(P) Scouting for 2011

Sorry that I haven't posted anything on the blog for a few months. It has been a cold winter with a lot of snow. It has been hard to get motivated to work outside with the conditions that we have experienced. However, I did purchase almost all of my new gear for the upcoming fall. I switched my arrows back to the Easton Axis Nano's. They are very tough, accurate and the least affected by our consistent Kansas winds. I also purchased another Scent Blocker suit and a new pair of snake boots. I can't wait for turkey season.

Well, my cousin Steve left today after spending 5 days helping me scout our properties and hanging stand sets for next fall. We found a few sheds as we worked but no huge ones. My Dad found one side of the younger Crab Claw 10 which survived last year. Steve found a dead buck that was very respectable (mid 160's) that looked as if he was hit by a car sometime last winter. We were able to scout and hang stands on 1560 acres. This was a great accomplishment because we picked up a couple of new farms this year that we have never seen before. We only have 2 farms left to hang stands on. AWESOME! Thanks for the help Steve.

Grandpa's meat for the freezer

" It is realy cold outside. My Dad and Grandpa have been hunting a lot ..... But finally my Grandpa shot a doe !!!!!! It was very late when they came in last night. He shot it around 5:30 pm. They came to the house around 9 pm and hung the doe up in the garage. And right when Dad came in he ate a hot dog and we left. The kids went home earlier with my Mom around 7:30 to put them in bed . But I got to stay at grandma's longer then they left. Ryder would of stayed longer but my Dad didn't have a enough room in the car. While they were hunting I was watching the marathon of Little House on the Prairie. And there were two kids that were just brats and there Mother never said no or even raised her voice to the children. Is that crazy or what? And when I got home I went straight to bed. I was so tired. By the time I went to bed it was like 11:00. It was crazy but it was still FUN!!!!!!!!!!!"

Written by Ashlynn

(P) Crab Claw 10 is back!

On November 2nd, the Crab Claw 10 buck was harvested. So you can imagine my surprise when my trail camera pictures saw this buck. He looks almost identical to the Crab Claw 10 that Gary (our land owner) shot. See the posting on November 2nd for a picture. The new Crab Claw 10 is pictured on the same food plot that the previous buck used to visit. I never noticed that we had two bucks that were almost identical. Cool.

(P) 2010 pictures that have been sent to me!

Monty's friend shot this 188" Minnesota buck (bow kill).
Monty's friend shot this 159" Manitoba buck (muzzleloader kill).
This 270" monster non-typical was killed near Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Huge mule deer kill by my taxidermist's wife in Colorado.
Elk kill by my taxidermist's wife in Colorado.
This is my favorite picture. It is my 6 year old son having fun shooting his bow. The way his arrows were configured, he thought it would look funny to stand in between them. What an imagination.

(P) November 18th

Well, number 3 from our hunting party has hit the dirt. Our good huntin' buddy, Monty, finally shot his first mature Kansas buck. Monty has been hunting hard for 3 years now for a buck over 150". He is a very good hunter and has remained disciplined and true to his goal. This afternoon he dropped this pig around 3:30 as the buck was searching for does. Monty said he used tending grunts to coax the buck to the tree. My cousin had seen this unique buck 5 days prior but could not get a shot on him. The timing was perfect so Monty could return home to hunt the opening day of gun season in Wisconsin to mentor his son. Nice job brotha!

(P) November 14th

Here we go! The bucks are starting to finally fall. My cousin, Steve, shot a Kansas 9 point this morning. This buck came by him 3 times one day in the first week of November but he was holding out for a bigger one. I think this buck fooled him because he grossed in the mid 140's once we put a tape to him. With time running out on his trip he decided to take the buck. I actually think he shot him because he knew it would outscore my buck. Nice buck cuz! Your the man!

(P) November 13th

We have had horrible weather the last 2 weeks with hot temperatures, rain, wind, etc. It has been a bit frustrating to hunt. Today I slept in and was going to hunt the mid day movement pattern, then sit all afternoon until dark. I arrived in the stand at approximately 9 am. It was 45 degrees with a NW wind at 15 mph. I decided to go to a secluded area that consists of a narrow strip of woods running between a freeway and a steep bluff. I got the idea from a friend of mine (Monty) who had suggested a secluded area when the big boys are locked down with a doe. The strip of woods has thick bedding areas, cedars and a creek running through it. I have always thought the area would produce a monster buck but never scored on one in three years of trying the area.

The day started out with a lone, mature doe coming by the stand as soon as I was set up in the stand. She used a trail that was down wind of my stand which surprised me. I was happy that she did not bust me. Over the next couple of hours I saw 2 different 8 pointers that were both 2 1/2 year olds. One came within 15 yards of my stand. I remember thinking, why can't you be a 160" buck? At 1140 my Dad called me and asked if I wanted to head in for lunch. I had planed to sit all day but with only 3 deer sightings, I thought I should consider moving to another stand location for the evening hunt. I told him that I would meet him at noon because I planned on pulling the stand.

I packed up my gear and proceeded to lower my backpack, bow and rattling antlers down to the ground with my bow rope. I remember telling myself, it would be just my luck if a shooter walked in on me while my bow was on the ground. Just then I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked over my right shoulder to see a 140" deer standing broadside in the middle of my 30 yard shooting lane. I couldn't believe his timing which actually ticked me off a bit. Because my tree was between the buck and my gear, he did not see me lower the items with the bow rope. The wind had obviously covered the sound of his approach through the thick cedars.

I knew the buck would have to walk behind 5 small cedars before he would hit my last shooting lane. While he was behind those cedars, we would not be able to see each other. As soon as his head went behind the first cedar I grabbed the pull up rope and lifted my gear up as fast as I could. I knew speed would be important because it would not take the buck much time to hit the next opening. Once I got my gear up to the 24' stand I immediately set my backpack on my seat. I scrabbled to untangle my bow and the rattling antlers from the bow rope. During the process I accidentally dropped my rattling antlers. They seem to drop in slow motion. I knew that as soon as they hit the ground, the opportunity for this buck would be over!

As the buck was entering my last shooting lane the antlers hit the ground with a thud followed by a little rattle. I always keep my rattling antlers tied together with a bungee cord so they don't make noise as I walk through the woods. The deer locked up at the noise but did not bolt. He was actually curious at the brief rattling he had heard at the base of my tree. He locked on to the antlers laying on the ground confused. This gave me enough time to take my bow sling off my bow, nock and arrow, and dig my release out of my hunting vest. The buck was still staring at the base of my tree as I drew back. The buck had never looked up in the tree at me and he was now at 25 yards. I waited for him to walk around a brush pile which put him slightly quartering away from me. The arrow was on its way and buried into his off shoulder. The blood sprayed out of him as he ran about 60 yards away. Then I saw him wobble a bit and fall over. Wow! I could believe what had just transpired in what was probably no more than 80 seconds.I am convinced that if I would not have dropped those rattling antlers, I would not have been ready to shoot that buck as he entered my last shooting lane. So, the next time your deer calls don't work on a mature buck, try the ol' distraction technique. It worked for me! Just throw your rattling antlers in the direction of the buck. Sometimes it pays to be lucky than good. I had a trail camera set up on the trail that this 142" buck was using to check for does. This pictures were taken as the buck heard the rattling antlers drop and the deer comes towards me to investigate. I had not changed the clock on my camera yet after daylight savings.