A favorite public-land spot. A familiar buck. When HuntStand helps a dedicated bowhunter complete a three-year quest, our Week 5 winner emerges.
Getting reacquainted with an old friend. That’s how it may have felt this fall for Ohio’s Brady Baker Jr., a dedicated public-land bowhunter who was hoping to run into a unique buck he’d first glimpsed while on stand three years ago. For sending in photos and the HuntStand success story of that same stunning Ohio buck, taken with his bow on Oct. 2, Baker is the Week 5 winner in the 2020 HuntStand Big Buck ALERT contest that earns him a sweet pack from ALPS OutdoorZ: The Quickdraw 2.0 Sling Pack (see below). The weekly win also makes Baker eligible for our Grand Prize drawing in late November (more on that below). We’re still looking for five more weekly winners so enter today!
“I shot my buck this year on October 2nd with a Mathews bow on Ohio public land, where I hunt exclusively,” Baker wrote. “I hunt about two miles in and had history with this buck for the past three years; I nicknamed him ‘Curly’ because the ends of his main beams curled upward; they have looked much the same every year.
“I hunt a big hardwoods ridge located between two big thickets at each end; the ridge runs east to west and I set up on the east side on the bottom—there’s a swamp down below and a high wall up top, so it’s pretty much a natural funnel. I found the spot about 10 to 12 years ago while I was turkey hunting, and noticed there were two large scrapes that have reemerged there every year since—they are community scrapes.
“I captured a few trail cam photos of some nice bucks at the location this past summer, but Curly did not show up until the first day I hunted it. I shot him at 5:20 p.m.; the wind was slightly south-southwest, and he was heading straight for the community scrape from the west—it was crazy that he was on the same trail he used the first time I ever laid eyes on him three years ago. 
“I love the HuntStand app and its detailed mapping and accurate wind directions by the hour—it is awesome and I use it virtually every day, even from home, to check my hunting spots and the peak game activity times. The property boundaries are a great help also—how you can just tap on them to learn who owns the property. I’m 53 years old and certainly not ‘Mr. cellphone and computer,’ but HuntStand has helped a lot, especially with the many detailed mapping layers; I love to ‘scout from above’ then do the legwork.”
To enter the HuntStand 2020 Big Buck ALERT contest, simply send us a few clear, high-res. digital photos (three to five) of your 2020 buck bagged after Aug. 20 (Entries accepted NOW THROUGH NOV. 26) along with a brief story of your hunt that explains how the HuntStand app played a part. Be sure to tell us if your buck was known to you or a newcomer, then describe the area where your stand sits, or where the encounter took place, as well as the fateful day’s wind and weather conditions, and of course, the blow-by-blow account of the exciting action as it unfolded. Include your full name, age, successful hunt date and state, weapon used, and also be sure to include your mailing address. Your e-mail subject line should read: Big Buck Alert! Send your photo(s) and requested info to: [email protected]
Team HuntStand will choose 10 weekly winners that we began sharing with the extensive HuntStand community Sept. 25; EACH weekly winner will receive the Quickdraw 2.0 Sling Pack (valued at $79.99) from ALPS OutdoorZ (see above). This unique single-sling daypack offers quick and easy swing-around access to gear compartments. Unlike traditional shoulder straps, the single sling allows free range of motion. You’ll also find a drop-down pocket that securely carries a bow or gun, MOLLE webbing with bungee system for toting a quiver or extra gear, and a 2L water reservoir to keep you hydrated. 
In addition, at the end of the 10 weeks, all weekly winners will be placed in a drawing for our Grand Prize: an ALPS OutdoorZ Contender X pack (valued at $229.99; image above). Pack specialist ALPS is calling this feature-packed design the ultimate whitetail day pack; the coolness of the Contender X begins with its innovative self-standing L-shape frame, which allows you to set your pack on any flat surface. The unique U-shaped zipper provides extra-large, flip-down top access to the main compartment—ideal for easy gear access while hanging in your stand or sitting on the ground, without losing precious pack contents. The Lycra covered molded foam suspension ensures carrying comfort even when fully loaded with hunting necessities.
Good luck out there this fall from all of us here at Team HuntStand and let us know when (and how) you score with HuntStand!
