I remember the very first time I heard about deer hunting in Kansas. Bill Jordan stalked across a wide open prairie to a giant 12 point that was walking the bottom of a draw. He slipped up over the side and smoked him with his bow. Not long after that, good friend Jonathan Strain started guiding for Little Toledo Lodge up there. His dad John L. ended up buying 213 acres in the south eastern corner and killed a 180 some odd inch 12pt the first year! I was about 19 then and knew that somehow some way I too one day would hunt Kansas.
I leased a property last year and on November 11th Veterans Day I killed an awesome main frame 9 with a kicker coming off the front of his base that scored 146 and change. He's a beautiful buck and lives on my wall proudly displayed for all to see!
I had high hopes this year. I brought on a good friend Stevie Wilson this year so he and I came up in July and hung a couple of stands and put a few feeders up. My cameras had been running since last season and we sorted through a few thousand pictures. I was pleased to see several big typicals that I had no previous history with, and a gnarly young looking non-typical.
I spent 15 consecutive days in East Texas hunting several good bucks in October at home. On October 25th I connected with a 6 year old 8pt that scored into the 120's. A very respectable deer for the area and I was pleased with the way it turned out. I don't mind grinding it out and hunting hard. It makes for an awesome reward in the end.
Halloween morning, I woke up with plans to hunt Trinity Co and it was pouring down rain. So I threw all my gear in the truck, kissed my wife good bye, told her I'd be back when I got him, and pointed it north for Kansas! I was stoked. With the late rains this summer during the peak growing season it seemed it could be a banner year for the state. Several giants had been gracing the pages of this very forum from all over the state. The pre rut activity seemed to be kicking in, and the weather was looking pretty good.
As I closed in on Oklahoma City, I called the land owner's son to let him know of be at the farm for as many as 4 weeks. He picked that time to inform me that he'd broken our lease agreement and moved 40 head of bread heifers on the 360 acres that I hunt. Out of this 360, there's really only about 100 bowhuntable acres. I was absolutely furious and told him we'd discuss it further when I got there and hoped that the cows hadn't destroyed out feeders!
This is the layout of the deep draw that I hunt with the pin drops at my stand locations.
I got to the farm about 2pm, had a somewhat heated discussion about him breaking the lease agreement, and hit the woods to see what kind of damage had been done. Most of the cows where staying out of the northwest end of the draw and that's a good thing! Almost immediately after walking down into the "crick bottom" a new sense of calmness and happiness came over me. Cows or no cows, I was deer hunting in Kansas again!
Deer started pouring into the area before I was even set up good. Small bucks and does where in and out of the draw and deer movement was excellent! Shortly before dark I had 2 big mature bucks come cruising by but they just weren't what I was looking for. At this point I hadn't even unpacked my truck and I'd already seen 2 "shooters"!
The next morning, winds dictated the "fence gap stand." It's a spot in the draw where a deep creek swings through the hardwoods right next to the vertical wall of the draw. A barbed wire fence makes a corner there and forces deer to travel in between the fence corner and the creek through the "gap".
Not long after daylight a big wide 20" 9pt came through the gap and got my attention! He was a dandy 3 year old and I'm excited that he lives on the farm. Several other deer where in and out, and about 10am I stood up and grabbed some trail mix out of my pack. At that moment I saw what looked to be a 150ish 10 point, eye level with me, 25 yards away, cruising the rim of the draw. 2 problems here. He's in the neighbors property, and he's almost by me when I see him. I dropped the trail mix picked up my grunt call and gave him a few notes but he never checked up. I stole a quick glance through my binos just as he disappeared and saw he had 3 brow tines on his right side.
The next morning, about the same time, he comes through from behind me following a doe. I grabbed my bow and start looking for holes to shoot through as they ease their way towards me. He's going to come through the fence gap at 21 yards! Just then I hear, "MOOOOOOOO!!!!" A black cow, with a white face is walking head in towards them and the doe turns, crosses the creek, and takes my buck with her. I was absolutely LIVID!!! I got down about 12:30 and the LO's son was at camp. I sort of blew a gasket. I described the events of what had happened and was to the part where I demand my money back when he suggested we move the cows across the road asking, "Would that help you?" I said, "That'll be a **** good start!"
Deer movement picked up big time! I was able to put corn piles out and I was seeing all sorts of chasing going on! Stevie was working, and I called and relayed the events with him daily. I went to Jonathan's farm one evening when the wind was wrong for my stand and killed a doe. It'd been about 10 years since we'd gotten to hunt together.
About November the 7th things really started slowing down. I wasn't seeing much at all for mature deer. This went on for several days, but a major cold front was predicted to push through on Veterans Day and drop temps into the low 20's on the 12th. I remained optimistic knowing that at any moment the buck of a lifetime could show himself.
The morning of Nov 11th was relatively uneventful. I saw a few does and yearling bucks pushing the does around. I sat until around 10am and went in for a bite to eat and grab some corn. I visited with the bow shop owner a little too long and was running a bit behind for the evening hunt. I'd planned on getting in place about 1:30pm and sitting til dark. By the time I changed clothes, put out a 200lb corn pile, and got in the stand it was a little after 2pm.
I talked to the camera and set up the hunt, and just as I sat down a doe and nubbin came easing in to the corn. Now I'd been feeding just Walmart corn with the plastic sack. The feed store corn is just put out was in the standard feed sack and had a cardboard smell when I poured it out. I never figured the deer would spook from it but these 2 did. It didn't help that it was drizzling rain and the wind was swirling. All the moisture in the air was holding any scent missed by the Ozonics unit. They spooked a little and exited stage left without too much commotion.
About 4pm I noticed movement to the south west on the rim of the draw. This is the same fence line the triple brow deer was following but I was further to the northwest on the draw. I grabbed my binos and could just make out some kickers and the top of his rack. I grabbed my grunt call and hit him a note.
What happened next is permanently branded on my brain forever. He picked his head up into the skyline and looked directly at me showing everything he had. Instantly my heart rate increased and I started shaking uncontrollably! He turned his head and I gave him another grunt. He licked his nose and continued on his path down the fence line still on the neighbors property.
I'd heard these bucks making multiple tending grunts while chasing these does in the creek bottom. I did my very best imitation with the grunt call and finished it up with a growl, all the while using my hand to throw the calls down into the draw away from him and where he couldn't see it. At the sound of that, he turned, cleared the fence and walked to the edge of the draw looking for the mock chase scene that wasn't taking place down in the draw.
At this point, he now 70 yards away and directly down wind and at eye level. Sheer and absolute panic has poured over my entire soul. I reached into my pack and grabbed the Tink's 69 Doe Estrous aerosol can and pulled the trigger. I must have sprayed for 10 solid seconds trying to pique his interest and mask my own scent. I don't know if he was leaving, or looking for a way down the draw as he was standing on the ledge of an 8' verticals drop, but either way he started going away from me. I grabbed the Primos Can and turned it over twice, and followed that with the 10-15 note tending grunt sequence and growled again.
He couldn't stand that! He bailed straight down the 8' drop and started coming in to investigate. I'm shaking so bad at the point, I couldn't get my release hooked onto the string loop! I had to physically make myself breath! And he's coming on a string! He's going to cross a shooting lane at 40yds. I'm already standings, camera recording, and ready to make that shot. He stops exactly where he should and looks down at the corn pile 15 yards closer to me. As I'm putting tension on the string, he flips his tail and heads towards the corn!
I turned the camera and followed him with it and as he closed in on the corn, I centered it up there and started trying to calm myself with absolutely no luck! I've killed more deer with a bow than most will in a lifetime, and I've killed some pretty good ones. This deer had me shaken up worse than anything I'd ever dealt with!
He circled the pile and came in from the upwind side. As soon as he put his nose close to it, he spooked and turned like he was about to wander off out of my life forever. He walked off about 5 or 10 yards, stopped, and made a scrape. I had pretty much figured this was his exit routine when he turned and came back in for another try.
I zoomed in on the camera, more to have something to fidget with and take my mind off of what was happening 25 yards away than anything. He stepped in, grabbed a couple of bites and seemed to settle a little. His shoulder was blocked by a limb, and I just needed the ever so proverbial "one more step" that we more times than not never actually get. THERE IT IS!!! His body language anticipates that he's about to move forward and I come to full draw to be ready when he does!
Easy easy easy and slow I pulled back on 73lbs of tension anticipating the point where the cams break over as he is taking the one more step forward that I needed exposing the pocket. When I come to full draw, I experience the fever like I've never had. I was already at my adrenaline's limit. There's nothing left in the reserve so I thought. Boy was I way way wrong! I went into panic overload! I didn't know I could get this shaken up! I absolutely could not hold it together! My pin was dancing from his nose to his tail, and everywhere in between. It seemed like and out of body experience where I stepped out of myself, turned around on the stand, and said, "You have GOT to get it together!"
My pens went from involuntarily moving from his nose to his tail, to a verticals shake. Feet to back, chest cavity to back, a little tighten with each breath. My string touched my nose, and my knuckle found my jaw line anchor point and there was an absolute struggle to control my body enough to try and push my 20 yard pin out of the other side of him. At that moment of truth, I touched the trigger on my Tru Fire Hardcore and watched as the nock lit up and began its flight for destiny that stood 23 yards away.
The flight of an arrow takes nanoseconds to cover that distance. The human brain never ceases to amaze me. How is it that you can have so many full length thought in such a short frame of time? "Am I going to hit him? That looks too low! He could still move! WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN?!"
THWACK!!! I watched the blue nock disappear and burry in the ground behind him as he turned and headed west. He got into some thicker saplings and stopped. I was about to grab my binos and start looking when he just fell over like you pushed over a sheet of plywood. This buck was stone dead, less than 60 yards away!!!
I turned and said some stuff to the camera, I'm not even sure if I made any sense. I sat for a few minutes and a small 7 point came in and fed on the corn. I couldn't stand it any longer, I had to make sure he was laying where he fell, because I couldn't see him from the tree. I gathered my gear, and started carefully climbing down the rapid rails. As I walked up to the arrow, I saw the white fletchings where painted in crimson glory!
That's step one, now we have to flow this blood trail, THAT'S NOT HARD, IT'S EVERYWHERE!!! I never slowed under a steady walk, and never had to bend over and look. It looked like someone had rolled out 60 yards of 1" wide red ribbon all the way to him. As I approached him, his head was behind a tree and he had fallen into a depression in the ground. When I walked around the tree all I could do was start laughing! I had just killed the buck of a lifetime!
He has 17 points total, 20" of mass on his left side, 16" on his right, 21" main beams, 17" of width, and his longest of the 5 brow tines that he carried was 9" long! The friend of a friend that scored him as I watched wrote the numbers down as I held the tape and light for him in the parking lot of their motel. I didn't want any part of scoring him with fear that I would fudge a little here and there so I watched as he did the honors. We had all figured him to be in the 150's somewhere. When the final numbers where in we checked ourselves 3 times to make sure we hadn't made a mistake... 173 6/8" of bone lay in the back of my truck and will forever live on my wall, in my heart, and on the video for the rest of my life!
I leased a property last year and on November 11th Veterans Day I killed an awesome main frame 9 with a kicker coming off the front of his base that scored 146 and change. He's a beautiful buck and lives on my wall proudly displayed for all to see!
I had high hopes this year. I brought on a good friend Stevie Wilson this year so he and I came up in July and hung a couple of stands and put a few feeders up. My cameras had been running since last season and we sorted through a few thousand pictures. I was pleased to see several big typicals that I had no previous history with, and a gnarly young looking non-typical.
I spent 15 consecutive days in East Texas hunting several good bucks in October at home. On October 25th I connected with a 6 year old 8pt that scored into the 120's. A very respectable deer for the area and I was pleased with the way it turned out. I don't mind grinding it out and hunting hard. It makes for an awesome reward in the end.
Halloween morning, I woke up with plans to hunt Trinity Co and it was pouring down rain. So I threw all my gear in the truck, kissed my wife good bye, told her I'd be back when I got him, and pointed it north for Kansas! I was stoked. With the late rains this summer during the peak growing season it seemed it could be a banner year for the state. Several giants had been gracing the pages of this very forum from all over the state. The pre rut activity seemed to be kicking in, and the weather was looking pretty good.
As I closed in on Oklahoma City, I called the land owner's son to let him know of be at the farm for as many as 4 weeks. He picked that time to inform me that he'd broken our lease agreement and moved 40 head of bread heifers on the 360 acres that I hunt. Out of this 360, there's really only about 100 bowhuntable acres. I was absolutely furious and told him we'd discuss it further when I got there and hoped that the cows hadn't destroyed out feeders!
This is the layout of the deep draw that I hunt with the pin drops at my stand locations.
I got to the farm about 2pm, had a somewhat heated discussion about him breaking the lease agreement, and hit the woods to see what kind of damage had been done. Most of the cows where staying out of the northwest end of the draw and that's a good thing! Almost immediately after walking down into the "crick bottom" a new sense of calmness and happiness came over me. Cows or no cows, I was deer hunting in Kansas again!
Deer started pouring into the area before I was even set up good. Small bucks and does where in and out of the draw and deer movement was excellent! Shortly before dark I had 2 big mature bucks come cruising by but they just weren't what I was looking for. At this point I hadn't even unpacked my truck and I'd already seen 2 "shooters"!
The next morning, winds dictated the "fence gap stand." It's a spot in the draw where a deep creek swings through the hardwoods right next to the vertical wall of the draw. A barbed wire fence makes a corner there and forces deer to travel in between the fence corner and the creek through the "gap".
Not long after daylight a big wide 20" 9pt came through the gap and got my attention! He was a dandy 3 year old and I'm excited that he lives on the farm. Several other deer where in and out, and about 10am I stood up and grabbed some trail mix out of my pack. At that moment I saw what looked to be a 150ish 10 point, eye level with me, 25 yards away, cruising the rim of the draw. 2 problems here. He's in the neighbors property, and he's almost by me when I see him. I dropped the trail mix picked up my grunt call and gave him a few notes but he never checked up. I stole a quick glance through my binos just as he disappeared and saw he had 3 brow tines on his right side.
The next morning, about the same time, he comes through from behind me following a doe. I grabbed my bow and start looking for holes to shoot through as they ease their way towards me. He's going to come through the fence gap at 21 yards! Just then I hear, "MOOOOOOOO!!!!" A black cow, with a white face is walking head in towards them and the doe turns, crosses the creek, and takes my buck with her. I was absolutely LIVID!!! I got down about 12:30 and the LO's son was at camp. I sort of blew a gasket. I described the events of what had happened and was to the part where I demand my money back when he suggested we move the cows across the road asking, "Would that help you?" I said, "That'll be a **** good start!"
Deer movement picked up big time! I was able to put corn piles out and I was seeing all sorts of chasing going on! Stevie was working, and I called and relayed the events with him daily. I went to Jonathan's farm one evening when the wind was wrong for my stand and killed a doe. It'd been about 10 years since we'd gotten to hunt together.
About November the 7th things really started slowing down. I wasn't seeing much at all for mature deer. This went on for several days, but a major cold front was predicted to push through on Veterans Day and drop temps into the low 20's on the 12th. I remained optimistic knowing that at any moment the buck of a lifetime could show himself.
The morning of Nov 11th was relatively uneventful. I saw a few does and yearling bucks pushing the does around. I sat until around 10am and went in for a bite to eat and grab some corn. I visited with the bow shop owner a little too long and was running a bit behind for the evening hunt. I'd planned on getting in place about 1:30pm and sitting til dark. By the time I changed clothes, put out a 200lb corn pile, and got in the stand it was a little after 2pm.
I talked to the camera and set up the hunt, and just as I sat down a doe and nubbin came easing in to the corn. Now I'd been feeding just Walmart corn with the plastic sack. The feed store corn is just put out was in the standard feed sack and had a cardboard smell when I poured it out. I never figured the deer would spook from it but these 2 did. It didn't help that it was drizzling rain and the wind was swirling. All the moisture in the air was holding any scent missed by the Ozonics unit. They spooked a little and exited stage left without too much commotion.
About 4pm I noticed movement to the south west on the rim of the draw. This is the same fence line the triple brow deer was following but I was further to the northwest on the draw. I grabbed my binos and could just make out some kickers and the top of his rack. I grabbed my grunt call and hit him a note.
What happened next is permanently branded on my brain forever. He picked his head up into the skyline and looked directly at me showing everything he had. Instantly my heart rate increased and I started shaking uncontrollably! He turned his head and I gave him another grunt. He licked his nose and continued on his path down the fence line still on the neighbors property.
I'd heard these bucks making multiple tending grunts while chasing these does in the creek bottom. I did my very best imitation with the grunt call and finished it up with a growl, all the while using my hand to throw the calls down into the draw away from him and where he couldn't see it. At the sound of that, he turned, cleared the fence and walked to the edge of the draw looking for the mock chase scene that wasn't taking place down in the draw.
At this point, he now 70 yards away and directly down wind and at eye level. Sheer and absolute panic has poured over my entire soul. I reached into my pack and grabbed the Tink's 69 Doe Estrous aerosol can and pulled the trigger. I must have sprayed for 10 solid seconds trying to pique his interest and mask my own scent. I don't know if he was leaving, or looking for a way down the draw as he was standing on the ledge of an 8' verticals drop, but either way he started going away from me. I grabbed the Primos Can and turned it over twice, and followed that with the 10-15 note tending grunt sequence and growled again.
He couldn't stand that! He bailed straight down the 8' drop and started coming in to investigate. I'm shaking so bad at the point, I couldn't get my release hooked onto the string loop! I had to physically make myself breath! And he's coming on a string! He's going to cross a shooting lane at 40yds. I'm already standings, camera recording, and ready to make that shot. He stops exactly where he should and looks down at the corn pile 15 yards closer to me. As I'm putting tension on the string, he flips his tail and heads towards the corn!
I turned the camera and followed him with it and as he closed in on the corn, I centered it up there and started trying to calm myself with absolutely no luck! I've killed more deer with a bow than most will in a lifetime, and I've killed some pretty good ones. This deer had me shaken up worse than anything I'd ever dealt with!
He circled the pile and came in from the upwind side. As soon as he put his nose close to it, he spooked and turned like he was about to wander off out of my life forever. He walked off about 5 or 10 yards, stopped, and made a scrape. I had pretty much figured this was his exit routine when he turned and came back in for another try.
I zoomed in on the camera, more to have something to fidget with and take my mind off of what was happening 25 yards away than anything. He stepped in, grabbed a couple of bites and seemed to settle a little. His shoulder was blocked by a limb, and I just needed the ever so proverbial "one more step" that we more times than not never actually get. THERE IT IS!!! His body language anticipates that he's about to move forward and I come to full draw to be ready when he does!
Easy easy easy and slow I pulled back on 73lbs of tension anticipating the point where the cams break over as he is taking the one more step forward that I needed exposing the pocket. When I come to full draw, I experience the fever like I've never had. I was already at my adrenaline's limit. There's nothing left in the reserve so I thought. Boy was I way way wrong! I went into panic overload! I didn't know I could get this shaken up! I absolutely could not hold it together! My pin was dancing from his nose to his tail, and everywhere in between. It seemed like and out of body experience where I stepped out of myself, turned around on the stand, and said, "You have GOT to get it together!"
My pens went from involuntarily moving from his nose to his tail, to a verticals shake. Feet to back, chest cavity to back, a little tighten with each breath. My string touched my nose, and my knuckle found my jaw line anchor point and there was an absolute struggle to control my body enough to try and push my 20 yard pin out of the other side of him. At that moment of truth, I touched the trigger on my Tru Fire Hardcore and watched as the nock lit up and began its flight for destiny that stood 23 yards away.
The flight of an arrow takes nanoseconds to cover that distance. The human brain never ceases to amaze me. How is it that you can have so many full length thought in such a short frame of time? "Am I going to hit him? That looks too low! He could still move! WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN?!"
THWACK!!! I watched the blue nock disappear and burry in the ground behind him as he turned and headed west. He got into some thicker saplings and stopped. I was about to grab my binos and start looking when he just fell over like you pushed over a sheet of plywood. This buck was stone dead, less than 60 yards away!!!
I turned and said some stuff to the camera, I'm not even sure if I made any sense. I sat for a few minutes and a small 7 point came in and fed on the corn. I couldn't stand it any longer, I had to make sure he was laying where he fell, because I couldn't see him from the tree. I gathered my gear, and started carefully climbing down the rapid rails. As I walked up to the arrow, I saw the white fletchings where painted in crimson glory!
That's step one, now we have to flow this blood trail, THAT'S NOT HARD, IT'S EVERYWHERE!!! I never slowed under a steady walk, and never had to bend over and look. It looked like someone had rolled out 60 yards of 1" wide red ribbon all the way to him. As I approached him, his head was behind a tree and he had fallen into a depression in the ground. When I walked around the tree all I could do was start laughing! I had just killed the buck of a lifetime!
He has 17 points total, 20" of mass on his left side, 16" on his right, 21" main beams, 17" of width, and his longest of the 5 brow tines that he carried was 9" long! The friend of a friend that scored him as I watched wrote the numbers down as I held the tape and light for him in the parking lot of their motel. I didn't want any part of scoring him with fear that I would fudge a little here and there so I watched as he did the honors. We had all figured him to be in the 150's somewhere. When the final numbers where in we checked ourselves 3 times to make sure we hadn't made a mistake... 173 6/8" of bone lay in the back of my truck and will forever live on my wall, in my heart, and on the video for the rest of my life!
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