Trail cams proved this bruiser liked to show himself on Tuesdays; HuntStand forecasted ideal wind conditions on Nov. 15. Any guess on the day of the week?
Patterning big, mature bucks isn’t easy. Almost by definition, these bucks seem to avoid regular travel routes, or offer up any consistent clues into their secretive world. Or are we simply not looking closely enough? That might be the takeaway after considering the experience of Jeff Richmond, the Week 11 winner in the HuntStand Big Buck ALERT contest. Richmond used his trail cameras and his HuntStand app to help bag his impressive Kansas buck, after discovering a unique, and unusual, chink in its armor. We’ll let Richmond take it from there.
“I shot this 12-pointer I call ‘Mr. Tuesday’ on Tuesday, November 15,” Richmond explained. “I used the HuntStand app, along with my trail cam photos, to pattern his route by my stand, and I noticed he always showed up on a Tuesday. I sat the stand the evening of November 15th and sure enough, he showed again, and I put a good shot on him around 5:30 p.m. He scored 176 1/8 gross.
“The first pic I had of this buck goes back to 2014,” Richmond continued. “My buddies had him on camera as well, and although he wasn’t as big then we knew he was gonna be a nice buck if he made it another year or two. I had a few pics of him in 2015 but at some point since then I think he made my primary hunting ground his home, because this past fall I got pics of him on five or six different occasions. Most of the pics taken early in the season were at night, but then on November 8 I got the first daytime pic of him and started getting really excited about a possible encounter.
“My hang-on stand was situated in a cedar tree just outside a draw on the west side of the property, near a well-beaten four-wheeler path. I had been out that morning and rattled-in a nice buck that came in from behind me, but soon veered out of my line of sight. That was pretty disappointing, but I went out again in the evening hoping for ‘Mr. Tuesday’ to stick to his routine, but conditions were difficult. I think the temps reached 75 or 80 degrees that day!
“I didn’t figure I would see much, and to make matters worse, there were also some bird hunters working to the south of me,” Richmond continued. “At 5:30 p.m. a smaller 8-pointer came out of a thicket about 100 yards in front of me. He might have been kicked out by the bird hunters, but he was headed straight toward me, and I was pretty set on taking the shot if he gave it to me. When he got to about 60 yards I spotted ‘Mr. Tuesday’ walking out of the same thicket, just to the west. My heart started racing, and the larger buck ended up walking right down the path in front of my stand. I shot him at 15 yards, and neither deer had any idea I was there. I always use the HuntStand app to check the weather, including the ScentCones for my stands. The wind was out of the south that day, so I knew to go to this particular stand.
“I called my buddies after the shot, and went into town to pick them up and gather our things, not trying to get ahead of ourselves. We followed the blood trail about 100 yards and found him! Pictures don’t do him justice, this was a big deer!”
Congratulations, Jeff, on an awesome buck and a hunt memory you will never forget. Thanks to all who have submitted photos and stories to date; successful hunters: Keep them coming!
For his Week 11 win, Richmond will be sent a pair of ThermaCELL ProFLEX Heated Insoles, valued at $185. More good news? We’re still looking for our final Week 12 winner.
To enter the HuntStand 2016 Big Buck ALERT contest, simply send us a clear, high-res. digital photo (or two) of your 2016 buck, along with a few sentences detailing your hunt, and how HuntStand played a part. Include your full name, age, successful hunt date and state, and also be sure to include your mailing address and shoe size. Your e-mail subject line should read: Big Buck Alert! Send your photo(s) and requested info to: [email protected]
Team HuntStand will choose one impressive buck to highlight each week on our website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. If your buck is a weekly winner you’ll score some sweet hunt gear: a pair of Team HuntStand-approved ThermaCELL ProFLEX Heated Insoles. Their state-of-the-art wireless thermal technology with convenient remote operation delivers at least 2,500 hours (about four winters) of heavy use. Simply adjust the temperature utilizing the wireless remote control to the setting of your choice: no heat (standby), medium (100°F), and high (111°F). The result is warm, comfortable, sweat-free feet.
