Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting My First Kansas Deer Hunt

A lot of posts have been up lately on Kansas hunts and I have put a picture or two on some of them. Time to do my own post and if you have followed my hunt posts over the years you know to expect lots of pictures.
This was the first hunt in Kansas for me and my friends Rickey and Marty from NC. We were hunting with Hickory Creek Outfitters and arrived at our lodging in Howard KS the afternoon before the rifle opener. Howard is tiny but has a gas station, Dollar General, and a couple dinners. We ate supper at the Sweet and Spicy and the owner, Connie, made sure to tell us she fried fresh donuts on Fridays. I might be late to the stand on Friday. Also in camp with us were three fellows from NY State on their first out of state deer hunt. That evening our guide Trevor explained the plan for the next morning. We would each be dropped off near our stand with the trail to the stand marked with reflective clips. Stands were either ladder, ground blinds or elevated shooting houses. All sites were baited with corn. We could pack a lunch and stay all day or text him when we were ready to come out.

Day one. I get dropped off on a hill in a big overgrown pasture about 5 miles from the property Rick and Marty are on. I head down the old field road following the reflectors and see a dark shape and reflector to my right. That must be my blind. When I am about 20 yards from it the reflector turns toward me and with a snort the dark shape moves into the brush. Cow! I find the path again and a hundred yards farther see my real blind, a small shooting house on a 4 foot platform.
I settle in and at first light see a spike on the corn. Later a couple does with fawns then the wind picks up and activity drops.

At lunch time I eat my sandwich then get out to stretch my legs, look at the country and take some pictures. The pictures describe the ground better than words can but there is not a tree in sight big enough for a tree stand.

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The view from the hill is great. Back in the blind the wind has a limb on a nearby tree beating the top of the blind like a drum. At least I am out of the wind.

Around 4:00 the wind starts to die down and at 4:30 a nice eight point steps out of the brush and into the corn. With light getting low my little pocket camera doesn't get sharp pictures of him but he gets a pass today.

Rick and Marty have seen three or four bucks each, all small and one NYer killed a small eight point.

Day Two. Colder and no wind. About 8:00 a little nine point appears at the bait. I have my bigger camera today so better quality pictures.

Next deer I see is another nine moving along a tree line 100 yards to my right. I grunt and get his attention, I hit the can call and he makes a 180 degree circle to my left. Anytime he starts to leave I use the can call and play with him for 30 minutes.