Jay
Hey Guys,
Wanted to send you a letter about my 12 day bowhunting trip to [location deleted]. It started out filled with drama as my father and I were headed down 36 towards [location deleted], I pulled up on a hellatious accident where a man was trapped in his car, pinned under a big rig. Being a firefighter and former paramedic I did my good deed for the day and helped the volunteer rescue workers with whatever they needed. We finally made it to [location deleted] safe and sound and started our bowhunting extravaganza. The weather wasn't exactly what I called enjoyable. I would rather hunt in a rain or snow storm than hunt in high winds but these small fronts kept moving through the area making it a consistent 15-25 mph winds. We carried on though and hunted the property I had scouted in Sept and it was amazing how the dynamics of the property had changed. I hadn't thought of certain things like creeks being flooded and impassable, late crop harvest with tons of still standing corn etc. Out of the 20+ times I was on stand, I only had one evening of not seeing a deer. Pretty outstanding if you ask me and I attribute this to the one time I forgot to play Fred Bear by the Nuge on my way to the property.
All in all I saw well over a dozen different bucks with 3 being shooters and one being easily a 150+ that my ethics got the best of me and I didn't take a questionable shot through some saplings. So, no, I have no wallhanger to post but the memories will be in my mind for a lifetime as time well spent with my father. The look on his face after each evening hunt and his first taste of buck fever and first ever shot and miss of a deer was unforgettable. Looking forward to next year. I'll be in touch. Thanks again.
- Jay
Earlier
Jon and John,
Well, I finally got my pics developed of my first Missouri deer. Although it's not a monster buck or even a buck at all I am very proud. Proud because of the fact that this deer represents one of the greatest hunting seasons ever. I saw and heard things that I thought I would only experience by watching hunting shows. I am looking forward to exploring new places and tracking down that monster...I know he's out there.
Thanks again guys, Jay
We asked Jason to explain in more detail why he enjoyed his hunt so much and this was his response.
Well I can start by saying one of the first things I noticed was how secluded the properties and that was exactly what I was looking for. I did not see one other hunter the whole trip. Seeing deer was not an issue as I saw deer every day I was in the woods. As the rut progressed there was a day that I had 5 different bucks walk within 30 yards of my stand and although they were immature bucks it was exciting nonetheless. On my way to the stand I kicked up 3 coveys and in my stand saw groups of 10-15 turkeys daily. It was truly the stuff hunting videos are about. One early morning before sunrise and there was zero visibility I heard a tremendous thrashing to my left and couldn't have been more than 20 yards away. After a few shocking seconds I figured out that it was a buck rubbing a tree. After the morning hunt I got down to take a look and at 12 yards was a large sapling almost torn out of the ground. I never did see the deer itself but what a memory. When all is said and done I have to say the best memory was the time spent with my Father who lives more that 500 miles away from me and this gave us a great opportunity to share the great outdoors!!!
Thanks again, Jay
Earlier
Jon,
This letter is by far long overdue but I'm getting the bug to get out there already. I wanted to write and say a special thank you for all the help you gave my father and I on our trip to Missouri for a 10 day bowhunt this past year. The property you recommended sure did not disappoint us. We saw deer every day and I saw several 130 class bucks or better. I missed a 10 yard shot at a great 8 pointer due to some unsettling events that you may remember in our phone conversation. All things considering, the term "unsuccessful" is a very loose term. As far as harvesting a deer, no neither of us did. We passed on immature bucks but spending quality time doing the single most enjoyable thing in the world, hunting, it couldn't have been more successful. Thanks so much for the guidance and you can bet on us coming back next year. Hope to talk to you soon.
Jason
Not HUGE but happy.
