Hunting from the "Little House" on the Prairie

by
posted on January 2, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

As I sit here in Virginia reminiscing about my bowhunts for elk, grouse, muleys, whitetails and Greenland muskox in 2014, I'm thinking about how one of the many things I appreciate about hunting is the opportunity to experience new places. I ended my 2014 season in early December in Kansas amid grasslands and river bottoms that couldn't be more different from my patch of hardwoods back East. I've worked in trips there for the past three out of five seasons—partly because Kansas ranks in the top 10 for big whitetails, partly because of the diverse terrain that I admit on my first time out had me second-guessing whether sitting in a blind in the middle of the prairie was a good plan. Where were the other trees? Where were the stands? Where were the deer?But the deer came, at times out of nowhere it seemed, navigating the dips in the sandhills. Like anyplace else, you narrow down the food sources, make an educated guess at the bedding areas and position yourself somewhere in between the two. You never know what you'll see—or in my case this season, how many times you'll see it amid terrain so open you may get multiple glimpses of the same good buck. Each time your heart skips a beat only to have your hopes plummet when he once again stays out of range.

I saw this 12-pointer nine times before I dropped him last month, waiting patiently in my HECS suit, clutching my Mathews Chill SDX and anticipating the opportunity to fire off one of my new Easton Deep Six Injexions. The buck finally made a mistake on Dec. 5 when he came out of the sandhills to hit the crop circle, passing by at 20 yards. I drew my bow twice trying to get the right shot, giving thanks for the fact that it only takes a second for hunting luck to change.

With the first week of the new year leading us into the 2015 ATA Show, Jan. 8-10, I'm already wondering about all the new products I'll see and what new bowhunting adventures are in store!

Happy New Year!

Latest

Trail Cam Lede
Trail Cam Lede

How To Use Trail Cameras to Find More Bucks and Bulls

Get some tips from Scott Haugen on how to optimize your trail cam grid this season.

New for 2025: Davidson's Exclusive Bergara B-14 FSP Hunter Stainless

Davidson’s has collaborated with Bergara to produce the first complete Bergara rifle with a stainless-steel barreled action available in the USA.

New for 2025: Leica USA Rangemaster CRF Max

Leica Sport Optics USA has unveiled the Leica Rangemaster CRF Max. Designed for hunters and long-range shooters who demand precision and reliability, the CRF Max combines Leica’s optical performance with cutting-edge digital integration and a new heads-up display.

Boone and Crockett Club Poaching Data Published

Did you know that the majority of wildlife violations never result in citations? Sure, with so much ground to cover, it may be easy to guess that most violations committed deep in the backcountry will never see the light of day, but the scale is still quite surprising. 

First Look: Horizon Firearms Exclusive

Custom & Collectable Firearms proudly unveils the Horizon Firearms Exclusive, a 1-of-50 limited series built for hunters and anyone who values accuracy, value and dependability.

Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young Now Accepting Javelina Entries

The Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) and Pope and Young Club (P&Y) announced in August that they have completed scoring procedures and are now accepting entries for javelina (collared peccary, Pecari tajacu) in their record books.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.