November 22 - Rod Owen

Hunter: Rod Owen
Animal: 127" Whitetail
Location: Kansas
Weapon: PSE X-Force GX

On October 27th, Rod and I hopped into the stand for what, unknowingly, would be a tail-chasing adventure. It seemed as though everything to do with the fall rut had already taken place. The Reconyx photo's showed that all kinds of big buck activity was apparent immediately following the full moon in mid-October. Were we really going to be late for what we had waited the whole year for?

After four days of 60 degree lows and no signs of cruising or chasing in the great state of Kansas, it was time to try another state. Illinois had to be the change of pace we were needing. Wrong! We spent another 4 days there without seeing a shooter. It seemed that every place we would go was going to be worst than the last. After 9 days of shooter-less hunting, it was time for a break. We took a few days to spend time with the family before returning to Illinois for a second and final try. After 9 more days and only seeing two different bucks, that may or may not qualify for an arrow, It was time to head back to Kansas to give it one last shot. In between states, we would also try our luck in Missouri. The hunting was cruel to us there as well. We did end up seeing a great buck at Rod's farm, but he was not willing to play the game.

We checked our Reconyx cameras upon arriving in Kansas for the final hunt of our season. They showed us that a deer we had named " Slick 8 " was moving during the daylight hours at a stand that would be perfect for the following mornings south wind. With frost on the ground, we headed to the stand that morning, not really knowing what to expect. At around 9 o'clock, Rod gave a few grunts with a side order of growls from the M.A.D. call. We saw a set of antlers headed our direction. It only took a second to recognize that it was indeed "Slick", and he would pass by us at the distance of 20 yards if nothing drastic was to happen. When the buck stopped in the shooting lane, the new X-force GX with a Rage tipped arrow, put him down extremely quick. With the camera on him, he folded up after only 15 yards!

We hunted hard during our 27 day adventure. We hunted stands that in the past had yielded booner class bucks. For what ever reason, we only saw enough shooters to be counted on one hand. That is, if you don't use your thumb. We were glad that we did get to harvest the deer on video that would have to be voted " Most Photogenic" on our Kansas farm.