Recent

Check Out Our Forum Tab!

Click On The "Forum" Tab Under The Logo For More Content!
If you are using your phone, click on the menu, then select forum. Make sure you refresh the page!

The views of the poster, may not be the views of the website of "Minnesota Outdoorsman" therefore we are not liable for what our members post, they are solely responsible for what they post. They agreed to a user agreement when signing up to MNO.

Author Topic: 27 Point in Welch MN  (Read 13371 times)

0 Members and 6 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Grute Man

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 2093
  • Karma: +3/-2
  • White Bear Lake
Well another monster buck has been harvested this year.  This one is a 27 pointer taken by a woman by the name of Kelly Gustafson in Welch, MN.  Here's a link and photo:

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_10959808?source=rss

If ya don't know where ya are, go back to da beginnin.

Offline sjohnnie26

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 196
  • Karma: +0/-0
Thanks for posting this Grute.  What an awesome buck.
"AIM SMALL, MISS SMALL"  -Jeff Simpson

Offline JoeFisherman

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 192
  • Karma: +0/-0
That is on h*** of a buck!  I'm envious.  But I don't see 27 points unless they're counting every nubbin on the rack.

Offline tmjhamann

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 107
  • Karma: +0/-0
 :cry: that is almost in my back yard why can't I get that lucky? :scratch:
thanks for posting that nice buck :happy1:
Troy Hamann

Offline TMT

  • Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 88
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Deer hunting/waking up in the morning.
Wow.
Great looking deer. 
<><
Catchin' fish is a bonus!

Offline Ryan

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 1013
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • Website Design
Is she on a team for the contest here?  She could almost win by herself.

Offline Mayfly

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 5689
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • MNO
Welch, Minn. / Hunter fells 27-point buck using 1-shot muzzleloader
Haul reflects interest in primitive weapons, ultimate fighting By Chris Niskanen
Pioneer Press

Article Last Updated: 11/12/2008 12:16:40 AM CST


Kelly Gustafson, 23, of Welch, Minn., bagged the buck of a lifetime near her hometown Saturday, Nov. 8, the first day of the Minnesota firearms deer season. Gustafson downed the 27-point buck with one shot from her muzzeloader rifle. An ultimate fighting fan, she named it the "Lesnar Buck" after her favorite fighter, Brock Lesnar, the former University of Minnesota wrestler who fights Randy Couture Saturday, Nov. 15 in Las Vegas. Kelly Gustafson, 23, of Welch, Minn., bagged a 27-point buck near her hometown Saturday, Nov. 8, the first day of the Minnesota firearms deer season. Gustafson said she was wearing blaze orange when she bagged the buck, but took it briefly for the picture because the clothing is bloody. (Kelly Gustafson, special to the Pioneer Press)Kelly Gustafson, meet Brock Lesnar.

Actually, the 23-year-old Welch, Minn., woman never has met the former University of Minnesota wrestling champion who is one of the biggest names in the sport of ultimate fighting.

But Gustafson shot a buck so big Saturday that her family named it after the thick-shouldered Lesnar.

The "Lesnar Buck" has 27 points, three of which were broken off in a recent fight, Gustafson said. The real Lesnar takes on Randy Couture for the heavyweight title Saturday in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas.

"I'm a huge (UFC) fan, and we went to (Lesnar's) last fight," said Gustafson, mother of a 7-month-old girl. "This buck has a lot of character, and three of his tines were broken off, so that's why we call him the Lesnar Buck."

Gustafson said she was hunting alone on her family's property along the Cannon River near Welch on Saturday morning, the opening of Minnesota's firearms deer season, when she spotted a doe running past her.

An experienced deer hunter, Gustafson said the doe was acting like a buck was pursuing it. Because it is the peak of the deer-breeding season, Gustafson knew she should look for a deer with antlers to appear near the doe.

"That's when I heard this low grunting," Gustafson said in a telephone interview, then doing her best buck-grunt impersonation.

She soon saw the buck in pursuit, and, after seeing its huge antlers through her binoculars, Gustafson decided to shoot it with her single-shot muzzleloader rifle. She brought it down with a single slug from 40 yards away.

The buck's many tines look like a small oak tree on its head. The base of the rack is so thick Gustafson can't reach her hand around it.

"It's been pretty crazy around here, with all the phone calls and text messages," said Gustafson, who shot a 10-point trophy buck last year.

She said she was using a modern muzzleloader rifle, a design based on 19th century black-powder guns, because she recently became interested in "primitive" hunting weapons. She also is an avid bow hunter. With a muzzleloader, she said, "You have one shot that has to count."

Her husband, Rich, works for the local company Robinson Outdoors, which makes deer-hunting clothing and hunting products that reduce human scent. Gustafson said there are already plans to use her picture and the buck in the company's catalog next year.

(While the photos show she isn't wearing blaze orange, Gustafson said she was wearing the legally required clothing while she was hunting and removed it briefly for photos. Local conservation officer Tyler Quandt confirmed she had been hunting legally.)

Saturday wasn't the first time her family had seen the four-legged version of Lesnar.

Three days before the opener, they saw it crossing the road near their home, pursuing does. Gustafson said her family practices "deer management," which means they don't shoot young bucks with small antlers and they manage croplands for deer. Using remote cameras, they have seen other large-antlered bucks on their land — including one they call "Big Boy" — but the Lesnar Buck was a surprise visitor.

No one else in the neighborhood had ever seen it.

"He just came out of nowhere," said Gustafson of the buck, which scored a preliminary 202 5/8 inches using the Boone & Crockett measurement system. The final score can be taken after a mandatory 60-day drying period.

While the rest of her family hunted other parts of their property Saturday, Gustafson climbed her stand alone about 5 a.m. and waited to see a deer — maybe even the huge buck named Lesnar.

After she downed the buck, she sat for a few minutes, hardly believing her luck.

The only thing that could top the hunting experience, she said, is meeting the real Lesnar.

"I saw him once, and he's a lot bigger in real life," Gustafson gushed.

The same could be said for the giant buck she bagged Saturday with one shot.


Offline BIG 6 BUCK

  • Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 98
  • Karma: +0/-0
That is on h*** of a buck!  I'm envious.  But I don't see 27 points unless they're counting every nubbin on the rack.


Anything over 1 inch counts
Minnesota Archery Prostaff

Offline thunderjohn

  • Minnow
  • *
  • Posts: 6
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • God, Family, Business
Very impressive deer and story.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Offline Fawkinnae

  • Executive Director
  • Master Outdoorsman
  • *
  • Posts: 3294
  • Karma: +2/-1
    • Fawkinnae Sportsman's Club T-Shirts
That is a terrific story and a monster buck.
Fawkinnae Sportsman's Club T-Shirts
Unique fishing, hunting, drinking and motorcycle t-shirts, caps, bumper stickers and more.
http://www.fawkinnae.com/
Find me on Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/6k5tkvv

Offline stevejedlenski

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 614
  • Karma: +0/-0
good looking deer, suprised nobody has said that about the hunter
my wife said it.... im OFFICIALLY ADDICTED to MNO!!

Offline tmjhamann

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 107
  • Karma: +0/-0
Troy Hamann

Offline Mayfly

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 5689
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • MNO
Alright Guys!!!!

Its time to show Kelly some MnOutdoorsman love and vote her 2008 Miss Minnesota Deer Opener!

If we are nice I'm guessing that Kelly will pay MnOutdoorsman a visit and teach all of us how its done!  ;)

Vote Here:

http://kdwb.com/pages/dave.html?feed=234521&article=4535019

Offline Mayfly

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 5689
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • MNO
And congrats on the awesome deer!! :happy1:

Offline Auggie

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 1133
  • Karma: +7/-1
  • Start'em young
    • www.wallhangerstaxidermystudio.com
good looking deer, suprised nobody has said that about the hunter
What deer Steve? ;) ;D
Shane Augeson
Wallhangers Taxidermy Studio
9040 40th St NW
Milan MN 56262
www.wallhangerstaxidermystudio.com
320-269-3337

Offline stevejedlenski

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 614
  • Karma: +0/-0
i voted shes in 2nd as of right now
my wife said it.... im OFFICIALLY ADDICTED to MNO!!

Offline gusto17

  • Posts: 1
  • Karma: +0/-0
DATE: November 8th 2008 7:00am
WEAPON: TC Omega Muzzleloader
POINTS: 22 scorable points, 27 Original points
GREEN SCORE: 204 6/8
WEIGHT: 200lbs
TAKEN BY: Kelly "Otto" Gustafson

Hey Guys! Thanks for all the nice comments. I must say, I really didn't think it would blow-up so fast, but I guess shooting a deer over 200" will do that! To answer some lingering questions:
Yes- I was wearing Orange, unfortunately I used my orange vest to clean "Lesnar" off, I doubled lunged him with a 40yard shot so there was quite a bit to clean off. The sad part is, no place will let you submit a picture that has blood, or tounges hanging out! I Then just took off my orange hat to put my XLT hat on... I know, I know.... but the orange hat was not appealing without the 2 sizes too big vest!! I still have blood all over the vest if you want to play CSI and come look at it!!!!!!!!!

2nd: Yes the deer had originally had 27 points, the deer is remarkable, it almost looks like a double row of tines, unfortunately he broke off what would have been a 7" G3 and a non-typical G2 which didnt have a match on the other side so we dont know what that would have scored, so that brings it to a 25point, of those 25points 22 are scorable. I explained this to all the reporters but I'm not really sure they understood my "hunting" lingo, I sensed they didnt like a girl explaining it to them so they just told me they knew what I was talking about! Hmmmm :-)

What was the other thing I was going to share???? Oh, the reason why he is called the "Lesnar" buck is after UFC/WWF Wrestler Brock Lesnar. We spotted the deer about a mile away from our homestead on the way back from town three days before opener, not to explain this a little more in depth, my husband and I are both bow/rifle hunters. We start in September and go to the last day of December every year. We plant food plots, we set out trail cameras, and practice deer/quality manage to the best of our ability. We try really hard to get everyone around us to understand the importance of "passing" and letting yearlings grow. So we thought we knew which bucks were around. To our surprise, "Lesnar" was a ghost. We had NEVER seen him. When I saw him I instantly thought of Brock Lesnar, we had just got done talking about our plans to watch the fight and who we thought would win when this BRUTE chased a doe across the road! We sat there in awe. My new saying is, "The does bring bros from different area codes" This monster had to have been around somewhere and since my parents live on the other side of our property, we are just amazed that he has been a ghost all these years. So... we thought nothing of it... What are the odds that this deer, that we had never seen before, would land a mile away and chase a doe by MY tree. I wouldnt say they were odds, but just awesome luck!

Oh just a funny note. I dont know if any of you read the article from the Pioneer Press, but I referred to "BIG BOY" when the reporter asked me if I knew it was "Lesnar," No, I didnt know which buck it was because we have trail camera pictures of a monster that we call "Big Boy." Well Gentleman at 8:55AM this morning, a neighbors friend shot "BIG BOY" about a mile from where we THOUGHT he lived. He ran through the woods chasing a doe right to this guys stand..... I had to go take pictures, I will upload them soon! Rough score: 176" 17 points!

Those damn does must have something! They are making all the big boys fall!!!!!!!!!!!

Offline Don Stenseth

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 379
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • Don Stenseth's Wildlife Photos
Fantastic Buck!! Congratulations!
Don Stenseth's Wildlife Photos

www.sitekreator.com/donstenseth

Offline letgofishing

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 384
  • Karma: +0/-0
yeah i always drove pass there AREA all the time there great area place for hunting deer most all private lands grrrr oh well lucky for her monster buck... so Congrats.........
Daniel Rud

Offline dag1980

  • Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 62
  • Karma: +0/-0
I agree with Auggie. I didn't even see a deer in the pic, just a big ol' smile.. Congrats and a great buck. ;D
If I can Grill it, I'll Kill It!!!!

Offline antlermass

  • Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 51
  • Karma: +0/-0
Congrats! Awesome buck!

Offline bowhunter73

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 547
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Cedar, MN Member #113
Hey  Gusto17

 First of all, I would like to say  ::welcome::  and thanks for stopping at MNO. Feel free to stop in when things settle down and you have time to look around.

 With that said. WOW nice buck. Do you think it will be mounted in time for the deer classic in mid march. I for one would like to see this beast in person.

 See good QDM pays off. Good for you!
Are you a hunter or do you just kill things? Respect the wildlife!

Offline 22lex

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 926
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Photo-op
Congrats Gusto,

Hell'uva buck. If I could only talk my wife into bowhunting with me!

Great pics, and great management of deer. Like Bow73 said, QDM does pay off.

Hope to see the mount online sometime!

Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard on a cold night, she can still survive.
-WC Fields

Offline Pegg

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 383
  • Karma: +0/-0
Very nice buck.


« Last Edit: November 11/13/08, 02:33:10 PM by Pegg »
If today was perfect. There would be no need for tomorrow.

Offline stevejedlenski

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 614
  • Karma: +0/-0
notice my pic, no orange, shot that deer during rifle season. i know many people that just wear a vest and hat and those are the firtst things to come off after a kill, as well as the gloves. once you start warming up you take off the hat and the vests are never comfortable over a camo coat. looks like you have the same getup on in your pic  :whistling:
 just my 2cents
« Last Edit: November 11/13/08, 11:24:38 AM by stevejedlenski »
my wife said it.... im OFFICIALLY ADDICTED to MNO!!

Offline 22lex

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 926
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Photo-op
notice my pic, no orange, shot that deer during rifle season. i know many people that just wear a vest and hat and those are the firtst things to come off after a kill, as well as the gloves. once you start warming up you take off the hat and the vests are never comfortable over a camo coat. looks like you have the same getup on in your pic  :whistling:
 just my 2cents

I'm right there with you Steve. I also put an orange vest on over my camo, the same as Pegg and take it off when I get back for pics. They are uncomfortable!
Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard on a cold night, she can still survive.
-WC Fields

Offline Pegg

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 383
  • Karma: +0/-0
Your right I am in the same set up. It was just a thought. But it is a very nice buck. Good shot to with a single shot.
If today was perfect. There would be no need for tomorrow.

Offline Mayfly

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 5689
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • MNO
Maybe you guys should focus on the deer and not what she was wearing.

Offline tmjhamann

  • Xtreme Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 107
  • Karma: +0/-0
Tim I agree 100% with you  :happy1:
Troy Hamann

Offline Grute Man

  • Master Outdoorsman
  • Posts: 2093
  • Karma: +3/-2
  • White Bear Lake
Hi and welcome  gusto17 .  Im happy for you for getting such a great buck.  You look quite happy in your photo.  Did you get it green scored?   Will you enter it at the Deer Classic in March?  Well I gave you my vote on KDQB so I hope you win.  I really didn't see it as a competition.  You and Leznar should win hands down.  Thats funny that you named him that.  I have a friend who won't go hunting with me this weekend because he wants to stay home and watch the fight.  WHAAA!?!?!?  No way would I miss hunting for that.  Heck, they'll probably have it on up at the local watering hole anyway. 

Well enjoy your buck and the fight.  I hope you enter Leznar at the Deer Classic.  I'll swing by and say hi with my kids in tow.

Grute  :dancinred:
If ya don't know where ya are, go back to da beginnin.