There are very few things in today’s day and age that can go unanswered. Among them are: How were the pyramids of Egypt created? What does the fox really say? And possibly the most captivating, Who was responsible for letting the dogs out? This fall I am on a personal mission to answer the one question that has consumed me over the past 12 months: Where the hell is Jimmy Hoffa? Jimmy Hoffa of course is the 150” Michigan public land bruiser that showed his face for the first time two years ago. His resemblance of behavior to the labor union leader, of the same same name, is uncanny. He was in the public eye one day, and the next had disappeared. Was he taken out by the orange mafia? Is he held up in a small swamp nearby? Or did he find a female companion and skip town? Either way, this fall is dedicated to the hunt for Jimmy Hoffa.

What I know

Like in any investigation the most important piece of information is that of which we know. And in this case, that is very little. It is remarkable that a deer of this magnitude can go throughout its life without leaving much sign of its existence.

November 9, 2015- I was running late to get to my stand before day break. I had the notion that the best option was to wait until the sun had broke across the horizon, and slowly hunt my way to the stand, rather than running myself into a bad situation. About 500 yards from my stand I bumped a pair of does near a creek bed. They had bounded off, but not spooking, so I knelt on the ground near a large oak tree, waiting to see if anything would follow. Not 5 minutes later, a yearling buck crossed the creek and headed south along the thick underbrush that lined the water. Moments later I glanced over my right shoulder to see a large main frame 10pt standing not 20 yards from me. The encounter happened so quickly, by the time I had turned my body and came to full draw he was quartering away at 60 yards. While I can’t be certain that this buck was Jimmy Hoffa himself, there is a glaring resemblance.

November 15, 2016- he strolled by my trail camera during mid day. Unfortunately November 15 is opening day for firearm season in Michigan. Any mature deer out for a mid day stroll on this day, typically has his fate sealed. The only saving grace could be that there are very few hunters that are willing to fight through swamps and cross creeks to get into this area. I have stalked the local land owner’s social media pages and have yet to find any evidence that he had been taken.

January 2017- On a post season scouting trip I cut a track that seemed unusually large for the area. The track coincidentally was located in the same area I had encountered Jimmy Hoffa in November of 2015. Despite my best efforts to track it, the deer had dropped into a slough of cattails and crossed a creek, then disappeared.

February 2017- In an attempt to better understand known bedding areas, I stumbled across a large rub coming directly out of a creek bed. The area was unknown to me, but showed all the signs of a deer staging area, with lowland brush chewed at the tips of their limbs, and a distinct rub line going down into the marsh. I was unable to find any specific beds, but the deep snow could easily have concealed fall bedding. I hung a camera facing the exit of this potential bedding area. In an effort to strategically leave the area undisturbed I have yet to check the camera.

2017 Hunting Strategy

With 6 square miles of public land, to pinpoint one deer who has seemingly proven to be nomadic, at first glance seems to be an overwhelming task. But understanding the tendencies for mature bucks to stay close to their core area, has given me hope. The large track of land is both my blessing and my curse. It allots me the opportunity to move around in search of him, but with that, provides more area than I could possibly cover in one hunting season.

With more than a dozen known bedding areas, the hunt for Jimmy Hoffa has become a process of elimination. Hunting from the outside of the property and working my way in, the plan is to eliminate each bedding area one at a time. Hunting observation stands on poor winds, and moving in close with ideal conditions. It is far from shooting fish in a barrel, but the challenge, the strategy, and the unknown is what keeps us coming back. He hunt for Jimmy Hoffa is on, and once this is all over, who knows, maybe I will finally get to the bottom of who let those dogs out after all.