Bowhunting his first season as a Association member harvests two trophy deer
John,
Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! Santa visited me a few days early with this
[location deleted] brute. I had seen him twice during the early bow season, but
he disappeared for two months. I thought someone had taken him during gun
season. I was watching a couple of does when he popped up on the evening of 23
Dec. I arrowed him at 15 yards and recovered him on Christmas Eve. I'm
6'1", 220 lbs, so that should give some perspective to his size. Main frame
10 pointer with a 5 6/8 inch kicker on the inside of his right main beam.
Grossed over 165 and nets in the mid-150s. Fantastic late season buck that I was
not expecting to see.
Thanks, Doug
 John,
I'm an active duty Army officer stationed for the next year in [deleted]. Arrowed this 140-class buck in
[deleted] on 18
November. Wasn't going to go because of 65 degree weather and high winds. I saw nothing but turkey until about 20 minutes before last light. Hit a
series of doe bleats followed by a drawn-out tending grunt. Had two bucks
come across a pasture and fight 40 yards out. This buck beat the other
one, and I grunted him in to 10 yards. Had another 9 pointer come in and
look at the dying buck as well as the beaten buck 2 minutes after I shot. Both walked within shooting range. Have seen tremendous numbers of turkey
and deer on every property I've hunted in [deleted] and [deleted]. Have also
taken a 220 lbs 7 pointer in [deleted] as well as three does so far.
Thanks, Doug
 This is a bowhunting success for this hunter and the Association as he moved
into the area without any contacts, went hunting and did well. Thank you for the
feedback Doug and good luck in the Army!
John, I just wanted to express how pleased I am
with the services that MAHA provides. When I found out in January that I would
be attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth this
year, I was more excited about the hunting opportunities in the area than what
it meant for my career (mixed-up priorities, I guess). Having grown up in the
Deep South and been stationed across it in one place or another over the last 12
years, I've spent many falls and winters wishing I was chasing monster
whitetails in Kansas and Missouri instead of watching Jackie Bushman and Bill
Jordan do it. I always knew if I were given the chance to hunt in the same area
as those guys that I could produce the same results. Your association has
allowed me that opportunity.
The web site is dynamic, and I was able
to do a lot of scouting in February by pulling up the free terra server link and
downloading aerial photos. The spots that I picked from those photos paid off
because when I actually walked the ground I could see the funnels, trails, and
rub-lines that I had envisioned being there. I also appreciate your
prioritization of the best huntable species at the bottom of the maps. If deer
is number one, you can bet there are going to be plenty on that property, and
the same goes for turkey. If deer are listed last or not listed, don't waste
your time if you're after muy grande. Likewise, reserving hunting areas
is a lot easier than expected. I seldom reserve more than a day in advance, and,
in fact, I didn't reserve the spot where I killed the 140-class 8-pointer until
that very day.
After I joined, I told a bunch of my
friends about the association, and most of them balked saying it was too
expensive. Crazy! I was paying almost the same amount on two hunting clubs in
Louisiana with access to only 10,000 acres (biggest buck taken was a 115-class
10 pointer that I killed). Well, thus far, only one has even killed a deer (a
small doe on Fort Leavenworth), and one asked me last week when the rut was
going to start. My reply, "Dude, it's come and gone."
Thanks again! Doug
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