Its that time of year again ...... this morning I'm heading out, driving to western Kansas for yet another whitetail hunt with some good friends who are gracious enough to invite me out every year. I wish just once they'd come to Arkansas and allow me to treat them to some world class walleye and trout fishing!
40 years old and I woke up at 3:15 am this morning, couldn't go back to sleep so came on in to work :) ...... still excited about hunting trips, thats a good thing!
Everyday I'll post updates. I'm going to try and use my camera more than ever this year, do some video mode etc. I've hunted out there several years now, this is the year I'm using my tag on a big one. I've got the time to hunt, I drew the optional mule deer tag too ...... and I can go back and hunt 3 days or so before Thanksgiving if I don't tag this next 8-9 days. My goal is a pig buck, I've never shot a really big mature whitetail and I want to really be disciplined and do it this year.
My weapon is a Zipper all bamboo (riser and limbs) Extreme, 51# @ 27" marked (though I draw it a bit farther), weighted carbons and 225 gr Steel Force single bevel broadheads totaling about 650 grains I believe.
On Saturday I discovered my lower limb badly twisted, and I used the hot water treatment to get it back – its still not right IMO, so last second scrambling I bought the 52# @ 28" Zipper Extreme that Bryan George had for sale and he shipped it straight to KS for me. If mine twists back or worse I'll have a bow to hunt with at least!
Here are two bucks we're targeting – the mongo 10 pointer is a dandy aint he? I'm saying he's a 175-180" buck, maybe I'm guessing big but he's just a gorgeous whitetail. The second buck looks like a wide 8 with some stickers – in real life I bet he's an impressive animal too! Rumor is a triple drop tine is hanging around a certain spot I like to hunt, I'll be in that stand tomorrow morning at daylight.
Weather is warm, until Sunday and then a front moves in triggering 50 for the highs and 30 for the lows, even 60% chances or rain a day or two.
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Good Luck Brad, Looking forward to Your updates. Have a safe trip to and from.
bretto
Good luck Brad, I have always enjoyed following along on your Kansas hunts!
711 mile drive - here I go !
Tell Alvis, Mark and Deb I said hi! Ben
update day one
I went to Johnny's this morning, after a 700 mile drive and 4 hours sleep. Driving in I saw a NICE big buck with does out on the top crop circle, and 2 more bucks jumping the road in front of me.
I had to navigate what use to be an alphalfa bottom - I had forgotten how loud dry corn on the stalks are! I got to where the stand was - no stand. Steps are there, no stand. Ok, so I lean into the tree and stand there, and maybe 30 minutes I hear a deer coming through the standing corn. Nice buck, likely not a shooter, but I turn around and get ready anyway. He comes to within about 5 steps of my tree, I keep this big cottonwood between us and he's downwind and he knows I'm there but his eyes aren't confirming what his nose is telling him! I get a nice look at a 2 1/2 year old 8 point, maybe 120" and he ambles off.
I got to watch hawks and listen to turkeys gobbling in the creek bottom, no more deer come through though. I do notice someone has put a big ladder stand 20 yards from where our hangon was suppose to be ... hmmmm. I take the steps down, and move out.
I meet Mark and Alvis and Justin and we're off to set stands. I hang on about 75 yards up creek from where these camtracker photo's below were taken .... and another a few hundred yards north and east as well .... and I hunt that stand this afternoon. I got to watch red squirrels fighting/playing/loving, two hawks and an owl hooting. One lone doe came by at dark.
No shots today, long day in the stand.
Big boy is still coming through ...
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these are "new" bucks .... we've not seen any of them. the one there won't score, but he's MASSIVE and I'll shoot him if I can
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Tomorrow I'm hunting the stand where all the above photo's were taken (about 75 yards away anyway) ... big boy is still there, I'll shoot that massive 8 .... the wide 8 above I'd like to see better ....... look forward to another very quiet morning in the deer woods
:thumbsup:
Good Luck!!
Awesome! Thanks for taking us along and best of luck!
they sure are moveing good good luck to you on your hunt hear
Good Luck! Some BIG Bucks.....great friends!
I decided to sit in the stand right near where all camtracker photo's were taken. Bright moon out, no problem walking to the stands. Fairly quiet morning, light south breeze that fluttered around some. About 8:00 am I imagine, a fine young 8 point showed himself. As he came in I'd decided not to shoot. The stand is perfect, it placed his path of travel about 7-8 steps from the base of my tree, and he had to go in such a way as to place a huge cottonwood between us. Very nice in case a shooter buck follows the same path.
Anyway, he caught wind, but didn't spook and as he stalked away, I caught myself thinking "hey, that buck is a pretty nice buck!" Too late for second guessing!
This I think is the buck - hard to be sure though
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It was terribly warm this afternoon, low 80 tems. I hunted a stand that sits to the far west of the farm we hunt. I've never had much luck in it, maybe tonight would be different? It has a better chance at a big muley coming through than any other stand we have up.
Even hunting with just a longsleeve T was hot but I had an entertaining afternoon. A group of 9-10 muley's came out way out on the fields early on. I was sitting on a nice bubbling/rolling/gurlging creek which gave me a bit of cool every now and again. A skunk came out, then another and they stayed the whole afternoon across the creek. Turkey's came flying in at maybe 4 pm, landing right across and near the skunks. They lit, and were absolutely motionless for maybe 3-4 minutes, then started talking to each other. A larger group came out later, where the muley's were.
At 5 pm or so, a buck came along the opposite creek. Not a big one, but for fun I grunted, got his attention and here he came.
He was 4 on one side, and the other side looked to be broken right past the eyegaurd. he was a 18-19" wide buck if he had a full side, no tine length, maybe a 3 1/2 year old, not a "steer" body of a mature whitetail. he came to the base of my tree, all around me ... pretty cool to be that close you know? He ever worked a scrape for me. Hawks came by frequently, another group of muley's way out in the fields and near dark 2 coyotes barked/howled to each other from one side of the creek to the other. I got to see a great horned owl light on a telephone pole as I walked out.
Lots of game saw, no shooter bucks. Activity for deer is just so slow with the warm temps :(
This photo was taken from the stand I hunted tonight a few days ago
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I don't know where I'll hunt in the morning, the wind will dictate which I choose.
It could be a lot slower.Passing on 2 bucks isn't slow in my book.Can't wait to head that way monday.keep us posted.
seems like my expectations soar when I come out here ... with all the sign and camtracker photo's yeah, you're right Mike, having 2 shooting opportunities and nice bucks and seeing a bunch of game isn't slow - its just not one of those magic days you lose count on the bucks you're seeing!
maybe that day is tomorrow, maybe Sunday ... likely when its 25 degrees cooler Monday things will change
just hunt ..... enjoy it all and hunt, nothing else you can do. I'm spending all day in the field tomorrow, putting up another stand, moving camtrackers around, moving a stand that we have up .... enjoying the day in western Kansas
Again..thanks for sharing. I'm enjoying this greatly!
Supposedly a north wind would be blowing this morning, so back to the stand that allt he camtracker photo's came from. Maybe I'm overhunting it? I don't know .... shifty winds this morning instead of a steady north but even so, I didn't think it was hurting me too much.
About 8 am this buck came by. He's a nice buck, we know him from last year the way his left beam developes. If he makes it 2010 he might be a cool looking buck. Right now, he's not a shooter for me. Maybe last day? :)
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We moved one stand today and put up another and sat them tonight. We saw no deer driving in today, no deer standing on the way in and out ... we jumped one little buck and that was all. We also placed a couple of camtrackers and then climbed into stands.
Again I was in the same stand I've hunted so hard on. I was wildly entertained all afternoon by fox squirrels (red squirrels). Endless bundles of energy, and the racket then make when they tassel will make you come unglued if they're right behind your tree !
Funniest part was one brought a corn cob 1/2 full of kernels from the 200 acres of still standing corn and 5 of them fought for the last 45 minutes of shooting light over the one cob instead of going to field and getting another.
In the midst of the squirrels bickering over corn, in came a nice young 8 point, ears wide. He came right in like I wanted him to, and starting scraping and rubbing the tree under me. He was not more than 20 feet doing all this, looking right up at me. Had he been a big buck I'd have come unglued.
Its great watching wildlife in your stand isn't it? There must be a migration of a small black and white woodpecker going on, I must have seen 30 of them. And all the squirrels and watching the deer, the hawks and owls .... makes for a great day doesn't it ?
I agree, nature is beautiful.. nice pics! Good luck out there!
Looks like the mornings may cool off for you mid week, should be on then.....shoot straight.
I was out west last week and saw some skunks also, seems to be a banner year for them! Good Luck Brad
geewhiz some of u you guys have alot more will power then me. Even with wheels I shot what ever The Lord put in front one me. MEAT my brothers MEAT! :bigsmyl: :bigsmyl: Hunt save buddy.( and take care of the zipper) :biglaugh: <><
Rattle my little buddy, rattle some horns.... and have a safe hunt.
alright Brad,I've had all I can stanz and I can't stanz no more.I'm leaving out about 5am headed your direction.Call me if you get a signal and we will hook up for dinner one night.Takin my laptop just in case I have a tower.Got extra steak too.good luck see ya soon. :bigsmyl:
This morning I sat Pat's stand, named that way because its 100 yards from Pat's house. Yesterday we moved this stand about 20 yards to give access to shooting better across the creek.
Mule deer does were out on the bottom at the crack of dawn. Not long afterwards, this came by and I got some video ...
http://tinypic.com/r/2ex7pdu/4
cool huh ?
A bit later, as the sun absolutely BLINDED me, I saw a doe and what appeared to be her 4 fawns, quads, that's not a common thing. They hit the bobcat and trail and spooked a bit.
At about 8 am this came by -
http://tinypic.com/r/6fwgpe/4
I passed this buck a couple of days ago if you recall.
Things got quiet for a while and at 9:20 am it happened. Across the wide open field comes a very big whitetail buck. He'd came out of a corn pivot, and was coming at a brisk pace.
He entered the opening across the creek from me, head on and turned to my left. I was ready to shoot, but when he stopped 2 big rubs were in his lung area - all I could see was big neck and rack and back end. He stood for a bit and moved, going into thick brush, down into the creek - taking time to stop for a few long drinks, and off he went.
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We ranged it later today when Alvis sat the same stand at about 32 yards. I can make those shots, but this one didn't feel right and I didn't take it. It happens you know?
This afternoon I hunted the same old camtracker stand, I saw 2 does and had the same nice 8 right under me.
Remember I said Alvis had sat Pat's stand this afternoon? He rattled in the same above buck that I passed on and missed him somehow at about 25 yards. The buck had scented him and whirled at the shot I guess?
And that ended the day. A nice day, its good to know the big 10 isn't a nocturnal buck. Where is the massive 8? Where is the sticker 8 buck? Where are all the camtracker bucks?
Maybe tomorrow the weather changes and things will change with it.
good luck ... thanks for sharing
Great thread Brad!! Thanx for doing it, some of us are pretty much done hunting. The cat was cool, and as stated above, it would be hard for me not to drop the string, but I know how it is. Looks like there are some bruisers around. Good Luck!!
Hard morning - saw 2 does and a dink buck.
The camtracker stand ... it looks very good however something isn't right with it. I have noticed walking in the giant rubs and scrapes stop 15 yards before my stand. Its like the deer work that creek channel, around the corn bottom/pivot and then they either go back into the corn or out into the fields south or ?? I dunno ... so I moved a stand into that corner, maybe not 150 yards from the camtracker stand but maybe that's a world of difference you know? Unbelievable deer sign in there - like cattle trails they're beat out so much with deer tracks.
This noon, we went to an area I've never been and hung a stand along a row of huge fresh scrapes and a guy told us he'd seen a 175" typical 10 point in their last night.
I had 3 does, 1 nub buck, 1 spike and right at dark a nice buck coming in but he swung out wide. Shooter? I don't know .... never got that great a look at him.
Long day .... can't believe all the bucks have just vanished ...
from what I have read and had friends tell me, a flash camera will cause the deer to start avoiding that position. I just thought I would mention it, apparently they don't like the flash more than a couple times for the most part.
sounds like one helluva trip Brad and a lot of nice bucks photos!!!
Cool stuff Brad, keep it comin!!!
I hunted this morning and it was so slllloooowwww .... at 10:30 am I suppose I watched a buck come from 500 yards or more and ended up directly under me working a scrape - just a small non-shooter 7 point.
I hung a stand this afternoon ... I'll take a picture of it tomorrow if I hunt it. Its not a typical type tree, its right where the big big 10 came off the field the other night, at the upper edge where the bobcat video was.
I hunted the camtracker stand tonight, had a small buck in the edge of the corn and I think Blade was there too.
Slow day guys, this is the point when I start weighing my hunting vs being home with the family. If I stay much longer I'm going to have to declare myself a Kansas resident I think !
I can come back for 3 days Thanksgiving .... I'm going to have to decide just how many more days to do this.
Here are two photo's that we got the past couple days .... all bucks are night photo's :(
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OOOOOO DROP POINT! I give you guys credit to be able to pass up deer. MEAT is whats for supper LOL great stuff buddy. Love it all.<><
Still digging it! Stay just a couple more days...just for me! LOL!
I'm really tired tonight, I sat in a frickin stand so long today I can't straighten my legs!
I saw a big big shooter this morning, he got to 25 yards and wouldn't take the extra 2 steps :( .... saw another maybe shooter, just long tiresome day and the last 5 hours I sat looking into a cold, wet SE wind
Mark sat the stand I sat an evening and morning and saw only 2 bucks and he had 9 bucks by today, 3 shooters and he shot one with his wheelie, bad shot, Rage broadhead, maybe he'll find it tomorrow.
I'm sitting this stand (where he shot that one) in the morning while he looks for it.
maybe tomorrow morning will be the morning..
Sounds like you're hitting that wall in the hunt where enthusiasm is quickly replaced by skepticism... Time to give that last burst to the finish line! All in!
Hope today is better! Good luck!
Hillboy killed a nice buck south of where I hunt this morning ..... nice story to tell to.
I hunted until a bit after 8 am and spent all morning looking for a deer we never found.
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I didn't have the day Mike did unfortunately ... a few small dink bucks, a hot doe at dark and not a dang shooter .... wow, where did all the bucks go? I can see the big old bucks taking does somewhere and holding up.... but all the 3.5 year old 140" class bucks?
Weird .... I mean this should be close to peak rutting you know?
I've got a couple of camtracker bucks and a couple I snapped photo's of .... no energy to post them tonight to be honest :(
Maybe the hardest hunt I've had, I NEED it to change tomorrow, and I believe it will. North wind will be blowing and at last I get to hunt the corner pivot area of where the big buck camtracker photo's were taken. I've been in that camtracker stand but its probably 125 yard away from the bend.
Does it matter that much? Maybe so - I'll find out tomorrow.
First time I've ever sat all day long in a stand, daylight until dark. It aint easy. I saw 6 bucks today, I took a shot at a nice 9 point but it was at an odd twist of the body and he was in the bottom of the creek drainage I overlook and I didn't bend enough at the waist and shot a tad over him. I actually think my fletching hit hit back, and he jumped the string just a bit because I'd whistled to stop him.
I didn't wound him, he wasn't a big one .... its all good.
I'm hunting until 10 am or so in the morning and calling it a hunt. Sometimes it just seems everything wrong happens and tags don't get filled. Still, I've got 4 more hours in the morning, I'm going to stay positive until its really over.
Good luck and great pics!
Good luck Brad! It ain't over till the lady we all know sings!
Awesome thread, and a nice buck!
Saturday morning was last morning ..... I hunted the stand near where the camtracker hung again. I had does and fawns all around me all morning. At 9:30 am I rattled in this dink buck. We'd seen him often this week, calling him Blade Jr because he looked very much like Blade buck did last year. He wandered in, and around and off .... and I wondered if last second I shouldn't kill a consolation buck, take home some meat .... his genetics aint nothing special and so i rattled again and with a combine running 100 yards away here he comes in.
I shot him at 7 steps from the base of my tree. I hit him high about 5 ribs from the back and the arrow quartered down and back, exiting last rib. The SteelForce 225 gr single bevel was buried 6" in the soft soil on the opposite side with a blood spray. I knew I'd killed him and there is a great satisfaction in shooting one with a recurve, and it don't matter if he's a 180" 5x5 or a little dink.
I hunted hard, I passed on a lot of bucks until the last day shooting a consolation meat buck, I saw bobcat, hawks, owls, all kinds of little birds, small game, pheasants .... had great friends inviting me out, great country ..... after my little vertigo issue this summer I'm just glad to have had the opportunity to go and roll the dice on a B&C buck. Didn't happen but it was a successful hunt from beginning to end.
I'll upload a few more pictures of camtracker bucks later today, here is my buck
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Here are some more photo's ..... amazing to KNOW these bucks are there, and yet to rarely see one during the daytime, even in the peak rut !
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Great hunt Brad thanks for sharing it with us and congrats on your buck!!!
Well that should keep a smile on your face for the ride home! Great ending to a great hunt :thumbsup:
Great hunt Brad! Congrats on the buck. Should taste real good.
I need to get back to Kansas. Great Hunt buddy!!
Congrats :thumbsup:
It was a great hunt - no regrets on passing on the bucks I did or shooting the one I did either!
I just finished processing it - I mix 3 pounds deer to 1 pound Chuck Wagon bacon bits/pieces and burgerized almost all of it with the exception of the backstraps and 4 packages of the best ham pieces.
Congrats and thanks for taking us along w/ you!