Well, after two buffalo hunts with Andy Ivy in Australia, we finally got him over here to hunt whitetail deer on Doug Burns' ranch in northwestern Oklahoma. Doug got here a little before midnight, and I arrived a little after midnight. Andy had been at the ranch since 5:30 p.m. after driving Doug's pickup truck here from Colorado. Andy's parents live close to Doug's Colorado cabin that he has to shut down during the winter because of the snows and the somewhat remote location.
I accidentally woke Andy up when I was getting ready for bed, so he got up to say hello. He and Doug will rise early to hunt, but I'm sleeping in after a long week at work with late nights and a late arrival at the ranch. Heck, it's already 2:00 a.m. as I write this. I saw a few does as I drove in, and there are always some nice bucks on the property. Andy will be here with Doug for a week, but I have to go home Sunday to get back to work. It should be fun, and Andy ought to have a deer before he leaves. Hopefully, I will too. I don't think Andy has shot a whitetail before, but I could be wrong about that.
I need to get Andy and Doug to help me write about our second adventure in Oz this past July. It was a blast, but I got so busy when I got back home that I never got the chance to tell the story here.
We'll keep everyone advised on this deer hunt and will let you know if and when Andy scores -- or anyone else does. Andy has his new VPA ILF riser with Sky recurve limbs, and I brought a Shrew Classic Hunter and a Big Jim Thunderchild. I wanted Andy to shoot the Thunderchild, but I'll be hunting with my Shrew Koa CH that I am in love with. I think Doug is shooting his Shrew CH too, although he was in bed when I got here, and he hasn't announced his plans yet. I haven't shot much since I got back from Oz, so I hope I don't screw up my shooting at the deer. :pray: There are lightning flashes outside as I write this. Maybe we won't have storms, if we're lucky. That would suck, because I really am not that eager to hunt in a thunderstorm -- for some strange reason.
Allan
Sounds like adventure is in store. Good luck.
Good luck guys. Looking forward to the pics and stories.
Oh man, I hope you guys have a great trip. Let us know how it goes.
Good luck.
Best of luck to you guys.
pick a spot!! :archer2:
Good luck fella's!
:campfire:
Good luck fellas.
Deer are in trouble if Andy's there. Few folks if any have the practice in the art of stalking that Andy has. I'll put my money on Andy, the deer are going to be down a few by end of hunt!
Good luck and enjoy your time in the field.
Good luck, I look forward to hearing the stories!
Good luck to you guys!
Allan, looking forward to a full report. Best of luck and I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this hunt very soon.
Storms are on the horizon here, good luck and be safe!
Good luck, guys. Not getting in the woods much right now. Too much paypack time for my hunt this summer with Andy and Mick. I hope you guys have a great time and get some great shot opportunities. Keep us posted.
Good Luck and have a safe hunt.
Leland
I just woke up after sleeping a good 8 hours. It rained cats and dogs with lots of thunder and lightning for most of the night, but the rain had stopped by 6 a.m. The day was nice, but I didn't get out in it.
This place is not your ordinary hunting camp. It it like a luxury lodge that you see in the magazines where you just wish you could go hunt. When Doug first bought the ranch 29 years ago, it was just a bunch of sand hills with a lush river valley running through it. Deer camp back then was a bunch of tents set up in a hollow area with trees around them and our campfire in the middle. As young men, that was perfect, but over the years we went to trailer houses and finally the big house and barns. Now the place is palatial with fishing ponds, feed plots, barns, dog runs, heating, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, heavy equipment, etc., to make the ranch everything it can be as a hunting playground. The main game animals are deer, turkeys and quail, with destructive hogs being banned from the property. There are also coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, porcupines, rabbits, squirrels, hawks, an occasional mountain lion, and various other species.
We had to go work on the ranch, so I'm just getting this posted from the morning. More in a few minutes.
Allan
cant wait..sounds like its gonna be good
Good luck guys!
sweet...
We did chores all afternoon, putting up stands and feeders, cutting shooting lanes, and cleaning up the brush that had grown up in the hunting areas during the off season. Doug gave Andy the full tour of the ranch, because Andy will be hunting here for an entire week and needs to get his big buck.
At about 4:30 this afternoon we all headed for our various stands. I dropped Doug off near his stand and spooked a few does. I parked and walked into my stand, where a doe and a turkey were standing before running off. A medium sized 9 point buck (125") came in at 5:40 and stayed in shooting range for 23 minutes. Along came a small 6 point that the 9 point ran off. Two flocks of turkeys passed within 100 yards. Later an 8 point (115"+) that wasn't a lot smaller than the 9 point walked by within 18 yards. I could have easily shot either of the two bigger bucks, but chose to hold out for an even bigger one or a fat doe.
We had a fantastic dinner of pork loin, veal chops, stir fry rice, and salad. Doug has a fireplace devoted purely to cooking, along with a regular kitchen, and another friend, Barry, who is a great cook, showed up to hunt and helped prepare dinner. On Monday (after I have left) yet another friend, Anthony, a professional gourmet chef and owner of one of the finest restaurants in Oklahoma (or anywhere else), is coming out to hunt and will be preparing some of the best food in the world, just because he can and wants to. I hate to miss the delicious fixings, but I have to get back for work on Monday. It's easy to get spoiled hunting at Doug's ranch!
Well, it's late, and we have an early morning wake up time. I need to get a card reader so we can post some pictures.
Allan
It was pouring rain early this morning. The "older and wiser" guys stayed at the house. As many others have pointed out here, not only does rain make things uncomfortable, it washes away those important blood trails.
Allan
I grew up in Western Oklahoma. Your description of the place in the beginning sounds just like it was when I moved away in 1985 to start a career in the big town.
Thanks for keeping us posted. I can't wait for more stories and some pictures!!
K.C. <><
Good Luck to Andy, although with his skills I don't think LUCK is that much depended on. :archer:
Thanks for the updates. Good luck Andy!
Awesome story so far. I know Andy has the drive.
Just wanted to say that the sudden death of Donald Rowan has made all of us here very sad, but it has inspired an even greater resolve on our parts to live life to its fullest and experience the gifts that God has given us, especially as we spend time together in nature, enjoying the hunt and the companionship of our friends and families. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to Donald, Danny, Kimber and their family in this difficult time, and we dedicate this hunt to the memory of our dear friend and fellow traditional archer, Donald. God's speed, Donald. Your new custom bow and arrows will be ones only He can build for you. We'll join you there all to soon friend!
Allan, Andy and Doug
Well said Allan!!!!!
Good luck to all you guys!...and shoot 'em straight!
Kenny :archer2:
Go get em guys!
Good luck! Looking forward to the rest of the hunt.
Good luck Allan, I look forward to another good read.
I had several bucks under my stand this morning and again this evening, He was a pretty deer, but I unfortunately did not have my camera available at the time. The 8 point from yesterday was back again today and was in the area for an hour and a half. He even bedded 50 yards away and in sight after spending 50 minutes under my stand. I got a bunch of pictures of him. It's good for him that he is immune to my arrows, because he needs to grow up and get bigger first.
I will hunt in the morning, eat lunch, and then head home -- unless I shoot something and need to spend some time cleaning it. It's been great sharing a hunting camp with Andy again. He is a great guy and has become a close friend. It's hard to believe he is years younger than my own kids! I'll post some pictures when I get home.
We end this day thinking of Donald Rowan and remembering him for the wonderful man he was. We are also thinking of Danny, Kimber, and the other family members who have suffered such a grievous loss. I'll be including them in my bedtime prayers, and will picture Donald as sharing our hunt and the hunts of other TradGangers from a higher and clearer perch, where he watches us as we chase deer, turkey and other game down here. I'm sure he's enjoying it as we miss shots and spook animals, and even more when we succeed in taking home trophies and memories of our days spent in the field.
Allan
Good luck, Allan. Lookiing forward to hearing more of the story.
This is about to get better. I just have a feeling!!
Allan,
Donald treasured your friendship with all of his heart. I thank you for your kind words and dedication. I set here now with tears flowing down my face while I type this. I miss him dearly. I hope all of your arrows fly true.
Gods Peace,
Danny
Sweet! :thumbsup:
Danny,
I feel very blessed to have you tell me how Donald felt about me. And know that the feelings on my part were equal. I'm just glad guys are doing what Donald loved to do and showed all of us how to do the right way. I don't know how things are going back at the ranch. I had to leave after lunch today and have not received the latest news.
I saw lots of deer and a few flocks of turkeys, and I got some good photos and a few short movies. It will take just a little while for me to get the photos up so you can see some of the animals there on Doug's place. I only hunted on one stand, because of the short time I was there, but there are lots more deer around, and some of them are much bigger.
I'm exhausted. I have only had about 1 1/2 nights of sleep the last 3 nights, and it is catching up with me. I have to work tomorrow, so I am going to hit the sack soon. God be with you and bless Donald, Kimber, your wife, your sister and all the rest of your family, Danny. I know life is really tough for all of you at this point, but God is good at carrying us at times when we aren't able to make it on our own. Donald was in our hunting camp in spirit this weekend, and we felt his warmth, presence and guidance in everything we did. I'll always remember Donald and cherish our friendship.
Allan
Looking forward to more news...
Andy's traditional bows for this hunt are a 58" Shrew Scout recurve and a VPA metal ILF riser with Sky recurve limbs. I love his Shrew Scout (as I have loved EVERY Shrew I have ever shot, including the dozen plus I currently have, among my total of about 4 dozen bows), but the VPA ILF felt very strange in my hand, and I couldn't shoot it worth a darn. Andy had the same problem when he first got it, but now he loves it. I would probably have the same experience, but I'm not planning on adding any metal risers to my group of bows. Even though many people swear by them, I have found I tend to swear at them.
Here is Andy with his new VPA ILF:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01571.jpg)
And here I am with my Shrew Koa Classic Hunter and Andy's VPA:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01573.jpg)
Then with my Shrew CH and my Big Jim black and white ebony Thunderchild:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01579.jpg)
Here's a short video of Andy shooting his VPA:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/th_M4H01578.jpg) (http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/?action=view¤t=M4H01578.mp4)
And a video of me shooting my Shrew:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/th_M4H01575.jpg) (http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/?action=view¤t=M4H01575.mp4)
I haven't been shooting as much lately, so I didn't settle into my proper position easily. Andy obviously has a very different shooting style from mine.
More in a few minutes.
Allan
Here are a couple of pictures of Doug's "hunting cabin":
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01455.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01457.jpg)
That's really roughing it! Looks a lot like our camp in Australia when Doug and I were hunting there with Andy and Mick.
Allan
Here are a video and some pictures of deer I saw while I was seeing. The white stuff on the antler of the one deer is actually blue baling twine that has been shredded and bleached out by the weather and sun. There is no way we could figure out to get it off his antlers other than to kill him first.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/th_M4H01546.jpg) (http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/?action=view¤t=M4H01546.mp4)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01536.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01535.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01511.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01510.jpg)
Allan
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01507.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01472.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01500.jpg)
These are not all the deer that I photographed, and I never got a picture of the large droptine deer.
Allan
A hunt is not complete without doing the chores. Here we are setting up a feeder and a new stand.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01449.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01446.jpg)
Finally, here are Andy and Doug, happy with the new shooting location near the edge of one of many feed plots that Doug has planted throughout his ranch.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01443.jpg)
I had a great time with Andy, Doug and Barry and saw many nice deer in my few days there on the ranch. Obviously, I passed on shooting any of the deer because none of the bucks were as big as I wanted and no does were around to shoot. I just needed more time to get what I wanted -- or so I tell myself.
I got to do quite a bit of shooting with Andy. He is a very good shot and did better with my bows that I did. He also shot his VPA very well when I had a hard time even hitting the target using it.
Most of you have probably never been to Oklahoma, but hopefully you can see the quality of the game and the hunting here. Doug's cabin has numerous mounts of deer harvested on his ranch, and every head has the gross and net P&Y scores listed on a placard. The scores range from under 100 to over 160, with animals on the ranch going over 180 (the guys who shoot the high-scoring bucks tend to take the racks home with them). The many examples of antler sizes give everyone a very good idea of what the score of any given deer will be before the hunter takes a shot.
Allan
wow..some amzing pics and I like Andy's VPA..specially the way the arrow just flew like a lazer..
Allen, looks like a good time. What part of NW OK is Doug's ranch in? Just curious since, as you know, I get to that part of the state some myself. Nice "cabin" for sure. Ours is a gutted single-wide mobile home with a camo paint job.
Nice mansion,errr, cabin, Doug. Looks like an awesome place with high quality animals on it. I wonder what kind of feeders those are? Never saw them before. I am glad that you guys have had a great time, so far. Looks like a great group of guys to have in camp. Haven't shared camp with Allan yet, and I have never met Doug, but I know that Andy is a talented and hardworking hunter that earns his success. I am pretty sure he has that VPA dialed in for his Minnesota hunt.
Looks like you guys are really roughing it. Lol. Very nice cabin and land Doug. It looks like yall got plenty of action as well. :bigsmyl:
Doug's ranch is near Woodward, Russell.
If you want to know more about the feeders, Pat, I will get Doug to fill you in.
Yes, life is tough in Oklahoma, James!
Allan
good luck y'all :thumbsup:
Wow, that's some nice digs for sure. Thanks for the pictorial Allan.
Allan....not only can u not show pics of non-trad kills but u cant even talk about other weapon hunts or mention them, or animals seen on them.
I had no clue what so ever that Andy hunted with a compound till I was emailed 3 compound pics that I was told were kills on this hunt.
The camel aint getting his nose under the tent. I don't know a more diplomatic way to say it.
Terry, thanks...
There are lots of wheel bow web sights..
I appreciate the fact that Tradgang is pure traditional bowhunting..
Very Nice Allan! What county is the ranch in?
I only use traditional bows -- and either the Shrew CH or the Thunderchild was in my hand or in my lap every moment I was in the field. I don't even use a bow hanger. So everything you see here in pictures, and every animal I describe that I saw was trad hunted. Anything Andy would post here would also be trad hunted with either the VPA ILF or the Shrew Scout he was shooting. Doug is a trad shooter too, and has hunted with traditional bows all over the world. I edited all my posts to make sure I only mention animals that I PERSONALLY saw with my own eyes when I had one of my trad bows touching my body -- I even deleted any mention of animals I saw when driving my modern motorized vehicle (which has accidentally run over a few animals) or sitting in the cabin when I was not actually hunting. I want to stick to all the rules here. This is a great site, and Terry is a wonderful person. Terry, I appreciate you very much, both as the creator of TradGang and as a friend. Thanks for your understanding and your guidance.
The ranch is in Woodward County, Leslie.
Allan
Big Deer up that way! hopefully the remaining hunters will arrow a big one!
Thanx Allen :thumbsup:
Good luck from SW OK! I haven't been able to get out this season much but hoping to change that this weekend.
Update guys? :campfire:
:campfire:
I tried to call Andy and Doug this evening but couldn't get hold of them. I don't know what is happening, except that they are for sure eating well with chef Anthony there! The weather has been very warm the last few days, but the temperature is dropping tonight, so the deer will hopefully be moving.
Allan
:campfire:
QuoteOriginally posted by amar911:
Just wanted to say that the sudden death of Donald Rowan has made all of us here very sad, but it has inspired an even greater resolve on our parts to live life to its fullest and experience the gifts that God has given us, especially as we spend time together in nature, enjoying the hunt and the companionship of our friends and families. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to Donald, Danny, Kimber and their family in this difficult time, and we dedicate this hunt to the memory of our dear friend and fellow traditional archer, Donald. God's speed, Donald. Your new custom bow and arrows will be ones only He can build for you. We'll join you there all to soon friend!
Allan, Andy and Doug
Allan and gang, thank you so much, Donald thought the world of you and I hope you had a great hunt. I have a feeling there will be many arrows flying through the air at their intended target this season in memory of my beloved and I can't tell you how much that means to both of us-
Kimber,
I was wonderful talking with you last night. I know how Donald's death has turned your life upside down in many ways, but that your faith in God has stood fast. You and Donald have shared five years of love and friendship of the kind God designed for a husband and wife to have in this world. All too soon many of us, including you, will join Donald again in Heaven and will share eternity with him in the presence of the Trinity. I'm sorry I won't be at the memorial service, but I again will say that my thoughts and prayers will be with you, Danny and the family at the service, just as they have been with you for years and will be in the future.
Allan