“Where the hell’s Mazeppa?”

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Leo’s Sports Bar

Blaze Orange Invades the Area

December 2, 2011 Filed Under: News

Jamie Warner poses for a photo with the eight-point buck he harvested during the gun season. Warner bagged the buck south of Mazeppa and will have it mounted.

With blaze orange dotting the countryside, one couldn’t help but notice that the fall deer-hunting season was well under way during the month of November.  And judging by the number of hunters spotted, both in the woods and driving on the country roads, deer hunting seems to be a big sport in this area.

Fred Liffrig, owner of Leo’s Sports Bar in Mazeppa, will vouch for that.  An avid hunter himself, Liffrig also promotes the sport every year by holding a Big Buck Contest.  For the buck contest hunters bring a photo of himself or herself, with the buck, and hang it on what’s called “Leo’s Bragging Wall.”  Their name is then entered into a contest and on Dec. 23, a muzzleloader will be given away.  Entrants must be present to win.  As of the close of gun season on Thanksgiving weekend, there were 11 entries.  However, the contest runs through the muzzleloader season and through most of the bow hunting season, so Liffrig expects there will be 20 to 30 entries by the time the contest ends.

Liffrig has a photo album dating back to 1996 that contains photos of all the entrants.  According to Liffrig, not only do hunters like to look at the photos, but “other people are interested in what was shot too.”

The contest is his way of promoting deer hunting, a sport that he has been participating in with his brothers for at least 30 years.  “It’s a pretty big part of our state industry,” said Liffrig.  “I would say it’s as big as the walleye opener.”  From a personal perspective Liffrig hunts because he enjoys being in nature, plus he likes the comradery and fellowship.  It is also a family tradition that he and his brothers are now passing down to their sons.

In fact, his 11 year-old son, Peyton, has a photo on the wall as he shot his first deer this year.  According to Peyton, he was excited, but said, “I could still shoot it.”  Peyton bagged an eight-point buck.  Because of his age, he had to hunt with an adult by his side.  Ironically, the adult was not his father it was Travis Liffrig.  “My dad wasn’t even with me,” said Peyton, “He was at basketball practice.”  Peyton acknowledged that Travis also cleaned the deer for him after he shot it.  He plans on cutting off the antlers and having them mounted.

Another young hunter has his photo hanging on the wall too.  That photo is one of Tyler Mehrkens, 10 year-old son of Jamie and Michelle.  Tyler went hunting during the youth hunt in October with his dad, his uncle and a cousin.  He shot an eight-point buck on the first day of hunting.  Tyler stated that his dad gutted and skinned it for him, and according to dad Jamie, “He was so excited when he shot it he didn’t even think about gutting it.”  Although this was Tyler’s first hunting experience, he plans on hunting again during the muzzleloader season and of course next year.  Plans include having the deer mounted.  “It’s bigger than anything his dad has ever gotten,” exclaimed Jamie.

There are two photos on the wall from the Collins family.  One of Mike, who owns First State Bank of Red Wing, Mazeppa, and one of his 21 year-old son, Michael A., who shot his first buck on opening morning of the gun season.  “He only shot once, and it was a perfect shot,” said Collins.

Collins stated that he got a 10-point, 205-pound field dressed buck during the bow and arrow season in October.    He and his son hunted in Oronoco Township and around the Mazeppa area.  Although as a bow hunter he hunts mainly by himself, he added, “It was very good to be with friends and family.”  He stated that if he or his son’s name is drawn they plan on donating the muzzleloader to a young hunter.

A photo of Jamie Warner of Mazeppa with an eight-point buck is also hanging on the wall.  Warner stated that his buck dressed out at 187 pounds and had a 23-inch spread.  He too is having it mounted and stated that it will hand beside the large buck that his father bagged many years ago.  “It’s the biggest buck I have ever harvested,” he said.  After he shot it he said, “I tried to slow my heart down,” and added, “I suffer from buck fever so it is very exciting to me.”

Warner said he has been hunting since he was 12 and has been fortunate to have three generations of his family hunt together for three to four years.  This year his son hunted with him.  “It is a something that we have passed down from generation to generation.”  He shot his buck on opening day south of Mazeppa on the Hackman property and feels grateful to them for allowing him to hunt on their property.  He also feels fortunate that he has had the opportunity to hunt with his friends, the Liffrigs and the Horsmans.

This year the gun season was longer than normal.  It started the first week in November and continued without a break, closing the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

From a business standpoint, Liffrig thought the longer season was great.  “I loved it,” he said.  He also noted that although the weather was nice, the longer season allowed hunters to take a day off if it was raining or drizzling.

Margaret Dexter, Natural Resources Specialist with the Department of Natural Resources, didn’t have a photo display, but she was a popular person during the hunting season.  Stationed in Zumbro Falls, Dexter conducted mandatory testing in Zone 602, the disease management zone.  She took samples from deer that were registered and then sent them away to be tested for chronic wasting disease.  She took lymph nodes from the neck, collected DNA samples and, if the deer were more than two and one-half years old, she took a tooth to determine their age.  She noted that the deer were not allowed to leave the zone until the results came back.  According to her, there was a three-day turnaround for the results.

As of the day after Thanksgiving, Dexter stated that there had been a total of 2,300 deer harvested in the surveillance area, with 175 of them registered in Zumbro Falls.  She noted that to date, all of the results had been negative.   – By Dori Klein

Tyler Mehrkens, 10 year-old son of Jamie and Michelle Mehrkens of Mazeppa, shot this buck during the fall youth hunt. This was Tyler's first deer, and according to his dad, it is larger than anything he has ever shot.

Peyton Liffrig (front), 11 year-old son of Fred and Terri Liffrig, shot his first deer this year. This was Peyton's first time hunting. He was accompanied by (from left to right): his uncle Joe Liffrig, Travis Liffrig and Randy Schultz.

Mike Collins stands behind his son, Michael A. Collins, who bagged an eight-point buck on the opening morning of the shotgun deer hunting season. Mike also got a 10-point buck with a bow and arrow.

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