One highly visible stud buck. Add one helpful neighbor and the HuntStand app, and you have the main ingredients of one sweet early season bowhunt.
If you’ve been monitoring your local deer herd’s summer movement patterns, opening weekend offers one of your best chances for bowhunting success. Especially, of course, if you’re also tapping into the power of the HuntStand app. For more proof we offer Ty Carter of West Virginia, our Week Two winner of the HuntStand Big Buck ALERT contest. And if you are wondering how Carter managed nailing back-to-back wins in this contest, you might want to read the exciting blow-by-blow account of his 2017 hunt:
“Ty Carter from West Virginia here, back and on the board for 2017! Careful planning and scouting, especially with HuntStand, helped aid in the downfall of the buck I nicknamed, ‘Megatron.’ This buck was a regular at a bean field I had planted this past summer. However, there were only two problems with this situation: No.1, this buck was entering late and exiting just before legal shooting light every morning, from about 6:30 a.m. to about 6:45 a.m. And No. 2, he was exiting off our farm, across the road to a neighboring landowner’s farm where I did not have hunting permission.
“I knew I had to do my homework, and fast, with the season approaching. I found the landowner’s name and home address. One afternoon I stopped by and during my inquiry, he at first seemed tentative, because several family members hunted the farm every year during rifle season. Then I mentioned I was interested only in bowhunting, and only in one particular location of the 125-acre farm. Hearing this he had no problem writing me access permission.
“After that I started using my HuntStand app and its mapping features to see how the land was laid out. I found a key pinch-point funnel, with fields jutting in on both sides. Beyond the pinch point was a large patch of woods where I assumed the buck was bedding. I knew I had to get to the end of the field, drop over, and set up my ambush stand on a large flat just below the field. Three days before the opener I entered the property with my stand on my back and placed it on the flat, in a spot where I wouldn’t have to cut any shooting lanes in fear of educating the buck that close to opening day.
“I set out early opening morning making sure I had plenty of time to get in my stand ahead of any activity coming from my bean field across the road. On the way I once again checked the ScentCone on my HuntStand app and found it perfect, blowing directly in my face. I settled in an hour before daylight and began the wait. As the day got brighter I heard leaves crunching from my right. Looking over I caught a glimpse of a doe dropping over into the nearby draw. Shortly after that I heard more leaves rustling from my right and twigs breaking. Glancing down, there he was! The rack of Megatron slowly appeared; he was walking the path that offers a clear shot just 20 yards below my stand. As he stepped into the opening he stopped and looked down the draw giving me a perfect opportunity. I stood, drew and placed my sight pin just behind his shoulder. I squeezed gently but couldn’t see where I’d hit. The buck ran down the hill and stopped, looking back as if nothing had happened. For a split second, I thought I’d blew it. He then staggered and fell.
“I was pumped with adrenaline as I made the call to my dad, and then my girlfriend. She brought my UTV to the edge of the road for the recovery; then we went to the landowner’s home to show him the biggest buck I had ever shot. I thanked him many times for allowing me the opportunity to bag my dream buck that had filled my mind all summer. Thank you HuntStand!”
For his Week Two win, Carter will be sent a Team HuntStand-approved Bino Harness X from ALPS OutdoorZ , a $49.99 value. One of the first product extensions to the popular and successful Extreme line from ALPS OutdoorZ, the Bino Harness X (shown above and below) is the ideal companion for your hunting optics. Designed to keep the pocket close to your chest and reduce the amount of movement you’ll feel in your optics, the Bino Harness X is constructed using extra-tough 1680D ballistic nylon fabric, with an easy-to-use one-handed opening mechanism for quick access. A handy lens cloth is included.
To enter the HuntStand 2017 Big Buck ALERT contest, simply send us a few clear, high-res. digital photos (two to four) of your 2017 buck, 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]
