The rolling farmlands and cottonwood creeks of Kansas produce a number of the largest whitetail bucks in America. And Coffey County, positioned in east-central Kansas, is a well known hotspot for oversize bucks.
A half-hour earlier than a 30-degree, vibrant daybreak on Nov. 30, Kansas farmer Ben Spencer headed to a lock-on stand. After getting close by path digicam photographs of a buck he’d been after for years, he determined that was the very best spot for an ambush.
“I [hung] the stand years in the past once I purchased the farm, however by no means hunted it,” Spencer, 32, tells Outside Life. “I by no means noticed the massive buck I used to be looking close to it, so I by no means sat there.”
Along with gathering path cam photographs over 4 years, Spencer had discovered its sheds. He’d been actively looking the buck for 3 years and had even seen the heavy-rack whitetail a number of occasions, however he’d by no means had a shot alternative.
“We did some logging on my farm, and I believe the buck moved into some thick leftover cowl final November,” says Spencer, who has 185 acres in Leroy, Kansas. “I imagine he moved his bedding space to that cut-over timber.”
When the buck appeared on digicam 200 yards from the unused stand, he positioned a digicam nearer to the stand. Virtually instantly, it captured photographs of the buck.
That was earlier than Thanksgiving, and situations have been poor for looking the stand. However when the wind and climate cooperated on the final day of the month, he climbed 17 toes into the stand.
“Timber across the stand have been dropping numerous acorns,” Spencer says. “I noticed some does 80 yards away after daylight. Then a spike buck and a doe got here close to my stand. The spike began messing with the doe, pushing her round together with his head.
“I occurred to search for and noticed an enormous buck 200 yards away on a ridge aspect. He got here proper to me, headed towards the spike and doe.”
Then, at 80 yards, the massive buck stopped, watching the spike and doe. It didn’t take lengthy for the spike to again off, nonetheless, and the massive buck beelined for the doe feeding close to Spencer.
“I by no means thought the buck would stroll throughout a gap, however he got here by means of open grass proper to the doe,” says Spencer. “He was grunting all the best way.”
When the buck stopped broadside at 23 yards, he leveled his Ravin crossbow and squeezed the set off.
The shot appeared good, however the buck ran simply 20 yards then stopped. Spencer scrambled to reload one other arrow, however the deer trotted into some thick creek-side timber and disappeared. Just a few seconds later he watched the buck exit the timber and disappear about 100 yards away.
He climbed down and located his arrow, together with loads of blood on the bottom. Subsequent, he phoned his spouse, father, and a buddy, and relayed the information.
“I met them at our house, and we waited about 90 minutes earlier than going again to trace my buck. We acquired again to the blood path about 10 a.m., and the monitor to him was nice. We discovered the buck shortly, possibly 200 yards from the place I shot him.”
The arrow had handed by means of each lungs. Ben discipline dressed the buck, and so they acquired it out with an ATV.
Ben says the 10-point had misplaced a number of weight through the rut, however estimated it to be six or seven years outdated. Thus far it’s been green-scored by two individuals, together with a buddy who’s an clothing store in Kansas. It gross-scored about 197 inches, with a internet rating of 190.
“He has uncommon gnarly forehead tines, which he’s had in all of the path digicam photographs and sheds I’ve,” says Spencer. “If he’d had regular tall forehead tines, he possible would have scored properly over 200 inches. However I’m not complaining. I’ll by no means shoot a nicer deer.”
If the rating holds near the 190-inch mark, it should possible go down within the Kansas state file books because the fifth-largest typical whitetail ever taken throughout archery season. (Until this long-lost 200-inch Kansas buck is acknowledged by the Kansas Division of Wildlife and Parks.) The most important, in accordance with state information, is a 193 7/8 inch buck killed in 2001. It could be the biggest typical whitetail taken by any methodology in Coffey County.
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Spencer is planning on a shoulder mount, however is presently in negotiations on the place to place it.
“My spouse and I’ve been speaking about the place it’s going to hold at house,” Ben says chuckling. “For now, we’ve just about determined it’s going into my workplace.”
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