I was fortunate enough to hunt the same whitetail paradise in Kansas that I did a year ago. This year, my dad (Whelen Nut) and BobinNH accompanied.

Our travel was a bit slow-going with the ice storms that plagued much of central Kansas but we eventually made it and set a bunch of stands in the days prior to the opener.

The ranch is simply the most majestic whitetail property I’ve ever hunted and at the same time it’s easily the most frustrating. The deer are nomadic and even with zero hunting pressure, rarely, if ever, do they do the same thing twice. Due to the lay of the land, "heaven" is most effectively hunted with a north wind, and north winds are generally in short supply so other creative strategies must be utilized.

Dad was the first one to draw blood on an old warrior. With this south wind setup, his perch allowed him to shoot across the river as the deer made their way back from the wheat fields and neighboring properties. He anchored the buck with one shot from his 7600 chambered in .270. Then, as it always seems when he and I hunt in Kansas, I got wet. LOL.




I passed on a couple of gorgeous bucks the first two days but had ideas of something special due to the potential of this ranch. I was undecided on where to stand on the third morning and after we dropped Bob off, had a hair that dad drop me off in the far NE corner of the ranch where I could cover a large pasture, work my way to the river bottom to watch across the river and possibly hit the horns from a good vantage point.

That first rattling sequence set into motion a chain of events that will likely be unequalled for the rest of my hunting days.

Having trouble loading video so screen capture will have to suffice.




The first buck responded in less than 30 seconds, followed by another until I was looking at 4 decent bucks across the river. The one in the video came all the way up into the pasture by me until he was close enough to shoot with the bow before making his way back across the river. When he hit the bank on the other side, he began trotting taking the other bucks in tow – only now I can see two more bucks following including one that I wanted to take back to WI.

At this point, the buck was too far to set up for a shot so I paralleled him down the river, getting to vantage points in the pasture whenever possible. All the bucks had pretty much gone their separate ways but the buck I had my eye on, kicked up yet another buck that was bedded with a doe and a chase by both bucks after the doe ensued down the river. I knew there was a potential spot I could shoot if I could beat them there.

Well, we all arrived at the general location about the same time and I prepared to make a quick shot. Just as I was putting pressure on the trigger, a new buck appeared out of thin air and made for a quick decision. I decided on the new star and anchored him at 260 yards with a 130 Accubond from my 6.5 Creedmoor. Time to get wet again.







Bob saw a bunch of deer too, including one that made him second guess his decision to not shoot. On the fourth day of the hunt, I heard Bob’s 270 bark and knew his aim would be true so I headed his way to commence to dragging. He did not disappoint.




Dad and I did some doe and coyote patrol over the next few days and ended up with quite the trailer load full of venison.



What a great week and a great team. As for the ranch, well, let’s just say there are one or two places left on this earth that aren’t eaten up by outfitters or expensive leases. And, I am so very grateful to call the owner a friend – when the big guy created him, he broke the mold immediately thereafter.

Pops took a lot of photos - some sure to be incriminating so this should be interesting when he chimes in.

Dude,
That buck is a stud.
Congrats to all three of you.

A nice trifecta of bucks, gents. Congrats.

All 3 bucks are lifetime bucks for me. Congrats to all of you!

Awesome hunting tale and pics!

Too bad you guys all shot dinks...



grin

Normally I'm not the envious type, but dang, thats one fine doe.

Excellent!! Amazing he hasn't been seduced by greedy guides..

Oh piss......! What a bunch of great looking bucks Scott! Great reading, great pics, just love those big beautiful bucks. Congrats again to all of you guys....fantastic!


Just looked a bit closer at your buck.....wow what a bruiser. That guy's got it all.

Nicely done for all!
Congrats.

I agree. I can say with great certainty that pigs will fly before that'd happen.

I'll say it right now. This was the best whitetail hunt I have experienced in the lower 48. Only Alberta ranks as its equal. But Alberta does not have Scott and Paul.

Scott and Paul Kane are the two best whitetail hunters I've had the pleasure of hunting with. That includes outfitters.....

The landowner? Really I cannot say enough. He is a highly successful businessman, an intelligent,and knowledgeable hunter and rifleman.He is rightfully proud of this ranch and I think it is what it is because of his concern for the land and his careful stewardship of the animals. He is over whelmingly generous,and I am grateful to him for offering me the opportunity to share this wonderful experience.

I always knew, looking at their various posts over the years,that their was more than luck involved in the bucks Scott and Paul kill everywhere they go,and my suspicions were confirmed watching them in action. I kept telling them both that they are a "Force of Nature" when it comes to hunting whitetails.

Their attention to detail and knowledge of the ranch and the deer's habits was detailed and impressive and they were equipped better than many outfitted hunts.Ladder platforms, Double Bull Blinds, folding chairs,bipods, saws, ropes, kayak for river deer retrieval....on and on it went. They hauled all this gear down from Wisconsin in a 10 foot flatbed. Their preparation and knowledge of the ranch were responsible for our success. No question about it.

In addition to that you could not ask to hunt with better people. Period.



Hunting this place is like eating an elephant.It's comprised of rolling prairie and upland cover loaded with draws and coulees,dotted with cedar and plum thickets; and river bottom habitat with high grass,thick, heavy cover and food fields.My impression was that you could kill a monster anywhere.

But these bucks are not easy. They are sharp eyed, man wise, and very elusive;and know how to use cover and terrain to their advantage. If you are not set up right in your stand and approach, they will "make" you and you will not see them.

I saw a lot of deer,both while hunting and scouting. This made me picky and I actually passed up a couple of bucks bigger than I shot. I thought to myself that these bucks were big enough that if things broke fast I'd probably end up shooting one if I did not have the time to look them over closely and that's exactly what happened, as I killed mine in a heavily wooded draw,off hand at about 60 yards.

Pauls buck is a toad. I was very impressed with the body size and head gear of this buck. You cn barely get your hand around the bases of this animal. He likely dressed in the vicinity of 230 pounds. A real stud.

Scott's buck blew me away. On first site through binoculars(Scott was dragging him on the other side of the river), I figured him to gross about 160 B&C,,and he could easily exceed that. A rare animal that many people never get to see on the hoof. Fabulous buck.

Scott's being modest. I saw where he shot from and knew the circumstances. He did an outstanding job of killing that buck. When things are happening fast,getting your act together quickly to hit a buck that will not stand around for long is the difference between killing a great buck and going home empty.Great shooting by Scott.

All in all this ranks among the very best deer hunts of my life. I am grateful to the landowner, Scott, and Paul for letting me experience this wonderful hunt.

No comment on the incriminating pictures yet but I think I know what's coming...

Nice to job gentlemen. All excellent deer! Looks like a wonderful place to spend some time and from the sounds of it the company wasn't half bad either.

Congratulations on a GREAT hunt in Whitetail Heaven.

hey sus, great write up Scott, what a trip for a fantastic trio, I'm very glad it met everybody's expectations....what a hunt!
Bob I sure hope Scott gave you proper grief as I'm sure you had it coming!
I look forward to hearing more about the hunt.....
well done boys!

I knew there wasn't a guide involved when I saw the pics.


A guide would have surely placed you guys at the hindquarters for the long-arm effect!

Great bucks...............when you taking me??

^^^^^^^^^


This. One more time!

Great post & pictures Scott. Appears you guys had a heck of a good time and killed some fantastic bucks!! Good stuff - looks like the new rifle got some action?? Appears to have good hunting Mojo:)

This rates as the "Campfire" deer hunt of the year. Scott, great story and pictures.

Doc

Bob, having met both Paul and Scott and being able to call them friends, I consider myself lucky. But you know that already! Paul is one of the nicest guys you can shake hands with.

One or two nice buck and you can call a guy lucky. Two or three a year, I think we can figure that out. The both do it consistently when others don't!

Congrats to yourself Bob, as I suspect your buck is quite a bit bigger than you're leading on.

Wow +P+

Nice going, gentlemen !

Been waiting for the report on your hunt and was not disappointed!

What a great hunt!!

Congrats to you, Scott and Paul. All three bucks are outstanding to say the least.

We have the same situation as far as antelope hunting in Montana. The landowner is a friend that will not sell his hunting rights to an outfitter even though he has had numerous opportunities to do just that because of the number of antelope on his place. Such situations are to be cherished.

Thanks so much for sharing.....

Unreal guys! What a hunt! Congrats Scott, Paul and Bob! Once again, getting it done!

Lee

Well done Scott, Paul, and Bob!

I am thrilled for you - couldn't have happened to better guys!

Bob, I am affirming your sentiments as to the skill of these Wisconsinites - I believe I told Scott that he could easily market himself as an expert whitetail strategist and land consultant, and do quite well at it

Wow. Nice bucks congrats!

Thanks for the write up and pictures, and congrats to all three of you on some great Kansas bucks!

Congrats to all on some dang fine bucks!

very nice!!

Ed

http://s400.photobucket.com/user/sk...015/20151130_121232_zpsbdmnxbxz.jpg.html




Guys I have some more pics some may enjoy. I am not good at this so can only post the links. We'll see if this works!

http://s400.photobucket.com/user/sk...015/20151204_141019_zpsfmoa66f9.jpg.html


I think this is Scott retrieving his deer by wading the river with the kayak. He tells me the water was not too warm. I did not confirm what he said.

http://s400.photobucket.com/user/sk...015/20151205_203914_zpscg533mzs.jpg.html



Meat poll pictures are always pretty neat....even if they are a bit decadent. But who cares, right?

TDN: I don't want to blow smoke up their arse, but.....

But....after a couple days with these guys and the owner, I felt like someone plucking a two string banjo at an Eric Clapton/ Stevie Ray concert.

After a couple of my "strategies" fell flat I figured I better just keep my mouth shut and do what I was told. Which I did.

Nothing like listening carefully in new country that you have never hunted before.



SamO: For sure this was not outfitted. We were left to our own resources.





General Comment: And for the record this is not a "high fence" situation. These deer come and go as they please and the ranch is surrounded by a great deal of more of the same kind of habitat.

Also, even though it's allowed in Kansas( I was surprised to learn this),there was no baiting involved. I was also surprised to learn many Kansas outfitters utilize baiting. Anyway,the landowner does not allow it, and none of us wanted to bait anyway.

So, given the post rut conditions I think we did very well!

Could you imaging it during rut conditions? You wouldn't know which way to turn. Which is what it sounds like happened to Scott.

Sam - LOL.
I actually mentioned that to dad when he was taking picts - figuring if it were shared here, one of you bastages would point out that I was long-arming him so I held him close.

Tzone: Yes it did. Seems some does were still in heat. We saw evidence of that.

Actually you could smell it on some does that Scott and Paul killed.

I watched bucks constantly following does and scent checking them quite a bit. I don't know if this was normal,just a second wave of late does in heat,or evidence of a late rut. I suspect the former.

Paul thanks for the help! You the man!

Very, very cool. You guys had a heck of a trip. Whoever said it - big bucks don't come easy and regularly shooting one isn't luck.

Way to go Scott !!! Add another hog to the list.

Well done!

Yet another beautiful buck.....

CR

Geez for the meatpole, looks kinda like N.E. Mn., but warmer!
you guys are rockstars!

Quite the three pack, looks like a fun trip.

Great Bucks guys along with an excellent write up and pics. I'm thinking the ride home was over before you knew it.

I'm late to the party,which is unusual for me, but I had work to do yesterday...and today. All the venison is processed and in the freezers.

I'll add some comments and pictures in the morning. My azz is dragging right now--besides, it's "Miller Time"

Great bucks! Congrats guys!

Wow impressive job guys. We got it good here in Missouri but I think you hit the jackpot on that farm. Damn nice deer and good shooting by all.

Scott...great bucks...I was wondering if you were around here...looks like you were in KS anyhow....I have not connected yet....not seeing any good ones....

Why am I not surprised... Haha! Great job guys. I had a feeling there would be a few good ones knocked down on that place this year.

Awesome bucks! Gotta love KS for deer hunting.

You guys really put it together on this one! 100% success on big ole smart whitetails, congratulations!

And a toast to the savvy landowner for allowing the fun of those iddy biddy calibers on his land.

Stray Dog the landowner likes 6.5's and 7mm's. He thinks 270's bounce off and reminded me of this several times...


Nevertheless Paul and I used them

We did not really have bunches of cartridge/ bullet conversations...seemed we all knew everything we had would work just fine.

I wasn't there until after the fact,but Paul said his buck seemed to just sort of collapse in place and went no where from a 150 Speer. Scott's buck, ditto from a 130 AB in his Creedmoor.

Mine caught a 130 NPT frontal chest shot,slightly quartering on at about 60 yds. It angled back and that's the exit you see in the picture of my buck. Chest contents were scrambled. No bones hit and he ran quickly maybe 20-30 yards. I saw him go down. I backtracked bit for the blood trail....it was there but not needed.Pretty normal Partition performance IME.

The coolest deal was getting to watch Scott kill his doe,as he was situated at the far end of the big field we were both sitting.The doe was about 400+ yards from me,about 240 from Scott. I was watching the doe in the bins when she suddenly broke into a hard run out into the field.....then i heard the "boom".

She made a 40 yard semi circle in the field and then hit the heavy cover on the fly,tail flat the whole time from what i saw. "Lung shot" I figured and so it was. She was dead maybe 40 yards back in there.

Just more evidence in my mind that lung shot deer frequently make tracks and are dead on their feet.

Great hunt!

Well done to all involved.

Thanks for posting.

Well done! Looks like you had a great hunt! Great bucks and great company on what is definitely a piece of whitetail paradise. Thanks for sharing the pictures and stories.

About all I can do is echo what Scott and Bob have already said about the hunt and the ranch. For me it was truly a hunt of a lifetime after 57 previous deer seasons! Getting that big old buck was icing on the cake, for sure.

Scott's idea of bringing a kayak along proved very helpful. On a previous Kansas hunt, he had to fish a buck I had shot out of a river. This time he wasn't taking any chances...

As it turned out, he needed it again the next day after he shot his buck...

After the buck tags were filled Bob and Scott took some time to play with some of the owner's toys.

Here Bob demonstrates how to shoot from the prone position...with some sort of a Swedish rifle.



Then, about mid-day Bob would also demonstrate how to rest his shooting eye.

And here's a shot of Bob hunting...



All kidding aside, we had a great time hunting and shooting the bull with Bob. I even found myself developing a bit of a 'Bawston accent' after the second day.

Haha! Great pictures Paul! I was truly conked out. That sun was so warm and it was so comfy I could not resist the nap!

I got back at Paul for the incriminating photos by giving him a Boston accent...

I know Kansas weather can be screwy but after that ice storm it was SO nice every day. More like October back here.

You had your work cut out processing those deer. I hear the venison was good?

We had a lot of fun!

Ha you posted while I was typing! LOL.


Yeah that's me in the blind. See?

I took another nap in there LOL!

Thanks for the pics WN, truth being told....

Randy you can't work TOO hard at this stuff.....


Really...the whole hunt was about perfect. I love Kansas!

Awesome hunt fellas! Those are some awesome deer you all took. Congrats to you all, sounds like a great camp and great time was had by all.

I even heard Bob was hunting with a 6.5 and a Berger one day.. Thought I felt a tremor in the Force..

Scotty the rumor is true! And a Nightforce no less!

I must admit....I missed!

Great job guys and great bucks!

Gentlemen; thank you so much for sharing your stories, pictures and experiences. Great thread

Well done! Once I saw the title and whom posted it I figured two things were sure to be in the thread: 1. Pictures of very dead, very big bucks and 2. a Remington pump rifle was used!

Well done on all accounts by all parties! I will say that I did enjoy the game planning post from last year, but it looks like they have this placed 'dialed'.

Pointer: It worked rather well on a coyote, too.

That is about as good as it gets. I'm happy for you all. The bucks are great Kansas studs!

I think if I went out of state for WT it would be to Kansas... I've never taken a big one. And those are.

NICE! I remember handing one to you from the boat and was quite surprised how light it was. I can't this year, but we really need to go bear hunting again. You can even let your "kid" come...

great bucks

Bob I wish I new you were in Kansas. I would have loved to whistled a coyote for u

Congrats Scott, Paul and Bob! Excellent account and even more excellent memories....

rick that would have been fun LOL! I enjoy chasing coyotes! I guess you are not all that far away from where we were! How is your deer season going did you get out and kill any deer this year?


Thanks to all for comments on our hunt. This was the first time in the mid west for me to hunt deer so it was all a new experience. Really enjoyed myself out there. What great country!

I killed a cull 4 by 4 mule deer and a stud elk in Oklahoma. Saw lots of really good whitetail's. The rain helped. Next year should be very good. The drought is finally over. First time in two years we had fawn crop. First time in a number of years I hunted with my old 25-06

Hey Guys sorry I'm late to this party too. I did see this thread a day or 2 ago but for some ? reason didn't check it out. My mistake.

Others have already said what I would so....

Glad y'all, Bob did you learn thatun?, had a lot of fun and great success too.

I'd be 'pickeled tink' to take any of those bruisers. Scott would you give us some dimensions of those racks. Just curious.

Bob, Kansas ain't that far away from Arkansas. Yes we have big farm fields and crops too. I don't have access to them but they are here, mostly Eastern Ark.

I thoroughly enjoyed the PICS and the read. I'm happy for all of you.


Jerry

You guys did very well...some really nice bucks there.

rick glad you were knocking them down!


jwall/Ghostwalker thanks it was a great time. Loved Kansas!

Guys I just had to go back and RE-read your story..

Bob, would you tell us about your shooting sticks and those 'hubble' binos?

I really am serious.


Jerry

I inherited a family farm in western Oklahoma, Washita County and the family that share crops it told me a big elk was road killed at the intersectiion bordering the farm. It just seems amazing to me. When I was a kid in the fifty's there was nothing around there to shoot but rabbits, coyotes, squirrel and skunks.

Jerry those hubble bins are Leica Ultravid HD 10x42.I gave those bins a good workout,even after full dark waiting to be picked up. I remember one evening ,long after dark, I could still make out deer moving against the wood line that appeared like lighter shadows at 300-400 yards. I bought those right after Leica offered the HD version.


Not sure about the shooting sticks and what kind they are. I kept borrowing shooting sticks from Scott and forgetting them all over Central Kansas.

I don't own a set but I liked the Stoney Points I borrowed from him. I owned the years ago and need to get another set. I spent some time using random stands in the wood lines,and the sticks were helpful getting above the grass in a couple of locations.

Thanks Bob

My binos are somewhat 'old' but still work for where I'm hunting.

I also like my Stoney Points but wasn't sure what brand those were. I like the light weight of mine but it wouldn't be hard to damage them.

Have a Good Day--you are thru hunting...right?


Jerry

Jerry,

The bipod in the pict is made by Ultrec (they're just down the road from me).

This is the model but they have options without carbon fiber too.
http://www.ultrec.com/product_cf_qcb.html

There is one leaning against a tree or lying on the ground in Kansas if you happen to come across it.

OLD hunters are like that! !


Jerry

Uh oh.....geez Scott we never did get back to get those did we!? Oops sorry I owe you a bipod!

I'm not used to using them so always forget I have them...


Jerry yes i am all done for the season. There is nothing else I could do that would top this trip. I had my fun

I work around that country some pm details. It can be as good as it gets

Congrats on some really nice bucks.

Couldn't happen to a better group of guys!

CLB: Thanks!

As a footnote to this thread...one of my goals of this hunt (more of an itch that needed to be scratched) was to bag an antlerless deer with my old 1893 in 38-55. So, after my buck tag was filled, I took the old rifle to the edge of a small winter wheat field.

Using 265gr cast bullets, I shot at doe at about 60yds. No indication of a hit so I shot again. Once more, no indication of a hit. After a long search with hardly no blood trail, I found her in some grass about 50yds away with two entrance holes and two exits right behind the shoulders.

Although it worked, sort of, I'll stick with my .270 from now on. Even if it just bounces off!

Yeah....Whelen Nut was all in a funk over that 38-55 pumpkin roller just boring on through that doe!

He decided pretty quick that he liked the way the 270 bounces those bucks a lot better!

After that doe was hung it was......Miller Time! LOL!

Congrats guys, great story and great pics. Good guys on a great hunt.

MM: Thanks!

AND...it's Miller Time RIGHT NOW!

Slainte'

Congrats, guys! That there looks like a great hunt with a great group of guys. And great memories?

Congratulations to the three of you on a fine hunt. More than that, it is obvious that a large time was had. These are the days where memories are made that will have to suffice when we are too old to get out of our chair anymore. So glad to see good things come to great people.

Oh, and by Miller time, I assume you mean, PBR time.

Oh, ah...well, yes, of course...PBR time! Slainte'

Truly awesome buck.....congratulations buddy

Kimber/CT: We had a lot of laughs. Whelen knew where to find the good beer in town,we ate good and even had time to goof off and shoot rifles.

The Kane boys were very good to me....dropped me off in good spots and picked me up after stands etc. I was completely lost the first 2-3 days;had no idea how the place fit together,so constantly had that deer in the headlights look on my face.

The hunting was a cultural shock. I went from Maine,where if you see a single buck in a week you did good, to an over abundance of deer.

The whole hunt was a blast and my best ever in the lower 48.

Three excellent bucks, congrats to you all.

smoke pole thanks!

Scott-Damnit man!! Y'all did better than good! Big time congrats. It's obvious your dad is a lucky talisman...

David, I've been called lots of things in my day but never that. Of course, now I will have to look it up to see what it means!

'Twas a great hunt for sure!

I didn't know you guys were.....

P rofessional
B ull
R iders



Jerry

Trust me, it's a good thing

Congratulations, looks like you all had a great hunt.

Taking some deer is good. I'm sure the best part of the hunt was the camaraderie among friends and family.

Well done.

Hammerdown: Exactly!

To paraphrase (was it Thoreau?).....it ain't always the deer you're after....

Fun read! Thanks for sharing and congrats to all of you on your deer.

Hawkeye: Thanks! Merry Christmas!

Great story and great bucks, congrats to all.

Bob.

Bob: Thank you. It was a fun hunt!

B U M P for those looking for PIX of BobinNH, SKane, & Paul.

I'ts a FUN - Interesting - Read all the way around. Go to P 1.

I know this is an old post. But once again...Bob was right.

Tom thanks for that! Interesting that you should bring up BobNH. The morning Scott shot 'Stickers' I was freezing various body parts due to the cold NE wind about 8:30am I decided to have a chat with Bob. "Bob, if you are just sitting around doing nothing up there this morning, Scott could use a little help over by the Maple Grove." Half-hour later I got the call from Scott, he had 'Stickers' on the ground. Strange but true!

Great story WhelenNut. I may have asked ol Bobby for a bot o help this fall myself!