Southwind
New member
As a Ks resident I am able to get an either species tag about every other year so I will hunt Whitetail in SE Kansas one year and then Mule deer in NW Kansas the next.
I have a small amount of private land to hunt but like to explore the WIHA (walk in hunt areas). I had started scouting that first weekend in November when the majority of the WIHA's open up and checked out 17 different areas logged about 12 miles seeing what I could find. I note on my atlas where I saw deer and a short description of the ground to help me remember what was where. I also then had two weekends of pheasant hunting out there and was able to spot more locations and areas where I found deer so when I left my house at 2 am to make the 4 hour drive my first morning I had 8 good areas where I knew there were deer. I didn't single out any single animal I am always just looking for a mature good representative of the of the animal and if I like what I see I pursue.
I had planned on hunting four days and started my first day on the private land I had to hunt on. My thought was to start there every day and finish there and in between check out one or two of the other locations of WIHA.
It was a crisp morning of 14 degrees and luckily it was a rare light wind day which made the sit tolerable. As the sky warmed in the east still 20 minutes before legal shooting I spotted several whitetail silhouetted on the horizon but by legal light there was nothing to be found. This is a great spot and there is a nice herd of mule deer that work this area but this morning they just were not around. After a good couple of hours I needed to get up and shake a little cold off and went to the truck and headed to check out some walk in.
I drove by a few spots I had not checked out before on the way to some I had a county away. I wanted to check out two areas where I had seen some decent deer just two weeks ago. The first area was a mix of mostly corn stubble with rolling terrain that has with a few thickly brushed drainage's and one high hill cover with good grass perfect for a high bedding area but as I found out it was not this day.
About 11 am I made it to an area of walk in that is about a full section, it too is mostly corn stubble very nice stalk-able rolling terrain with a pretty good network of heavily brushed drainage's and some timber. I could spend days hunting this piece but wanted to concentrate first in a portion about a 1/4 section that is just separated from the rest the area and is always overlooked by others. It is very thick nasty brush in crp and in the middle is an old pond damn the deer seem to like to bed down in so that was my target.
As I waded up the hill in this nasty stuff I could see beds everywhere and with the good early moisture this part of the state normally doesn't enjoy this was the thickest I have seen in years. As I crested the hill I busted a coyote and I quickly pulled down on him and had him in the cross hairs but pulled off because I just didn't want to spoiled any attempt of deer here. A few steps later I flushed a rooster pheasant and as he broke to my left half a dozen deer jump up. All I see are does except then I spot and all I can see is a rack above the brush. I have no shot and they quickly vanished down the drainage. As much as I wanted to run towards them to try and get a better look I stood firm and hoped I would get a chance if they exited up the other side of the drainage. My instinct paid off and one of the six took that route and it happened to be the right one.
I pulled up off hand and had just enough time to get one round off striking him high in the spine and dropping him in his tracks.
So, I went back to the truck and fetched my little orange sled and the hunt was now history.
I have a small amount of private land to hunt but like to explore the WIHA (walk in hunt areas). I had started scouting that first weekend in November when the majority of the WIHA's open up and checked out 17 different areas logged about 12 miles seeing what I could find. I note on my atlas where I saw deer and a short description of the ground to help me remember what was where. I also then had two weekends of pheasant hunting out there and was able to spot more locations and areas where I found deer so when I left my house at 2 am to make the 4 hour drive my first morning I had 8 good areas where I knew there were deer. I didn't single out any single animal I am always just looking for a mature good representative of the of the animal and if I like what I see I pursue.
I had planned on hunting four days and started my first day on the private land I had to hunt on. My thought was to start there every day and finish there and in between check out one or two of the other locations of WIHA.
It was a crisp morning of 14 degrees and luckily it was a rare light wind day which made the sit tolerable. As the sky warmed in the east still 20 minutes before legal shooting I spotted several whitetail silhouetted on the horizon but by legal light there was nothing to be found. This is a great spot and there is a nice herd of mule deer that work this area but this morning they just were not around. After a good couple of hours I needed to get up and shake a little cold off and went to the truck and headed to check out some walk in.
I drove by a few spots I had not checked out before on the way to some I had a county away. I wanted to check out two areas where I had seen some decent deer just two weeks ago. The first area was a mix of mostly corn stubble with rolling terrain that has with a few thickly brushed drainage's and one high hill cover with good grass perfect for a high bedding area but as I found out it was not this day.
About 11 am I made it to an area of walk in that is about a full section, it too is mostly corn stubble very nice stalk-able rolling terrain with a pretty good network of heavily brushed drainage's and some timber. I could spend days hunting this piece but wanted to concentrate first in a portion about a 1/4 section that is just separated from the rest the area and is always overlooked by others. It is very thick nasty brush in crp and in the middle is an old pond damn the deer seem to like to bed down in so that was my target.
As I waded up the hill in this nasty stuff I could see beds everywhere and with the good early moisture this part of the state normally doesn't enjoy this was the thickest I have seen in years. As I crested the hill I busted a coyote and I quickly pulled down on him and had him in the cross hairs but pulled off because I just didn't want to spoiled any attempt of deer here. A few steps later I flushed a rooster pheasant and as he broke to my left half a dozen deer jump up. All I see are does except then I spot and all I can see is a rack above the brush. I have no shot and they quickly vanished down the drainage. As much as I wanted to run towards them to try and get a better look I stood firm and hoped I would get a chance if they exited up the other side of the drainage. My instinct paid off and one of the six took that route and it happened to be the right one.
I pulled up off hand and had just enough time to get one round off striking him high in the spine and dropping him in his tracks.
So, I went back to the truck and fetched my little orange sled and the hunt was now history.
