I’ve been bowhunting my home state of Illinois for over three decades. In that time, I’ve learned a lot of lessons, many of which came the hard way. Unfilled tags, close calls, and “the one that got away” have often been the rule more than the exception.
Just when I’d think I had it all figured out, I’d be served a warm bowl of tag soup with a big slice of humble pie.
So, as I stood over a 165-inch Kansas monarch on a dark piece of public land last November, I realized that this deer wasn’t the result of me being the smartest guy in the woods.
It was the result of swallowing my pride and a series of small moments that God aligned perfectly on that fateful afternoon.
The Public Land Curse
While I’m certainly no “OG” of the public land hunting movement, I’ve been on my fair share of out-of-state whitetail hunts over the last decade. From Wisconsin to Iowa and Kansas to Kentucky, I’ve put on some serious miles and always come home empty-handed.
Watch Justin & the boys hunt Kentucky public in 2024 – Shot Fired!
Six years earlier, I left my first trip to Kansas with an empty tag and a bruised ego. I didn’t see a single antlered deer the entire trip.
Fast forward to early 2024. A group of us from Bowhunt or Die—coming from Illinois, Texas, and Tennessee—decided to plan an out-of-state public land trip together.
When someone suggested Kansas, I almost bowed out. Mud-slicked roads, wind that never ends, low deer numbers, and public land pressure weren’t exactly high on my list of favorite things.
Not wanting to be a sissy and with nothing better to do, I purchased a preference point and got to work e-scouting interesting locations. If nothing else, Kansas has no shortage of options for the public land hunter to explore.
A year and a half later, I pointed my truck West and headed out into the setting sun.
Starting Off Hot
Whether it was pure luck, good planning, or a little of both, the second piece of ground I scouted was torn up with fresh buck sign. After bumping a few does out of a thick bedding area, I decided that was as good an area as any to set up.
Over the next four days, I saw a dozen bucks, including 2 mature “shooters” and a beautiful double-drop tine deer I passed at the base of my tree.
But then, the action went bone-dry. After multiple sits in a row without a deer sighting, I was faced with the classic hunter’s dilemma: stay or stray?
That’s when Matt Millard sent me a text that would change everything. He was hunting an hour away on a different tract and had seen several good bucks. While they didn’t exactly meet Matt’s standards, they looked plenty good enough for me.
“It’s a haul from where you are, but there’s another spot that’s worth sitting (over here).”
My initial reaction? No. I like to do things my way. I didn’t want to “mooch” off his scouting.
But then it hit me: I wasn’t here just to kill a deer; I was here to hunt with my friends. Matt lives 500 miles away. If I’m lucky, we get to see each other once a year.
I decided to trade my “solo” pride for some brotherhood. Even if we weren’t successful, it’s always more fun to hunt with your friends.
Bucks Don’t Move When It’s Warm
The calendar doesn’t care about the temperature. The rut is the rut.
It was November 13th, and the thermometer in the truck hit 72 degrees that afternoon.
For many hunters, that’s a “stay home and watch football” forecast. There’s a common myth that big deer stop moving when it gets warm.
If I’ve learned anything in 30 years of bowhunting, it’s this: The calendar doesn’t care about the temperature. The rut is the rut.
In fact, my last two mature bucks have both hit the dirt on 70-degree days in November. And while it may not “feel” ideal, there is something nice about not freezing your butt off if you don’t have to.
The "No-Doubter"
A few hours later, Matt and I met up, checked our HuntStand maps, and came up with a game plan. He was going to stay at his morning tree, and I pushed further west into the unknown.
Scouting your way into a new spot is always tricky. There is a fine line between pushing too far and spooking deer and not pushing far enough.
One crunchy step at a time, I advanced forward at a snail’s pace, evaluating sign, consulting my map, and looking for the perfect tree.
Eventually, I settled into a tree overlooking a gap between two small draws. This afforded me the ideal vantage point to see both South and West, offering the ability to call at any bucks passing out of range.
He was raking his antlers, snapping branches, and pawing at the earth with a violence I’ve rarely seen.
An hour before dark, Matt began rattling a few hundred yards behind me. Moments later, a respectable 8-pointer appeared straight ahead, looking for the source of the noise.
With only one sit left before heading home to Illinois, I was torn. He was a good buck, and I wasn’t ready to eat tag soup yet again. The buck approached quickly as my mind raced.
Was he big enough? Was the shot too far? Did I have a good camera angle?
I drew back… and then I let down. It just wasn’t right.
Remember when I mentioned learning things the hard way? One of those lessons is that if you need to rush or force a shot, or you’re unsure in any way of your decision to shoot, don’t do it.
That buck walked past me and began destroying a cedar tree just out of sight in the creek bottom. He was raking his antlers, snapping branches, and pawing at the earth with a violence I’ve rarely seen.
He was clearly fired up, likely looking for the source of Matt’s rattling session from 20 minutes earlier.
Then, I looked over my shoulder.
Across the field to the South was an absolute monarch. We call these “No-Doubters.” You don’t need binoculars. You don’t need to count points. Your heart rate just tells you: That’s the one.
The Butterfly Effect
The Monarch heard the smaller buck’s commotion and stopped. He was unable to see down into the bottom from his vantage point, but clearly knew what he was hearing.
Thinking he was missing out on a fight or a hot doe, he turned and marched straight toward my tree.
I didn’t have to call. I didn’t have to grunt. I just had to figure out a way not to screw it up.
As the buck approached, I kept expecting him to stop and look up at me, veer off in the other direction, or lose interest and go back the way he came. He never did.
Every time a bowhunter climbs into a tree, we envision the perfect hunt unfolding before us. The buck appears, walks down this trail, and gives us the perfect opportunity. We play it out in our heads and think “I just need one to walk in and stand right there”.
As the warm afternoon breeze settled and the sun slowly set on the last evening of another public land adventure, the giant buck did what so few do.
He walked in and gave me a perfect 18-yard shot opportunity.
My arrow entered just in front of the buck’s shoulder, exiting behind the opposite leg.
As he ran off and trotted into the woods just 75 yards away, I couldn’t believe what had just happened.
A decade of chasing public land bucks all over the Midwest, and it finally came together 600 miles from home, on a 72-degree November afternoon in Northeast Kansas.
The Anatomy of Luck: Lessons from a Kansas Giant
After dropping our gear at the trucks and grabbing our flashlights, we set out on what would become one of the most memorable blood trails of my life.
Within minutes we found the buck, just 50 yards from the last place I had seen him, and 120 yards from the shot.
At 165 inches and boasting one of the largest bodies I’ve ever seen on a whitetail, he was an absolute tank. We had to stop a dozen times to catch our breath and drink water during the long drag out.
Standing over that buck, I realized he was more than a trophy; he was a masterclass in the variables we often overlook.
This hunt was a tapestry of small, deliberate choices and unexpected graces that aligned at the exact moment they needed to.
- Commit to the Journey. I swore I’d never return to Kansas, but I realized my time in the field is finite. Every season is a limited resource I can’t afford to waste. Take the trip.
- The Power of Generosity. Matt’s invitation to hunt his spot, especially after he’d already spotted a shooter that morning, was the ultimate act of brotherhood. It’s a rarity in the hunting woods, and it made all the difference.
- A Necessary Ego Check. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is set your pride aside and accept help. Whether on the hunt or in life, embracing humility gives you the perspective needed to succeed.
- Temperature is Just a Number. We were staring down 72 degrees, yet the woods were alive. When it’s November, you have to be in the stand. Don’t let the weather dictate your drive—the rut is the rut, regardless of the thermometer.
- The Art of the Pass. If I had settled for the first buck that wandered by that night, or the droptine buck from earlier in my trip, I would have missed the moment of a lifetime. Holding out, even when the season feels long, and the tag is burning a hole in your pocket, can lead to the buck you’ve been dreaming of.
Looking back, the alignment of that day, the precise timing, the invitation, the rattling, feels far too purposeful to be mere coincidence.
It’s a humbling reminder that sometimes, we are simply the passengers in a story being written by a higher hand. All I had to do was show up, be grateful, and keep my eyes open.
Watch the full hunt here:
Gear Used on This Hunt
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- Bow: Mathews ARC 34
- I normally gravitate towards the shorter axle-to-axle bows, but the ARC 34 performed flawlessly and never felt like it was in the way, even in my tightest saddle setups.
- Sight: HHA Nytrx Pro 2 Pin
- The ultimate 2-pin adjustable sight that’s perfect for my whitetail hunting needs.
- Saddle Setup: Tethrd Ultralock
- The expandable panel is perfect for longer or all-day sits during the rut.
- Saddle Platform: Tethrd Predator V
- The front angled edge is a lifesaver for comfort, especially on week-long hunts and long hours in a tree.
- Mapping: HuntStand
- Crucial for e-scouting, marking sign, stand locations, and tracking wind/weather patterns.
- Arrows: Easton 5.0 arrow. 300 spine with a 55-grain Match Grade Half Out insert.
- The perfect combination of strength and speed.
- Broadheads: NAP Deep Cuts Single Bevel 100 grain
- Crazy sharp,deadly accurate, and deep penetrating.
- Clothing: ScentLok
- With temps in the 70’s, I went with the Featherweight ¼ zip, BE:1 Phantom Pullover, and Insyte Pant – a lethal combination.
- Camera Arm: Fourth Arrow Talon Base & Triple Arm
- The 3.0 shoulder with Talon base is the ultimate setup for self-filming your hunts. I use the Triple Arm when saddle hunting for extra maneuverability.
