78-year-old hunter bags 36-point buck

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (KMSP) - A lifelong hunter, 78-year-old Jim Wackler of Howard Lake has plenty of hunting stories to tell, but this one may beat them all.

"This is something extraordinary," said Wackler.

Wackler was hunting near Waverly on Friday when he heard a deer coming through the corn field. When mighty deer appeared, he yelled at it, which caused the deer to stop and look.

In the moment of truth, Wackler told himself "concentrate on the shot and not the rack."

He pulled the trigger and caught it in the chest.

It wasn't until after he shot the deer did he truly realize how big it was.

"I thought 'What the hell have I got?'" recounted Wackler.

He told Fox 9 he had to sit down and compose himself before he started counting up the points. When Wackler reached thirty - he had to compose himself again.

The final count: 36 points.

After calling for help, he later brought it to a nearby sports shop, where he said drivers were pulling U-turns in the road to stop to look at the deer.

Wackler is planning to get the buck mounted - his first mount ever as a hunter.