Rack Magazine

Looking for the deeriest zip code in Kansas? If there are trees and a river runs through it, sign the lease.

When I received word in November 2014 that my company would be moving me from Cary, North Carolina, to Olathe, Kansas, I immediately starting daydreaming of hunting giant Sunflower State bucks.

A colleague had recently purchased some hunting property there, and I was hoping to join his group. When that didn’t work out, I started searching for places online.

My search led me to leasing agencies that auction off hunting rights. Most of the land was agricultural fields with very few, if any, trees. One parcel held promise, however, and it was just a hour south of where I lived.

Half the 500 acres was planted in corn. A huge river runs through the middle, and there are rolling hills with woods and some pasture. It looked like a hunter’s paradise!

After gaining permission to check out the property one afternoon and then talking with a few interested hunting buddies at work, we were able to bid on the property and secure the lease starting on Aug. 1, 2015 (a month and a half prior to the bow opener).

I was incredibly excited about the lease. As soon as I could, I walked the property and put out several trail cameras. While looking at cam photos on my laptop a couple of weeks later, I actually jumped out of my seat when I came across a huge buck with points going every which way.

The buck was hitting the Whitetail Institute mineral I’d scattered.

It had a massive typical mainframe and lots more. One of the P2s branched into six different points. The rack also had numerous stickers protruding from both bases. I had no doubt there were more than 20 points.

This was a true Kansas monster!

During the days leading up to the hunting season, we continued to collect several pictures of this giant on the property, most taken at night. My three hunting buddies on the lease – Justin, Tyler and Zack – and I would salivate over the images. We felt there was no way this tremendous buck would show during daylight hours.

My wife Ashley started calling the deer Coral Reef due to the myriad points. My buddies called him Big Boy.

Once the season started on Sept. 14, I became obsessed with Coral Reef. I had one particular stand location I was constantly refreshing with corn and mineral, and he was showing up there two or three nights a week.

When his visits grew closer to shooting hours, my hopes swelled. I just knew that if I put in my time, the deer would one day make a mistake.

During the initial two weeks, I passed up two bucks that would’ve been the biggest I’d ever harvested with a bow.

On Oct. 1, after getting into the stand an hour and half before legal shooting light, I listened to a deer walk into my corn and start eating. It was there for at least 20 minutes.

Close to daybreak, I could make out a massive body, a buck body. Before it was light enough for me to really tell anything about antlers, the deer disappeared back into the woods.

I checked my camera when I got down for lunch. The deer was Coral Reef.

My buddies were incredibly generous to let me target that buck. Zack even said he’d probably pass on it if the buck walked underneath his stand.

I devoted every minute I could spare to the pursuit of this deer. I wound up allowing two more trophy bucks to walk, even though I was mentally kicking myself as they departed.

Meanwhile, because Coral Reef was visiting my treats only after dark, I decided to hang another stand about 100 yards back in the woods. I discovered rubs and scrapes, surely his, and decided to wait and hunt there only when the wind was perfect.

On Halloween, I settled into that stand around 3 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, a small doe walked up the hill and stopped briefly under a big oak tree about 30 yards to my right to snuffle up acorns.

I knew that was a good sign for the evening to come, but I was also worried because in an effort to keep scent and disturbance to a minimum, I hadn’t cleared shooting lanes in that direction. I remember chuckling at the thought of Coral Reef taking that exact path to the oak, and my having nothing to do but watch.

October’s last was a wonderful evening. A cold front had pushed the temperature into the 40s. There was a very slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Several does and fawns came to that oak and fed throughout the afternoon.

With about an hour of shooting light left, I sent my hunting buddies a text saying I had six does feeding under an oak tree to my right, about 20 hen turkeys scratching up the hillside to my left, and an armadillo had just walked right underneath my stand.

About 15 minutes after I sent that text, I looked over to my right again and two more does were coming up the hill, headed for the oak. Directly behind them, a third deer with a massive body stepped out of the cedars.

I knew immediately it was Coral Reef. Before I could even see his rack, I quickly and quietly stood and reached for my bow. Once I saw his massive set of antlers, my heart started pounding and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Like all the other deer that evening, he headed straight for the acorns. I was instantly worried I might not get a shot at him due to the lack of shooting lanes.

As he approached the tree, he ran toward the does already there as if to claim ALL remaining acorns. One of the does ran toward me and stopped about 20 yards below my stand, content to wait for her turn.

I watched this buck feed on acorns within 30 yards of me for 20 minutes. The time actually allowed my nerves to settle.

Finally, after filling his belly, the buck turned and started slowly walking toward the doe standing below my stand. At that point, I realized I might actually get a shot. If he continued on the doe’s trail, he’d pass through two open spots at 25 yards.

When he walked into my first lane, I drew, settled the pins and waited for him to stop. But he walked right through without pausing.

I let down and patiently waited for him to walk into the next opening. When he was about to pass through, I drew my bow. But he stopped one step short of the lane.

I held my draw for what seemed like hours before he finally took two steps and stopped again. I settled the pins on his body, set my anchor point, and took a deep breath as I squeezed my trigger release.

At that very instant, Coral Reef took another step. As I saw the arrow fly in what seemed like slow motion, my mind was screaming “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!” My own stomach knotted as the arrow centerpunched the deer.

As he ran off, I could see my lighted nock glowing at the end of the protruding arrow. I thought I’d completely blown it.

A few seconds later, I heard a loud noise downhill from the stand. Since it was starting to get dark and temperatures were going to be in the 30s that night, I knew the absolute best thing for me to do was to quietly get out of the stand and go home.

Before I descended the stand, I called and shared the unsettling news with my wife. I also texted my lease-mates, who seemed far more optimistic about finding the deer.

Two of the guys and my wife joined in the search the next morning. I didn’t get much sleep that night.

The guys joked about taking away my belt if we didn’t find the buck. They also asked my wife how it felt to be the third wheel behind this buck in our relationship.

Starting at the point of impact, we spread out and walked in the direction the deer ran. Within a few seconds, Ashley found the first blood. The trail, much to my delight, was easy to follow.

When we topped a hill, Justin looked down and yelled, “There he is!” He’d traveled about 150 yards.

When I saw him, I just completely lost it. I kind of blacked out from excitement, and I’m not really sure what all I did or said. I apparently ran down the hill and started jumping up and down and yelling. Justin recorded much of it on his phone.

The video is priceless.

I was lucky to have hit the deer’s liver. He didn’t last very long at all. We were also fortunate the coyotes didn’t find him overnight. In fact, the noise I heard just a few seconds after my shot was actually my buck hitting the ground.

As the four of us stood there admiring him, I excitedly called just about everyone I knew to tell them the incredible news, which included interrupting my parents during church service.

I still can’t believe how fate smiled on me.

As the five-time, World Series Yankee pitcher Lefty Gomez once said: “I would rather be lucky than good,” any day of the week.

This article was published in the Winter 2016 edition of Rack Magazine. Subscribe today to have Rack Magazine delivered to your home.

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