While reports of hunter success seemed low in the Brainerd lakes area, the annual Big Buck Challenge saw more larger deer weighed than last year.
The Big Buck Challenge came to a close across the state this week with 78 deer weighed in Baxter according to Big Buck Challenge coordinator Chauncey Hanson. In all the state, 626 deer, totaling 94,954 pounds were weighed.
And, the biggest of the bucks was shot by Chad Okeson of Perham. The 245.43 pound buck came in on Day 2 of the contest at a Perham weigh-in site.
The buck was good enough to earn Okeson the top prize, a new Central Boiler outdoor heating stove and a shoulder mount of the big deer.
Forty-three of the bucks pulled the scales over 200 pounds.
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"That makes the average deer weighed at 151.68 pounds," Hanson said. "In 2014, we weighed 574 deer totaling 90,138 pounds."
The organization also sold more tickets this year, about 2,400 total, despite dropping about four weigh stations that were under-utilized in the past.
While the Baxter weigh-in site did not show much for big buck winners, among the top 20 big does in the state, Baxter had five.
The youth range, ages 10-15, brought in 110 deer, down slightly from last year.
Contestants paid $20 to enter the Big Buck Challenge. The youth contest was also available and free to those ages 10 to 15.
Other big bucks of the contest include:
2nd- Mark Harrington, Silver Bay, 243.25 pounds
3rd- Otto Vacura, Salol, 236.81 pounds
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4th- Kevin Waage, Strathcona, 230.39 pounds
5th- Chelsey Pletschett, Fosston, 229.99 pounds
6th- Tanner Peterson, Fosston, 224.41 pounds
7th- Clay Johnson, Silver Bay, 222.22 pounds
8th- Ricky Marsh, Bemidji, 221.36 pounds
9th- Rod Stomberg, Salol, 221.31 pounds
10th- Vern Matthiesen, Perham, 220.30 pounds
