Bowhunters who want to star in their own videos will eventually discover that four arms are better than two.
Robert Koontz's realization came on Nov. 13, 2013, the day he chose wisely to reach for his bow instead of the camera. If he'd gone for the record button, he'd have only footage of the biggest whitetail he's ever encountered.
Instead, he got a taxidermy bill.
Robert was hunting with a group of friends in Marion County, Kan. He got second pick of stands that day, so he chose his favorite creekside setup on the north side of the property.
The creek winds through a narrow wooded draw between wheat and alfalfa fields, and he thought the morning's southerly wind would be perfect for the stand.
At 7:30 that morning, Robert spotted the huge buck behind an osage tree at less than 50 yards. The bruiser whitetail was walking too quickly for him to worry about aiming a camera, so he grabbed his bow.
He told his buddies there wasn't even time to get nervous. When Robert bleated softly with his mouth, the buck stopped broadside and felt the arrow's sting.
After 30 minutes of needlessly second-guessing the shot, Robert got down to look for his arrow. Ten minutes later, he found it buried in the grass, and all doubt was erased.
Breathing easier, Robert climbed back into his stand to wait for the morning to pass. Since he had no phone, he couldn't call or text anyone. An hour and a half later, after he'd consumed his snacks and drained his coffee, he decided he'd waited long enough.
The buck had gone to ground less than 100 yards from where he shot it.
Even after seeing it up close, Robert underestimated the rack's size. He thought it might score in the 160s, which was about 30 inches short of the mark. Its BTR composite score is 193 5/8 - the No. 7 Typical among Sunflower State bowkills.
His friend, Gary Smallwood, is writing the story for Rack magazine.
Braggin’ Board
Send your 2014 big buck photos to mhandley@buckmasters.com. Please include hunter’s name, where the animal was hunted, and its score (if known). Remember: The BTR has no drying period.