The hunter who shot the biggest deer entered in the “big buck night” contest and festivities hosted by Dick’s Pour House on January 14, was also celebrating a birthday of sorts.
“I didn’t realize until after I shot my deer that this was my 50th deer season,” said Al Steimel of Suttons Bay Township, who claimed first prize in the firearms division. “I thanked my dad, who left us the property, and dad’s friend, who taught us how to shoot deer. And the third person I thanked was Mike Borkovich, who taught us not to shoot all the deer.”
Borkovich, who was in attendance, was a leader among a group of hunters from Leelanau County who successfully petitioned for quality deer management rules requiring harvested bucks to have at least three antler points on one side. Now the county sheriff, Borkovich was a conservation officer when the rule was put in place.
Bucks were entered into firearm or archery divisions. In all, six contest entrants split up the contest money, which amounted to less than $150 for the top prizes.
Really, though, people came to hear the stories, and each winner was allotted microphone time to tell how they tagged their big one.
Daryl Couturier of Centerville Township, known to be a tad long-winded with his whitetail tales, took second place in firearms division. He and his son, Cody, saw seven small bucks on the opener.
Couturier relies on prayer to bring him venison, but didn’t want to press his luck in 2022 after a long run of success. So, he held off praying — and came up empty handed.
He changed strategy this fall, and so he was not totally surprised when one of the does Cody texted was headed toward him turned out to be a 10 point.
“I texted Cody and said, ‘It wasn’t a doe,’” Couturier said.
Steve Brett of Elmwood Township, who has been hunting from a wheelchair for several seasons after surviving cancer, shot an eight-point on the second day of the Liberty Hunt that fetched third place in the contest. After not seeing a deer after 13 hours on the stand, he switched locations only to have a big one show up the next morning near the stand he had abandoned. Brett went back to his original spot for the evening hunt and shot him.
“You always stick with the girl you came with,” he explained.
Among archers, Al Skeba of Bingham Township took first with an eight-point whose antlers were only partially visible through bush. “I just pulled the last steak out of the freezer that day. I didn’t really care. I just needed some meat that day,” he explained.
Marsha Vingsness of Leland Township placed second with an eight point that died at the bottom of a steep slope, requiring the help of a tractor to retrieve.
And Travis Nelson of Centerville Township placed third with a 10-point that also needed a machinery boost to get in the barn.
“My wife and I went to lift him up. We couldn’t get him off the ground. I told my wife, ‘We’re getting too old for this,” Nelson said.
Dan Cermak shot the biggest buck measured that night on property his family has owned for generations in Leelanau Township. Cermak, who was not entered in the contest, downed the buck on Nov. 16.
“We had pictures of this guy on our property, so we knew he was around, but nobody had seen him for a while,” Cermak said. “I didn’t realize what he was until I walked up to him. He’s the biggest one we’ve ever shot on our property, and the biggest one I’ve ever shot.”
In general terms, bucks brought to the contest appeared larger than previous years, veteran hunters said. Included was Lennie McNeil, a past winner.
“They seem bigger. Which is what you would expect after having light winters so many years in a row,” McNeil said.
