Three Lakes Preserve
That’s what friends are for…
For months, I heard Rocky talking about a trip he had planned to Wisconsin for HUGE northern Whitetail. I wasn’t planning to join him because I was scheduled to be in Kansas on a Whitetail hunt of my own. When my phone rang and Rocky asked if I could make the Wisconsin trip fit into my schedule, I was shocked. He had been looking forward to this trip all year. After two trips to Africa, he just couldn’t make this trip work. After a quick glance at the calendar and a phone call to the guy I was hunting with in Kansas, I agreed to head north.
The destination was Three Lakes Preserve in Three Lakes, WI. Their website claims that they offer World Class Whitetails. I caught myself dreaming of huge-bodied, heavy-horned deer. Many places claim to have the best whitetails available, I just kept wondering if Three Lakes Preserve would be able to live up to the billing. I loaded up my gear and two of our camera people and headed north. As we neared the end of our 10 hour drive, the trees took on a radiance of their own. The leaves of the Maples had already turned and fallen, but the Aspens burned the brightest gold you can imagine. We arrived at the preserve and were met by Tom Sampson, my guide and the manger of the preserve. Tom introduced me to Roger Davenport who was the former owner of the preserve, and the contact that Rocky arranged this trip through. I also met Skip Schiefelbein who is the father of the new owner, Jim Schiefelbein. The men showed us into the lodge were we settled in to first class accommodations and a myriad of trophy mounts of incredible deer, bear, and moose.
Our conversation quickly turned to the hunt we would begin in the morning. We arrived to beautifully clear skies, but the forecast called for nothing but rain. Tom began to describe a buck he had been patterning with me in mind. He called the buck the “Picture Buck”. From Tom’s perspective, the buck was perfect for pictures and video. The buck he described was a typical main frame 10 point whose rack was so symmetrical, when he turned sideways, you could only see one side of his rack. That was all I needed to hear to sacrifice my first night’s sleep in Three Lakes. I have always dreamed of a heavy-horned, typical deer that carried great symmetry and long tines. Could this deer be the one? That was the question I pondered for hours as I laid in bed listening to the rain begin to fall.
Morning broke and I found Tom already formulating our game plan. He knew the Picture Buck had been checking does in a food plot early each morning. His routine brought him out into feasible shooting range for a brief period before he retreated to the wooded hills that fed into the food plot. With the rain, we knew good camera light would come a little later. I sure hoped the Picture Buck was running a little late this morning due to the rain. We outfitted everyone in Medalist HUNTGEAR for protection from the rain. Temperatures were a little above normal, but with the heat regulating properties of SilverMax incorporated into HUNTGEAR, we stayed dry inside and out. Once at the food plot, we set up and waited for daylight and the buck I laid awake thinking about. Just before it was light enough for the camera to pick up the action, I heard Tom whisper “Here he comes”. I looked through my Leupold Pinnacles Binoculars and saw the deer I had pictured in my mind, ONLY BIGGER. His horns were light and still carried traces of the velvet he had yet to scrape off. I was amazed at the symmetry of his rack, the length of the tines, and how he carried his mass throughout the length both main beams. His rack was so captivating; it took several minutes before I realized I was also looking at a deer that would easily weigh over 300 pounds. Now all we needed was more light and a broadside opportunity. After checking a few does, the buck settled down and grazed for a few minutes. We finally got enough light and I got a thumbs up from my wife who was filming the hunt for me. It was time to look for the perfect shot opportunity. I think the buck knew it was that time also. Almost as quickly as I decided to give up the binoculars for a view through my Leupold scope, the buck decided it was time to vacate the field. His exit route was as you would guess, straight way from where I was. I finally got my chance as he turned to a slight quartering away angle and stopped. I released the safety on my Browning A-Bolt, steady myself, and squeezed. The .338 ballistic tipped bullet found its mark and the buck dropped in his tracks. When I got my hands on his rack, I was nearly speechless. The G2’s and G3’s were all nearly 11 inches long. All 8 of the mass circumference measurements would fall between 4.5” and 4.75”. Both main beams were right at 25” and offered an 18.5” inside spread. With both split brow tines measuring over 6” and an additional 8” of little “kickers”, the Picture Buck grossed 184” and when we tried to move him we confirmed he weighed over 300 pounds. He was definitely a world class whitetail in my book.
My hunt at Three Lakes Preserve was first class in every way. Their attention to detail and willingness to customize the experience for every client is impressive. Add to that; excellent whitetail genetics, optimum nutrition, and a sound management philosophy, and it is easy to see that Three Lakes will be able to offer world class whitetail opportunities for years to come. We concluded our time at the preserve filming 3 of their other guests. Clay and Tipton Wagner are a father and son that hunted at Three Lakes last year, and Rimmer Covington is a friend of theirs from Mississippi. They have hunted together numerous times before including last year at Three Lakes. Last year, Clay killed one of two bucks that had locked horns in a classis pre-rut battle. Clay’s deer from last year scored 212 and the locked set may be the largest locked bucks ever harvested. This year, the three guests each harvested deer over 220”, but the grand prize went to Tipton who harvested a deer that scored over 243” and is now the largest deer killed at Three Lakes.
Three days before I arrived in Three Lakes, I celebrated my Birthday. After completing my hunt, I called Rocky to share the good news. Rocky said “Happy Birthday”. This trip became truly memorable. I uncovered a great place to hunt, made some incredible friends, and found out “what friends are for”.
Phil Wellin
Broadside Adventures Pro-Staff
If your interested in hunting at Three Lakes Preserve in Wisconsin. Contact them via there website at www.threelakespreserve.com
