For those of us blessed enough to call deer hunting our occupation, this is perhaps the most frantic time of year. We're traveling here and there, trying to tap into hot rut action in as many places as we can but also knowing we need to give ourselves enough time to be successful in every location we hunt. It's perhaps an impossible balance to strike, but we go into every November thinking we can pull it off. Some years it works out that way, some it doesn't.
There's a lot of history on the open plains of western South Dakota. This old Indian trail's travelers included the legendary Sitting Bull.
As for 2007, well, I'd say the North American Whitetail team's efforts since my last update (Nov. 12) have been pretty well rewarded. We've had a number of fine hunts during the rut, and while we haven't scored on every outing, we've stockpiled a lot of great content for next year's TV season.
For starters, Dr. James Kroll ("Dr. Deer") and NAW Television editor/cameraman Josh Viste headed up to northern Saskatchewan, for James' annual rifle hunt with Double Arrow Outfitters (www.doublearrowhunting.com). Just as was the case last year, James ended up with a couple of monster whitetails, both shot following a nasty blizzard. (I'm not going to say the weather was bitter, but James notes that he was really glad he took along his Heater Body Suit!)
Stan Potts also dropped the hammer on a couple of fine whitetails in November. The first deer was shot at Buckhorn Outfitters in Illinois (www.buckhornoutfitters.com), during muzzleloader season. Stan then traveled out to Wyoming for his annual hunt with Trophies Plus Outfitters (www.trophiesplus.com). Stan didn't get to go there for his usual September bowhunt, but he made up for lost time, downing a good 4x4 with his Thompson/Center Pro Hunter.
As reported in my last update, after wrapping up our successful Missouri rifle hunt on Nov. 12, cameraman Mike Clerkin and I pointed our 4x4 Tundra to the west again, this time with our eye on the wide-open ranch country near Midland, South Dakota. That's where we hooked up with Matt Eldridge and Gary Snook of Two Rivers Outfitters (www.tworiversoutfitters.com). This area is mainly known for its mule deer, pheasant, turkey and sharptail grouse hunting, but as you might have assumed, in our case the object was to zero in on a nice open-country whitetail.
Towns just don't get any smaller than Lost Springs, Wyoming ‹ population one. The author just had to pull the Tundra off the highway long enough to snap a photo.
Fortunately, it didn't take long to find one. In fact, the first afternoon, Mike and I caught a solid 10-pointer coming up through a narrow creek bottom in search of a doe, and my T/C Icon dispatched him in a hurry. This was the second deer I'd shot with this new bolt-action rifle, and I've found it really enjoy shooting it. (The bucks don't seem to like it as much, but from my perspective, that's a good thing.)
Heading west after our fun and productive stay in South Dakota, Mike and I next dropped in for a quick rifle hunt with Seven J Outfitters (www.sevenjoutfitters.com) in Sundance, Wyoming. Unfortunately, with only three total days to hunt (not the usual five), we couldn't quite catch up with a mature buck. On the plus side, we saw literally scores of deer, including some solid trophies. Suffice it to say that trying to shoot TV-quality video footage in a mountain snowstorm isn't the easiest thing on earth, but we came close to taking a big deer on several occasions. Our guide, Robby Stephens, certainly did everything he could to make it happen.
Following that quick hunt, on Thanksgiving morning Mike and I pointed the Tundra toward Wichita, Kansas, and hit the cruise control. We stopped only for gas, the occasional meal and one odd point of interest: the town of Lost Springs, Wyoming. I've traveled to a lot of places, but this was the first time I'd ever seen a city limits sign showing the population of a town to be . . . one! (This might be the only place in America where the mayor gets elected unanimously.)
The day after Thanksgiving, Mike and I flew back home to Indiana and Georgia, respectively, for a few needed days off. But you can be sure we'll be back at it again very soon. After all, Kansas rifle season is just around the corner . . . .
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