Oklahoma's OK

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="088085a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Saskatchewan Trophy Hunts</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Saskatchewan Trophy Hunts"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gone Western"><U>Gone Western</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Buck by a String"><U>Buck by a String</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Unbelievable Season"><U>The Unbelievable Season</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Quest"><U>The Quest</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bowhunting Adventures"><U>Bowhunting Adventures</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Rock King"><U>The Rock King</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="One Great Week"><U>One Great Week</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canadian Bacon"><U>Canadian Bacon</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ramblings From a Man"><U>Ramblings From a Man</U></A>   |   <B>Oklahoma's OK</B>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="My Buddys Buck"><U>My Buddy's Buck</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hunting the August Rut"><U>Hunting the August Rut</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Challenge"><U>The Challenge</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Whitetails at Eye Level"><U>Whitetail's at Eye Level</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Still Rambling"><U>Still Rambling</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Changing Tactics"><U>Changing Tactics</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blue Bulls of the Wild Horse Desert"><U>Blue Bulls of the Wild Horse Desert</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bowhunters Heaven"><U>Bowhunter's Heaven</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="089d2e83.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hunting Articles"><U><B>Back to Hunting articles</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Andys Photo Album"><U><B>Back to Andy's photo album</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="08a07073.jpg"> <div> <I>Oklahoma's OK</I></div> <div> Unpublished</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="132b92c0.png" border=0 width="441" height="300" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> OKLAHOMA'S OK</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  Several years ago a friend from Austin invited me to join a group he was putting together on a bow hunt with Blue River Outfitters in South East Oklahoma. I had heard little about hunting in the Sooner State at that time but it was an affordable hunt on an outstanding ranch and I was impressed with the quality hunting.  I did recall Dick Idol writing an article about a hunt in Oklahoma where he harvested a great buck so I knew at least that there was some good hunting in the state.  It turned out to be a great hunt on an awesome ranch.  Getting shots was tough but there was a lot of game.  Not only were the whitetail abundant, but there were many hogs and turkey also.  I did manage to bring home a trophy from that hunt but the thrill was more in the method than the size of the buck.  (See TTHA May 1997 “ CHANGING TACTICS “ for article about that hunt.)</div> <div>   At a "Texas Trophy Hunter" show the following summer I met another outfitter from Oklahoma, Kent Vernon, owner of Bedding Area Outfitters who also ran hunts across the southern region and I saw pictures and racks of Oklahoma bucks that really got me drooling.  This combined with loosing my lease in South Texas and the rising cost of Texas hunting helped in the decision to start spending more of my precious hunting time North of the Red River.  I booked a hunt with Kent and also another hunt with Blue River for '97.</div> <div>   The Blue River hunt came first and I had one outstanding morning out of 5 days of hunting.  I passed on an opportunity at a 140 class 10 point at 4 yards because there was a 150 class 10 point following him.  I had carved out a ground blind in a briar thicket at the edge of an hourglass shaped funnel where any deer that came through would be between point blank and 45 yards.  Shortly after daylight I heard a buck sneeze.  When I looked to my left I saw a beautiful white horned 10-point rack floating above the high grass, heading my way.  I only had one shooting lane at the center of the hourglass so I grabbed my bow, got into shooting position then peered left to check the bucks progress.  When I did I saw he was coming through on my side but back where I had first seen him was another chocolate-racked heavy 10 point, which dwarfed the first buck.  As luck would have it (theirs good, mine bad) the first buck stopped directly in my shooting lane at 4 yards another chocolate-racked heavy 10 point, which dwarfed the first buck.  As luck would have it (theirs good, mine bad) the first buck stopped directly in my shooting lane at about 4 yards blocking my view.  By the time he stepped on I was only able to glimpse the other buck as he passed through at the other side of the hourglass and then watch him walk away. I never saw either of these bucks again.</div> <div>   My next hunt was with Kent Vernon who introduced me to Jim Waldrup and Don Latham, owner and ranch manager of the 18,000 acre Pine Springs Ranch.  I quickly took a liking to Don, the ranch foreman who was our guide while hunting  the ranch.  Jim and Don were gracious enough to let my wife Mary and I take up residence in an old house on the ranch and hunt from there all we wanted the rest of the season.   Although I hunted hard and saw a couple of fine trophies I finished the season with only a bowl of Oklahoma non-resident deer tag soup to show for my efforts.</div> <div>   I kept in close contact with Don and his family through the following year and a close friendship began.  Don is a very Christian man with strong moral values, an avid hunter and a pleasure to be around. I became quite fond of his wife Barbara and sons Will and Wade who never failed to ask, “ Did you get anything?” upon my return from every hunt.  I will admit it was almost getting embarrassing replying no each time, not only that first year but again all the following year.  My time in '98 was limited due to a busy schedule guiding hunters for 4 Arrows Outfitters on the King Ranch but I did manage to squeeze in a couple of frustrating weeks of unsuccessful hunting with Don and family, once in early November and again in late December.   Don was gracious enough to show me how easy it was by arrowing an awesome, basic 8 point, 168”  non-typical just days before I arrived to hunt the last 5 days of season.  Mary and I came within inches of a shot at a 170 class 10 point the first afternoon of that hunt but  6<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> sense made the buck back off the fence crossing we were set up on and ease down another 50 yards to cross out of range.  Mary did get the monster on video while I squeezed my bow riser in half. Lucky she grabbed the knife just before I sliced my own throat and I got away with just a scratch.  Then it was typical Oklahoma hunting the rest of the trip, with the exception of stalking and taking a big cull 6 point on the way back from a morning hunt and then stalking within shooting range of a big buck feeding behind some rocks in a draw during the middle of that same day.  I thought for sure my luck had changed because I was able to get within range of this buck despite the presence of three does and two other smaller bucks.  He had a huge body and I had glimpsed one side of his rack.  Once again he was luckier than I for as I was preparing to shoot he raised his head and I found he had broken off one side of his rack just above the brow tine.</div> <div>   The spring and summer of '99 Don and I hunted hogs, Javelina and Turkey together and then took our wives on a Spring Bear hunt in Saskatchewan.  We of course talked at length as always about the whitetail hunting at the ranch and the efforts being made to improve the quality of the deer, and the quality of the hunts.  Several feeders had been put out prior to the '98 season with more planned for '99 and also many food plots should be up by the fall of '99.  In addition Don had purchased 20 Gametamer tree-stands and ladders to make the long hours spent in blinds much more safe and comfortable.  By now he also had quite a collection of my ground blinds.</div> <div>   I was extremely excited about the '99 prospects and could hardly wait for the Oklahoma Archery season to begin.</div> <div>   The end of the first week of October, I returned home once again without a Trophy.  I had seen the best action ever but the only “shooter” I had a chance at wasn't actually a shooter because he had broken off his G-2 on one side.  This buck was a 4 ½ year old 8 point with a twelve inch G-2 on one side that easily would have made P & Y had the other side been intact.  The good news is he will only be better next year.</div> <div>   I must admit at this point I doubted my sanity.  Time is money and I had invested a lot into this place without success.  I had enjoyed great success in Texas in the years prior to my Oklahoma debut and was really beginning to wonder about dedicating so much time to failure.</div> <div> Never the less by the end of October I was ready to try again and set up a hunt to begin November 2<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >nd</FONT>.  Once again Don was nice enough to show me what a big one looks like by stalking and arrowing a huge 8 point from it's bed just days before I arrived.</div> <div>   My hunt started great Tuesday morning with a heavy frost.  I was in one of my ground blinds at the edge of a food plot and surrounded by deer all morning.  I passed an opportunity at a mature130 class 8 point with heavy antlers then kicked myself for the next 20 minutes as he worked scrapes and chased does all around without giving me a second opportunity.  My first instinct had been that he wouldn't book, but after having more time to examine him I could see that he had enough mass to put him in.  I also saw four or five 3 ½ year old bucks, which were very close to book.  The difference between the last two years and this year were incredible and I could tell by all these quality young bucks that the 2000 season could be unbelievable.</div> <div>    The evening hunt was uneventful and the wind had changed by the following morning so the ground blind was out.  I decided to hunt a quad-pod that Don had set up in a creek bottom on a new cut line that a dozer had blazed down a section line in the Lake Pasture.  The cut dropped off a ridge and ran south several hundred yards down through a creek bottom and up another ridge. Don had seen some good bucks there during the recent muzzleloader season and had videoed a great miss on a 145” 10 point by his friend Mark.  I set up a decoy with my video camera on a tripod in the brush on the other side taping the decoy and myself.  I rattled and grunted with no response till the sun got up and was blinding me.  I then got down, turned the decoy around, picked up the camera and climbed on top of a stack of felled timber and continued.  This time, now that the camera was off, a 125 “ 10 point responded to the first sequence and walked past my position on the log pile at three or four yards.  All I could see was his rack as he passed beside me on the way to the decoy.  He stopped 15 yards from me and about 10 yards from the decoy, puffed up, licked his lips and grunted at the decoy.  As I tried to get the camera on he decided he didn't like the lack of response he was getting from old Daisy and eased off.  While heading back to the truck after the morning hunt I noticed a tremendous amount of sign where deer were traveling east and west just off the edge of the ridge and decided that I should hunt there.  The wind was from the south and would be perfect for this set-up.  I could place my blind in a tree close to the top of the ridge and face downward where the activity was.  The wind would be in my face and I would be high enough that there would be little chance of deer winding me from behind.  That afternoon I carried bow, tree stand, brush snippers etc. in with me.  It was so warm that my enthusiasm had dropped.  When I got to the chosen spot I realized the tree was not as straight as I had thought and there would be no way to comfortably erect the portable stand I had brought.  I decided to stash the stand and snippers and proceed down to the quad-pod. It was another uneventful evening.</div> <div> The weather warmed and the hunting went downhill from there.  By Friday night I had decided that I should hunt the middle of the day.  The wind had changed again so I planned to return to the ground blind where I had passed the heavy 8 point the first morning and hunt all day.   By 11:00A.M. it was getting hot and I took off my Scent Blocker jacket in frustration and through it down on the ground.  At 11:15 I was just thinking what a nice pillow that Scent Blocker jacket was fixing to be when I heard the sound of deer running.  I looked up and spotted a huge twelve point chasing a doe to my right.  Unfortunately the North wind had not persisted as the day warmed and I had let my guard down by removing my jacket.  The doe ran through downwind without detecting me but not so for the buck.  As soon as he passed downwind he put on the brakes, looked my direction, snorted and left.  As soon as I realized there would be no shot opportunity I grabbed my camera and got some brief video.  I recognized him as a buck Don had picked up sheds from the previous spring and figured he would easily go 160”.   I looked for my knife and couldn't find it and didn't like the idea of cutting my throat with a broadhead so I put my Scent Blocker jacket back on and sat there the rest of the day without another buck sighting.  Was my butt ever sore after 6 hours of kicking myself.  By dark I had worked myself into such frustration that I called Mary on the way back to camp and blew off a lot of steam questioning why I was crazy enough to put myself through all this abuse.  When Will and Wade hit me with the standard “ Did ya get anything?” they were lucky I didn't strangle them both.</div> <div> That night I decided I'd had enough.  I told Don I would be leaving after the morning hunt and I had already told Mary the same.</div> <div> I hunted the following morning half-heartedly in the quad-pod where I had rattled in the 10 point earlier in the week.  I had decided to spend the last morning here so that I could pick up the stand and snippers that I had stashed earlier in the week on my way out. By 9:00 A.M.  I was ready to start back. I had a little corn left so I walked up the opposite ridge throwing it out then turned around and headed back towards my truck.  As I passed the blind I had been in only ten minutes earlier I saw three deer run off only 20 yards from where I had been sitting. “ Rub it in”, I yelled, as I proceeded on towards the truck.  As I walked up the cut towards the top of the ridge a deer came out and crossed left to right.  I went down on my knees and got my binoculars up but his head was in the brush by the time I got on him.  “Wait and see if there's another”, I told myself and sure enough seconds later another buck with long heavy upturned beams crossed.  My jaw hit the ground when I realized they had crossed not 25 yards from where my portable blind and clippers lay stashed under the tree I had planned to hunt  I examined the trail the bucks had crossed on and could see that it was a very faint trail above the main trail that most the deer were using. I walked to the tree my stand was under and thought the situation over.  There was a huge pine another ten yards up the ridge, which was about 45 yards from the main trail but would put me at 32 yards from the trail the bucks had used.</div> <div>   I went back to camp, told Will and Wade the usual no when asked, then talked to Don about staying.  I called Greg, my brother and business partner and asked if he could make it another week without me, then called Mary and told her I was going to stay another week.  She wasn't to excited about that news after me just calling Saturday night sounding like I was going to quit deer hunting forever.</div> <div>   Anyway I got everything cleared to start my third hunt.  Don and I took a Gametamer, erected it in the huge pine and picked up the other blind I had stashed. We returned to camp where I showered and went through my usual scent proofing routine.  I go through gallons of Scent Shield spray every year and now feel naked without my Scent Blocker suit.</div> <div>   Don said I should let the area rest since we had just put up the blind but I felt we hadn't disturbed the area and was anxious to try the new spot.  I was in the blind at 4:00 P.M.  The first order of business was to confirm yardages with my Bushnell Rangefinder then settle back.  I was 32 yards from the buck trail, and 45 yards from the main trail.  This is further than I like to be for whitetail but it was the best set-up available.  My practice had extended to 85 yards with my High Country 4 Runner and I was very confident that I could make a 32 or 45 yard shot if required.</div> <div>   I had not seen a deer all afternoon and had given up as the sun went down.  As I sat enjoying the remnants of a beautiful sunset I was suddenly snapped to attention by the sound of a deer trotting through the leaves to my left, coming my way.  I grabbed my bow from the holder and focused on the buck trail.  A mature buck emerged from the forest but in the shadows I could not tell specifics about his rack.  He appeared to be a chocolate horned ten point and I thought of raising the binoculars, which were hanging around my neck and grasped by my right hand.  The buck stopped at the edge of the cut then immediately proceeded away from me down the cut and I knew my choices were to shoot or look.  By the time I got the binoculars on him there would be no way to then get a shot.  I opted for shoot, drew back, found him in my sights quartering away and sent a Wasp tipped Beman on the way.  The buck reared at the hit and crashed across the cut and into the woods to my right.  I waited about 20 minutes, eased out of the tree and headed back to camp.</div> <div>   Finally when Will and Wade asked if I'd gotten anything, I replied “ yes”.  I wasn't sure what I had got but I knew I had gotten one.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="13336950.jpg" border=0 width="566" height="405" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> When we found my buck he turned out to be a 6-½ year old 9-point.  One brow tine was broken off and he measured 123”.  I was happy to have broken the ice and taken a trophy but told Don that this was definitely not the buck I was after.  The next morning I took care of my trophy, antlers to the taxidermist, meat to the processor then went and purchased another non-resident deer tag.  I lay off that stand and hunted other areas that evening and the following day.  By Tuesday morning I could stand it no longer and went back to hunt the ridge.  At 7:30 A.M. I once again heard a deer moving through the leaves to my left.  I turned and spotted a chocolate horned 10-point at 35 yards and closing fast.  He was about to cross the cut directly under me and while I hate to move when I'm in a buck's peripheral I had no other choice.  If he made it across the cut I would have no shot in the thick tangle of brush to my right.  I timed my movement to move as slowly as I could and as fast as I had to. The buck was halfway across the cut when the arrow passed through.  He turned and ran the way he had come but I knew he wouldn't go far.  Once again I waited 20 minutes, eased out of the tree and went back to camp.  When we returned we found the 130” buck 40 yards down the trail.  When the boys got home from school I was able to answer, ”yes”, again.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="1352d950.jpg" border=0 width="557" height="405" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>   At this point I had been transformed from a depressed bow hunter to an ecstatic bow hunter.  I told Don that happy as I was this was still not the buck I was after and that experience has taught me that when luck is good  it is no time to stop hunting.  Oklahoma has a three-buck limit and I would sure like to keep going.  He agreed so I got my trophy taken care of and went for another tag.</div> <div>   The next couple of days were very slow and I was thinking that I would still end up with a tag for my soup.  Friday morning I decided to hunt the ridge again although I doubted I would have any luck after already taking two bucks there. By 8:00 A.M. I had yet to see a deer.  I was very happy with my hunt and thinking of my upcoming return home.  I thought I spotted movement down the cut and raised my binoculars.  I spotted what appeared to be a small deer and thought it was a young spike I had seen in the area before.  A few minutes later the deer moved a little closer and I thought I saw antlers.  I raised my binoculars again and this time my heart jumped in my throat.  It was the big buck I had seen cross the road Sunday morning and he was carrying a 3-foot piece of pine sapling in his antlers.  He was easing very slowly in my direction, pausing, looking around and occasionally nibbling browse.  It seemed it took ten minutes for him to close the gap from 70 yards where I first saw him to the inlet of the trail. I wonder now how many times I asked, “ Lord please let this happen”.  As he stepped toward the trail I drew back, not wanting to take the 32 yard shot but knowing he wouldn't get any closer.  Just as I was about to release he snapped to attention and turned to look back the way he came.  I'm sure there were some other deer that attracted his attention and silently prayed he wouldn't bolt towards them. There was no shot with his rear towards me.  I held as long as I could but he was like a statue staring down the cut.  I finally let off.  I was breathing like I'd run a foot race and hoped the strength for another draw would be there if he changed position.  Finally he decided he wasn't interested in whatever was going on, flicked his tail and turned back into the trail.  He was only a couple of steps onto the trail when my arrow hit.  At the sound of the shot he dropped and nearly jumped the string on me but wasn't quick enough.  The Wasp broad head broke his spine and cut a major artery.  He went down in his tracks.  I quickly knocked another arrow but could immediately see that it wasn't necessary.  He expired quickly. </div> <div> I let my bow down with arrow still knocked then scrambled down myself.  Less than 2 minutes after the shot I was admiring my trophy.</div> <div>   While it took several years to come together, three bucks in a week including two P & Y's made it worth every minute and you can bet I will be spending a lot of time   </div> <div> in the future north of the Red River.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>