COLEMAN, Wis.— A family of hunters makes the nine-day gun deer season a family tradition. Corey Kuchta recently loaded a couple of his dogs and son Daniel Kuchta into his pickup truck to get things ready for the season.
“This year’s been a relatively dry year but it’s still going to be wet,” said Corey Kuchta.
The farm they take to has some livestock, but concentrates on grain farming. Including leased land, it covers 10,000 acres.
Corey Kuchta drove around a beef cattle pasture toward a tall deer stand that overlooked a low-lying field.
“Good deer country,” said Corey Kuchta.
His 11-year-old son, Daniel Kuchta now hunts with him as well. Despite their age difference, nothing prepares these two for the thrill of opening morning.
“There’s not many things that I lose sleep over. Just the excitement of the deer hunting and the opportunity to walk out there. To be with the kids hunting and having that buck come out and having them get a shot at it.”“Personally it’s a sleepless night before,” said Corey Kuchta. “There’s not many things that I lose sleep over. Just the excitement of the deer hunting and the opportunity to walk out there. To be with the kids hunting and having that buck come out and having them get a shot at it.”
The Kuchtas carried a ladder to one stand then drove around to another and cleared brush from a shooting lane.
“Just knocking down branches so when a deer or a buck comes out you can see it,” said Corey Kuchta. “Sometimes it’s hard to see them in the canary grass.”
One place on the property where it’s easy to see bucks, at least on the walls, is the family’s hunting cabin.
Corey Kuchta’s brother, Tom Kuchta, wanted a cabin built on the property after doctors found a cyst on his brain. Since then, it’s become deer hunting headquarters for the family.
“This is our deer hunting camp. It’s a great place for camaraderie a lot of deer stories at night,” said Corey Kuchta. “Everybody gets together here for meals.”
Tom Kuchta survived the brain cyst and currently runs the grain farm operation. The cabin he built still draws everyone together.
“Going back to the cabin with everyone and seeing everyone else’s bucks, It’s just nice to talk about how they got it, how you got yours,” said Daniel Kuchta. “It’s just nice.”
Daniel Kuchta shot his first buck when he was 8 years old. During the youth hunt last year, he got another one. Those antlers are mounted above a picture of Daniel with his father and grandfather, Eugene Kuchta.
“He’s [Eugene] now currently 84 years old and still hunts today,” said Corey Kuchta.
That picture may never have happened, without a little help.
While hunting that day, Daniel Kuchta fell asleep. His hunting mentor, Bob Laskowski, spotted the eight-point buck and woke him up.
“He was like, 'Daniel, Daniel, Daniel,'” said Daniel Kuchta.
The young hunter opened his eyes and adrenaline took over.
“I grabbed my gun and aimed for it,” said Daniel Kuchta. “I was shaking super bad and I was like, 'I don’t know if I’m going to hit him.”'
“He [Laskowski] had to put his hand right on the scope and hold it down so that he would stop shaking,” said Corey Kuchta.
With a little help, Daniel Kuchta took the buck down.
“It’s when you’re shaking that you know you still have the heart, desire and passion into hunting and the excitement that it brings,” said Corey Kuchta.“It’s when you’re shaking that you know you still have the heart, desire and passion into hunting and the excitement that it brings,” said Corey Kuchta.
And now, when the family gathers for a meal at deer camp, Daniel Kuchta has his own hunting story to share.
