John Melchi
Posted By
Chad Lathrop
at
8/31/2009 12:00:00 AM
John Melchi is a senior administrator at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications-a world-class research facility that operates the world's most powerful computers for the elite research s
cientists. He is a self-diagnosed whitetail addict. He hunts central Illinois, western Indiana and northern Minnesota every chance he gets. In 2008, John killed two Pope & Young class bucks early in the season. A Google search will take you to Bowhunter Magazine if you want to read about the hunts. In 2009, John killed a bedded P&Y buck while he wast trailing a doe he'd shot the evening before. He's determined to kill on camera this year so check back in to see if he can get the job done.
John lives in east-central Illinois with his wife Cheryl and their four daughters--two in high school and two in college this year. John bowhunts on small tracts (1-20 acres) of private land adjacent to the Sangamon River and Salt Fork River. In a county where the archery harvest rate is comparable to the shotgun harvest rate there are numerous trophy hunters who have identified most of the mature bucks in the area. The competition to harvest one of these Illinois monsters is intense.
And last year was no exception. One of John's 2009 hit list bucks "Muley" was taken by a gentlemen from Tolono, Illinois during the first shotgun season. Muley's gross score was just north of 200. Look at that rack (and happy hunter)!
John is determined to get his first kill on video tape this year. He's partnering with Flushing Pheasants Digital Video to get the job done in HD.
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"Muley" - 2009 hit list buck |
John's 2010 Hit List
"G2"
For the Suomi Hills region of northern Minnesota this is a spectacular buck. Amazing G2s, but true to local herd genetics, very poor eye guards. If he presents a shot I'll take it. Given the low herd densities in the area, about 15 deer per square mile, and a thriving timber wolf population G2 is a real trophy. I'm not sure about his age, but given the beginning of a pot belly and tine length and decent mass I'm betting 4.5 years-of-age.
"Stump"
This buck's rack is more than 20 inches wide and the most massive John has ever seen in the field. With bases as thick as your wrist, this buck has incredible mass all the way out to the almost rounded tip of each tine. He has great main beams and is symetrical as they make'em. The temptation of a hot doe ended a 40 yard encounter with this buck in 2009. A friend, and local taxidermist, saw Stump in the field behind his house after the the 2009 season ended. Stump is first on the hit list. Check back soon for more hit list bucks as John begins to pin point bucks in September.
John's 2009 Hit List
Last year John killed two Pope & Young class bucks early in the season —he took both from funnels leading to feeding or bedding areas. You can read about both hunts in the October issue of Bowhunter Magazine. John, an aspiring outdoor writer, is in the process of putting together a 2009 hit list to document the bucks he’ll be after this fall.
The following words are John's.
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"HIGH BROW 8": This buck lives in a dank bottom land 200 yards from my eight acre alfalfa field, a newly installed woodland "pond" (CAT skid steers are amazing hunting tools!) and two of my well-placed tree stands. Hunter pressure and the are rut are likely to push him my way.
"G3": John missed this buck in 2007 - a 20 yard gimme shot. The buck's G3s are over 12 inches long and he’s pushing 170. John saw the buck last in August of 2008. Since he tagged out early last year he stayed out of G3’s haunts. He has not emerged this summer. Yet.
"MULEY": This buck’s rack looks more like a big muley than a whitetail. His rack is tall, wide, gray and truncated. He’s pushing 190. John has seen this buck several times this summer, but it was too dark to capture on camera. Several local hunters are also after Muley.
"3 BROW": These three have brow tines 10-14 inches tall. Looks like the two eight-pointers are the offspring of the larger ten-pointer. Getting them on tape is a challenge due to lighting conditions (they don’t emerge until after dusk - sound familar?). These three have unique racks that any bowhunter would treasure.
