Hunter: Corey Kalinowski
Season: 2025 MN Firearm Season Zone 224 (shotgun solely)
Date: Nov. 10, 2025
Rating: 206” (gross)
There have been simply 5 shells in a field when my dad handed away 10 years in the past in September. When my mother handed me his gun case, I opened it up and seen a field of Federal 12-gauge slugs ready for use.
Looking has lengthy been part of the Kalinowski household, and I’m endlessly grateful for all it’s taught us and offered for us. We referred to as my dad by a nickname, “One Shot Ski.” For each bullet he shot, there was all the time some form of recreation to indicate for it. He was an unimaginable marksman, hunter, subsistence gatherer and butcher.
To honor him together with his closing field of slugs, I vowed that first season with out him to make all 5 bullets depend. My aim was to spend them solely on distinctive, particular and memorable hunts.
This yr, a reasonably particular deer confirmed up at a spot I wish to hunt. I’ve used two of the 5 slugs from my dad’s gun on two different deer over the past decade. Monday morning as I prayed earlier than the hunt I grabbed slug No. 3 from my pouch and chambered it with a sense. “At present’s the day.” Now, over the past 4 years, I’ve chambered this spherical many occasions solely to take it out after a hunt, or shortly reload a unique one to shoot a freezer filler (doe) and different deer for meat and sausage.
As my spouse, Katie, jogs my memory, “You’re an optimistic hunter and fisherman. Daily is an efficient day, each spot is an efficient spot, and each solid could possibly be one of the best solid.”
Nevertheless, Monday was completely different. I had been within the stand since 6 a.m., however at 12:25 p.m. my coronary heart raced as this deer got here by 100 yards upwind of me on his toes and on the lookout for a doe. I’ve by no means seen something fairly prefer it. I believed to myself, “That is the BIGGEST deer I’ve ever seen in my life.” He was strolling instantly away from me, however now’s my probability. I gave just a few delicate tending grunts and waited … nothing! Simply his shadow slipping off to the west and right into a doe bedding space.
Twenty minutes handed, and there was nothing however rival squirrels battling and sounding like a herd of elephants all over the place round me. My coronary heart raced and sank all on the identical time. That was so cool, however was that my solely probability?
5 extra minutes handed, and my head was on a swivel. Each crack of a leaf, department, chook, and squirrel grabbed my consideration. “The place you at?” I mentioned quietly beneath my breath.
Minutes in, this second felt like an eternity.
Then, I heard a crack. I seemed into the thickest brush approaching my downwind aspect, and I noticed the flash of what seemed like an antler and a physique. “IT’S HIM!” I believed to myself.
Coronary heart racing, I scanned to verify my ears and eyes. Is that this the buck? Is that this the identical buck I simply noticed?
To my amazement, it was. I caught simply sufficient of his motion to understand it was him, however this was thick, and the ol’ monarch knew what he was doing. He’s heard this earlier than, approaching downwind to odor his solution to what he heard as a grunt. Slowly however absolutely, he made his manner nearer, however all the things was so thick.
Then he stopped.
He went from 75, 65 to 60 yards and within the thickest cowl conceivable, he stopped! I’ve no shot. The deer was sniffing and checking his potential rival, and he was locked up.
He noticed nothing, smelt nothing, and the sensible ol’ buck was carried out. He didn’t prefer it and knew one thing was up. Together with his nostril within the air scent checking all the things, he didn’t transfer something however his head and ears to decipher his subsequent transfer.
As he stepped to show round, I had a 55-yard shot quartering away at his vitals — a small window of alternative. The protection got here off. I took purpose and made the shot, doing one of the best I might with the nerves I had. BOOM! The second was carried out, and “shell three” was spent.
A second I performed again in my head for the subsequent practically 24 hours.
I climbed down my tree, investigated the shot, replayed the state of affairs, and it wasn’t ultimate. There are occasions you shoot and really feel good, and occasions you shoot and don’t. I doubted the second and backed out. “When unsure, simply again out.” — Dad
My intestine was sick. Did I blow it? Did I miss? Did I mess this up for everybody? Not simply me, however each hunter I owe the mutual respect of doing my greatest to make the shot depend.
I referred to as just a few shut searching associates and requested for recommendation based mostly on what we had, and determined a monitoring canine the subsequent morning was our solely most suitable choice.
I referred to as my brother Kyle, and he instructed me he prayed for me that morning at work. “Corey, I actually stopped working and simply prayed. Lord, ship Corey the largest buck as we speak.” A second I’ll always remember. With full religion and confidence he instructed me, “Corey, that deer is lifeless. Get some sleep and FaceTime me tomorrow once you discover him.”
I fell asleep in my son CJ’s mattress at 8 p.m. I obtained an honest sleep, and the monitoring canine was scheduled to be on the property I shot the deer at, at 8 a.m.
The monitor started shortly after 8 a.m. with a bunch prayer for knowledge, steerage and gratitude, and we have been off. A few of the earlier day’s signal on the spot the place I shot the buck obtained eaten in a single day by just a little critter of some kind. The tracker burst my bubble and mentioned, “Properly, this isn’t fairly what I believed, however let’s get this deer.” The canine took off together with his nostril to the bottom, and away we went.
One hour turned to 2, and two to a few, and my hopes have been slowly sinking. “This deer is gone. I didn’t make the shot I wanted, and he’s gone.” 5 hundred yards into the monitor and feeling sick, I prayed once more. “God, assist us discover this deer.”
The path picked again up at hour three. We have been 800 yards in, and the deer appeared to have modified his path. He was heading south after which headed right into a thick log jam to the east. My coronary heart started to race.
“He must be in right here, I do know he’s shut,” I instructed the tracker.
Shouldering my gun, anticipating a potential second shot wanted, we walked slowly. The canine was slowly working via the timber, and my eyes have been checking every bit of deadfall for suggestions of antlers or a deer within the thick.
As we walked north round a nasty pile of bushes, I glanced to my south and noticed a deer mendacity with its head down. I grabbed the tracker, whispering with pleasure, “THERE HE IS! THAT’S HIM! Is he lifeless? Ought to I shoot him?”
We confirmed he was expired, and I set my gun towards the closest tree, took off my hat, reached my hand into my pocket and grabbed the shell I had been saving.
Clinching the shell, I started to cry.
I felt gratitude. I felt sorrow. I felt happiness. I felt ache. I felt near my dad, and but so far-off. I did my greatest to absorb the second. I did my greatest to make a shot. My shot was not excellent, however the course of was.
It was humbling. I needed to ask for assist, and plenty of it. We prayed, and we have been prayed for. We relied on the Lord and put into apply all the things we had been taught over time. We did it collectively.
The method is all the time the purpose. For ten years, I’ve been saving these shells to honor my dad’s legacy, but additionally cherish the brand new ones being made. I can’t take credit score for something besides having folks round me serving to me out, praying for me, supporting me, and exhibiting up within the highs and lows.
Fins, fur, antlers and feathers come and go, however who we hunt with and the way we hunt is what we go down.
I referred to as Katie and gave her the information that the hunt was over. Three and a half hours of monitoring, and this searching chapter got here to an in depth. We picked up the youngsters from college, and we mirrored collectively on the reminiscences made this yr.
I’ve gone numerous seasons with out, and can once more sometime, however this yr we get to mirror on what’s going to almost definitely be a once-in-a-lifetime deer.
Excited to make Polish sausage, venison backstraps, and tonight we’ll fry up them tenderloins!
As a buddy instructed me, “There’s lots of meat on them bones, and lots of bone on that meat.”
Thanks, Lord, for a hunt like this.
