New Kansas Record?

[DonBo]

From Outdoor Channel Outfitters / Originally Posted by OutdoorLife Louisiana native Mark Alexander, 53, took a weeklong hunting trip in northeast Kansas this month and returned home with a potential state record. Alexander harvested this giant typical whitetail on Nov. 5 while hunting with Red Dog Outfitters in Sheridan County, Kan. The monster bruiser's unofficial score measured just 2/8 of an inch more than the current first place archery buck. Here's how the amazing hunt went down. Alexander hunted with Red Dog Outfitters for the first time last year when he took his biggest buck at the time, a 152-inch bruiser. This season Alexander returned with his son and his son's friend to hunt with owner Tim Clark. One of Clark's game cameras had captured photos of the buck a month prior to the hunt. "When I found it, it was one of those deer that I knew was a giant deer but I couldn't tell how big he was. I never saw him again," Clark said. "I started calling him the lottery buck." On the day of the hunt, Clark dropped Alexander's son's friend, Jared Persick, off at his stand. They found a telephone-pole sized rub nearby and knew bucks must be around. Just as Clark prepared to leave, they saw a buck stand up 30 yards away. "It was the biggest animal I've ever seen in my life on the hoof, as far as a whitetail is concerned," Clark said. Back at camp, Alexander was eating lunch when he learned about the buck sighting. Clark told him over the phone to drop everything, get to his stand, and not come back until dark. Alexander was hunting a 50-yard woodlot along a creek bottom, and he climbed into his double stand by 1 p.m. The temperature was in the 30s with frequent 40 mph wind gusts. In his hurry to hit the field, Alexander had grabbed his wet clothes from that morning's hunt, and he was freezing. By 3:30 p.m. he thought he couldn't take it anymore. "I was shaking so bad I said, 'If a deer comes by I'm never going to be able to hit it. I'm going to get down,'" Alexander said. He put on another layer, but that didn't help for long. All the deer he could see were bedded down, including two yearlings about 100 yards in front of him. "I started letting my bow down, and as soon as my bow touched the ground, I looked up to see if I spooked those yearlings," Alexander said. "Which I knew I wouldn't because the wind was blowing so hard, but I looked up anyway. And here comes this monster at about 100 yards." Alexander quickly hauled his bow back up and leaned around the cottonwood in front of him. The buck was making a scrape, and Alexander knew he had a few extra seconds to prepare for a shot. He removed his quiver and checked on the buck again. It was 40 yards and closing. "There were a bunch of things going through my mind," Alexander said. "This deer was a giant at 100 yards, I know what he's going to look like when I see him close. So I just got ready and when he popped out he was between eight and ten steps from me. The first thing I thought of was, 'That's a 200-inch deer.'" Alexander knew the buck wouldn't see him draw in such heavy wind. "I remember my sight behind his shoulder and I squeezed the trigger," Alexander said. "It was like the arrow was in slow motion. When the arrow hit him I saw blood come out." The buck ran 60 yards off the field and started stumbling sideways. He made it 10 more yards before piling up. "It was an unbelievable feeling…I've never felt that before," Alexander said. "And I've killed many deer with a bow." Alexander immediately called Clark, then Persick, who was about 300 yards away in his own stand. By the time Alexander packed up his gear and climbed down, Persick had already reached the downed buck and was jumping up and down. "The only thing that would have been better is if my son would have killed it," Alexander said. "It's amazing that I got a shot on that size deer and everything came together, because you know a lot of times things don't always come together. But everything came together that day." Clark said this buck was a giant compared to the bucks he usually sees on the property. "It's cool that we have him and I'm really happy," Clark said. "But at the end of the day, I don't care if the deer is a number one or a number 121. A special deer made this guy's life probably. You'll never see another buck like that on the hoof." The taxidermist, an official state scorer, determined a gross green score of 208 7/8 inches and an unofficial green score of 194 1/8 inches. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism tracks big Kansas whitetails, and their current first place archery buck measured 193 7/8 inches. That buck was taken in Wabaunsee County in 2001. "It was just one of those once-in-a-lifetime hunts," Alexander said. "I'll never forget it, I can tell you that."

[Scoot]

Wow! I'd p00p my pants...

[maros91]

Solid deer right there.

[paceman]

Wow!

[pumper317]

I think that is a really nice deer and a great story. I applaud him for holding it together in that situation... Who knows what I would do. It seems like it was a ghost, only being spotted by the outfitter one time.

On the other end... It's too bad it had to be guided. Just another story of a big $$$ hunter getting a giant. Maybe soon they can just pay to get their names in the record book. It's too bad that is how to get on big deer like that. Just a little pre Christmas rant.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[PropsterII]

Though I cannot afford outfitted hunts either, I have to completely disagree with your viewpoint. Tell me this - if a guy instead owned or bought or leased good land, and spent all his money on food plots and managing his property for mature bucks, including monitoring trail cams and setting up multiple stands to take advantage of different movement patterns and wind and weather conditions - and managed to kill that deer, you'd probably think that was pretty cool, kudos to him right? Now tell me the real difference between that scenario and the outfitted hunt for the guy who can't afford the land or the taxes, the stands and the cameras - but can afford an outfitter's hunt now and then, or even just once, and he winds up killing that buck. Should that really diminish or detract from the outcome? Should he be less excited or less proud? Is one guy more deserving you think to have that good fortune? I think short of killing it in a high fence, you're on dangerous ground trying to rate the justification of who is more deserving, or how the accomplishment ranks. Isn't an outfitted hunt just a really short term lease? And isn't it possibly even more difficult, considering you have to share that ground and that week with several other people, and don't have a lot of control over how it gets hunted or by how many?

[pumper317]

Propster. You are right sir. Jealous envy on my end. Not in holiday spirits. Good job to that man. I am sure it was tough to keep calm and aim on in that situation.

[PropsterII]

No worries! I gotta admit to a moment of jealousy myself now and then, but that can happen with any big deer that's killed, regardless of who, how or where. Good of you to admit your temporary lapse, we all have an off moment occasionally. Merry Christmas!

[PurpleFloyd]

Magnificent animal.That is a once in a lifetime experience for sure. One has to wonder how much that strong wind was a blessing as the deer may have busted him on a calmer day.

BTW-

You can buy a Southern Mn hunt like that on the cee list.

Quote:

WHITETAIL DEER HARVEST! - $365 (SOUTHERN MN)

DEER

Does - $365

120-129 - $750

130-139 - $1100

140-149 - $1450

150-159 - $2000

160-169 - $2350

170-179 - $2500

180-189 - $3500

190-199 - $3750

200-209 - $4500

210-219 - $4750

220-229 - $5500

Location: SOUTHERN MN

do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers

[PropsterII]

Uh, no you can't. You can buy a high fence kill. Not the same

[hockeybc69]

Now theres some true sport.... LOLLL

[sticknstring]

I'm a sucker for giant typicals (who isn't) and that's one that dreams are made of. Congrats to the hunter!

[DonBo]

Talk all you want about what the cost of this deer might have been, but compare this photo with the one below of the supposed new WS record, and tell me which you'd be more proud of. For me, all the "promo" stuff that went into the WS photo makes me sick.

[tracker x-2]

ya the bottom photo looks like he is pretty tired of setting up his props!!

[deerminator]

Yeah, I don't think its any less of a hunt if its outfitted. Just like it doesn't make it any less of a hunt if you lease prime land or kill low-pressured, predictable deer over food plots or bait (where legal).

[96trigger]

If I ever get lucky enough to go out west for my once in a lifetime hunt, it will be guided. I will probably only get one shot in my lifetime and I want to do as much as I can to ensure some success. However, I would not participate in a high fence hunt or baited hunt. I think having someone that knows the area try and put you in the right places when you don't know the land is ok. I don't have the time or the resources to go on scouting trips or go yearly to get an understanding of the land and animals. The one animal I would love to pursue is a bull elk. I would not venture into the mountains after one without a guide.

[certified jumbo]

congrats to the hunters. Personally outfitted hunts do nothing for me and carry very little merit for me. But I have nothing against them for those that seemed interested.

[tfran123]

Wow, just wow. You actually want to compare a guided hunt where it was done under fair chase versus a high fenced (tame animal) hunt? Tell me you aren't being serious . . .

[Swiftswamper]

I wont say anything bad about a person paying for a guided hunt but personally part of the rush and accomplishment when I kill a big buck is the scouting, the cameras, the stand setting when it's 90 degrees in July. The last two seasons I target certain deer and was able to kill them, the hunt started in June for both of them and ended in Oct. Thats more fun than a one week hunt.