Cody Mohan | Mossy Oak ProStaff
Here in Kansas, we only can take one buck a year, no matter what weapon we’re using. Due to the one buck per season rule, whether you’re an out-of-state or in-state hunter you want to wait on a trophy buck to take. We let lots of bucks walk, since we realize that if we take one of those smaller bucks, we won’t have an opportunity to harvest a big buck.
The Kansas gun deer season only lasts for two weeks and generally occurs after the rut is over. Bow season begins in mid-September and continues until December 31. Since I have more days to hunt with my bow, and I get to hunt the rut during bow season, that’s part of the reason I’m primarily a bowhunter. But truly, the main reason I enjoy bowhunting is I’ve found it to be far more exciting than taking a deer at long range with a rifle.
When I’m in a tree with my bow, I’ll have squirrels and birds landing right above my tree stand. I have had a squirrel before sit on a limb only five feet from me. In a tree, I feel one with nature, and when deer come in, I get to enjoy very close encounters with them if I’m bowhunting. Too, bowhunting is a much more complicated game – especially when a doe comes in very close to where you are and looks straight at you, and you know you have a buck coming.
The 8-point buck I took with a bow that scored in the 140s, I could have taken 20 minutes earlier with a rifle than I could with my bow. However, from the time I spotted that buck until I put my hands on his rack, I experienced an adrenaline rush that’s hard to compare to anything else.
When you’re very close to a big buck, you must be careful about how and when you move. When you take the shot, you must make a very good shot and get your composure back after the shot, so you can climb down the tree safely. Then when you find the blood trail, you get all pumped up again. Explaining the excitement and joy you feel when you locate that bow buck and finally put your hands on his antlers, for me, creates far more pleasure and excitement than I’ve ever hunting with a rifle.
Cody Mohan of Leavenworth, Kansas, a ProStaffer of 6 years, was born and raised in Kansas.
