A favorable HuntStand forecast for a carefully placed blind. A well-known buck. When the two come together, our Week 7 winner is crowned.
Without question the whitetail rut is a special time. And even more so, when you’re eight years old, and hunting with your father in a carefully placed ground blind, with help from the HuntStand app. That was the basic setup for success for father-son duo Derrick and Tate Leach of Ohio; for bagging a heavy-beamed Ohio 10-point with his crossbow, young Tate Leach is the latest weekly winner in the HuntStand Big Buck Alert contest. The win earns Tate a sweet pack combination from ALPS OutdoorZ: The Bino Harness X with Vital X (see below). The weekly win also makes Leach eligible for our Grand Prize drawing (more on that below). We’re still looking for three more weekly winners so enter today!
Here’s the amazing HuntStand app success story of Tate’s trophy buck, as told by Tate’s father Derrick:
“The story of this buck begins Oct. 28, when my son Tate and I headed to a creek bottom where we had hunted several times this fall,” Derrick Leach wrote. “When the wind is correct for this spot we need an east or southeast wind, and on that day we knew we’d have a southeast wind with a clear 50-degree day, which was accurately forecasted on our HuntStand app.
“Our blind was placed in a little hollow that I had picked using the aerial topo maps on HuntStand, because the location gave us good access, and cover, on the way in to the blind. We got in the blind early that afternoon expecting our target buck to come from our left, but instead, at about 5:45 p.m., I saw a buck coming from the right, as he cruised through the bottom. I told my son Tate to get ready, here he comes.
“We have used the HuntStand app to measure the field, and so we know it’s about 500 yards to the road, which is where the buck was coming from. We had watched this buck all summer, and he was the target buck on our list for Tate. As we watched the buck take his time to come down the field, a car stopped to look at the deer and spooked him into the woodline behind us. I told Tate to be patient, that he may come back.
“As I looked to our left I saw that there was now a doe and her fawns walking into the field; I told Tate that this could be perfect, as our wind was still good. It was hitting us in the face and blowing our scent behind us, which is what HuntStand said it was going to do that day. As the does got closer we heard something, and glanced over to see our target buck running down the field and grunting at the does.
“I told Tate we are going to have a shot opportunity and so we need to be ready, so he got the crossbow up. As the buck ran into our field of view the does ran away; just then the buck stopped. It was just the opportunity we needed. Tate took his time and made a great shot; we watched as the buck made it to the field edge and laid down. I thought that the hit was a little back in the liver area; we then checked the weather forecast on the HuntStand app and decided to leave him over night, as the conditions were fine to do that.
“The next morning we returned and the buck was lying right where we expected him to be. He’s a big mature 10 point, and probably weighed the most of any deer we have ever taken on the property. A pretty good deer for an eight year old!”
To enter the HuntStand 2019 Big Buck ALERT contest, simply send us a few clear, high-res. digital photos (three to five) of your 2019 buck bagged after Aug. 31 (Entries accepted NOW THROUGH NOV. 29) 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 will share 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).
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 $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.
Good luck out there this fall from all of us here at Team HuntStand and let us know when (and how) you score!
