Hunting Kansas Whitetails: New Bow, Big Buck! (Episode 310 Transcript)

This is the video transcript. To watch the video for this episode click here.

GRANT: This week we’re catching up with Pro Staffers Heath and Lindsey Martin. They’ve been bow hunting in southeastern Kansas.

LINDSEY: I felt like it was a good shot.

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GRANT: Heath and Lindsey are very dedicated hunters. In fact, back in August when it was hot, they were out in southeastern Kansas hanging some Summit stands.

GRANT: A cold front was scheduled to pass over southeastern Kansas during early October. So, Heath and Lindsey hit the road and got in their stands.

LINDSEY: Lots of slow drivers today. Do they not know that we’ve got, hunting season is on? Get out of the way. Move.

LINDSEY: (Whispering) Beautiful morning. Um, have a north/northeast wind which is a little bit of a challenge for us because in this early season, none of our stands are set up for a north wind. Except the one that we’re in. So, we’re not having any pictures of mature bucks coming past this stand, but what we do have is usually a doe party every day about seven-thirty, eight o’clock. And so right now, it’s just about seven, so, hopefully, we’re gonna be in the action. Um, maybe get some venison in the freezer before the morning is over.

GRANT: Lindsey didn’t have to wait long for the doe party to show.

GRANT: Suddenly, some party crashers show up.

HEATH: (Whispering) Yeah.

LINDSEY: (Whispering) We didn’t know what was happening. Sudden – came tearing through. Maybe something else will come by. Maybe those coyotes will come cruising by again and I could get a shot at one of those. You never know.

HEATH: (Whispering) They were big and fat and healthy.

LINDSEY: (Whispering) They were big coyotes.

GRANT: These big Kansas coyotes put a damper on the rest of the day.

GRANT: The next morning, there’s a north/northeast wind, so they head back to the same stand.

GRANT: About 8:00 a.m. they see two deer working their way down the trail.

GRANT: Lindsey’s hoping they’ll take the closer trail, but they don’t and she’s facing a 30 yard shot at a mature Kansas doe.

HEATH: (Whispering) Good shot.

LINDSEY: (Whispering) Yes. That’s awesome. Whew! That’s my first doe with my bow. So, I’m excited about that. Great way to start off the season. So, with my Ion that I shoot, I only pull about 42 pounds. And so with that kind of draw weight, we elected that instead of shooting the expandable Havocs, I actually shoot the fixed blade Strikers. And so, at 30 yard, it was right on the money, right where I was aiming. So I’m pretty proud of that shot.

GRANT: Just a few minutes later, several more does come down the trail and I hear one of the does grunt.

GRANT: Now that was a pretty cool encounter.

LINDSEY: There she is. She’s down. She’s probably one of the bigger does that we’ve been seeing in this stand and you know, 30 yards – is the furthest I’ve taken a deer so far. So, I felt like I made a pretty decent shot on her and I’m proud of her. Got some meat for the freezer.

GRANT: Heath and Lindsey are on the board with some fine Kansas backstrap.

GRANT: A couple weeks later, another cold front is forecast to pass over southeastern Kansas. The temperatures are dropping and the barometer is climbing higher than normal for that time of year. With that passing front, the wind now is out of the east again.

GRANT: Heath had hung a Summit stand back during August for these exact circumstances. They hadn’t hunted that set this year, so they got their gear and headed to the stand.

HEATH: (Whispering) Well, we’re back in the stand this afternoon. It’s about 4:30 probably, and, uh, we’re in a stand we hadn’t hunted all year this year. It’s, uh, mid-October. We’re right in the middle of the October lull, so we got some good bucks in the area, but they’re just not moving very good right now. So, we’re pretty well on doe patrol. Uh, we got a good trail coming through here – coming up out of a draw. Going up the ridge here. Kind of a funnel. So, there’s acorns everywhere. We’re right in the middle of the timber, basically, so we’re just hoping to catch something moving (inaudible) like crazy. Just moving back and forth to feed. We’d love to see a big mature buck tonight. That likelihood is probably pretty slim, so we’re gonna be tickled if we can get a couple of big mature does come by here. So we’re gonna hang tight and see what happens.

GRANT: The sun was starting to set when Heath heard leaves crunching in the distance. Then he heard a grunt from the same area. With daylight fading, Heath decides to get his grunt call and give a few soft grunts – hoping whatever he heard would close the distance and check him out.

GRANT: Fifteen minutes later, Heath spots a large bodied deer headed their way.

GRANT: Heath recognizes the mature buck. It’s a big bodied eight-pointer they’ve seen during years past. It’s certainly appears he’s looking for the source of those grunts.

GRANT: If the buck stays on that trail, he’ll pass in front of Heath and Lindsey at about 25 yards.

HEATH: (Whispering) (Inaudible)

HEATH: (Whispering) Man, it’s been a really slow day. We didn’t see a single deer this morning. And that’s the first deer we’ve seen this afternoon. Uh, we knew that deer was in here and, uh, with the wind direction we had today, this afternoon, we figured that was the best chance that we had at a buck, so. I could hear something walking around on the next lower ridge across this draw. I really didn’t have anything to lose, even though it’s mid-October. I threw a couple of grunts at him and, uh, just piddling around – and I mean, I didn’t even know what it was – a doe or a buck, but I threw a couple of grunts and probably 20 minutes – 15 or 20 minutes – went by and, uh, I looked at the head of the draw and here he come walking around the head of the draw and he came right in here. He gave me about a 25 yard shot at most. And, uh, that’s the first big mature deer I’ve ever killed in October. I usually really don’t get going good until November gets here, but I think it’s October the 17th. We’re right in the middle of the October lull. And, uh, hopefully, we just got a big buck on the ground in Kansas.

HEATH: (Whispering) But, man he come in there broadside. I had to bleat to stop him. Had plenty of time to shoot him. I mean, wasn’t, wasn’t no issue, so. But it looked like money to me. So, I’m gonna watch it back on my camera and see what happened. But, I think he’s a dead deer. We’ll give him a little bit of time.

HEATH: (Whispering) It’s my first buck with my new 2016 Prime Rize right there. What a great way to start the season off. Hopefully, we’ve got many more to go.

HEATH: (Whispering) Right there, baby.

HEATH: (Quietly) Golly. That’s smoke city right there, boys. There’s blood everywhere. That young blood (inaudible) bubbles in it.

LINDSEY: Hmm. Hmm.

HEATH: It’s pouring right now. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Holy cow. That’s an old deer. Big ole nine pointer. Got a little Redneck ninth point right there.

HEATH: This is what it’s all about right here. Killing big, mature deer. He is old. Got big, ole bladed brows. Look at the mass. I mean, I can just get my fingers around the mass. Golly. Look at that ole gray face! Heavy, heavy beams. I mean, big ole long main beams sweeping out here. Neck. I mean it’s just October 17th. His neck’s already swelled up down in between his legs. This is one side of his neck. I can’t even get around half of it.

GRANT: This big buck is so heavy, Heath and Lindsey can barely get it loaded.

LINDSEY: (Inaudible)

GRANT: After getting it back to camp, this buck tipped the scales at 234 pounds.

HEATH: 234 pounds. My gosh, what a beast. Biggest dear I’ve ever killed. So, he’s quite the monarch. Deer. He’s gigantic.

GRANT: The temps were forecast to be in the lower 40’s, so Heath and Lindsey let it hang all night and have time to really check it out the next morning.

HEATH: You know, we just got these brand new 2016 Prime Rizes in. Just – I’ve had it for about three weeks and run a bunch of arrows through it – done some testing – and it is a super sweet bow. Shoots extremely accurate. It’s fast, quiet, easy to tune, very forgiving and absolutely has zero hand shock. I mean, it’s just a phenomenal bow.

HEATH: Holy cow. That is over a half inch thick.

GRANT: There’s certainly plenty of body fat on this buck, especially since it’s mid-October. Body fat is an excellent sign of great habitat where that deer is living.

GRANT: Congratulations to team Martin on their October success. We look forward to seeing how the rest of their season pans out.

ADAM: The leaves have started to change here at The Proving Grounds and that tells us winter is coming. So one of the most important things we can do to prepare is winterize our equipment. One of the worst parts about winter is those brutally cold temperatures. And if you have diesel engine, that can be bad news.

GRANT: Anyone that’s familiar with diesel engines knows the gelling of the fuel during the winter is a real possibility and can lead to some very expensive repairs. It’s simple to use an anti-gel and conditioner to condition that fuel and the whole system to be ready to start whenever you need it.

ADAM: The cold temperatures can cause your fuel to gel up, clogging up the lines and the filters, and can cause major problems to the inside of the engine. So, we’re gonna use an anti-gel treatment.

ADAM: Not only is this treatment fighting the gelling of the fuel, it’s also lubricating, conditioning and increasing the overall performance of the tractor.

ADAM: Another very important thing we’re gonna do throughout the winter is every time you use the tractor, we’re gonna bring it back up here and fill it up with diesel. This eliminates any chance of having condensation inside the fuel tank which could lead to gelling. Plus, we’re gonna add more of our Howe’s lubricator and this is gonna ensure there’s no gelling occurring inside the tractor and we’re ready for winter.

GRANT: These simple tips can save a lot of expensive repair for tractors and that means you’ve got more money to create more food plots next year.

GRANT: It’s a great time of year. I was able to enjoy a very special hunt this morning and I look forward to sharing it with you next week.

GRANT: (Whispering) Oh. Thank you, Jesus. I had just a couple mornings to hunt before I go up there. Of course, my dad is my number one priority.

GRANT: (Whispering) And I was praying I’d have a good hunt before I got to go. Not just for the show, but to give my dad and I, someth – you know, something to talk about and something to take the focus off the cancer.

GRANT: I hope you have time to get outside and enjoy Creation this week. But more importantly, I hope you take time every day to slow down and listen to what the Creator is saying to you. Thanks for watching GrowingDeer.