Flinging Arrows

This past weekend the Pile Boys hit the trifecta at Coon Bottom.  We were all able to put bone on the ground, for Jeff and Dad, it was their first buck with a bow!  Definitely a neat experience to be hunting with someone when they reach a milestone, especially with family.

Lefty on Nov. 13th

It all started Friday night around 5 PM, my hope was beginning to fade with the sun when I noticed a doe approaching from the east.  As she nervously made her way down the hedgerow, she was obviously being pushed by something, as she would pause every few steps and look back over her shoulder.  When she finally made it beneath my tree, I heard a deep grunt echo out of the timber, which confirmed her nervous behavior.   Within a minute or two, I could hear leaves crunching along with more grunting.  By this time, the doe had passed by and was standing 30 yards in front of me.  The moment of truth arrived in the form of "Lefty", a buck which was number two on my hit list.  He walked down the trail and stopped directly in a shooting lane at 17 yards.  After a couple of deep breaths, I came to full-draw and made the shot.  He bucked and ran 25 yards then dropped right on the trail!  

On Saturday morning, I drove around to pick-up Dad and he was already standing at the road.  I notice he did not have his bow, so I inquire to its whereabouts, thinking he had left it in the tree (he is getting older you know!).   He causally says that he laid it out in the field...on top of his buck!  He then points out in the middle of the green wheat field, where I see his first arrowed buck taking a dirt nap!   

Jeff a.k.a Ol' Pudgy Thumb rolled into camp late on Saturday night.  (Seems the whole marriage thing has put some cold water on his hunting!)  After a late night around the campfire, he headed to the stand vowing to shoot the first thing with antlers that crossed his path.  True to his word, by 8 AM, we got a text declaring he had shot his first buck.

No doubt we had a great weekend, one which will be relived in story for a long time, "Remember when the three of us all stuck bucks in the same weekend..."  

Trail Cam Pictures

Is the rut winding down?  Looks like bucks are returning to their nocturnal ways and does are back in groups with fawns.

  

Two More Fall

The past few days have brought much needed rainfall, but the rain is not the only thing which has fallen.  Two Obsessed Buddies have downed bucks!

Ad Hoc Grim Reaper Pro-Staff Member Bill Maddox punched one of his Nebraska tags with this nice 8-pointer.  Nebraska allows hunters to draw two buck tags, so Bill has this "bird in hand" and is now looking for El Grande.

8 yards with a Grim reaper.  Ran about 60 yards and dumped over in front of me with a heart shot.  There were three bucks within 25 yards of me when I stuck this one.  Grim Reaper "Watch'em Drop!"

Terry "Tooie" Tracy also put the hurt on a nice whitetail this past weekend.  

Firing on all Cylinders

With the opening of upland season this past weekend, we are burning the candle at both ends hunting ducks, geese, pheasant, quail, turkey and deer.  The stars align for about five weeks each year where nearly all Kansas game is in season.  The quarry of the day is often determined by weather conditions and wind direction.

The Pile Boys had an awesome time at the farm, a.k.a. Coon Bottom Camp.

Rut in Action

A few days ago we moved the trail camera to a new spot where we suspected several bucks were chasing does and were pleasantly surprised with the results.  All of these pictures were taken in one 24-hour period!

GB Lays One Down

Not one to mess around, my good friend Peter Browning a.k.a, GB, took care of business a couple of nights ago, making him the second of my obsessed buddies to grab a handful of antler.  Peter is a no nonsense hunter who has always preached not to pass on a deer early in the season that you would be happy to take on the last day.  In his own words this is how the deal went down:   

"He came in downwind and fortunately the scent lock stuff did its job!  After I shot him at 15 yards with the Rage Expandable broad-head he ran about 20 yards and fell over. That is definitely my most preferred tacking method!" 

Pete tagging out in early November has put Central-Flyway waterfowl on high-alert and for good reason.  Many ducks have already felt his wrath during the first few weeks of the season and things are bound to get worse for those with webbed feet as GB heads to the marsh with his yearly case of buck fever cured!

Ringing Telephone



No doubt the rut is on us like white on rice!  The unofficial start day of November 5th did not disappoint.  The woods were literally alive with deer activity and my phone blew-up with hunting pals checking-in and spreading glad tidings of buck sightings.  Funny how one day everyone is calling recounting uneventful stints in a stand and 24-hours later there is a complete 180 with callers now jabbering on like they are calling to tell of winning the lottery.  My wife is less than impressed with the fact I have become a designated report taker/relayer for all hunting activity in the region.  She doesn't understand why twenty grown men suddenly act like thirteen year old girls after a middle school dance with all the calling and texting.   

Snap-shot of text reports from the front lines.

Seems the past few days have produced many encounters with sparring bucks and other displays from those with antlers jockeying for dominance. 

Young bucks in a Royal Rumble.

I myself have had one encounter with a bona fide shooter, but had the wind snooker my chances on the 10-pointer nicknamed "Hightower".  After setting-up for a windy morning hunt, I lightly rattled and within seconds I could hear crunching leaves.  I realized things were not going according to plan when the sound trail shifted downwind.  After a pause at seventeen yards, the deer took two steps from the hedgerow with his nose in the air, then after catching my scent, swirled like the wind and bolted back into the timber.  Even though I only laid eyes on him for a brief moment, seeing his head-gear left no doubt it was Hightower.  He is a typical ten with an 18-19 inch spread, heavy mass and G2 height of at least 12 inches.