Deer opener 2018: Buck Tales from around Minnesota

November 7, 2018 at 6:46AM
Ben Sanvik
Ben Sanvik (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Ben Sanvik, above, was armed with a light, .223-caliber rifle for his first deer hunt ever on family land in Otter Tail County. But with two well-placed shots, he downed this 8-point, 210-pound buck Saturday about 7 a.m. The buck chased a doe into a grassy field where Ben, 11, and his father, Joe, were enclosed in an elevated stand built years ago by Ben's grandfather. The deer dashed after the first shot, then turned broadside again at the field's edge. Once the deer was cleaned, father and son traveled to see Ben's grandfather for show and tell.


Mallory Appel, 13, of Wheaton, Minn., shot this 7-point buck with a shotgun early Saturday morning near her home.
Mallory Appel, 13, of Wheaton, Minn., shot this 7-point buck with a shotgun early Saturday morning near her home. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Loren Adams, who recently turned 91, bagged this buck near Leech Lake on opening morning of the Minnesota Firearms Deer Season. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Cooper Laase, 14, harvested this buck in the first half-hour of a hunt in rural Isanti County. His mother shot a four-pointer. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Ben Cederberg of Delano shot a buck near Sebeka on opening weekend. His father, Cory, shot a similar sized buck within 10 seconds.
Ben Cederberg of Delano shot a buck near Sebeka, Minn., on opening weekend. His father, Cory, shot a similar sized buck within 10 seconds. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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