About 20 miles south of Wausau is Mosinee, a place where deer grow big on their own. But at Prime Hunt, on their 300 acre preserve, they grow them huge.
"We do have deer that are normal size, but with the genetics and the ability to feed them and give them a stress-free life, they're able to concentrate and grow antlers," said Brian Wolslegel of Prime Hunt.
At Prime Hunt, like 300 other such preserves across the state, they offer a guided hunt.
"They just want an opportunity to shoot a deer," they said.
While their guarantees are limited, the odds of seeing one of nearly 30 deer on site is highly likely.
"It's about a three day hunt," Wolslegel said. "They're going to see deer, that's the guarantee. Do they see the deer they want to shoot? Maybe not."
A wild deer will never get this big on its own.
"A lot of people just don't get a chance to see a big buck, and when they come here, sometimes they're overwhelmed," said Russell Hanke, President of Prime Hunt.
It's through a regulated diet and a minimal amount of stress from predators that some of these deer will manage to grow larger than most have ever even heard of.
"418 inches, it had about 85 points," said Hanke. "It was four feet wide."
While this type of a hunt doesn't appeal to everyone, it does offer an experience that anyone sitting in a deer stand for days is looking for.
"It's the experience, the total package of bringing the hunt into it," said Wolslegel. "It's not just the hunt, it's the experience of coming out here and enjoying the time and meeting new people."
To learn more about Prime Hunt, visit their website here.
