SATURDAY, SEPT. 23:
East-central Kansas has become legendary in the world of trophy whitetails, and for good reason: A number of the best bucks in the record books have been shot here. With that in mind, Dr. James Kroll ("Dr. Deer") and cameraman Lance Tangen of the NAW Television team headed up there this past week for an early blackpowder hunt.
Outfitter Dan Bell (www.bellwildlifeservices.com) hosted this trip, on which James was carrying his .50-cal. Thompson/Center (www.thompsoncenterarms.com) Encore muzzleloader. With open sights being mandated, James equipped his rifle with a Pro Series Magnum MuzzleDot fiber-optic sight from TruGlo (www.truglo.com). His ammo choice was Hornady's (www.hornady.com) 250-grain sabot.
The weather was cool, which normally would be a plus in early season. Unfortunately, with those lower temperatures also came high winds and rain, as a freakish late-summer storm system swirled across the Great Plains.
As you might guess, blowing rain and expensive video cameras don't mix. With that in mind, James and Lance started out watching the edge of a soybean field, dry and comfortable inside their Guide Gear portable ground blind from Sportsman's Guide (www.sportsmansguide.com). Unfortunately, they soon realized that the big bucks weren't getting to the field before dark, so our guys relocated into a thin strip of timber between the beans and some CRP acreage. That's where James set up his Summit Deer Deck (www.summistands.com) near an overcup oak starting to drop its acorns. From that vantage point out guys saw several bucks on morning and evening sits, but none of the animals was old enough to meet James' criteria.
Although this storm-plagued hunt didn't result in a buck being harvested, James says Dan runs a solid operation and that the trophy potential in the area is high. In fact, the all-time No. 1 non-typical in Kansas was shot just a few miles away, by rifle hunter Joe Waters.
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