U.S. Military Reserve veteran Tyler Woehlk may’ve had a tough begin to this deer season. However issues circled in January, when he tagged two huge Iowa bucks simply two days aside.
“This began out as a fairly powerful deer season,” Woehlk tells Outside Life. “I damage my again in bow season drawing on a giant 10-pointer. Then the hectic holidays. However my favourite time is late muzzleloader season and it’s been particular.”
This late season was additionally the primary time that Woehlk, a disabled Military Reserve veteran, had an Iowa Disabled Veterans Deer Tag. The brand new, either-sex whitetail tag was simply made accessible for the 2025-26 season, and it allowed him to hunt throughout any established firearm season. Which meant he had two tags to fill along with his muzzleloader.
On Jan. 2, Woehlk shot a 140-inch 10-pointer on a personal farm in Marshall County. He then moved over to a distinct piece of personal floor in the identical central Iowa county.
Looking that property two days later, on Jan. 4, it was sunny and relatively heat, with air temps within the mid 30s. Woehlk headed out within the afternoon and settled into some floor cowl close to a corn discipline with a south wind in his favor.
“I sat on a small 3-legged stool in some brush, and about 5 p.m. I noticed a doe cross a close-by farm highway,” says Woehlk, who lives in Melbourne. “The doe was headed towards the reduce corn, and never far behind her was a very good buck.”
There have been eight extra does behind the buck, all crossing the agricultural highway. He was apprehensive {that a} passing truck may spook the deer from heading into the corn, however no automobiles confirmed. Fairly quickly the buck was within the reduce corn discipline and heading into muzzleloader vary.
“He was transferring quick, however then he slowed to a stroll at 80 yards, and I put my scope crosshairs of my .50 caliber muzzleloader behind his shoulder and fired.”
He watched the hit buck run with its tail down, however overlooked the deer because it bumped into cowl. Woehlk walked to the place he shot the deer, discovered a faint blood path, then left to get some mates to assist monitor it.
It was 9 p.m. and absolutely darkish when Woehlk and his mates Jermey Ruddick and Adam Shortley returned to search for the deer. The going was powerful with a scant blood path and no snow on the bottom. However after strolling 500 yards or so, they discovered the deer useless within the corn discipline, not removed from the place it was shot.
“Jeremy discovered the buck and yelled out to me that ‘he’s an enormous’,” says Woehlk. “The deer made a giant circle within the discipline, and I believe he went to this point as a result of he was working with different deer. I made a very good broadside shot proper behind the shoulder with a 150-grain sabot bullet.”
The hunters discipline dressed the buck and loaded it right into a truck. Then they sat on the tailgate and loved the second, capping off a profitable day afield. Afterwards, they drove the buck again to Woehlk’s house, the place family and friends have been ready to see the estimated 250-pound, 6.5-year-old deer. Woehlk was particularly excited to indicate his two daughters, Natalee and Alexis.
The 14-point buck has not been formally inexperienced scored but, however a tough estimate put the antlers round 185 inches. It’s the largest deer Woehlk has ever taken.
“I had no concept the 14-pointer was the caliber deer that he was. I’m really blessed to reap such an animal and luxuriate in it with such nice family and friends.”
