Jason Manska with his 17 pointer with a 23 inch spread!
It may be a tough year overall for hunters as only 54,000 deer were registered on opening weekend, but there has been no shortage of big bucks taken. Like this one from Houston County.
Another deer was sent to us through our Facebook page, this one from Stevens County in western Minnesota, on public land too!
We had the chance to ask Jason Manske about his great whitetail:
Bret Amundson (BA) How big was the deer?
Jason Manske (JM): It was about 165lbs field dressed. 17 scoreable points, 19.5″ inside spread & 23″ outside spread
Jason Manska with his 17 pointer with a 23 inch spread!
BA: What did it score and what day did you shoot it?
JM: Shot it on the 2nd day of Shotgun season. Mid-day on Sunday, November 9th, 2014. We think it will score around 175 non-typical
BA:Did you shoot it with: bow, rifle, shotgun or muzzleloader?
JM: I was on foot in a WPA with my Shotgun – Mossberg 930 12 Ga with a Nikon scope
BA: In what county?
JM: Stevens County, MN
BA: Have you known about this deer for a couple of years?
JM: No – first time we saw it
BA: Do you have trail cam pictures?
Jason Manska with his 17 pointer with a 23 inch spread!
JM: No, we have asked around a little bit – and we have none on our camera either.
BA: Have you shot many big deer before?
JM: Only a couple of decent sized bucks – a 9 pointer with a 20 1/2″ spread in 1994 & an 11 pointer with an 18 1/2 ” spread in 1996
BA: Did the neighbors know about this deer?
JM: No, not that we know of.
BA: Tell me about the day you shot it…was it cold, windy, rainy?
JM: It was cold & windy – getting ready to storm – got 7″ of snow the following day.
BA: Were you hunting this deer specifically?
JM: Only after we caught a glimpse of him…..
BA: Where did it come from?
Jason Manska with his 17 pointer with a 23 inch spread!
JM: My wife was the first one to spot it – he was with a doe & another smaller buck under an electrical Transmission Tower – way out in the middle of a WPA. My brother went in on one side of the wildlife & I went in on the other side. He must have spooked it because it ran right to me!
BA: Was it chasing a doe?
JM: Yes, it was chasing a doe, along with a smaller buck.
BA: Tell me about the shot:
JM: 4 shots total, the first shot – he was running right towards me! I took 3 more shots broadside. Two of them hit in the vitals.
BA: Did it go far?
JM: No, about 50 yards.
BA: Did you realize how big it was before you walked up to it?
Jason Manska with his 17 pointer with a 23 inch spread!
JM: When I finally realized the size of the rack I thought, “I’ll be spending $500 to get this one mounted!”
JM: We are really looking forward to taking the rack to the 2015 Minnesota Deer Classic in March for an official score!
