(P) My first blog post!

Well, today I have officially entered the blog world in an effort to learn from and help my fellow hunters. As you will see on this sight, I have opened up my hunting boxes to display the hunting equipment that has helped make me successful in my quest for the elusive Pope and Young Whitetail Deer. Over the last 11 years I have experienced only 3 seasons where I have not successfully harvested a quality whitetail. The first year was in 2003 when my grandpa (hunting buddy and best friend, next to Dad) passed away. He was all I could think about as I sat out in the woods that year. It was very emotional for me back then and still is today. It was so strange not having him around because he was always the life of our deer camps. I wanted so badly to feel his presence with me in the tree, like we were hunting together just like old times. However, I knew he was in a better place because I didn't feel like he was with me. Besides, I know of no other that was more prepared to meet our Lord and Savior. My 2003 goal was to shoot my biggest buck ever (170"+) for my grandpa. Not everyone can say that one of your best friends and hunting buddies is also your grandpa. I passed on some nice deer that year but never let an arrow fly. Sometimes that's bow hunting. Especially when you set very high goals for a season and stay true to them. Grandpa Fred died opening day of the 2003 Wisconsin deer season at the age of 81. He had a heart attack that night after returning home from his deer stand.

Grandpa's last buck at the age of 80.

My 2007 season was spent mostly in Iowa chasing a 160" plus whitetail. We spent 3 weeks there with various challenges. The first week was wet after central Iowa received over 2" of rain a few days prior to our arrival. All of the crop fields were still waiting to be harvested. The second week we experienced abnormally warm temperatures. We started to finally dial in on the deer during the last week as they harvested the crops. I passed up on a main frame 135" 8 point and a 145" 9 point. I almost had a shot at a 150" main frame 10 but he stayed out of my shooting lane. My cousin hit a limb and missed a 160" buck while my brother-in-law shot a main frame 8 point on the last day. I should regret not shooting the 145" 9 point who gave me a 15 yard shot for almost 5 minutes but then I would not have experienced the encounter with the main frame 10. There in lies the gamble when you let good bucks walk while waiting for the buck of a lifetime.

Well, let's discuss the 2009 season which happened to be my third season without tagging a buck. My expectations for the year were to shoot a 150"+ deer in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. That is a big order to fill, isn't it? Well, based on my trail camera pictures and experience on our hunting properties, I really thought I could complete at least 2/3 of my goal. I was wrong! I truly believe that sometimes hunting needs to humble us to remind us how special a Pope and Young animal really is. It is the excitement and adrenalin rush that reminds us how we felt when we found our first harvested animal. Maybe that was a spike buck or even a doe. For most of us, this brings us back to a simpler time when we were kids just getting into the world of hunting.

Well, the 2009 season in the central Midwest was full of surprising weather. We had one of our coldest Octobers in history which significantly affected the growth of our fall food plots. Then we experienced rain, rain and more rain. This fall was so wet that there are still standing fields with soybeans and corn waiting to be harvested. The deer seemed to be scattered and hard to pattern. We had a full moon in November which was accompanied by clear nights and warm weather. Many hunters believed that the bucks were chasing the does at night under a bright sky. Then December brought unseasonably cold weather with significant snow falls. This week we should break the all time record of days in a calendar year with snow conditions.

I would estimate that I put 35+ days in the woods chasing bucks this fall. My wife could probably give me a more exact figure as she stayed home raising our 4 kids all under the age of 8. I passed on bucks in the 130 and 140" class in an effort to harvest a buck of a lifetime but it never happened for me. I was primarily hunting a 160 class main frame 12 point that we had numerous trail camera pictures of and a "main frame 10" (see the pictures at the top of this sight). During the peak of the rut I was fortunate to see an approximate 175" buck about 80 yards away from my stand but he would not respond to my calling. I had never seen him before and I haven't seen him since. Towards the end of the season I drew my Mathews bow on a huge 160 class main frame 8 point but it was getting so dark that I could not find my peep. I had to let him walk. I have since changed my peep size and sight.

As I reflect on the 2009 season I can't say that I made any significant mistakes that cost me the buck that I was after. Wait, I take that back, because I did rattle in the 12 point I was after on November 10th at 10:45. He came into my set up from behind me where I was not expecting him. The buck caught me reaching for my bow at 35 yards (rookie mistake). There are always little things that we wish didn't happen but I hunted hard and had a good time in the woods. My Dad, youngest brother and cousin all scored on respectable trophies. So really, our season was a great success. This year I was reminded that we hunt for the challenge and camaraderie not the total inches of harvested antlers. If this sport was easy it would be called killing not hunting. I am already working on my preparations for next year. It can't get here fast enough! God Bless!

As my brother-in-law, Aaron, affectionately displays with his 160 class "main frame 10": "Sometimes deer get the best of us".