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An early opener may give youth and handicapped hunters a week’s head start, but it can’t
overcome the typical whimsies that always make deer hunting a challenge. This was seen
firsthand at the 8th annual Tuttle Creek Youth and Handicap Assisted Deer Hunt held this
past weekend near Manhattan. After a pre-hunt breakfast provided by sponsors,
I teamed up with Josh Ruoff, a Topeka youth hunter trying for his third straight year
to get a deer. To up his odds, Josh was paired with Jon Massie, owner of Booners Outfitters
at Randolph, and Jon worked for two weeks to prepare some great hunting options on his
own properties. Excitement and odds were high as we drove in darkness to a double blind
setup where we would film the hunt. Through trail cameras on-site, John had seen
a consistent morning deer movement dissolve in recent days, as evening became the better
activity period. But the spot we hunted was loaded with deer. We got into our blinds well
before daylight and all was quiet as legal shooting hours approached.
Dawn showed an empty field that stayed that way for two hours. Then, excitement: Jon spotted
a doe over a distant rise coming our way. But the deer moved into the trees and disappeared.
A raccoon and the sounds of nearby turkeys made the hunt enjoyable, but no deer came
close. Josh left for Topeka before noon to watch
his high school football team in a makeup game. Though he’d planned to return for
the evening hunt, he called later to say he wouldn’t make it. Me? I sat another blind
he was scheduled to hunt that evening, and guess what? Sorry Josh.
Next morning at 6am, I teamed up with Quentin Lara of Havensville, who had narrowly missed
a 40-yard chance on opening morning when a momentary equipment failure produced a dry-fire.
By the time Quentin recovered, the doe was gone. On this hunt, we sat without seeing
a deer. It figured. Those are the breaks that all deer hunters
endure at one time or another. But many on this hunt were more fortunate. By the first
evening, 15 deer had been taken by 26 hunters, a tremendous success rate and the best start
ever for this event. These deer were taken to GTB Meats at Riley, which graciously provided
a cooler for temporary cold storage of all hunt animals.
Events like this help build the future of hunting. Many organizations are responsible
and each is genuinely appreciated for its part. In addition, a special thanks goes to
the guides who freely volunteer their time and expense to help fellow Kansans have a
great deer hunt. E vents like this are held across the state.
Hats off to this special program. I’m Mike Blair for Kansas Wildlife and Parks.