BACK TO KANSAS "The next morning, Nov. 14, we packed up and drove straight back to Kansas. When we changed into our hunting clothes at the farmhouse for our afternoon hunt, I almost forgot my bow. But L.J. reminded me that I might need it for a rut hunt, and I didn't need much coaxing. We packed the ATV with our scouting gear and my bow in tow and headed out.
THE SPOOK SPANN BUCK
Scorable Points:
31 (22R, 13L)
TOTAL LENGTH OF ABNORMAL POINTS: 42 2/8
Tip-To-Tip Spread:
14 1/8
Greatest Spread:
24 4/8
Inside Spread:
18 4/8
AREAS MEASURED
RIGHT
LEFT
DIFFERENCE
Main Beam
28 3/8
28 6/8
3/8
1st Point (G-1)
6 3/8
7 3/8
1 0/8
2nd Point (G-2)
10 5/8
12 1/8
1 4/8
3rd Point (G-3)
10 0/8
9 7/8
1/8
4th Point (G-4)
7 7/8
7 7/8
--
5th Point (G-5)
--
2 3/8
2 3/8
1st circ. (H-1)
5 1/8
5 1/8
--
2nd circ. (H-2)
4 3/8
4 1/8
2/8
3rd circ. (H-3)
4 5/8
5 0/8
3/8
4th circ. (H-4)
5 1/8
4 7/8
2/8
TOTALS:
82 4/8
87 4/8
6 2/8
Gross Typical Score:
188 1/8
Subtract side-to-side differences:
-6 2/8
Add abnormal points
+42 2/8
FINAL NET NON-TYPICAL SCORE:
224 1/8
TAKEN BY: Wm. Spook Spann, DATE: Nov. 14, 2007, LOCATION: Stafford County, Kansas
"On the way to our stand, I was preoccupied with looking for new rubs and scrapes along the way when I happened to glance out toward a slight rise in a CRP field, and there he was -- the giant drop-tine buck -- about 400 yards away! I could easily make out his whole rack with the sun shining directly on him. When I got my binoculars up, he turned. Suddenly I could see that signature drop tine and all of the mass he'd grown, just like Tom had said. 'That's him' I whispered to L.J. 'Let's go kill him!'"
GETTING DOWN 'N DIRTY Without saying a word, the duo left the ATV behind and ran as fast as they could straight at the buck, using the hill to block their view. Directly ahead was a cedar thicket containing the only cover between the two hunters and a thick, low-lying area toward which the buck was likely headed. The next segment of this amazing hunt is provided by cameraman L.J. Planer, who has worked with many established names in the hunting industry -- Hunter's Specialties, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Higher Ground Outdoors, and Right Time, Right Place -- to name a few. L.J. was a former sniper in the Armed Forces, and his skills in stealth came in quite handy on this hunt.
"The wind was pretty stiff, about 25 miles an hour, and blowing right in our faces," L.J. recalled. "When we reached the knoll, the only thing between us and the cedars was the CRP field. We didn't know where the buck had gone, and the truth is that he could have been anywhere in that general vicinity. Spook figured we had to get to those cedars to have any chance for a shot, so we decided to get 'down 'n dirty' and belly-crawl the rest of the way."
Spook and L.J. then used a standard sniper tactic that worked quite well. It sounds easy on paper, but carrying it out in the whitetail world takes a lot of skill and even more patience. First Spook eased his bow through the thick vegetation -- careful to avoid making any disturbances -- then he'd grip a clump of grass at the roots and pull his body forward. Meanwhile, L.J. would cautiously survey the scene, glassing off and on from a few feet behind. Then, after Spook gave the signal, L.J. would belly-crawl up to Spook while Spook kept watch. This clever teamwork may well have made the pair more effective than would have been the case had Spook been stalking alone.
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