The "Lucky Buck" Story
by Dave Wheeler, developer of "Lucky Buck"1996
The "Lucky Buck" deer mineral was developed. I used the technical information used in the mineral formulations for our dairy cows in developing a mineral mix that would help deer develop larger antlers. I marketed "Lucky Buck" in Jay’s Sporting Goods and around the northern part of lower Michigan.
The response was good, but after two years tuberculosis became a real problem for our livestock producers. I quit manufacturing "Lucky Buck" at that time and was not planning on making any more.
1997 — 1998
However, I had a customer in the Addison area who had been feeding Lucky Buck for a year. He shot the two biggest bucks he had ever taken in over 45 years of hunting. He had both of them mounted and a neighbor of mine saw them and he told him about the mineral. He came to me and wanted some. At about the same time another neighbor wanted something to attract deer into his house/pond area to watch them. I made some for them and they have been putting it out ever since.
1999
The next spring, my neighbor found a shed antler near where Lucky Buck was being put out, that was an extra heavy, nicely shaped 8 point. Unknown to either of us, another neighbor found the match side to that one while disking a field 1/2 mile away. Those sheds scored an estimated 148!
2000
During the fall of bow season 2000, a tremendous 8 point was taken on the same land where Lucky Buck Mineral was being used. In the fall and early winter of 2000, the same neighbor who had found the first side of the antler sheds found one side of what looked like it could have been the same deer, only bigger but still an 8 point. After searching for 6 weeks, walking every deer trail in the area and the entire corn field, he found the match to that shed also. That pair was also very heavy and scored an estimated 165!
2001
Another year of using Lucky Buck, the neighbors were seeing what we think is the owner of both the previously found shed pairs. He was even bigger. After being videoed by a bow hunter in early October, he was shot a 1/4 mile of where the mineral had been put out. He was shot with a shotgun by Victor Bulliner on November 16th!
The End Result:
