Trifecta/Grand Slam – Whitetail Challenge
by Eric Hall
I was hoping for a Grand Slam in 2018! No, I do not play baseball. Far from it. In fact, I couldn’t hit a bull moose in the butt with a bass fiddle in the batter’s box. My Grand Slam goal was for whitetail deer. But with my strikeout in Arkansas, I am left chasing a Trifecta.
For a Grand Slam, a hunter will harvest four deer with four different classes of weapons in the same season. In my case that would be crossbow, shotgun, muzzleloader, and rifle. Three deer from my home state of Ohio and one in Arkansas with the 30-06. With Ohio being a one buck state, that leaves two Ohio doe harvests, an Ohio buck harvest, and one out of state. The most challenging part is that the muzzleloader and firearms seasons are short in duration. So success has a limited window of opportunity.
Another level of the Grand Slam is the Ultimate Grand Slam! This is four buck harvests with four different classes of weapons during the same hunting season. With many states having a one or two buck limit, this most certainly becomes a multiple state accomplishment. I am not sure when, or if, I will get the opportunity to attempt this but it sounds like fun to me.
The Trifecta is three deer with three different classes of weapons in the same season. I am on pace for my first ever Trifecta with a crossbow and shotgun harvest so far in 2018. My friend Matt is also on the same pace, harvesting with his crossbow and his 45-70. It looks like it is time to dust off the old “smoke pole” and get it done.
The Ultimate Trifecta is similar criteria to the Ultimate Grand Slam: three buck harvests with three different classes of weapons.
There are only six days left in Ohio to hunt with a muzzleloader. The bonus firearms weekend 12/15 and 12/16 and the four-day muzzleloader season January 5th through January 9th, 2019. Very tight windows considering the high pressure the deer have been under this season.
Has anyone accomplished our version of the Grand Slam, Ultimate Grand Slam, Trifecta or Ultimate Trifecta? If so, please let us know with pictures and dates.
You can email us at whitetailocd@gmail.com!
We would love to showcase your accomplishment on WhitetailOCD.com.
Good luck the remainder of the 2018 whitetail hunting season!
Stay Afflicted with Whitetail OCD!
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