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Hey Jon, I have been collecting my thoughts since joining MAHA and would like to
share them with you and other members. When I joined in August my goal was to
deer hunt in north [location deleted] and possibly take a good buck. However,
was I in for a surprise! You were able to help me gain access to a Kansas
archery buck tag and I embarked on a fall that will be unforgettable. I didn't
make it to north [location deleted] but I was very satisfied. I headed to [location deleted] county to
walk some properties that I had viewed on terraserver. During a two day scouting
trip I probably saw 200 plus turkeys and a couple of decent bucks. I was also
fortunate to meet a couple of the landowners who were very helpful in showing me
where they often saw deer. I met [names deleted] and I have to say they are
really great people.
Opening Day [location deleted] bow season. Day Two. I was exhausted from the drive and decided to hunt the afternoon in the same woods about 50 yards from where I took my doe. I got in the tree and pulled my bow up at 12:15 p.m., sat down and was untying my rope when a noticed a small buck walking toward me. I was not going to take him and remained motionless as he walked within 5 yards of my tree. It was really hard to keep from laughing out loud, I thought to myself, this is just too good!. You see, I have always hunted in big woods of the Missouri Ozarks and this kind of success is not the norm. I sat patiently the rest of the day as the woods were alive with turkey, deer and squirrels. An hour before dark two coyotes came by in a small ravine and a half hour later I noticed a bobcat making his way toward my location. As he approached he came close to a large blow down and I heard a groan or growl and he retreated. It sounded much like the gurgle of a mature buck deer but I wasn't quite sure. I stood up and focused on the location about 60 yards across the creek. I could see some movement through the brush and to my surprise it wasn't a buck. When the animal crossed the creek bottom I could see it was a mountain lion. Needless to say it made me little nervous, it was getting dark and I had to get on the ground. What a day! The next morning I opted to go home instead of hunting in the morning. It was hot and there was plenty season left. It was a dream of mine to hunt [location deleted] with a bow during the rut and I left to prepare. November, The Rut. My goal was to see at least one deer that might make B&C and possibly take a nice animal. I had prepared, scouted and found a good location for my first day hunt. After getting to the stand early, the surroundings were dead calm but in the distance the sound of feet were inching my way. It kept getting louder and louder until my stand was surrounded with activity. I kept thinking, hurry up and get daylight! I was surrounded and no shot! It got daylight and I was surrounded alright, unfortunately there is no season on black Angus steers! These guys had broke through a fence to find the acorn patch where my stand was located. Oh well, if you hunt in farm country its going to happen. Little did I know this one thing would prove beneficial to the hunt and my education about whitetail deer in open country. As I mentioned before, I have been a big woods hunter and these animals spook easily and hide in the brush unlike their farmland counterparts. With the morning being somewhat of a bust I decided to observe another area of the farm being hunted. I called the office and told Shaun about the mishap and made sure that the scouting would not interfere with anyone else. I had decided that these deer were used to a little noise and I decided to take a look at a 5 to10 acre piece of cover next to a road, bridge and CRP field. Bingo! Deer sign everywhere and no other hunter would want to hunt this spot because you can see people clearly in cars as they pass on the bridge. If I were a buck, this would be the spot. Not wanting to disturb the location I sat at a distance that afternoon and watched deer movement through the area looking for running deer and the path they take. I chose a good spot later in the evening and had several does within range but no bucks. The weather was turning hot and then came the rain and then the wind. Oh well, time to glass! Focusing on small patches of cover and open areas. I saw the B&C deer and a couple of nice bucks on another MAHA property close by to the one I was scheduled to hunt. This parcel was the most open piece of land that I had witnessed and these bucks had set up residence there. In the open, unapproachable and totally safe from an archer. Touche' for the deer! Maybe I'll get to go back with a rifle someday. The weather broke and back to the bridge stand. Daylight brought the sight of does around my stand. They fed into the distance and about 25 minutes later I noticed a large body coming across the CRP grass towards the woods and the bridge. I grunted and he came quicker, entered the woods and went after the does away from my stand. I grunted aggressively and he bolted and turned my way trotting in with the hair on his back raised and his ears pinned for a fight. I could see that he had a deformed rack on his left side and I stood to take him. However, he was moving quickly and had to be stopped. I pulled my bow and just as I started to bleat he stopped about six feet from the base of my tree and the arrow went quickly into his vitals. In less than thirty seconds my buck was down. He wasn't as impressive as those I saw before but he was a trophy for me and weighed 215 pounds. I had gone to [location deleted], unguided and been successful with my bow twice in probably less than one week of actual time in the stand. You gotta love it! I left [location deleted] later that night and was able to take a nontypical buck with a rifle two days later on my place in the southern Missouri Ozarks. I just can't thank you and MAHA enough for helping fulfill my dreams. [location deleted] I was determined to rifle hunt in north [location deleted] this year. I bought a preference point in [location deleted] and applied for [location deleted] muzzleloader tag. I didn't get the [location deleted] tag but will try again. I researched some property in [location deleted] county that you had recommended and spent a couple of days scouting about a month or so before season. I also met [name deleted] and his wife and they told me about another MAHA member, Roger, who had hunted their farm in past years. [name deleted] said I could camp on his farm during the upcoming gun season and said that Roger had camped there in the past and maybe I could meet him when I returned to hunt. I hoped that I could because I had inquired about the "Buddy Program" mentioned on the web site. I hunt alone quite often but having another person in camp to visit with or help out is great not to mention a good safety feature if things go wrong. Several of the properties looked good , I hung one stand on [name deleted] farm for a possible bow location and picked a spot on another farm that would allow me to cover a lot of open ground with a rifle. Things looked promising and I returned home. The first day that we are able to make reservations for the season I called the office and reserved my location and asked Shaun if anyone had made reservations on [name deleted] farm. She said that one person had done so and I asked if it was Roger. She paused and replied yes how did you know? I told her that I had asked you about the Buddy system and I would like to meet someone like myself that generally hunts alone. She asked me if I would like to contact Roger and gave me his number. This was the start to what was going to be my most memorable and best deer season thus far in [location deleted]. I called Roger and we visited for over an hour, set a time for meeting and I promised to get in touch with him a few days before season. Time flew by and I called Roger to finalize plans. I got there a day early set camp and relaxed, its about a 10 hour trip for me. The day before season Roger arrived like clockwork and we decided to place a couple stands for the hunt. He had told me about the location he had planned to hunt and I told him that he was very close to the area where I had placed a bowstand earlier and he was welcome to get in it since it was in the same locale as his reservation. He agreed and we looked it over and set out to hang my stand on another farm. [location deleted] I saw five bucks and several does the first day but nothing I wanted to shoot. It was a little hot but I stayed all day never getting down from the tree. I could cover about 100 acres from my perch and people driving by probably thought I was nuts to be in one lone tree in the middle of a field. However, I had the best seat in the house. That evening when I returned to the truck the man who farmed this location met me to see how I had done. He was very nice and we had met the day before. He and his young son had hunted his family farm east of this location and saw a few nice deer but didn't take one. We both said good luck and I returned to camp. Man was I in for a surprise! I got back to camp and Roger was grinning from ear to ear. He had shot a huge 9 pointer out of the bow stand. I asked him how far was the shot and he replied 8 yards. I don't know who was happier him or me! I didn't get the deer but my choice of stand location was right and I was certainly proud for Roger. He had been zeroing in on this spot for a couple of years and I was glad his efforts had paid off. He is undoubtedly one of the best men I have ever met and I am glad to call him my friend. We hunted the rest of the week, cooked out and I saw a couple of really nice bucks but they were either out of range or running at long distances. I had also dropped my gun the second day of season and knocked my scope off. This caused me to miss a couple of deer but I fixed the problem and was back in business. I shot a couple of antlerless deer, saw several young bucks and the second Saturday of season I shot an eight point weighing 230 pounds at a distance of 305 yards with my 7mm08. Man, the shots are long in this open country and I will have a bigger caliber next season. I couldn't have asked for a better deer season and I gained a new friend and hunting partner. Roger and I stay in touch and we bowhunted together after Christmas at my place in Carter county, Missouri. We have also scheduled a Caribou hunt together in Alaska for September and plan to bowhunt in October at my place in southern Missouri. Once again, thanks Jon and thanks to everyone else at MAHA for the wonderful opportunities. P.S. This season I promise to get a tripod for my camera so I can be in the pictures too. |
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Kevin from Vermont 2 and 3 |
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