The Opening Day 18-Point Minnesota Buck

Harvesting a monster buck is the dream of many hunters. Read how one hunter’s persistence over three years finally paid off when he trusted his Ravin R26X to harvest this elusive 18-pointer on opening day.

The buck of lore from every deer camp story finally came to life for one dedicated hunter in central Minnesota. In this installment of Ravin’s Success Stories, we speak with David Venekamp about his once-in-a-lifetime buck and the dedication it took for him to successfully harvest this legendary deer on opening day after years of trail camera encounters and close calls.

What made this deer so elusive?

I’ve been bow hunting for over 56 years, and while I’ve shot many deer during that time, none have been as big as the one I took on the 2023 Minnesota bow opener. I've been fortunate to hunt this private property for about 11 years, placing around five trail cameras throughout the land each season. This particular buck had appeared many times on my trail cameras for about three consecutive years yet no one ever saw this deer in person. Each year, I was lucky to have a camera positioned perfectly over one of his main bedding areas, capturing his beautiful rack every time he moved his head. I finally laid eyes on him in person, 10 minutes before the end of the first day of the season; I had to make the shot count.

What was the hunt and tracking process like? Did you get to share that experience with anyone?

After years of hunting experiences, I find satisfaction spending my time in the stand primarily during the second half of the day. I sat in this ladder stand in previous years and typically saw a variety of deer during my evening sits. This hunt was no different, with a few does and smaller bucks feeding in the alfalfa field and interacting with my scented doe urine sticks during a warm midwest evening. After a few hours, my opening day hunt took a turn for the best: a mature 12-point and the coveted 18-point buck strolled into my field approaching 40 yards out, calmly feeding and interacting with the others. With the end of the day coming to a close and the legal shooting light dwindling, I knew how lucky I was. More importantly, I knew how crucial my next decisions would be. After a few brief moments of calming down and admiring the size of both bucks, I grabbed my R26X and placed the crosshair on the now broadside 18-point buck and pulled the trigger. Even with the legal shooting light quickly coming to an end, I was confident in my shot and watched as the monster buck ran close to 60 or 70 yards and tumbled. 

After I shoot a deer on this property, I enjoy sending a text and a picture of the deer to the farmer who lets me hunt here. He doesn’t hunt, but still gets excited when I let him know I shot one. This year was different, though. Within minutes, the farmer was down in the woods wanting to see it for himself. After sharing a few good chats with him and taking pictures, I looked behind him and saw three more people that were friends of the farmer walking toward my buck. Before I knew it, it felt like the entire county had heard about my once-in-a-lifetime buck. It really was the cherry on top to share this special deer with so many people. 

Why did you choose Ravin and the R26X when hunting this monster buck?

For a few seasons, I used a Ravin R10 and harvested many deer with it. I decided it was time for an upgrade and chose the R26X. It was the perfect mixture of power, accuracy, and crossbow length for maneuverability in those tighter areas that I find myself hunting in. Investing in a bow like this makes all the difference when you find yourself in a situation with an opportunity to shoot a buck that people dream of. Also, after seeing what my Ravin bows have done, my son-in-law is leaning toward buying a Ravin once he gets more into the hunting hobby.

Any other comments on the hunt and/or the deer?

I am excited to say that this deer ended up scoring a remarkable net 196 (gross 201). I took the deer to the taxidermist the next day, and I was very eager to get it back since this was my very first mount. I am proud of this deer and the story that goes along with it. It has gotten my family into the hobby, provided me with awesome interactions with my community, and filled some freezers in my neighborhood for another year.