Eau Claire man shoots 23 pt Buck
A local man comes face to face with a legendary deer and walks away with a 23-point trophy.
Ben Spanjers has been bow hunting for twenty years and on a night when the wind was just right, he came face to face with the “Hokah Legend.”
"He kind of busted me. He knew I was there but he didn't know for sure. He looked right up at me, but by that time I was at a full draw and I was lucky enough to get a shot off."
Spanjers says he waited until the next morning to find the buck, and is still shocked at the size.
"We actually had it scored by a certified scorer in La Crosse. He came up with 230 and 5/8. That's a green score gross, and he ended up netting 223 and 6/8."
Even with such a big trophy to brag about, Spanjers is still modest about the monster.
"It takes some luck. I'm not going to sit here and say it was all skill that's for darn sure. But I did some right things and I did some wrong things in the past and it finally worked out for me."
Spanjers says the best part about the entire experience is sharing the memory with the people closest to him.
"Overall it's been just wonderful. My friends and family have been just awesome through this. I always say if you can't celebrate something great in your life with people that mean a lot to you, it really doesn't mean much of anything."
Even though Spanjers has shot perhaps the buck of a lifetime, says he still plans on spending his week off in the woods.
"I'm off until next week. I'm going to get out early next week and try to get a couple does to fill some tags, put some venison in the freezer."
Spanjers shot the "Hokah Legend" on his father-in-law's land in Hokah, Minnesota, just south of La Crescent, across the river from La Crosse.
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