I once heard anything can happen in 30 seconds while hunting Kansas ...
About ten years ago I got invited to hunt Kansas with some buddies. I was as excited as any Texan could be that grew up watching tv shows of Kansas giants and seeing huge Midwest bucks in the magazines. I quickly learned It was not as easy as It looked on tv and all day sits without seeing a deer were very common. I left every Kansas trip empty handed but with more and more experience every year.
This season we arrived late Wednesday night and I started hunting Thursday morning at my favorite stand known as the hay barn. I had an amazing hunt seeing 7 different bucks and passing a 130 ish deer. I had two bucks fight right under my tree making for a heck of a First morning.
I got out around 11am and took about a 2 hour break before switching stands. I got skunked at my afternoon stand but another buddy in Camp killed a huge body mature 8 point. This was his first bow buck and we spent the evening celebrating and staring at his trophy. We scored him at 137” and guess to be around 280 pounds.
Friday morning I decided to hunt a stand on a creek bottom and at 720 I spot a nice buck about 100 yards out. I grab my rattling antlers and was able to rattle the buck into 25 yards within seconds. From the time I hit the antlers to grabbing my bow and shooting was about 30 seconds. The deer was walking right at me downwind and I rushed the shot. I honestly don’t know what happen. I did not see exactly where the arrow hit, It was a very awkward shot in between limbs and I assumed I hit him as it was only a 20 yard shot. The deer takes off with his tail up and I can see his tail running in and out of the woods for about 80 yards not slowing down at all before disappearing. I’m not exaggerating, we looked for about 3 hours and could not find my arrow, blood or hair. I don’t know if the arrow was stuck in the deer or buried in the grass. I left hoping It was a clean miss.
As I was walking back to the tree to get all my stuff I see my bow fell off the tree hook and dropped about 25’ hitting limbs all the way down knocking the cables off the cams. That morning went from one of my ultimate hunting experiences of rattling in a 140” ten to a shot opportunity with a bow to nothing could go right. With the nearest bow shop being 1.5 hours away I took some ratchet straps and string and was able to make a homemade bow press and get my cables back on. I shot about 10 practice shots and the bow was still dead on. Back to the hay barn I went around 1pm.
Friday evening around 445 I start hearing a buck grunting in the woods Before I can see him. I see a hot doe in the woods but can’t see the buck, I can just hear him grunting over and over. I grab my call and grunt back and we do this back and forth a few times. I stand up on the tree stand, bow in hand ready. At about 50 yards into the woods I see a huge buck making his way toward me with ears back. As he makes his way into my shooting lane I give him a baa, he stops looks at me and I let It rip.
He jumped my string just a little and the shot was a little high. I immediately see blood spraying out with the arrow stuck in him. I sit down shaking uncontrollably thinking I hit the artery the way blood was spraying and pray for good enough penetration. I send the text out saying I just shot a monster and my friend showed up with his lab. He is all smiles as we walk to where the shot took place trying to shake my hand and congratulate me. I tell him not yet, as I’m second guessing myself after the morning events.
The dog finds blood right away and We are seeing good size blood spots every 10 yards but spaced out and hard to see in leaves. I say screw It out loud and just start walking in the direction I saw him run. Within 60 yards I see a white belly and antlers sticking out of the grass. I start yelling in excitement and sprint to the deer. He is way bigger than I thought and I drop to my knees saying o my god o my god over and over again.
No feeders, food plots or fancy blinds. Just my bow and a tree stand sitting over the right trail at the right time. I finally got my Kansas buck. 25” inside spread, 165 4/8 gross 9 point. BBD
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
About ten years ago I got invited to hunt Kansas with some buddies. I was as excited as any Texan could be that grew up watching tv shows of Kansas giants and seeing huge Midwest bucks in the magazines. I quickly learned It was not as easy as It looked on tv and all day sits without seeing a deer were very common. I left every Kansas trip empty handed but with more and more experience every year.
This season we arrived late Wednesday night and I started hunting Thursday morning at my favorite stand known as the hay barn. I had an amazing hunt seeing 7 different bucks and passing a 130 ish deer. I had two bucks fight right under my tree making for a heck of a First morning.
I got out around 11am and took about a 2 hour break before switching stands. I got skunked at my afternoon stand but another buddy in Camp killed a huge body mature 8 point. This was his first bow buck and we spent the evening celebrating and staring at his trophy. We scored him at 137” and guess to be around 280 pounds.
Friday morning I decided to hunt a stand on a creek bottom and at 720 I spot a nice buck about 100 yards out. I grab my rattling antlers and was able to rattle the buck into 25 yards within seconds. From the time I hit the antlers to grabbing my bow and shooting was about 30 seconds. The deer was walking right at me downwind and I rushed the shot. I honestly don’t know what happen. I did not see exactly where the arrow hit, It was a very awkward shot in between limbs and I assumed I hit him as it was only a 20 yard shot. The deer takes off with his tail up and I can see his tail running in and out of the woods for about 80 yards not slowing down at all before disappearing. I’m not exaggerating, we looked for about 3 hours and could not find my arrow, blood or hair. I don’t know if the arrow was stuck in the deer or buried in the grass. I left hoping It was a clean miss.
As I was walking back to the tree to get all my stuff I see my bow fell off the tree hook and dropped about 25’ hitting limbs all the way down knocking the cables off the cams. That morning went from one of my ultimate hunting experiences of rattling in a 140” ten to a shot opportunity with a bow to nothing could go right. With the nearest bow shop being 1.5 hours away I took some ratchet straps and string and was able to make a homemade bow press and get my cables back on. I shot about 10 practice shots and the bow was still dead on. Back to the hay barn I went around 1pm.
Friday evening around 445 I start hearing a buck grunting in the woods Before I can see him. I see a hot doe in the woods but can’t see the buck, I can just hear him grunting over and over. I grab my call and grunt back and we do this back and forth a few times. I stand up on the tree stand, bow in hand ready. At about 50 yards into the woods I see a huge buck making his way toward me with ears back. As he makes his way into my shooting lane I give him a baa, he stops looks at me and I let It rip.
He jumped my string just a little and the shot was a little high. I immediately see blood spraying out with the arrow stuck in him. I sit down shaking uncontrollably thinking I hit the artery the way blood was spraying and pray for good enough penetration. I send the text out saying I just shot a monster and my friend showed up with his lab. He is all smiles as we walk to where the shot took place trying to shake my hand and congratulate me. I tell him not yet, as I’m second guessing myself after the morning events.
The dog finds blood right away and We are seeing good size blood spots every 10 yards but spaced out and hard to see in leaves. I say screw It out loud and just start walking in the direction I saw him run. Within 60 yards I see a white belly and antlers sticking out of the grass. I start yelling in excitement and sprint to the deer. He is way bigger than I thought and I drop to my knees saying o my god o my god over and over again.
No feeders, food plots or fancy blinds. Just my bow and a tree stand sitting over the right trail at the right time. I finally got my Kansas buck. 25” inside spread, 165 4/8 gross 9 point. BBD
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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