The 2025 Buck Pole is Underway — In Memory of Barb Wieck
This year’s Buck Pole is dedicated to the memory of Barb Wieck, a true friend of The Minnow Bucket at Exit 222 and a beloved member of the St. Helen community. Barb’s warmth, laughter, and love for the outdoors left a mark on all of us. This pole is for her.
Saint Helen Buck Pole
Mark Your Calendars — Opening Day at the Buck Pole
Saturday November 15th. Around here, it’s not just a date — it’s a ritual.
Before the sun rises, the stove is hot and the cast iron is sizzling. There’s bacon on the griddle, eggs in the pan, and a fresh pot of coffee that tastes stronger than usual because it has to. It’s Opening Day breakfast — and it’s been cooked the same way for decades. Grandpa used to make it. Now it’s your son who cracks the eggs.
Outside, the frost is thick on the truck windshield. A half-moon hangs over the treetops. The woods are waiting, and so are the memories. This day isn’t just about deer — it’s about camaraderie, tradition, and the stories that bind generations together. It’s about slipping into that same stand you’ve hunted since high school, hearing the same wind through the pines, and texting your buddy just to say, “You up?”
At The Minnow Bucket’s 2025 Buck Pole, we celebrate all of it. The hunt. The memories. The people. And the thrill of sharing it with your community. Our Opening Day Buck Pole Celebration returns Saturday, November 15th, and we’ve already got over $4,500 in prizes — and more being added.
So bring your buck. Bring your buddy. Bring your best tale from the stand. Whether your deer’s a trophy or just a tale you’ll tell again and again, the Buck Pole is where stories meet handshakes, and where tradition lives on in boot tracks and blaze orange.
🙌 A Tip of the Cap to Our Sponsors
This Buck Pole isn’t held up with just 4x4s and brackets — it’s held up by the strength of local people who care. We thank the following sponsors for stepping up once again to support the heritage that makes this place special:
Mike Wieck • St. Helen Realty • Marathon Sunrise Convenience Stores • Kuku Drywall • Creations at 222 • S & S Powersports • Sheffield Automotive • Elk Ridge Archery • Minnow Camp Resort • Fultz Insurance • Sam’s Diner • Ellis Concrete • The Big Dipper • A&J Painting • Fick & Sons • Jenny’s Sweet Creations • Cedar Inn (Est. 1919) • R&R Lawn Services • St. Helen Bluegill Festival • RZRRIPNRENTALS • Up North Voice Michigan
…and more to come.
Support these folks. Shake their hand. They’re keeping this tradition alive right beside you.
📍 The 2025 Buck Pole is now open — and if you harvest a buck from Roscommon, Ogemaw, Oscoda, or Crawford County between now and January 1st, 2026, come add your story to the pole. We’ll be sharing entries all season long.
It’s your season. It’s your story. We’re just here to help you tell it.
Hunt hard. Hunt safe. Welcome back to deer camp.
—The Minnow Bucket at Exit 222
#buckpole2025 #deerseason #openingday #puremichigan #upnorthtradition #sthelenstrong
Congratulations Layla on your beautiful 10 point harvested 1st thing this morning from Ogemaw County. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story with us this morning. Nothing like a monster like yours to get us excited for the 2025 hunting season.
FINALLY….. St Helens Very Own Wally T Put the first buck on the 2025 Buck Pole!! An 87 1/2 inch 7 PT! Thank You sir for sharing your harvest!
Congratulations to Damien T on entering his buck on the 2025 Buck Pole!! An 97 1/8 inch 8 PT! Thank You sir for sharing your harvest!
Congratulations to Justin B for putting his buck on the 2025 Buck Pole!! An 60 1/2 inch 5 PT! Thank You sir for sharing your harvest!
