer and then, in 22, he was gone, never, never saw him again on camera at all. But by that time, that nine pointer had really blown up and he was, uh, I think he was at least five and a half, if not six and a half years old and uh, like a 13 pointer, 155 inch deer and um, and I can remember like showing my dad those pictures and him just being like you know, I'd like to see you get one of those, and we'd always talk about like those things and um, so in 22, I uh, it was um November 18th.
Speaker 2:I can remember I woke up that morning to go out and I think it was a Saturday and I woke up and I had. When I woke up, I was like, geez, I just had a dream about my dad and I hadn't had a dream about him since he had passed, you know, more than a year prior, and so I was just like that was kind of weird, because he's just like in my dream, he's just kind of smiling at me and, um, just kind of like looking at me and not saying anything, and I feel like I was like trying to get him to talk and like I can remember like what he was wearing in the dream and and whatnot. So it was kind of crazy. And then I left, uh, you know, well, before dark to head towards my, my spot that was hunting, and I can remember texting my wife and just saying, like I had a dream about my dad and you know, he looked totally healthy no hoses, no, because he was on oxygen, and just like you know, I was just like in his skin, no wrinkles, no gray hair.
Speaker 2:It was just kind of crazy and so, um, at that point I had no idea, uh, or like any like I wasn't like, oh, I'm going to, you know, shoot this deer today, because I had a dream about my dad. So I'm like walking into my site and I just, you know, I was kind of talking to him and so I go I was actually trying to get to this one spot and I was like, well, I'm going to check this field real quick just to see if anything comes out, because sometimes they'll cross the field in the morning. And so I'm walking up the field edge and I see a doe cross, and then I see another doe, and then I see like a small six or eight pointer up on the way top of the field edge, like way at the top, and I look at him through my scope and I'm like no, not the one I'm after. So I so I kind of just sat there for a little for a minute trying to think about you know how I wanted to head into my spot, that I wanted to sit.
Speaker 2:And then, sure enough, uh, that big buck, the 150, 155 inch deer, uh walked out and um, I just called him like the big nine because he was a nine pointer for most of his life until he got probably about peak age and uh, so then he stepped out and I can just remember it, it seemed like almost like, um, it almost seemed like, you know, my dad was just like right there with me and just kind of raised the gun up and like helped me shoot. It was like 120, 150 yard shot. Uh shot him in the high shoulder and he dropped it right there and died.
Speaker 1:That's too cool, Were you? Were you able to lean up on anything? Were you just standing?
Speaker 2:there and taking 120?.
Speaker 1:Yeah, your dad was definitely there, man yeah. So, and I was there, man yeah.
Speaker 2:So, and I was carrying my father's .30-06 that he had let me use because I was trying to get my other gun worked on and it's like a heavy Browning Safari, and so, yeah, I made a nice shot. He dropped. But it was like funny, because I don't even like really remember the shot. I can still picture the deer falling, like in my mind, though, and uh, so it's just. And then I just like went up there and I was like I was like crying, I couldn't believe it. It's just like put my hand, I put my hands on his rack and it's just like one of those bucks you dream
Speaker 2:about. And, uh, and it was just cool because, um, the other buck wasn't around anymore and it was the last buck that my dad and I had talked about before he passed. So, uh, I just thought that was really cool to have a dream about him and then to have that happen to me the same morning just seemed pretty unreal. And uh, you know, I can remember calling my friends and FaceTiming, and it's just like pretty high emotion. Um, especially when you know I can remember calling my friends and FaceTiming, and it's just like pretty high emotion. Um, especially when you have a history with an animal like that, um, and you're after him so hard and you've put so much time into it.
Speaker 1:That's crazy man, that's a super cool story and I believe your dad was definitely there with you. Man, they looking over you and uh, help you with the shot and and probably guiding that deer right into you. Man, he just knew what was going to? Happen. Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was pretty cool and yeah, I just remember driving it around town with the tailgate open and the antlers out and driving around showing all my buddies and just you know. It's just a beautiful animal and I don't know. The rack is just unreal.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, man, and you actually measured him out to 155,. You said yeah Well. I had him scored yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:That's awesome man Were you just completely overwhelmed, like you said, that you were in tears. How?
Speaker 2:long did it take you to kind?
Speaker 1:of compose yourself. Were you able to get from shooting? Were you able to just go straight to the deer since you knew he had dropped, or did you have, to like, collect yourself there before you went to the deer? Collect yourself the deer, like, how did that?
Speaker 2:go.
Speaker 2:So when I imagine being completely overwhelmed with everything yeah, so when I first, so when I first shot and I hit him high shoulder and he fell, I had literally like the day before, watched a video somebody, um, hitting a deer below the spine and the deer just like drops, but then they get up and run away. So after that, so after that first shot, I kept shooting, um, so I shot him again and hit him right between the shoulder blades and then I don't think I hit him the next two shots that I took. So after that I shots that I took.
Speaker 1:So after that I I'll give you one, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I I ran up to him and you know I watched him take his last breath and I was just like, uh, yeah, I was just balling, I called my, I called my brother and just told him like I was like, and I got him and uh, I just kind of knelt over the deer and I thanked him for his life and uh thanked him for, uh, you know, the meat that he was going to provide our family and uh, yeah, I was just pretty high emotion. And then I probably, after all, my friends had gotten there, my, uh, my wife and kids and things like that, things kind of settled down. And then I was, you know, I was just more more happy than sad, but it was good to just like think about my dad being there with me and, yeah, it was very memorable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dude, I believe it. Your story gave me shivers. I love it. Yeah, I also love that you went around town with your tailgate down and just showing off to your friends Like that's, yeah, that's good, especially if you're that big. Send me a photo of that thing when we're all done here, because I'd love to see.
Speaker 2:I will yeah, and then my uh, one of my buddies that I worked with, um, you know, I checked my trail camera and I'd be like, hey, I got him on camera again or whatever, and I'd show it to him. And then we him and I had talked about it, um, I was a teacher at the time and we talked about it like all the time he's like you're gonna, you're gonna get that deer, are you just going to talk about him? So it was cool to pull up to his house and show him what he looked like in person.
Speaker 1:That's awesome man, what did you teach? I taught PE, okay, very cool. My mom was a teacher. My dad started as a teacher and then worked his way up into the school district. So noble profession. A lot of respect for people that do that. Kids are a pain in the ass. The school district.
Speaker 2:So noble profession. A lot of, a lot of respect for people that do that. I yeah, kids. Kids are a pain in the ass, so there's a lot of good ones too, though.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of great kids, a lot of great teachers. So good on you, man. All right man.
Speaker 2:Well, what else you got? That was a fun one, yeah. So yeah, the following year deer season rolled around and you know I wasn't excited for deer season because I'm checking my cameras and I'm kind of at the point now it's like if the deer is not really mature then I'm not that excited about it. It's like I've shot smaller deer, but once you put your hands on a buck, like the one I got in 22, there's nothing like that feeling.
Speaker 2:And not that I don't hunt, I'm not. I mean, I don't hunt just for trophy, I hunt for the meat as well. So usually, like with my bow or whatever, I'll try and shoot like maybe a, I'll shoot like a small buck and like expanded archery, which is just like hunting in city, or or like a doe or whatever, because the meat's very important to me. But then at the end of the day, like I also like the challenge of um. You know, if I can get a bigger buck, then that's what I'll hold out for and it's just like the accomplishment it kind of comes with that I really um, like that challenge how many tags do you get in maine in a given season?
Speaker 2:so typically you get one uh, as far as you know, you can get one buck for sure, and then you can put. You can put in for an antlerless permit and then you have to specify which zone you want to be in, um, and then there is expanded archery. So if you do have, uh, an archery, are you bow hunting at all? You can hunt inside city limits and they you can buy basically as many antlerless tags as you want and you can buy an either sex tag okay, there's just one of those. So they're trying to kind of keep the population down in the in the cities and uh, you know, stop the car accidents or whatnot I I wish Texas did that shit.
Speaker 1:Man, when I lived in Texas I called everybody trying to be like, can I hunt these deer? And I was like I was calling the city, I was calling the counties.
Speaker 2:I was calling game wardens.
Speaker 1:I was calling everyone I possibly could and most of them were like, yeah, no, no problem, no problem, but you should probably check with this next person. And, as I worked my way down the list, eventually like, oh actually, no, you can't. Yeah, either because, like, your property's not big enough, or like I think at the time I was asking about my father-in-law's property, he lived in San Marcos, texas, texas. You're just not allowed to hunt within city limits. No hunting, even if you own your own property and it's inside limits, you're not allowed to. And there were some awesome deer. I mean, I don't know anything about scoring whitetail, but at any given moment there were a shit ton of deer in his yard and some of the bucks were huge.
Speaker 1:His neighbor would feed them and he would shoot him with paintballs because he's like, I want him out of my yard like yeah ripping apart my garden and so I was like, hey, I know how to get rid of them. I know how to get rid of them. Better than a paintball, but unfortunately, yeah uh, main's thinking a little bit farther ahead than Texas is, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh it, I, I Maine's tough to hunt. There's a there's not a lot of, um, not a lot of deer here and there's a lot of a lot of woods and it's thick, um, so it's, it's, it's tough hunting, but I, I don't know anything else cause I've only hunted in Maine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so to me it's, it's the best but, um, you know, I know, I know people talk about out West and things like that, but, like I think some of our deer are underrated, like I, you know there's some big deer walking around in Maine and um, they're, they're hard to, they're hard to get on, but they're just different. They're know big, swampy, just nasty. They got you know cool, cool racks, uh, yeah I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, texas has so many damn deer that it just seems to me like they. They are malnourished because there's not enough food for all of them and they're just skinny, piddly little deer in most places you go to, like the high fenced areas, and there are some crazy deer, some giant deer that are, like you know, fed protein all year long. But like the wild deer, the non-high fenced deer, they don't. They don't look healthy. And I lived in this one neighborhood and there would, like you know, anything happened to any deer you know, on the the neighborhood app, everyone would lose their shit. Oh no, the deer and I'm like they're starving to death, like who cares? Let's, we should get someone in here to kill half of them. But, you know, some kid shoots one with an arrow in the ass and everyone loses their shit okay obviously some deep-rooted wounds here.
Speaker 2:We'll move on all right, uh, yeah okay, what else you got, man?
Speaker 2:yeah, so in 23, uh, like I was saying, um, I wasn't that excited for the season. I, you know, I checked my cameras. Uh, I didn't have any mature deer on camera. Um, I had like maybe one three and a half year old, that was like a nine pointer, and I'm like I mean maybe I'd shoot him, but I don't like overly, I don't know, it doesn't really get my blood flowing. And then so then opening day came around and I went and hunted this oak flat and I had a camera there that I hadn't checked yet. So I pulled that camera at the end of the hunt and got home and opening day was a Saturday and I checked my camera the next day, on a Sunday, and opening day was a Saturday, and I checked my camera the next day, on a Sunday, and I had this beautiful eight-point, piebald, real thick, racked eight-pointer and he was a nine-pointer but he broke off one of his brow tines and he's probably I don't know seven-inch brow tine, something like that. Six-inch brow tines.
Speaker 1:You said piebald. I don't know if I've ever heard that word before and maybe I have, but what does that mean?
Speaker 2:so his, uh, his coat is uh like, um has a lot of white in it. Oh cool, yeah. So he just has like, uh like, patches of white in his coat, um, more than you know your regular white tail, and it's kind of like, kind of like I don't know blotchy, kind of spotty that's cool.
Speaker 1:I've never seen a deer like that.
Speaker 2:I've seen an albino one, but never, you know, it's like so it's like, yeah, so it's, uh, yeah, it just has more white in it. And um, so I, I saw him and I was like wow, that's a, like a unicorn. Yeah, uh, as far as with with the rack to match, um, I was, I was fired up at that point. I was like I, that's the one that I want to chase. And so now that I'm not a teacher anymore, I can finally take some vacation time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:Yep. So now, um, I, I'm able to take some vacation time. So I now, so that was my first year working at my new job, and so I always start my vacation on my father's birthday, november 7th. So I was like, well, I'm going to take my father's birthday off and then I'll take the week after that off as well. And I remember when I saw that deer on Sunday, um, I told my wife, I was like, wouldn't it be like insane if I shot that deer on my dad's birthday? I'm like that's, you know, that's the deer that I want. But like, can you imagine, um, if that were to happen?
Speaker 2:So, uh, wednesday rolls around and it's November 7th and I head out for the woods and, uh, I stop on that Oak flat where I pulled that camera and I sit there for a little while. I had a deer run by me and um, couldn't tell what it was. And so, um, I do a little bit of self filming. So I tried to. I like, kind of, I had gotten my camera out and I was trying to film a little bit and whatever. And then, um, I, I was like it was kind of raining, so it was just like it was really hard for me to sit. It wasn't raining bad, but it was just a like a steady sprinkle and I was like geez, it's just too perfect to not still on right now. And so I was like I gotta, I gotta move. So I packed up my things and I started moving. I checked some different spots and I got real close to a couple deer. Like I got real close to a spike horn, probably like 10 yards.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool. You just saw him and you're like I'm going to see how close I can get.
Speaker 2:Or did you show up on him at?
Speaker 1:10 yards.
Speaker 2:So I saw him run and then he kind of like came back through. I think there was a hot dough in the area, so he was just like smelling the ground. And then he kind of came up to me and he's like looking at me and I'm just like looking at him and he's kind of trying to figure out what I am. And then I'm just like I kind of pulled up my rifle and I was just like, geez, I could just smoke you right now. I'm like, but I'm like, but, uh, come see me in a few years. Um, so he, he ran off and it was just pretty cool to be that close.
Speaker 2:Then I walk into this kind of little cedar swamp area and I'm looking down at the ground because it's kind of palled up and it's not a, it's not a scrape, but it's uh like a trail and I don't know kind of like what they were using it for.
Speaker 2:But I'm just kind of checking it out.
Speaker 2:And then, um, I, I take a glance up and there's kind of like I'm looking at this edge and it's uh kind of a like a cedar swamp. And then it's with a um, more of a fresh cut, a couple year old, couple year old year old cut and I see, um, I see deer like a deer movement through some of the brush and I look and I can see the, the white spots and it's uh on it and on its hide and I'm like that's, that's, that's him, and I called him the white buck just because he is, you know, his white in him. So I'm like, oh, I'm like there's the white buck and I'm like, so I'm thinking all this in my head and he's got his head down and he's kind of like feeding along and I, I just shoulder my rifle and he steps into uh, uh, and this, this is literally 10 yards max and I put it right on his uh shoulder and I shoot and he runs off, like you know, shot out of a cannon. I quickly jack another one in and I shoot and I hit him again and right there he just nose dives into the ground and I'm just like, holy, he just the deer just died right in front of me, at like now he's at like 30 yards and.
Speaker 2:I'm just, I don't know, on my father's birthday and so unreal. And I, uh, so I, I just call my buddy Jason and I'm just like, hey, uh, I just shot that white buck that we just talked about and he's like no way, and like I'm like trying to call my buddies and kind of trying to call my brother and trying to call my wife. She's at work and like, you know, it was just chaos and I'm just like, but we're, we're deep. I'm deep back in the woods, like, uh, I don't know, it must have been at least a mile, like it was pretty far, yeah.
Speaker 2:And so I'm like I don't know how I'm gonna get this thing out and uh, so, yeah, it was just unbelievable to walk up on him and see his rack and he had buried one of his antlers into the dirt and uh, so I got to go, you know, took some, uh, took him out and just kind of again, I always try to my dad always said, you know, make sure you thank the deer. So I always you know, that's one thing that I always try and do and I just kind of kneel down over them and, you know, say like a little prayer and just, you know, thank you for you know, giving your life for for me and, um, you know, and kind of thank my dad for being there and so, yeah, trying not to get emotional about it now.
Speaker 1:Really, dude, it's awesome first off, I want to ask if your dad will go hunting with me. I want to ask, I mean, did you have much success? I I mean, I don't want to be insensitive, but did you like, did you have a lot of success before your father passed away, or was it, like you know, once he passed it was he just there in spirit and just all of a sudden you started crushing it Cause uh, these are great stories, they're really cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh. So my first, my first year, deer hunting six pointer just a two and a half year old six point, like pretty I don't know. Pretty good, first year I thought, yeah, um, I back then I didn't know anything about big bucks really, or you know that there was really such a thing. I just hunted and didn't really really care. I was just out trying to learn as much as I could cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was just having fun and I'm still having fun.
Speaker 2:I just try to uh challenge myself a little bit more, um and then, like my, go ahead go ahead, yeah, and then, like my second year, I shot a. I shot a spike horn the last day of the season. Um, same, probably the same deer I passed up the first day of the season, um, but it's just like, at the end of the day it's about getting some food for the free for me. So, but I mean, if I can hold off for a bigger antler deer, I will.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I've shot in deer every year since I've started, but the last three years I've really done well as far as, uh, mature deer okay yeah, cool man, I I like it and I also love that you kind of put your plan together around your dad's, that he is definitely still a part of your hunt. I think that's a pretty, pretty cool thing, like to take your vacation on his birthday so that you can get out there and do it.
Speaker 1:You're not. You're like hey, this isn't about just me, this is about my connection to my father and it's really important to me and it's it's rewarding you, which is even cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. He means a lot to me and, um, like I don't know, I think about him every day. So that's awesome, that's great. And I also got the. You know I shot that white buck with with his 308.
Speaker 1:So oh cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you shot both of the last two bucks. With two of his guns you shot both of the last two bucks with two of his guns. Well, the other one was my father-in-law's gun that he gave me Yep, so yep, but yeah Okay.
Speaker 1:Very cool, so yeah.
Speaker 2:Yep, so that was an awesome deer. I think if he, you know, had both, if he had his brow time, he probably would have been in the 150s also. Yeah, like another really solid. I did. Yeah, I got him as a. It's like a. I think it's a pedestal mount.
Speaker 1:Okay, so a little bit farther back, so you can see a little bit more of that that.
Speaker 2:What the whiteness Yep, and then I also wanted to display the the back of the mount, so that um cause I wanted to do a tribute to my dad on it, so Love that man, yeah.
Speaker 2:So so on the back I got a plaid backing and um, in Maine, if you shoot a deer over 200 pounds, you uh get a biggest bucks of Maine patch. And so my dad used to wear his biggest bucks of Maine patch on his plaid jacket. And so, instead of having my biggest bucks of Maine pat, I have a biggest bucks of Maine patch on that deer on the back of it. But instead of biggest bucks of Maine, it says happy birthday, dad. 11, 7, 23.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, that was cool. I'm assuming the two bucks you've talked about at least one of them was over 200 pounds, so you have your own patch.
Speaker 2:I didn't have my own patch yet. No, so funny enough, both of those deer weighed 177 oh huh and I don't, I didn't, I don't know if there's any significance to that or not, but nothing that, uh, I could think of that's crazy they both weigh the exact same amount yeah, huh so now you need to go find yourself a chonker so you get yourself a patch man I know.
Speaker 1:Find some old, beat up deer with a small rack, but just plenty of meat on them yep, so that'll bring me into my next story, actually.
Speaker 2:Oh, there we go, let's do it. Yeah. So, uh, this past season, 2024, um, I I had this one spot that I bow on it, um, and I had a pretty good buck on camera. I was like geez, he's pretty fat and he's got a big old rack. Uh, I think he's probably like closer to 10 years old. He's got a nice big, wide rack, but, as you can tell, they just kind of starting to go the other way. And, um, kind of starting to go the other way. And um, I think I had a run into him, running with him during archery season. I had set up in a spot, like on a point that was close to, uh, another little island that I thought he might be betting on. And, um, just like five minutes before the end of legal, I hear a deer get up out of its bed and I'm like that's probably him and he's walking. You know, like mature deer walk, like they just, you know, take a step and they wait and they take another step. You know, they're not everything around them.
Speaker 2:They're just watching, looking smelling yeah yeah, they're just like taking their time, they're not, like you know, in a hurry at all and and so he gets up I assume it's him. I never got to lay my eyes on him. So he gets up past where I thought I could see. I draw back and I go to shoot and I stand up and I look over the thing, but there's this blowdown and I can't see anything. And at that point it's like whatever, if legal ended at 7, it was probably 6.59. I couldn't see anything and at that point it's like whatever, if, if legal ended at seven, it was probably 659. I couldn't see like anything, I couldn't even so. I was just like, oh. And then I could hear like something. I could see her, just like, walking away, and I'm like dang, that was probably my, my only chance at him.
Speaker 2:So then, um, fast forward to, uh, uh, november 13th. I was like I hadn't hunted that spot since I um, bow hunted that night. So I was like I guess I'll go try there, I don't know, um, rather than my usual spot. So I went out there and it was supposed to be really windy. So I was like, oh, this is great, I'll like, I like to walk, I can't sit still very long. So I was like, oh, this is great, I'll like, I like to walk, I can't sit still very long. So I was like, oh, I'll get to move around and whatnot.
Speaker 2:So I went to this big swamp and I stood on the edge of it and it was really calm. I was like, geez, I can't walk. If I do, I'm gonna blow everything out of here. You know, it's like one of those really cool mornings where it's probably below 30 and everything's crisp. So you step on a leap. It sounds like one of those really cool mornings where it's probably below 30 and everything's crisp. So you step on a leap. It sounds like it's, you know, breaking glass and, um, so I stood on the edge of the swamp and I let out a grunt and then I let out another grunt and then I let out.
Speaker 2:After that I waited a little bit and let out like a slightly longer grunt. Then I let out. After that I waited a little bit, let out like a slightly longer grunt and then, um, that was kind of my sequence and then off in the distance I could see a movement on the edge of the swamp and it's uh, I know it's a deer and I'm like, oh, uh, sweet, there's a, you know, there's a, there's a, there's a deer there, at least. So all of a sudden, through the swale grass, I see antlers coming and he's coming right for me and I don't have my binos. So I'm looking through my scope and I'm like, oh, that's the big one.
Speaker 2:I just called him Piggy because he was so fat.
Speaker 2:I try to name him based on something that is pretty obvious, like oh, yeah, piggy, because he's fat, or like white, because he's got white patches.
Speaker 2:So I'm not really like crazy into naming them, but like, if I have a couple good ones, I do try to think like, oh, that's, that's the one, yeah, just to identify him.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, he just kept coming right to me and, um, I didn't have a lot of cover, so I was kind of a little bit nervous and and he, like he was going to come right for me and he stopped right on the edge of this little tree that was growing out of the swamp there. I don't know what kind of tree it was, but I raised up my rifle. I was like, jeez, I think I got to shoot now, because if he sees me he's gonna, he's gonna run off, and so. But at that point I kind of had him with his pants down, because he's in the middle of the swamp and you know, I got wherever. Whatever direction he goes, I'm going to be able to follow him with my rifle. So I aimed right for his neck, right where the brown meets the white, and I was, like you know, I've never taken this shot before. It's not really a shot that I like to take.
Speaker 1:What's his angle on you?
Speaker 2:Is he broadsideside, quartering towards? He's slightly quartered towards me, okay, yeah, and he's he's looking around for whatever, whoever was grunting got it, and uh, so it's just his head's moving and uh, so I've got it right on the point of his neck there and I'm like geez, if I hit him right there he should drop. But you know, that's all I've, at least what I've heard from other hunters who've taken this shot. So I pull the trigger and he starts running. I'm like, well, I must have missed him.
Speaker 2:So then, um, I pull my rifle up again and he's running and I fire again, and then he's, he continues to run and I fire one more time and then there's like a little ravine, uh, where the stream kind of like runs through the swamp and I can't see him anymore and I'm like he either got down into that and then cleared the other side and went into the woods, or he's down, I don't know. And in that moment, you know, everything's kind of crazy. You're just like, you know, is he down? You don't know what to do, like should I run up there, like so, and it's like the swamp is hard to move through, everything's soft, um, so I just I had one bullet left, um, and so there's. Another lesson that I learned is that I need to start carrying more ammo with me, rather, rather than just the four shots that I put in my uh, my magazine. So, whatever, I run up to him and then all of a sudden I see his neck like swing up.
Speaker 1:Oh no.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm like, oh, he's, he's down, but he's he's hurting. So I get down in and I go and I circle him and I come up from behind him and uh, uh, I, I put one more into his neck and finished him off and and he was done. But he, what I, what I ended up doing is I spined him. Um so uh, on that last shot I spined him, and on that first shot, I think I I think because I held my rifle up for so long waiting for him to come in that I think I hit low because I hit him in the high leg area below it. So I think I was just holding my rifle so long and a little bit of buck fever, which I've never had, and I think I just got shaky and I made a bad shot on the first one. But I'm glad that I was able to hit him again because he wouldn't have lived with that leg injury. So, um, so yeah, I put him down and uh, geez, he, he smelled awful Like just one of them.
Speaker 1:That's piggy man, that's piggy for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just one of the worst uh run at bucks that I've ever been around. Um, just yeah, crazy smell. And then when I looked at him, he he kind of had like one of those big like roman noses and I just uh, I've never seen a buck so big in my life in person. I I was like this is a 300 pound deer on the hoof. I'm like this deer is absolutely massive. Um, I bet standing up I wouldn't be surprised if the top of his back came up to my shoulders, like he's. You know, I'm not a big guy but I'm, you know, five, nine, five, ten, and uh, like his back legs were so long, uh, his body wasn't like crazy long but it was. It was fairly long but just like his thickness from like his uh, it looked like his ears went to his shoulders, his neck was so okay, that's a good description yeah, like, yeah, like, like a hunchback like his.
Speaker 2:His neck was so big um, I think his neck ended up measuring 26 inches around, okay, so did you, did you weigh him?
Speaker 1:I know you're still in the midst of the description, but I'm curious. Like what did he weigh?
Speaker 2:uh, so. So when we we we had to, we dragged him with a jet sled and uh and whatnot. And like I was like you know, do you guys think he's gonna go 200? And everyone's like yeah, and I'm like I think he's gonna go 200 too. We're pulling him on the jet sled. And then we took him out of the jet sled to try and just like to get a picture with him and we could barely like we struggled to pick him up. Yeah, so we got him to the weigh station. He ended up weighing 225.
Speaker 1:Hell yeah. So let me ask you about that. So the main bed box club 200 pounds. Is that with guts in or guts out?
Speaker 2:Guts, out. Okay, yeah. So no heart, no liver. Yeah, no guts.
Speaker 1:Okay, and so when you weighed him, was he guts in or guts out at that point?
Speaker 2:Guts out Okay.
Speaker 1:Hell yeah, man. So where the hell is your patch?
Speaker 2:There we go.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm talking about. That is pretty cool. So who is that? Is that run by like your Fish and Wildlife? Or who puts that together?
Speaker 2:It's the main sportsman that does it. It's like a magazine.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's cool, I like that magazine.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's, that's cool. I like that. Yeah, yep, so I I got my own patch now and, uh, I have my dad's old patch, so I think I'm gonna have that sewn on my jacket now because I feel like I've earned it.
Speaker 2:So yeah, that's before I was like before I can't really sew it on my jacket because I'd be a phony, yeah. So now, now, um, I got my own, uh, my brother's got one too, so, yeah, it's pretty cool. And, um, yeah, that buck was just, uh, I wish he could have seen it in person. He's just massive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you have photos of that one too? Yeah, I want to see pictures of all of your deer. They're all very interesting yeah gosh, I wonder what other states have cool things like that, like not necessarily antler size, just like animal size, like you got yourself a chonker, like, and they give you a little patch for it, because I think that is really cool yeah, I think new hampshire might, but yeah uh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think they have a biggest bucks uh club possibly, but, like I said, I've only hunted in maine. I thought about going to new hampshire last year because I I had tagged out on uh the 13th there, but I decided not to. Just whatever thanksgiving rolls around, and then you're. You know, I'm all about my, all about my.
Speaker 2:I got two little girls there you go bud, so I try to spend as much time as possible with them. Like hunting's my one of my passions, but you know, family's always first for me and so, yeah, if I'm not hunting then I'm probably with my girls.
Speaker 1:That makes sense. That makes sense. Same same man. If I'm not hunting, I'm with my family, for sure. I think you told me you had three solid stories and a bear story, so I think we got we hit them all, or you got any more for us? Yeah?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's, um, those are my three best stories. And, just like you know, at the end, tying in that last year, just like you know, I'd always wanted to get a big buck patch like my dad had on his jacket, yeah, and so again, you know, relating it back to my dad and having him, uh, you know, again, kind of with my own patch and being able to, you know, live up to what he was able to do and, you know, also joined my brother and him and that kind of in that club feels pretty good. So, yeah, those are my, those are my, my stories that I kind of I don't know I'm the proudest of, I think.
Speaker 1:Dude, I love it. Thank you for sharing, Dan, I really do appreciate it. Man Like I've had a few folks on the show kind of like tear up a little bit because they're telling an emotional story that means a lot to them and I think that's a big part of all this. They can't always be about people crapping themselves or like running off for their pants off or something. Occasionally we just need a beautiful story about how stars aligned and you had an opportunity to do something that honored someone that's not with you anymore.
Speaker 2:So thank you, man. That was really nice. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you for having me, of course, brother, let's do this. Do you want to share any socials, any business, anything you're doing, or you just want to walk off into the sunset? Your call.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, if people want to uh follow it all, uh, my my Instagram for my personal is just uh, schaefer D Um, and then, uh, I also do a hunting show with my buddy on YouTube called the main hunt Um, so you can find us on Instagram and YouTube with that. We actually have a story up on called the dream buck, which is the, the one of that big buck I told on the in the first, uh, the first story there, okay, where I had the dream about my dad. We just called it the the dream buck, um, so you can watch that story there.
Speaker 1:I'll watch it right now, man. I can't wait. As soon as as soon as we're off, I hear I'm gonna go check that out yeah, so I, oh yeah, hopefully you like it.
Speaker 2:Um, my buddy, uh, zach, uh, does the editing and does a great job with that and yeah, we just we've kind of laid off it a little bit, unfortunately, but yeah, I think we've produced some pretty good videos and I got another good hunt on there from 21 where I shot a pretty nice buck in there, nice. Awesome man Another one I think you'll enjoy.
Speaker 1:Perfect, I'll put links to all that in the show Nice Awesome man, another one I think you're going to enjoy Perfect, I'll put links to all that in the show notes, so if anyone wants just check that out, Click on it, It'll take you right to it. Dan man, thank you again. I really do appreciate you taking the time. I know it's not the easiest to schedule, especially you East Coasters man. You guys are tough to schedule with.
Speaker 1:So so this is like I've got my work nine to five and then I got my kid time and that doesn't my kid time is kid time, then podcast time, so I'm glad we were able to make this work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you very much for having me. I'm happy to be able to share anything about my about my dad too, so hell yeah, man, hell yeah.
Speaker 1:And I have a feeling that you're going to have a few more good seasons and I bet we'll get good. Yeah, that sounds great. All right man, Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, take care.
Speaker 1:All right, folks. That's it Another couple of stories in the book. So again, I want to thank Dan for coming on the podcast, being brave, sharing his stories. Trust me, guys, if you think you got a good story, let's hear it, even if you only have one. I'm thinking about putting together some compilations of folks who don't want to put together a full episode, but maybe want to do just one.
Speaker 2:Reach out to me.
Speaker 1:I'd love to connect, hear one quick story, send you on your way. But, dan, thank you man, I really do appreciate it. Give him a follow, folks. If you want to. Again, please check out my Friday episodes and give me some feedback. If you think, hey, get minute clip of what's going on in hunting, fishing, conservation, wildlife, public lands, et cetera, then tune in. That's it, guys. Make sure you review us, you follow us and you share us with one friend. Thank you so much for tuning in, dan. Thank you again for coming on the podcast. Now, guys, get out there and make some stories of your own. Thank you.
