- September 30th
- Hunter:Julie Kreuter
- Location:Wyoming
- Weapon:PSE Bow
- Animal:Antelope
After Rick and Julie dug in on several waterholes and had numerous encounters with antelope throughout September, Julie finally got her break. Arriving to their destination well before daylight, they settled in for what they hoped would be "the day". As morning broke, Julie caught glimpses of a mature buck chasing does and posturing towards other bucks at the top of the long draw they were sitting in. At approximately 9:00 a.m., this buck pushed his does down towards the water hole, but ended up skirting their position proceeding behind them. Julie, unable to get turned around, opted to pass on a 30 yd. opportunity.
As the day progressed, the big buck protected his does at the top of the draw for most of the afternoon. Every buck that entered this draw was met with a challenge and chase from the buck Rick and Julie were hoping to get a crack at. As the afternoon heated up, the big buck pushed his does back down the draw headed for the waterhole. The antelope took the same route and this time Julie was ready. The buck offered her a 35 yard quartering away shot, and she took it. Rick said her new PSE shined! At 51#, the high winds proved not to be a factor as it performed flawlessly!
- September 29th
- Hunter:Bonnie McFerrin
- Location:New Mexico
- Weapon:PSE X-Force
- Animal:6X6 Elk
Mike & Bonnie McFerrin left for New Mexico two days after they attended the annual Drury Outdoors meeting in Missouri. Mike harvested a nice bull last season on the Jicarilla and was excited for Bonnie to have the opportunity to go on her first elk archery hunt with him. The first two days of the hun,t Bonnie had several encounters with many nice bulls, but was unable to seal the deal on any of them. The challenges of hunting an elk with a bow became very apparent, and with Mike behind the camera and Bonnie in front, they waited for the perfect opportunity to come their way. The weather was one of the biggest obstacles with rain, hail and gusting winds knocking out some of their hunting time.
On the fourth day of their hunt, they headed back up into the mountains with their guide, Larson Panzy, leading the way. The McFerrins knew they were in good hands after watching the very talented Larson call in several very nice herd bulls during their hunt. On the first stalk of the morning, a nice 6X6 bull gave Bonnie the opportunity she had been waiting for. The elk came in at 20 yards, unaware that Mike and Bonnie were behind a tree with an arrow ready and the camera rolling. After drawing back and waiting for the bull to step out in the open, Bonnie made a twenty yard shot with her new PSE X-force and successfully harvested her first elk! After recovering the bull less than 70 yards away, nothing but excitement filled the air! Larson stated that Bonnie was the first woman archer to harvest a bull with him on the Jicarilla, and he has been guiding on the reservation for over 30 years! Although Mike was unable to get an elk with his bow this year, he feels overwhelmed with joy that Bonnie got her first one, and he was able to be right behind her cheering her on.
- September 28th
- Hunter:Michaela Eugster and Tyler Haiatek
- Location:Wisconsin
- Weapon:TC Pro Hunter with 243 Barrel
- Animal:2 Bears, 1 Buck, and 3 Does
Story as told by Joe Eugster
Team Wisconsin headed to the big timber and swamps in the beautiful northern part of the state. The state of Wisconsin granted special tags to two lucky 13 year olds! Tyler Haiatek and Michaela Eugster were going to go bear and deer hunting with Eric and Joe tagging along to capture the hunts on video. This hunt was made possible by an organization in Rusk County called ‘Shot’, the Wisconsin DNR and a lot of special volunteers. Michaela is Joe’s niece and she too has the love of hunting in her veins. Joe was to hunt with and video Michaela and Dawn (Michaela’s mother), and Eric was going to video Tyler.
The hunt starts off with a smash! Michaela shoots a big bear with her TC Pro Hunter with 243 barrel at 10 feet coming to visit them in the Ameristep blind! They were deer hunting and ended up with a bear! With the Nikon scope set at 9 power, the view in Michaela’s scope was pretty much black! She shoots the bear at 10 feet and saves them all! Next morning Michaela shoots a doe at 270 yards with the TC Pro Hunter with 243 barrel and makes a perfect hit! That evening with perfect conditions – Michaela drops a beautiful 8 point in its tracks! Someone in a higher place was watching over this girl!
Eric was having great hunts with Tyler as well! Tyler starts out with a doe, then a beautiful black bear hunting with hounds – what a hunt that was! Then with a couple hours left in the final day Tyler scores ona big doe. These kids both experienced an unbelievable “Dream Season.” Two days – 2 bears, 1 buck, 3 does!
This was one of the best hunting experiences of my life. Great people, beautiful country, and a truly special time spent with my niece, Michaela, and her mother, Dawn. Michaela’s presence in front of the camera was some of the best I have ever seen.
- September 19th
- Hunter:Jason Irish
- Location:Kansas
- Weapon:Thompson Center Muzzleloader
- Animal:9 Point Whitetail
Drury Outdoors “Natural Born Killers,” Jason Irish and Eric Bothun, have struck again. Following Eric’s 161” North Dakota velvet buck, the boys headed to Kansas for what has become an annual event. They returned to Blue River Whitetails for the early season muzzleloader hunt with David Schotte. Going back to the fall of 2003, they’ve been able to take a muzzleloader buck on video every September at Blue River. With high temperatures, they decided to set up between a bedding area and a food plot hoping to catch a buck passing by. In no time, Jason was presented with a shot at a beautiful 9 pointer to take his first buck of the season!
- September 19th
- Hunter:Mark Drury
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:PSE Bow
- Animal:153” 8 point Whitetail
Back from his successful Alberta hunt, Mark Drury met a welcome cool front on his Missouri farm. This hunt began this summer with a group of bachelor bucks hitting the same biologic field surrounded by soybeans every evening. Patiently awaiting the opening of the season and a north wind, Mark was confident that a mature Missouri monsters would step out. The first evening came and went without a single deer in sight.
The next evening, a North wind hit, and right before dark, a giant 8 pointer came to the Maximum and presented Mark with a 28-yard shot! It’s his first bow kill in the state of Missouri since 1986! The five and-a-half year old 153” monster was caught several times on the Wildlife Eye this summer and will make quite a story on one of next year's Drury Outdoors Adventures!
- September 16th
- Hunter:John O'Dell
- Location:New Mexico
- Weapon:PSE Bow
- Animal:6x5 Elk
Dave and I headed out west to hunt elk with James Coppege Packin Horns Outfitters in New Mexico. Right out of the shoot, we were into elk. The first morning, I had an encounter with a giant 7X7 mid 300" bull elk. The first evening of the hunt found me in a familiar place as I was in a tree stand overlooking a meadow with several wallows that some bulls had been frequenting. It felt like I was whitetail hunting instead of elk hunting minus the scenic view of the mountains that towered all around the meadow.
An hour or so before dark a good 6X5 bull materialized at the edge of the meadow following some cows. After a few cow calls, the entire group started heading my way at a fast clip. Before I knew it, the bull was standing under my tree stand at less than 5 yards. I was able to gain my composure and make a lethal shot with my new PSE X Force 7 Dream Season bow. It was my first animal that I was able to harvest with my new PSE bow and it was my first elk.
After I harvested my bull, Dave was up to bat, and for the next few days, we had many encounters of the unfortunate kind. Although we didn't harvest another elk, we had an incredible hunt. We saw tons of turkeys, mule deer, and most importantly, lots of quality bulls. The guides and the ranch were awesome, and we are already planning to hunt with Packin Horns Outfitters again in the near future.
- September 12th
- Hunter:Mark Cooper
- Location:Alberta, Canada
- Weapon:Shotgun
- Animal:Coyote
- September 11th
- Hunter:Cory Jarvis
- Location:Alberta, Canada
- Weapon:Dream Season PSE Bow
- Animal:Mule Deer
- September 10th
- Hunter:Mark Drury
- Location:Alberta, Canada
- Weapon:Dream Season PSE Bow
- Animal:Mule Deer
- September 9th
- Hunter:Mark Drury
- Location:Alberta, Canada
- Weapon:Dream Season PSE Bow
- Animal:Coyote
- September 9th
- Hunter:Jared Lurk
- Location:Alberta, Canada
- Weapon:Rifle
- Animal:Coyote
Alberta bound and ready to hunt! Mark Drury along with Jared Lurk and Josh Hopkins returned to Three River Adventures for another chance at those giant Canadian bucks with good friend and guide Corey Jarvis. The game plan was to hunt Mule deer in the mornings and Whitetail deer in the evenings, and after passing several Muleys the first morning, Mark was unable to pass on a coyote. With a perfect 30 yard bow shot, Mark took his first coyote of the year! That afternoon he switched with cameraman Jared Lurk and teamed up with Josh Hopkins to video Jared drop a coyote with a rifle and two cameras! That evening Mark set up in a ground blind and hunted a river bottom as he encountered several whitetails.
The next morning Mark, Jared, and Corey got right into the Muleys and began a stalk from 1,000 yards out to close in on a bedded buck. Using two big round bails as cover, they maneuvered into position. Corey used a call to get the action started as the buck stood and walked out of a ditch. Mark stopped him at 18 yards and let it fly to drop his first deer with the new PSE Dream Season bow! The following day, lady luck struck again as Mark and Jared ran camera for Corey Jarvis who killed a giant Muley, his first deer with a bow in fifteen years! Mark returned to the river bottom the next couple evenings looking for one of three nice bucks he’d been scouting and came close on an eight-point monster only to be foiled by an alert doe! Meanwhile, Josh Hopkins filmed yet another coyote hunt for good friend Mark Cooper to bring the final toll to five animals! Said Mark, “Corey’s place is awesome. We were into the Muleys from the time we arrived until the time we left. I can’t wait to come back again.”
- September 6-16th, 2007
- Hunter:Dave Kramer
- Location:Wyoming
- Weapon:PSE Bow
- Animal:Mature 3x3 Mule Deer
Dave Kramer and Bill Gadient left Iowa on September 6th for a ten day western hunt, starting in Thompson Falls, Montana with Flat Iron Outfitters. Dave and Bill arrived the next evening and immediately started scouting for the upcoming hunt. They were pumped up after spotting several shooters, including a really nice buck they referred to as “the big 10.”
Three days later they still hadn’t been able to seal the deal, but on the fourth day, they thought their luck had changed after spotting “the big 10” coming toward their treestand. Bill was locked and loaded and once the shooter gave him a 40 yard shot, he let an arrow fly. Unfortunately for Bill, his shot was off the mark and totally missed the deer.
On that note, they continued their western journey and left for Upton, Wyoming. Dave was hunting a private ranch, which he had gained permission after meeting the landowner through his dairy supply business. The second morning in Wyoming, they spotted three shooter mule deer in a field and decided to hang a set where the bucks had exited the field.
The next day, Dave spotted one of the bucks making its way toward the field. The mature 3x3 mulie jumped a fence and stopped 35 yards from the treestand, and Dave dropped the buck at 35 yards with his PSE. After taking care of the buck, Dave and Bill headed out for the final stop of their trek, Haney Vally Outfitters, in Seneca, Wisconsin. Be sure to check the season journal often for updates on Dave and Bill’s success, as well as the rest of the Drury Outdoors teams.
- September 6th
- Hunter:Joseph Gizdic
- Location:North Dakota
- Weapon:PSE Bow
- Animal:162 4/8” 10 point Whitetail
We are Freshmen Drury Team members and our fist scheduled hunt was in ND. We arrived before the season opener and scouted from observation stands. The next day, we spent hanging stands for varying wind directions and setting up trail cameras and Wildlife Eye Units.
Being a gentleman, I let Carol hunt first as I videoed. The first several days were tough due to high temps, but we waited it out. When the weather changed, shooter bucks started moving. On the 6th morning Carol narrowly missed a 140" deer. That midday we retrieved a WE and had footage of a velvet 150+" buck, and I hung a set to hunt him. Since Carol had missed, it was now my turn to hunt. He came in very slow and was standing at 32 yds in low light so we passed, but we got some great footage.
The next evening, we set up on an alfalfa field that looked real promising. In full daylight, a doe came in, and then we saw antlers in the next treeline. He stepped out, and we knew he was a shooter. Another velvet 135" 8-pt was with him. When he came in, the bigger buck stopped at 35 yds, and I smoked him with a Rage and the New Dream Season X-Force by PSE. We videoed him falling over in a cut Barley field at 60 yds and watched as the other deer reacted to him.
He is a beautiful 10 pt grossing 162 4/8".
- September 3, 2007
- Hunter:Eric Bothun
- Location:North Dakota
- Weapon:PSE Bow
- Animal:161” 12 point Whitetail
The “Natural Born Killers” Eric Bothun and Jason Irish began their season with a trip to North Dakota. They began in the eastern part of the state and after a few days of extreme heat and little movement decided to head to the western side. Hunting with Gary Defoe at North Dakota Adventures they set up in a ground blind and waited for deer to come to the water. The first night out they passed on several two and three year old mule deer as they waited for a mature whitetail buck. At a half hour before dark a six and a-half-year-old monster in full velvet stepped out. Eric stopped him at 30 yards and connected for the largest deer of his life!
- September 1, 2007
- Hunter:Dave Reisner
- Location:Washington
- Weapon:PSE Bow
- Animal:150” 8 point Whitetail
The highly anticipated 2007 hunting season was finally here for John O'Dell and David Reisner. Their plan was to go west in search of big Whitetails. They landed just outside of Spokane, Washington with Joe & Jody Rasmussen of Sherman Creek Outfitters. A coin toss later, it was decided that Dave would be up to bat first. Although the beautiful mountains offered the landscape of an Elk habitat, it was also home of big Whitetails, and many of them are still in velvet during the early season.
After a day of mishaps, the excitement quickly rose as John & Dave saw two monster bucks. The excitement continued as the bucks stood just outside of bow range for over 40 minutes. Finally, a huge split brow 8 point came into range, and Dave let an arrow fly from his new PSE bow that found its mark. Dave felt very lucky to have harvested such a big buck still in velvet!
- September 1, 2007
- Hunter:Lance Chapman
- Location:Kentucky
- Weapon:PSE X Force Bow
- Animal:145” Velvet 10 Pointer
Like most bowhunters, Lance Chapman and Jason Goodman started working toward harvesting a mature whitetail buck well before opening day of bow season. The Kentucky hunters had pinpointed several shooters making their way into the bean fields during the month of August. Of those shooters, two bucks, nicknamed “the twin 10’s,” had not only been seen out in the fields at dusk, but also had shown up on trail camera pictures and video.
On the evening of September 1st, Lance and Jason made their way to the stand, which was located about 120 yards off a soybean field in the staging area. They chose to stay back closer to the bedding area, because the high temperatures were lending toward later buck movement. The first few deer the Kentucky duo saw were a few small bucks and a doe funneling toward the bean field. The fourth deer that came through was one of the twin 10’s. The buck stood in one spot for three to four minutes before deciding the coast was clear and started to head toward the field. With his new PSE X-Force in hand, Lance made a smoking, 17-yard shot on the 145” velvet bluegrass buck. The deer was Lance’s first ever velvet buck and Jason captured the whole hunt on video. Lance said that it was an awesome experience to harvest a buck that he was specifically hunting, and he could not be happier to have done it on opening day of the Kentucky archery season.
