Two Cousins Take Monster Wisconsin Bucks on the Same Day

By Travis Faulkner

Published

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Sometimes when you're still young enough to believe in the impossible, that mythical whitetail monster will actually step out of the shadows and offer you the shot of a lifetime. This is exactly what happened to a couple of young hunters in Sauk County, Wisconsin on a family farm during the November firearm season. Here is the amazing story of how these two girls took incredible bucks on the same farm on the same day. Pictured Kayley Raasch (left) and Heather Powell (right).
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For the most part, young hunters really don't know (or care) what it takes to produce trophy-class headgear. They're typically not hung-up on inches, record-book measurements or scores. First-time deer hunter Kayley Raasch, 12, and her 16-year-old cousin Heather Powell, were definitely not worried about tine-length or inside spreads when they hit the woods last month. However, both girls were extremely excited about the opportunity to chase whitetails with their family.
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During this particular hunt, Kayley Raasch (pictured) sat with her father Steve on a hillside that overlooked a patch of open hardwoods in between two fields. It wasn't long before she picked-up some movement and spotted two really good bucks.
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At the time, Kayley's father was sitting below her and was unable to see all of the action. With a calm voice, Steve coached his daughter through the nerve-racking shot process. He told Kayley to pick out the larger buck, control her breathing and steadily aim the rifle.
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Following her father's advice, the young hunter placed the scope's crosshairs on the sweet spot of the bigger buck and slowly squeezed the trigger. The crack of the .243 rifle and impact of the bullet caused the buck to jump and trot off a few yards.
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After being reminded to cycle the bolt, Kayley took a fast follow-up shot, which knocked the buck to the ground. When they walked up on Kayley's first downed deer, Steve was blown away by the size of the buck. It had an impressive palmated rack with 18-points and another one that had been broken-off. The photo is a trail cam photo of her deer. "I was probably more nervous than Kayley during her first trip in the woods. As a father, you always worry about how your child's first hunting experience is going to be and you really want everything to be safe and enjoyable. To be honest, I never dreamed in a million years that my daughter would take a buck of this caliber right off the bat."
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Across the farm, Kayley's cousin Heather Powell was about to have a close encounter with another amazing whitetail. Over the past few years, Heather had already taken a few deer with her father and she wanted to do everything on her own this season.
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She selected a setup along a field edge and waited for daylight. As luck would have it, someone on a neighboring property jumped this massive-racked buck and ran it directly toward the anxious young hunter.
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Within only a few minutes, Heather was able to follow up her cousin's unbelievable hunt with a second Wisconsin giant. What are the odds that two bucks of this caliber would be taken by two cousins on the same farm and on the same day? Heather's buck carried 17 jaw-dropping points, but had three broken tines that would have made it a 20-pointer. Pictured here is another monster buck from the family farm.
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According to Steve Raasch, the entire family has been practicing quality deer management on the property for the past 10-years. In fact, Steve was also able to take a really nice 10-pointer on the property this year. "I had actually been passing on smaller bucks for the last three years," he says. "As a family, we agreed not to shoot young basket-racks on the farm, especially if the bucks had less than eight points."
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Kayley and Heather have surrounded by deer hunting culture their entire lives. Here they are in 2006 with a big buck.
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While the family cares about quality deer management, they're not obsessed with B&C scores. Steve didn't get either of the girl's bucks scored yet, but in the end, inches don't matter. It's obvious that both deer are incredible trophies in their own right.
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Obviously, all of the hard deer management work paid off (these are the bucks taken on the farm during the 2010 season), but it might be a little while before another family member is able to top this year's incredible season. Congratulations Kayley and Heather on two phenomenal whitetails! By the way, be sure to let me know if there is room for one more hunter next fall.

Kayley Raasch and Heather Powell doubled on two incredible bucks during the Wisconsin gun season. They got their deer at the same farm on the same day. Here’s how.