Skykarp
Active Member
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This year was finally the year I was able to get to check off a rifle White tail hunt . I got invited based off of drawing a tag to go unit 17 during the rifle hunt.
Luckily enough 3/4 guys drew their tags and it was a long wait until the season came.
I was anxious due to the fact that unlike public land mulies I didn’t know how well I would do sitting and waiting. It was a test of patience more than I could have imagined.
Weather 2/5 morning thick fog until 10am
Moon: unfortunately full as full gets
Day 1
This was my first day sitting in a true blind for deer in my entire life. It was also the first time I had hunted a shooting area no bigger than a football field. Unfortunately the first morning sit there was zero deer activity. Although I did get visited by 2 friends of the feline sort. The afternoon in a new spot overlooking a cornfield with much more room to glass and see was a much welcome change. While I only saw a few does it was a great way to end the first day with a fantastic sunset.
Day 2 was a bust from the beginning . The fog was thicker than soup, one guy was having issues breathing so the asthma, and I personally was dealing with the after effects of some back issues that flared up. I was able to make it to the blind that morning but between the fog and my lack of focus I was better off probably staying back. That afternoon I ended back up in the same corn field looking for a buck to filter through the creek bottom . I didn’t get that but got another amazing reminder of why we go out and enjoy the outdoors.
Day 3 the morning started off better with does feeding out and more activity from all different animals. It seemed like most were starting to shake free of the full moons grip.
Saw a few little guys and some does. The after I saw back in the corn field for nothing again but had to give it my due diligence as the farmer had seen a “good one” leading up to the moon.
Day 4 animal activity started to pick up between the morning and the afternoon I saw 3-4x the number of animals I had see combined during the previous 3 days. Unfortunately for me that didn’t so much good as we were left with 1 day left of the season and 2 tags to try and fill. We had seen zero shooters and the pressure was on.
Day 5 of coarse the last day throws every curveball it can. We woke up to absolute soup outside and cold. It was 25 and fog cutable with a knife. With only 2 sits left we have to give it everything. I returned to the same area I had sat the last 2 days.
It took a while but the fog finally burned off and it was like someone had turned the switch on. I had does and tiny bucks all over the place. Unfortunately for me I was able to glass 2 shooters up but they were both on a property we had no access to. By lunch time nothing had happened so we decided to go back for a quick snack .
On of my coworkers had tagged out and asked if he could come sit with me as an extra set of eyes. I wasn’t turning down any hell with 5 hours of the season left.
Again we got set up and deer started popping up all over the place just nothing of size. I did glass one deer before he slipped into a thicket that was a giant on another piece of property. I had already warned my co worker that I wasn’t shooting to just shoot and we have small 3x3s, forks, ect just no shooters.
I would be lying if I told anyone with 30 mins to go I hadn’t given up. It was a few
Minutes after that I caught movement out of a hole that I had always thought a deer should come out of but then disappeared. A few moments later my co worker caught movement in the same area and said he could see antler tips. Sure as **** I throw the 15s up and he’s working his way towards us with 20 mins to go. He finally breaks the top of the first hill and I made the decision if I could get a shot of it was going to happen. Problem his he disappeared in a small depression.
He pops up again 50 yards to the east but bearing down on us. I range him quickly at 192, grab the gun and pod and get re set up and he’s gone again behind a small rise.
Now we’re in panic mode because where he disappeared there are 3-4 exits 2 of which are un viewable. My thought is he would hit the road and walk down to the water like the 50 other deer over the last 2 days.
NOPE
as my coworker and I are glassing the road and the exits points I hear oh $h@$. He’s less than 100 yards and walking right at us at a different angle .
In what I can call as a pure cluster we now have go full rodeo mode and get moved around in the blind and get the gun out the window. Through all this the deer continues to walk. Finally get set up didn’t need to range him and start grunting to get him to stop. Three grunts later he stops and I’m able to slide 165 grains of copper into him.
13 minutes left in the Kansas rifle season and I had a deer down.
It had high and lows and everything in between and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Until next time Kansas!
Luckily enough 3/4 guys drew their tags and it was a long wait until the season came.
I was anxious due to the fact that unlike public land mulies I didn’t know how well I would do sitting and waiting. It was a test of patience more than I could have imagined.
Weather 2/5 morning thick fog until 10am
Moon: unfortunately full as full gets
Day 1
This was my first day sitting in a true blind for deer in my entire life. It was also the first time I had hunted a shooting area no bigger than a football field. Unfortunately the first morning sit there was zero deer activity. Although I did get visited by 2 friends of the feline sort. The afternoon in a new spot overlooking a cornfield with much more room to glass and see was a much welcome change. While I only saw a few does it was a great way to end the first day with a fantastic sunset.
Day 2 was a bust from the beginning . The fog was thicker than soup, one guy was having issues breathing so the asthma, and I personally was dealing with the after effects of some back issues that flared up. I was able to make it to the blind that morning but between the fog and my lack of focus I was better off probably staying back. That afternoon I ended back up in the same corn field looking for a buck to filter through the creek bottom . I didn’t get that but got another amazing reminder of why we go out and enjoy the outdoors.
Day 3 the morning started off better with does feeding out and more activity from all different animals. It seemed like most were starting to shake free of the full moons grip.
Saw a few little guys and some does. The after I saw back in the corn field for nothing again but had to give it my due diligence as the farmer had seen a “good one” leading up to the moon.
Day 4 animal activity started to pick up between the morning and the afternoon I saw 3-4x the number of animals I had see combined during the previous 3 days. Unfortunately for me that didn’t so much good as we were left with 1 day left of the season and 2 tags to try and fill. We had seen zero shooters and the pressure was on.
Day 5 of coarse the last day throws every curveball it can. We woke up to absolute soup outside and cold. It was 25 and fog cutable with a knife. With only 2 sits left we have to give it everything. I returned to the same area I had sat the last 2 days.
It took a while but the fog finally burned off and it was like someone had turned the switch on. I had does and tiny bucks all over the place. Unfortunately for me I was able to glass 2 shooters up but they were both on a property we had no access to. By lunch time nothing had happened so we decided to go back for a quick snack .
On of my coworkers had tagged out and asked if he could come sit with me as an extra set of eyes. I wasn’t turning down any hell with 5 hours of the season left.
Again we got set up and deer started popping up all over the place just nothing of size. I did glass one deer before he slipped into a thicket that was a giant on another piece of property. I had already warned my co worker that I wasn’t shooting to just shoot and we have small 3x3s, forks, ect just no shooters.
I would be lying if I told anyone with 30 mins to go I hadn’t given up. It was a few
Minutes after that I caught movement out of a hole that I had always thought a deer should come out of but then disappeared. A few moments later my co worker caught movement in the same area and said he could see antler tips. Sure as **** I throw the 15s up and he’s working his way towards us with 20 mins to go. He finally breaks the top of the first hill and I made the decision if I could get a shot of it was going to happen. Problem his he disappeared in a small depression.
He pops up again 50 yards to the east but bearing down on us. I range him quickly at 192, grab the gun and pod and get re set up and he’s gone again behind a small rise.
Now we’re in panic mode because where he disappeared there are 3-4 exits 2 of which are un viewable. My thought is he would hit the road and walk down to the water like the 50 other deer over the last 2 days.
NOPE
as my coworker and I are glassing the road and the exits points I hear oh $h@$. He’s less than 100 yards and walking right at us at a different angle .
In what I can call as a pure cluster we now have go full rodeo mode and get moved around in the blind and get the gun out the window. Through all this the deer continues to walk. Finally get set up didn’t need to range him and start grunting to get him to stop. Three grunts later he stops and I’m able to slide 165 grains of copper into him.
13 minutes left in the Kansas rifle season and I had a deer down.
It had high and lows and everything in between and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Until next time Kansas!
Which hay field? There are only two in the state...one on the left side of I-70, and one on the right side!!
