By DREYMA BERONJA

Journal Staff Writer

GWINN — A Gwinn resident has shot the biggest buck so far this hunting season in Marquette County.

Shannon Koponen, wife of Marcus Koponen, said in an email that her husband shot the 14-point buck on Nov. 17 at dusk.

“He took the shot and when he went to go look for blood, there wasn’t any. He looked for an hour and a half and couldn’t find any signs of blood or hair,” she said. “When Marcus knows he hit his target, trust me– he hit it.”

After calling it a night, Marcus Koponen went out the next morning at daybreak, when he then searched for another 4 1/2 hours using a grid pattern.

“He walked a straight line for 200 yards and would move over 10 feet and walk back,” Shannon Koponen said. “He finally found his buck, and to his surprise it was a monster 14-pointer.”

Marcus Koponen entered the Rapid River Knifeworks Big Buck Extravaganza buck pool on Nov. 18 and won the top prize for the biggest buck.

According to the email, the 6 1/2-year-old buck scored at 142 inches, weighing 186 pounds with “monster hooves.”

“From what we know so far, this guy is the biggest in Marquette County,” Shannon Koponen said. “There is a really cool story about this guy. Never give up when you know you got your buck.”

He also won Baraga County’s biggest buck in 1997. The winning buck came in at 11 points and 118 1/2 inches.

The 50-year-old Gwinn resident said he has been hunting since he was 14 years old. In 2021, Marcus Koponen said he suffered a stroke after carbon monoxide poisoning from a space heater. He wants other hunters to be aware of potential carbon monoxide poisoning.

Hunters can stay safe from carbon monoxide poisoning by installing carbon monoxide detectors, check existing detectors to make sure they are working properly and to properly vent and maintain heaters that burn fuel.

The Mining Journal reached out to the Marquette office of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for comment but did not hear back before publication deadline.

Dreyma Beronja can be reached at 906-228-2500 ext. 548. Their email address is dberonj@miningjournal.net.