- Hello, everyone, welcome to "Michigan Out-of-Doors."

I'm Jenny Ciolek and we have an exciting show to share with you this week.

If you've been keeping track over the last couple of weeks, you know that Jordan has been chasing the buck of a lifetime for this entire archery season.

Last weekend, he was able to catch up within bow range of that buck.

You won't wanna miss the footage he has to share with us.

And if you haven't seen the previous few weeks, we are gonna bring you up to date with his part one and part two of the archery season chasing after that buck.

Make sure you stay tuned for that and Jimmy's got a special tradition in store for us this week.

- Well, that's right Jenny.

The tradition is that every year in the last show before the start of the firearm deer season that we bring you the poem "Palace in the Popple" to get you excited for the start of the firearm deer season here in the great state of Michigan.

We're gonna do that and we have a great show, so make sure you stay tuned.

I'm Jimmy Gretzinger.

It's time for "Michigan Out-of-Doors."

♪ From the first spring rains ♪ To the soft summer breeze ♪ Dancing on the pine forest floor ♪ ♪ The autumn colors catch your eyes ♪ ♪ Here come the crystal winter skies ♪ ♪ It's Michigan, "Michigan Out-of-Doors" ♪ - [Jimmy] What a beautiful day in the woods.

♪ Some day our children all will see ♪ ♪ This is their finest legacy ♪ Wonder and the love of Michigan ♪ ♪ As the wind comes whispering through the trees ♪ ♪ The sweet smell of nature's in the air ♪ ♪ From the Great Lakes to the quiet stream ♪ ♪ Shining like a sportsman's dream ♪ ♪ It's a love of Michigan we all share ♪ - [Announcer] "Michigan Out-of-Doors" is presented by... By country smokehouse, a sportsman's destination since 1988, featuring varieties of homemade sausage, jerky, brats, and gourmet entrees.

Holiday gift boxes can be assembled in store or online.

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(upbeat rock music) (shells clunking) - [Announcer] At Boss Shotshells we make all our shot shells right here in Michigan and deliver them direct to your door.

(upbeat music) (gentle acoustic guitar music) - Well, it's October 5th and it is unseasonably warm, but I'm happy to be back in the tree stand.

It's like 80 degrees tonight.

Last night was like 90, so it's a little bit cooler tonight.

I'm really excited about the spot that I'm in.

This is a food plot that I put a lot of time and effort into this year and the results have just been incredible.

It's the best food plot I've ever established and it's not even close.

I have actually never killed a buck out of a food plot, so I've been doing 'em for a long time, shot quite a few does out of food plots, but never have killed the buck, so maybe we'll change that tonight.

Put a lot of work into the property this year.

Planted about 1,200 trees earlier this spring.

(engine humming) Followed that up with 11 acres of native grasses and established two new food plots as part of a bigger CRP project that we've been working on.

A lot of little things that we've done here and there, and of course, with the CRP the first year, there's a lot of maintenance so we had to mow all the grass down, which took a long time, had to do that twice.

Just a lot of work that goes into it, so maybe for the first time in my life, October wasn't something I was waiting for, it kind of snuck up on me and I'm excited that it's here.

Kind of hard to believe, really.

Everything seems to be going by so fast anymore that hardly blink and deer season's here, so really just happy to be back out here.

Coming into the 2025 deer season, I was focused on one buck in particular, a deer I knew well from the year before that I had found both sheds to and seen a handful of times leading up to season.

As the trail camera picture started rolling in, he was really the only good buck I was getting pictures of, so I focused all of my attention on him.

Well, it's October 7th back out tonight.

It's actually Jenny's birthday today, so maybe some good luck.

As you can see, I'm sitting in a blind, which is something I very rarely do with a bow and arrow, not 'cause they're not effective necessarily, I just like sitting in a tree stand, so I'm hunting one area basically for one buck and when he's in here, he tends to do the same thing, but we have a big north wind today.

We had about 20 degree temperature change and it just, the north wind makes it really tough for where he's been, so I decided I'd sit in an area where I might see him, and you never know, coin flip, he's probably not gonna walk past this blind, but he has before, especially last year.

I got some footage out of him this blind, I could have shot him out of this blind last year, so it's possible.

I don't think it's likely, but we might see him.

I was able to get in here pretty easy.

I can get out of here pretty easy and my wind's much better for this spot than the alternative, so sit tight, see what happens.

About a half hour before I ran out of light, I spotted the buck I was hoping to see on the other side of the field.

As predicted, he didn't come anywhere near the blind I was in.

However, this would be the first of several encounters I would have with him.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) (gentle acoustic guitar music continues) Well, back out here tonight, just climbed into a blind.

Not my preferred method for bow hunting, that's for sure.

This is the second time I've ended up in one so far this season, mainly just 'cause I can't get good winds.

There's a ton of northeast winds so far and it's been hot and it's just been really difficult to get to some of my better tree stands.

However, the buck that I'm chasing did walk right by this blind the last time I saw him.

So I sat here like, I don't know, six days ago, saw the big buck I've been after across the field.

Two days later, wind switch, I was able to go hunt the stand I have across the field.

He came out on that side too far away and then came all the way across the field and literally made a scrape right underneath this blind.

That was Thursday, it's Monday, so that was the last time that I saw him was Thursday night.

He was all over the place, made a bunch of scrapes, haven't seen him or got a picture of him since, but also haven't been able to hunt this area since just because of the wind, and back in here tonight, gonna need some luck, but that's always the case, so we'll see what happens.

As I somewhat expected, the big buck did make his way to the field, coming out within bow range of the stand I was sitting in last time I saw him and never making it anywhere near the blind I was in.

The next night, I was able to sneak out into that same stand, only to have him pop out in the field about 100 yards away.

A few days later, I was back in the blind, just trying to stay dry.

Well, I'm back in the blind tonight and I am thankful that I'm in here and not in the tree stand.

(rain pattering) I actually wanted to go sit in my tree with my rain gear tonight because there's a couple storms rolling through and it's supposed to clear out pretty nice in the evening.

Because the camera gear decided that I couldn't really do that 'cause it was a chance of rain, and it's currently pouring, so I am happy to be in here, hoping that this is just a small storm that blows through and the deer will get back to normal.

Actually, I saw a few deer right off the bat 'cause I got in, it was still pretty nice, and there's a wall of rain coming.

(rain pattering) Yeah.

(rain pattering continues) Yep, couldn't be a light rain.

Cat and mouse game continues.

Just stepped out right in front of the tree stand that I've been hunting him in the most.

It's like 30 yards from the tree, but it's pretty early.

It's about 5:50.

Depending on what this rain does, he could be on his feet for a while.

He's gonna have to cover some ground to get here, but definitely possible.

After pushing a few does around the field, he did end up coming my way, making it to about 50 yards before I ran out of light.

This marked my closest encounter yet, and over the next several days, he would continue to be visible and elusive, but as October came to a close, his patterns started to shift.

Once again, right in front of the tree stand where I've tried to hunt him a couple of times.

A little ways out from it this time, probably 40 yards, but every time I sit there, he doesn't walk by.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) (gentle acoustic guitar music continues) Well, back at it tonight where the whole season really started for me, sitting on a small food plot, still after the same buck.

It's been a grind.

He's been a tough deer to figure out, although I saw him a lot early in October, later in October, he's kind of disappeared, so kind of just not sure what to do so going back to some historical stuff, what he did last year.

I know he was alive as of two days ago and just kind of going off that, this food plot is kind of set up downwind of the bedding area he's been using.

Obviously, November 2nd, I don't think he's got food on his mind, so I don't think he'll come here for that, but there's a couple scrapes on this food plot.

He might come here just to check those, so I'll be as surprised as anyone if he steps out here, but gotta keep trying.

We're gonna be running out of days here.

October came and went with only the one close call, and the first few days in November, he was nowhere to be found.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) It is a windy night to be in the tree, but it's November 3rd.

I mean this week of the year, if you're a bow hunter, you wait all year for and weather is less important.

These deer are gonna be up on their feet.

If there's a doe coming in to heat, it's not gonna matter what the weather's doing, so I'm nothing, if not persistent, after the same buck that has made me look pretty foolish throughout the year.

Haven't seen him in a few days, no pictures.

Just kind of sticking with it.

Kind of looking at what he did last year and hoping he shows back up.

Just gonna keep hunting him as hard as I can, smart as I can and hope it works out.

After not seeing the buck for several days, I was caught off guard when he stepped out of the timber at less than 60 yards.

With a few does and scrapes nearby, it seemed inevitable that he'd work his way towards me.

(wind gusting) (wind gusting continues) As I prepared for the shot opportunity I had waited for all year, he bumped a doe directly away from me and eventually chased her all the way around the tree and out of sight.

Over the next few days, I was in the tree as much as possible, still waiting for a chance.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) (gentle acoustic guitar music continues) (gentle acoustic guitar music continues) Throughout the first week of November, I spent a significant portion of my time in the tree, thinking through the previous encounters I'd had with the buck, taking detailed notes on the wind and weather conditions when I did and did not see him.

I eventually came to the conclusion that he was likely using a small bedding area that I had overlooked, mainly because I assumed he was using the same area as last year.

This change was subtle, but important when it came to wind direction, and it changed my mindset heading in to the next hunt.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) Well, back in a familiar spot, but hunting it with a different wind direction tonight.

I'm starting to think that this buck might be bedded in a different area that would've been downwind of this stand the other two times I hunted it.

It's a pretty small spot, but I've seen bucks use it in the past, so we'll see.

I haven't seen him since the 3rd, but I do have some trail camera pictures recently, so I know he's still in the area.

It's also possible that, at this point in the season, I'm just starting to overthink everything, so I'll just keep on keeping on and see what happens.

As the light started to fade, I heard a branch break on the backside of the tree, and within seconds, out stepped the buck I had been chasing all year within bow range for the first time.

(wind gusting) (deer call grunts) (arrow thuds) (breath whooshing) (wind gusting continues) (wind gusting continues) (wind gusting continues) I think I just killed the biggest buck of my life.

(wind gusting continues) (wind gusting continues) I am not 100% sure, but I thought the shot looked perfect.

I heard a little crash.

(wind gusting continues) That happened out of nowhere.

It can just happen so fast this time of year.

I've hunted that buck so hard.

(wind gusting continues) Just a lot of time and effort throughout the year, throughout the season, time away from family, time away from my wife.

I just changed, I mean, it just happened like that.

I've been so frustrated the last week or two trying to figure this deer out, trying to keep things in perspective, knowing that it is just a deer, but also knowing it's the biggest deer I've ever had the opportunity to hunt, the deer that we passed up a bunch last year, hoping that he'd make it another year to get this opportunity and there's so much that goes into it.

I hope the shot was where I thought it was.

That's always a really important part for me.

(wind gusting) I can't say much more until I know what happened, (bow clicks) but I think I just killed the biggest buck of my life.

(wind gusting continues) (breath whooshing) (wind gusting continues) (gentle acoustic guitar music) I decided to stay in the tree for the rest of the night, making a few phone calls and watching the footage over and over.

By the time we went out to track, I had an entire crew of friends and family there to help.

(gentle acoustic guitar music continues) - We gotta find blood.

- I know.

Found some!

(kids laughing) - [Tracker] That's not funny.

Wait for Daddy, honey.

- It definitely, he has to be over here because the blood trail's here.

- [Jordan] Good job.

All right, keep following him.

- Professional trackers.

- Not following.

- There's a whole trail.

- Yep, keep going.

(kids chattering) - Cora, you wanna go up there?

- Go on, go on.

- Up here, here's a bunch.

- Here you go.

Go ahead, Lee.

He's up there.

- [Kid] No fair, I got a whole bunch.

- Keep following, yep, you're doing great, honey.

- I do.

- All right, keep looking.

- [Kid] I found him!

Found him!

Dad, I found him!

(family speaking faintly) - [Tracker] Oh my God.

Whoo!

- Look at this thing.

(kids chattering) Oh my goodness.

- We found the deer.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) Come look.

Good job, Dad.

- Thank you, honey.

(kids chattering) - Awesome, dude.

- Holy moly.

- Geez, a piece.

- Here, hold him up.

- Looks like he's tan.

- Hold him up so we can see him.

Why does he have his tongue out?

(family chattering) - Thank you.

(kids chattering) - Does anybody wanna- - Landon's first track job.

- First track job.

- Yeah.

Well, kind of at a loss for words.

I think we had about 25 people out here for the track.

A lot of people knew that I was chasing this buck and have been chasing him all year and just incredibly thankful.

I mean, just, I mean, a once in a lifetime.

Biggest buck I've ever killed.

Very easily could be the biggest buck I ever kill, so to get it done with a bow after a whole season of chasing this buck, just incredible.

I don't know what else to say and have everybody out here celebrating and the kids tracking the buck and this is, you know, feeling very grateful, really incredible buck, and that's a wrap for my season, so can't beat it.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) I'm incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to hunt this buck, and even more grateful for the support system around me that allows me to spend so much time in the tree.

Whether you're waiting for that big buck or looking to fill the freezer, I hope all the deer hunters out there enjoy their time in the woods as much as I do.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) (gentle acoustic guitar music continues) - Thanks for joining us this week for "Michigan Out-of-Doors."

Make sure you stay tuned.

Next week we will catch you up on everything that happened out in the woods with cameras rolling this weekend for the firearm deer season opener.

I'll be sticking close to home and hunting here in Southeast Michigan.

Actually, Matt and I will be hosting a few friends and family for Deer Camp here at our house, so we'll let you know how that goes, and Jimmy will have his camera rolling in a different part of the state.

- Well, that's right, Jenny.

I'm gonna be kind of in the mid-Michigan area near the town of Sparta and I'm gonna be tagging along with some hunters there, and from what I hear, they have a pretty cool buck pole in that area, so we'll check that out.

And now it's time for our "Palace in the Popple" poem that we bring you every year this time of the year to get you excited for the start of the firearm deer season right here in the great state of Michigan.

Good luck, everybody.

"It's a smoky, raunchy boars' nest with an unswept, drafty floor, with pillow-ticking curtains and knife scars in the door.

The smell of a pine nut fire from a stove pipe that's come loose mingles sweetly with the boot grease and the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work worn .30-30's with scratched and battered stocks, and drying lines of long johns and of steaming, pungent socks.

There's a table for the Bloody Four and their game of two-card draw.

There's deep and dreamless sleeping on bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Frank's been drafted for cook again and is peeling some spuds for stew, while Bruce wandered by in baggy drawers, reciting "Dangerous Dan McGrew."

No where on earth is fire so warm, or coffee so infernal, nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich, or where hope blooms so eternal.

A guy can live for a solid week in the same old underbritches and walk like a man and spit when he wants and scratch himself where it itches.

I tell you, boys, there is no place else I'd rather be come fall, where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf and feel like I'm bull-pine tall in that raunchy cabin up in the North in the land of the deer and loon, with a tracking snow lying new on the ground at the end of the rutting moon."

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(gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music continues) ♪ When I wander far away ♪ A dream stays with me night and day ♪ ♪ It's the road that leads to my home state ♪ ♪ I am a Michigan man ♪ Changing seasons paint the sea ♪ ♪ Like rainbow trout in a hidden stream ♪ ♪ Whitetail deer in the tall pine trees ♪ ♪ I am a Michigan man ♪ I am, I am a Michigan man ♪ That's where I'm from ♪ And I'll show you my hands (bright music)