Ryan's Hunting and Fishing Adventures: 2009

It was November 19, 2007 and I was sitting in my treestand hoping for the best of what was going to be a very warm day for November. The forecast called for an unseasonably warm, sunny and calm day. Usually I would be wearing so much clothes that it made it difficult to draw my bow. This day was different, all I was wearing was my camo hunting pants and shirt and socks and boots of course. The thermals stayed at home! As the sun began to peek over the horizon, I noticed some does working my way from some the south. I get my bow ready, hoping a buck would not be far behind, but no luck. Later that morning, this buck came trolling in from behind me looking for a hot doe.

He took me by suprise as I did not hear him coming. I get up slowly in my stand and get ready for what should be a fairly easy shot at 25 yards, but I think I let "buck fever" get the best of me. I slowly drew my bow on the buck and rested my pins on him and released and ended up hitting him way back in the hind quarters. I was very upset with the shot placement and of course blamed it on everything but the fact it was just a bad shot! The deer took off without any signs of being hurt and I later seen him chasing a doe. So I decided to keep hunting and at about 9:20 a buck came strolling in about 100 yards away from him. I gave hime a few short , but loud grunts in my grunt tube. He instantly came my way and gave me a perfect 35 yard shot. I was not even nervous after missing a more mature buck earlier that morning. The shot hit its mark and the deer piled up about 50 yards away.

BEFORE

Picture: Taken with my Leaf River TrailCam 11-13-07

AFTER

Hunt: 11-19-07 at 9:30 am

My Biggest Bow Buck

Friday November 20, 2008 was a partly cloudy, windy and cold day. The temperature for the day was a 30 degrees but the wind chill was was 15 degrees. That morning found me sitting in my treestand on some property that we have permission to hunt on just about two miles South of the Saline River. That morning I passed a very small buck right underneath my treestand. This stand was not unusual to see deer right under me everyday. That morning I only saw 2 small bucks and several does, so I thought that maybe some bigger bucks may come cruising by for some hot does that evening. So the plan was to sit that same stand for an evening hunt. The time is 2:00 p.m. and I am getting ready and dressed in my camo for an evening hunt. At 2:15 my cell phone rings and it is my brother-n-law, Travis. Travis told me that he was coming back to Hays and would like to hunt with me out on my dads ground just North of Catherine, Kansas. This is a spot that several days prior my dad and I saw a very nice 8 point chasing a doe doe in our wheat field. We both thought this deer to score in the 135 to 140 inch range. Travis told me to meet him out there at 3:00 p.m. and so I did. At about 3:30 p.m. we were both situated and seated for the evening hunt. It was very cold. I ended up sitting in an old ladder stand I hung about a year ago next to some alfalfa and CRP. Travis ended up sitting in some thick timber on the ground. All was silent until about 5:00 when I saw a bobcat come by about 25 yards, so I let an arrow fly and the shot was high. I was so frustrated that the arrow misses the mark. All of a sudden a whitetail doe come running out in from of me on the alfalfa. She was soon followed by a decent 125" class 8 point buck. This buck was rutting hard and would not let her get too far. I decided to take this buck if given the chance, when all of a sudden from the west comes the same mature buck that dad and I saw several days earlier tending a hot doe in the wheat field. He came in grunting and snort wheezing and the hair on his back was stadning up. He ended up running right to the smaller 8 point buck and sparring with him. He came by me about 70 yards away and entered the alfalfa field. By this time I was shaking from the cold and the adrenaline rush, I remember not being able to feel my fingers as I "knock" my release for the shot. All of a sudden the doe takes off running to the South of me and towards Travis and the buck begins to follow. Quickly I blew in my grunt call and gave him two short, but loud grunts and the buck stopped in his tracks and turned to look my way. I gave him one more grunt and the buck literally came charging my way. The buck finally stopped and turned almost broadside quartering towards me about 35 yards away. I drew my bow and rested my "peepsight" on my 20-30 yard pin and let her fly. The arrow hit its mark, but just a little far in front of the shoulder. To my advantage the deer was quartering towards me. The buck ran about 30 yards and I saw the arrow fall out. The buck stopped and turned to look back and then staggered off into some "marsh-like" area where he stood for another 15 minues or so. It was getting late so I called Travis on my cell phone and told him that I hit a nice buck, but I want to give him overnight to expire. It was indeed a long, sleepless night knowing that the biggest buck of my bowhunting career was either dead or fatally wounded. The next morning November 21, 2008 Travis and I decided to go to the last spot we had seen the buck the night before and instantly we spotted some very good sign that the buck was more than likely dead...

2008 Archery Deer