One well-known local buck. Four long years. When a longtime MO bowhunter picks up a crossbow, the result is a storybook ending worthy of our final weekly winner.
Four years is a mighty long time to wait for a point-blank encounter with a specific target buck, but you won’t find Missouri’s Anthony Alkire complaining. That’s because the encounter occurred this past November 8, and Alkire, 39, made good on the fateful, long-awaited shot with his crossbow. For submitting the story and photos of his massive, tall-tined Missouri deer, his first crossbow buck, Alkire is the 10th and final weekly winner in the HuntStand Big Buck Alert contest. The win earns Alkire a sweet pack combination from ALPS OutdoorZ: The Bino Harness X with Vital X (see below). The weekly win also makes Alkire eligible for our Grand Prize drawing for an ALPS Contender X pack, to be announced later this week.
Here’s the exciting HuntStand success story of Alkire’s amazing buck, told in his own words:
“November 8th, 2019, on my Missouri farm proved to be a magical day for me and a buck we have named ‘Crabby’—a deer we have known about the past four years.
“The day started fast with many deer encounters; a parade of seven different bucks and six does, from daylight till I left the stand at noon,” Alkire wrote. “At that point I had to run home to do some ‘dad stuff,’ and hurried back out as soon as I could. The morning had seen cool temps with a southeast wind, but after checking HuntStand midday, it showed the wind had now turned more eastern, which was not perfect for the stand where I had intended my evening hunt to unfold. Now looking even more closely at HuntStand, it showed a moderate wind at 8 mph and temps still cool in the low 40s. However, more importantly, the Huntzone for my chosen stand showed that, based on the direction of travel of most deer I’d seen there previously, the wind direction should be OK.
“Just before piling into the stand at 2:15 p.m., I laid down a strong scent trail for any bucks crossing downwind of me, using an estrous Buck Bomb. Then I kicked back for the afternoon hunt. Very quickly, my heart started pumping when I noticed a doe, tongue hanging out, traveling down the creek that wound near my stand. I just knew there would be a buck following, but which one? It didn’t take long and he showed.
“I didn’t need binos to tell me the trailing buck was mature and a shooter. The doe came by first, at 15 yards, right through my shooting lane. So I knew the buck would follow. I grabbed my new Tenpoint Shadow crossbow and got ready, but, surprise, the buck didn’t follow the script. He decided to swing a little wider, but thankfully, I had previously ranged just about every tree in the riverbottom. When I bleated to stop him I knew the tree where he put on the brakes was 31 yards. I squeezed the trigger and the Dead Ringer broadhead-tipped arrow found its mark. The buck quickly began plowing dirt and grass; it went less than 20 yards before falling. Closer examination would find a double-lung hit that clipped the top of heart; the buck is my biggest archery buck to date and my first-ever crossbow harvest.
“What a great day on the farm! I truly didn’t know which buck I’d shot, until I made the short track job and walked up to the fallen monarch. My heart exploded with joy when I realized it was Crabby. A four-year quest was over! I owe it all to God, HuntStand, Tenpoint, Dead Ringer and Nose Jammer, and of course my daughter, for helping me with the recovery. Thank you all!”
As part of the HuntStand Big Buck Alert contest, Team HuntStand chose 10 weekly winners that we’ve shared with the extensive HuntStand community; EACH weekly winner will receive BOTH the Bino Harness X (valued at $49.99) AND Vital X rangefinder pocket (valued at $19.99) from ALPS OutdoorZ (see above).
This week all 10 weekly winners will be placed in a drawing for our Grand Prize: an ALPS OutdoorZ Contender X pack (valued at $199.99; image above). Pack specialist ALPS is calling this new 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. You’ll also find Elimishield Scent Control Technology to help eliminate scent, and a Drop Down pocket to carry gun or bow securely.
Team HuntStand would like to thank all who submitted entries for this exciting contest; we couldn’t offer this timely, engaging content without your cooperation. And if you missed our contest entry deadline, know that we always appreciate hearing new HuntStand app success stories. Anyone who would like to share their 2019 hunt stories and photos with the extensive HuntStand community is urged to email HuntStand Media Executive Editor Mark Melotik @ [email protected]
Stay tuned for news of our Grand Prize winner!
