2012 kennym lease hunts 6 DOWN

[David Flanrey]

Saturday morning 11-24-12 will be a day I will probably never forget.  It started out very early and very cold.  The wind had subsided but the temps were in the 20's.  I put on alot of cloths.  I don't like wearing so many cloths but I don't like getting cold either.

My morning started with 2 doe moving across a sage grass field about 200 yards away coming to me and coming directly where I had just walked to my stand.  Sure enough, when they got to about 30 yards they smelled where I had been and they truned and walked back the way they came.

At 9:30 it happened.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a deer moving across the same sage field that the doe had just come from.  It was the big buck!  I immediately stood up.  He was headed west into the wind.  I watched him continue on the same path and thought he would keep going so I decided to give him a little grunt to stop him.  

I grunted twice and his head went up.  He immediately turned north and headed straight to the dry creek at a much quicker pace.  He entered the creek about 60 yards from me.  He truned again and was headed straight for me.  

He closed the distace very quickly.  All the while I was praying "please don't let me miss"!  When I say he was headed straight for me I mean on a straight line.  He stopped at 5 yards behind a split fork birch tree and looked right up at me.  I was at full draw.  We played peek a boo for a couple seconds.  He turned broadside, I let loose the string.  The grizzly tipped fir arrow burried to the fletch very high in the ribs on a steep angle.

I watched him run off.  He ran very well for a deer shot like that.  By the time I got to my phone to text my son he had already sent me a text to tell me he had missed a spike.  I told him what I had done and we decided to give him at least an hour to lay down and die.

I put my phone in my pocket and was searching the area for sign of the deer when another deer appears.  It was a doe.  Then another doe appears followed by 13 more.  They all went to the same sage grass field. Then at least three more bucks joined them.  I was watching at least 20 deer and had just shot a huge 8 pointer.  I watched the deer for 45 minutes.  After they all left, I got down to find about 14" of the working end of my arrow painted red with blood.  I was feeling pretty good.  Time to go meet Noah.

[Terry Green]

[ARCHER2]

       

[David Flanrey]

I sent Kenny a text to see if he could help with the tracking.  We met at 11:00 and started looking.  We started where the shot took place and quickly found some blood.  The blood was scarce.  The buck went west down the dry creek and made a left turn to head back the same way he came to the creek.  We found very little blood and it got worse.  He didn't bleed.  We lost his trail.  Of course this all took place over about 2 hours.  By about 1:00 we stopped looking.  I was sick!  I was wishing I was home and not deer hunting.

By this time the third party of our group my son-in-law had made it to MO.  I didn't want to be a wet blanket so I tried my best to put on my best hunting face and get ready to hunt again.

I don't know what happened.  At 5 yards I shot a little high.  Maybe he did duck a little when I shot.  I just don't know.  The arrow had full penetration.  We found all the arrow.  It was bloody from the fletching to the point.

It was a beautiful buck.  He wasn't the widest deer but had very tall yellow tines.   He would have went well over 200 LB.  The best deer I have shot with any weapon.  

I guess that is hunting.  I don't know.  I went from very high to the lowest of lows in 3 hours.  I saw many more deer the rest of the trip but didn't take any more shots.  I did see a bigger buck and put Darrell to hunting him, but he was not seen by Darrell.

This is by far my favorite place of all my hunting spots to go to hunt white tail deer with traditional equipment.  The deer are not presured and it is obvious by how they react to people.  

The last two days of our hunt I hunted from the ground.  I got to within 10 feet of an old mama doe.  I did get busted when I started to draw but had some what of a since of pride knowing how close I was to her.

If there are any out there thinking about a place to trukey hunt this spring.  I can tell you where to go.  We saw turkey every day.  I am certain some were the same birds every day but we saw at least 50 turkey.  We saw them on both farms.

Kenny was a great host.  He checked on us every day.  Even Thanksgiving!  He even helped us eat some deer.  You would have to look long and hard to find a better guy anywhere.  If the Lord is willing and I can make it I'll be back again next year.

[snakewood3]

Thanks for sharing your hunt with us David. Sorry to hear you did not recover your buck, like you said, that's hunting.
 Safe travels..

[kennym]

I felt really bad for David on this one, after 100 yds I knew it was gonna be rough, poor blood and the deer never slowed up, much laid down.

When you have an exit  hole as low as from a 5 yard shot, there should be much blood.

The blood ran out after maybe 140 yds, and after much looking, David found one more watery drop smaller than a dime going into the thick cedar and pinoak bedding area. We looked thru it but found nothing more. I hate when that happens, but like I told David, if you hunt much, it has happened or will happen to you .

My regret is not having a tracking dog lined up that I could call in since it is now legal in MO. Sorry David!

[ti-guy]

:(

[RC]

It happens as Kenny said. Never a good feeling though. Watery blood after a long ways tends to be a flesh hit and maybe the deer will be fine.RC

[Ryan Rothhaar]

For what its worth, our view from behind the dog has been that "high-chest shot" deer that aren't recovered fairly quickly tend to be non-fatal hits.  We get alot of these calls, have never found a truly high-chest shot deer.  We generally track 800-1500 yards before I break the news to the hunter that its likely non-fatal.  We've taken to calling these "1000 yard tracks to nowhere."  You might have gotten a lung and killed that deer, but from our experience thats not likely.  High loin - see if Kenny gets a picture this winter, wouldn't surprise me.

R

[kbetts]

That makes me feel better.  I lost a doe last week after I let her be over night.  Found the business end of the arrow coated in the morning about 250 yards from the shot where she entered the marsh.  I'm thinking it wasn't lethal as I watched her take a couple nibbles of grass in the fading light.

Still don't like the thought of it.  You'll get the next one.

[Joeabowhunter]

Great hunt thanks for sharing.  As for the buck, I'm sorry to say I've been there and it sounds like the same shot too.  That said, the buck I shot was killed a mile away a few weeks later still chasing does.    

[coaster500]

What a great trip even with the loss.....Loosing one is a gut buster but it happens. Let's hope he shows up on a trail camera next year we'll name him Lucky II

Thanks for sharing your hunt…….


 

[David Flanrey]

Thanks guys for following along.  Me and the boys had a great time.  Lots of laughs and good food.  The laughs were mostly at me.  Go figure?

Kenny, no worries.  We did all we could do to find the deer.  I have been on some dog recovery for deer.  I have only been on one that the deer was found.  I believe he ran a long way.  I'm gonna try to learn a lesson and not shoot one that is so close to me next time.

If anyone wants to hunt quality deer book a hunt with Kenny for next year!  I certainly hope to be back.

[hardwaymike]

Congrats to all of the lucky hunters! When does the season end in MO? It sounds like a trad hunters paradise. Thanks, Mike.

[rainman]

Season ends in Missouri, January 15th.

[kennym]

Season never ends, but you can only shoot em til jan 15 th  

[Hopewell Tom]

"Season never ends" - Good one Kenny.
I agree totally, a bit consuming at times, but what the hey.
Keep at it.

[kennym]

The 2 guys from ID and UT are back, Clint killed a doe last nite. Said he was covered up with deer!!these guys are hardcore, Dan hung a stand at 11:00 last nite!  

[Gator1]

Was contacted by an outstanding friend here

I can't believe what a great hunt this is

Unreal        

[Cyclic-Rivers]

TTT