After many years of hard work and close calls I was finally able to harvest this beautiful Kansas 8 point on Sunday morning. I apologize in advance for the long read, but I want to relay the whole story of my quest to kill this deer. I have been hunting my grandparent's farm in southeast Kansas since I began bow hunting 4 years ago. But living 1500 miles away in Massachusetts and being a busy high school student kept me from getting out there but a few days every year. My short vacations yielded plenty of deer sightings and many amazing encounters, but I was never able to put an arrow through one of those renowned Kansas bruisers. After killing my first buck back home in 2011, I spent two tough seasons hunting hard but never getting an opportunity at a deer. I knew this year would be different. I would be attending college in St. Louis, only an easy 5 hour drive from deer hunting paradise. In February, however, my grandfather passed away. He was a great man who taught me so much about the outdoors and the value of hard work. The loss was hard for the whole family, and I knew that the farm would never be the same. I resolved that I would kill a deer this year on the land that he loved. Fast forward to the hunting season and I was feeling very optimistic. I had two long weekend trips planned, one for early October and the other Halloween weekend. But by the end of the second hunt I was feeling very dejected. I had had many pleasant mornings and evenings in the woods, but the deer wouldn't cooperate. Buck movement was slow, and I drove back to school disappointed that another deerless season had concluded for me in Kansas. Sitting in class the week of Nov. 3rd I couldn't help but start to get the itch again. The rut was just beginning, and I had to give it one more shot. I was exhausted and busy, but I worked out my schedule to make one final trip that weekend. I had a day and a half to get it done. The morning of Saturday, November 8th kicked off with fantastic action. I saw 5 bucks cruising, chasing, and fighting. Of course I didn't see a single deer in the same spot that evening. I woke up on Sunday the 9th feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves. It was truly my last sit of the year in Kansas. After scraping frost of the car, I drove to a spot right off the highway that I had scouted the weekend before. I was hunting the edge of a timbered creek bottom where it meets a large CRP field. The area was littered with rubs and scrapes, and I hoped to catch a buck cruising the creek searching for does. I set up in my ghillie suit at the brushy base of a big tree. As the sun rose I snapped this picture only minutes before shooting my buck: At 6:45, 20 minutes after shooting light, I heard a rustling in the tall grass. I slowly turned my head and watched a buck step out less than 20 yards away behind some brush. I hardly looked at his antlers, but knew I was going to shoot if given the opportunity. He turned to head the other direction but sniffed the doe estrous that I had dragged by, did a 180, and walked straight towards my shooting lane. I carefully drew my bow, grunted to stop him, and shot him at 15 yards. He spun and ran off into the tall grass. By that point I was shaking like crazy and could hardly believe what just happened. In 30 seconds it had all come together. After a few fist pumps I called my dad and excitedly recounted the story. I then quietly packed up and backed out. I believed I'd made a perfect shot but elected to play it safe. After a few hours of anxious waiting I hopped in the truck with my grandma and went to find him. At 78 years old she helped me blood trail, field dress, and drag him out. We had many great laughs that day. The blood was very sparse and hard to see in the tall grass, but we found him laying not 60 yards from where I shot him. I had made a perfect heart shot. At that point I couldn't be happier. Though he is not the biggest buck to roam the state of Kansas, I feel incredibly blessed and proud to have harvested this great deer at eye level on my last day of hunting and to have shared the whole experience with my grandmother. I know that my late grandfather was there with me that day. What an amazing hunt!
thats awesome congrats!! A trophy is defined by an award for success and any deer harvested with a smile on our face is a trophy in my book!!
Congrats on a beauty! We as bowhunters know that the size of the rack doesnt make for the hunt of your life. Harvesting any animal is an accomplishment! Great job, he`ll look great on your wall or anybody elses wall to be honest with you, job well done!
Sorry for the loss of your Grandpa. I'm sure he would be very proud of you. Congrats on a great buck.
