This was our last morning in Kansas this year. Looking back over the week it was a phenomenal experience. Anyone who hunts the big woods in the Northeast should go to the Midwest at least once in their hunting career to experience what so many of the articles in magazines are written about.
As they old saying goes, “If you can kill a mature buck in the Northeast, you can kill one anywhere in the country.” I’m a firm believer of that statement. During my trips to the Midwest I’ve learned it’s very easy to see deer, but it’s still very difficult to kill a mature buck. Although it might seem easy to many people it’s still quite a challenge. It’s all about putting your time in and paying your dues. Everything I’ve learned in the big woods where deer are so few and far between I’ve been able to apply to my hunting in other places.
I got up this morning with dad. I had to go pull one of my trail-cams, so I decided I would just sit in a hedgerow with my camera and observe the fields around me. I saw a few bucks cruising the fields but the action seemed very limited. It was a chilly morning. When one buck came over the bluff in the middle of the field I could see his breath as he stood still and scanned the woods in front of him for a doe.
After sitting for a little bit I decided I would walk back toward camp and check out the antlers that were hanging in the tree next to the pond behind the place our tent had been in in years past. The buck died from EHD/Blue Tongue Disease. Although it killed a few deer on the farm I hunt it didn’t appear that it wiped the area out like it did to the place I hunt in Ohio back in 2007.
When I got to the pond I took a few pictures of the rack in the tree. Then I put it on the ground and took a few more. It was about a 140 class buck. He would have been a really good one in a couple of years.
As I snapped the pictures I sensed something looking at me, so I picked my head up and glanced at the ridge above the pond. A few seconds later I saw the culprit. I big doe was staring me down. I ranged her at 80 yards. A couple seconds later I noticed a small buck on her track. Once he disappeared behind some brush I expected him to push her out, but he didn’t. She stood motionless as she stared at me. Every few seconds she looked behind her, but stood still.
After about five minutes she bolted up the hill. I figured the small buck would be right behind her, but when I looked closer I saw a really good buck chasing her. His rack was extremely high and each side leaned in toward the other. He was one of those bucks anyone would want to shoot just because of how uniqueness of the formation of his antlers. As he ran over the hill the smaller buck followed. I finished taking pictures and walked back to the tent. I couldn’t ask for a better way to end the trip. It gave me hope for another day and a sight to motivate me for next year.
