The Next Adventure…Illinois 2011

I have an opportunity to hunt in Calhoun County, Illinois during the second gun season, in December. Calhoun County is on the southern boarder of the much renowned Pike County. Trail camera pictures show several nice bucks on the property. I will write more on this after the hunt.

Turkey Hunting in Kentucky - My First Tom

Last Saturday marked the opening of the spring turkey season in Kentucky. I traveled to Hopkinsville to hunt with Chuck Stephens at Kentucky Trophy Bucks. Chuck has 7000 acres in Christian County that is prime habitat for turkey and deer. Each day I had an opportunity at a mature gobbler and sealed the deal on the morning of the 3rd day. There were several hunters in camp including a father and son from Alabama, three gentlemen from Georgia and writer, Bob Karel, from Florida. All are great fellows who love the sport. I would consider it a privilege to hunt with this group at anytime. During the hunt there were six gobblers taken. The bird in the picture came in just after daylight. He was taken at 65-yards using Heavy-13 Magnum Blend in a Benelli Nova with a Primos Jelly Head choke. (22 lbs, 9 1/2" beard, 1 1/4" spurs)

Operation Caribou 2010

I returned last Friday from a true northern adventure; a hunt with Sammy Cantafio’s Ungava Adventures. This truly was the hunt of a lifetime. I hunted caribou at North Camp with legendary guide Moses Partridge. Moses expertise allowed me to tag out on the second full day of hunting. During this hunt, I had the good fortune to team up Bob Doyle and his sons Tony and Bill. Sharing camp with these men was a privilege. On day four we flew to the Charlie Lake camp to fish for lake trout and hunt ptarmigan. The bull to the right, my second caribou, was taken at 450+ yards with a .325 WSM. I give Sammy and his staff my highest rating and would recommend this hunt to anyone looking for an exceptional northern adventure.

Operation Caribou 2010

My next hunting adventure is one that I have been dreaming about for many years. This September, I will be traveling to Canada to hunt caribou with Sammy Cantafio’s Ungava Adventures. I did a lot of research prior to booking this hunt, including contacting Ken Piper at Buckmasters. Ken had recently hunted with Sammy and spoke highly of his operation. Plus Ken gave me a wealth of information on what to expect and what gear to bring. I’ll post more on this as we get closer to the hunt.

Short but Sweet

Short but Sweet
By George Mitchell


Having booked this hunt in January of 2008, I was very excited to get an opportunity to hunt with the folks at Halls Creek Whitetails. Halls Creek, established in 1997, is located in Central Missouri and known as a premier hot spot for big bucks. The main property encompasses approximately 600 acres with several hundred acres of surrounding land secured by long-term lease. Arriving in camp earlier than expected, I had a chance to meet with principal partner Mark Burgess and get acclimated prior the evening hunt. Several other hunters were making sure that their rifles were zeroed-in, at the rifle range adjacent to the main lodge. I walked over to see how things were going. In between shots, a huge 9-pointer appeared out of the woods in search of a hot doe. The rut was definitely in full swing and I could not wait to get started.

To my delight, I was told one of the guides was going out to check trail cameras and I would have the opportunity to ride along. After grabbing my gear, we jumped into an ATV and headed out. As we traveled it was easy to see this property was well managed; big buck sign was everywhere. We entered one of the many food plots and stopped for a moment to admire a rub on a 6-inch diameter tree, at the wood line. At the other end of this plot, I was amazed to see that bucks had even been rubbing on the wooden supports of one of the elevated shooting houses.

After checking two cameras, we dropped down off a ridge into a hardwood bottom to check a third. As we approached another large food plot, I spotted a doe moving through the woods to our right. We stopped for a moment to see if anything was following her. Just then, the guide says big buck. I blurted out "where," as he pointed ahead of us. There along the edge of the plot, about 125-yards away, I laid eyes on a huge whitetail. This buck was obviously out cruising for does. I quickly chambered a round and took a hasty rest. At that point, my heart was pounding and things became a little blurred. I remember asking “what do you think” and hearing a reply of “he’ll go 165, shoot him!” The buck turned broadside as he started to leave the field, giving me an opportunity. I settled the crosshairs and pressed the trigger. At the roar of the 270 WSM, he dropped in his tracks. After regaining some composer we went down to take a look at him. This monster would turn out to be my biggest whitetail to date, grossing 165 1/8. This just goes to show you, that during the rut, things can happen fast. My hunt was over in less than 30-minutes but man was it sweet.

Hall Creek Whitetails, a Successful Hunt

I just returned from my hunt at Halls Creek and wanted to make a brief posting on the hunt. In a nutshell, this hunt was short and sweet. The rut was in full swing and bucks where cruising looking for hot does. I went with my guide to check some trail cameras and ran into this bruiser trailing a doe along the edge of a clover-plus field. I think the picture says it all. This buck grossed 165 1/8. I will write more on this hunt at a later date.

Antelope, A First Encounter

Antelope, A First Encounter
By George W. Mitchell

After months of research on the Internet and talking with several Outfitters and Services, I contacted Keith Hartman at Adventures West Recreation. Keith told me about a smoker deal he was offering on a trophy antelope hunt out of Gillette Wyoming. In this instance, the hunter would be responsible for room and board. Knowing that Gillette had the reputation of being the Antelope Capital of the United States, I booked the hunt and applied for a leftover antelope license (this is a 100% draw in the area I would be hunting as most of the area is private land).

Excitement mounted as the hunt neared. I had planned to fly in to Rapid City, arriving the afternoon of the day before hunt and drive to Gillette. I felt this would give me some time to settle in. Well, so much for plans…after hours of fight delays I arrived in Rapid City at 9:30 at night only to find my hunting gear and rifle were no where to be found. Going into panic mode, I spoke with the local airline representative and explained the direness of the situation. The representative was sympathetic to my plight and began searching through the baggage system in an effort to locate the items. My baggage had somehow been routed though Denver and would be arriving later that night.

The airline representative offered to have my bags delivered to my hotel when they arrived. So I gave him the contact information and began the 2-hour drive to Gillette. While in route I called my guide, Dennis Edwards, to make him aware of the situation. We agreed to make contact at 6:00 am the following morning. While checking in at the hotel, I shared my equipment loss story with the clerk. She said that she would ring my room when the bags arrived. Sometime around 2:30 am the telephone rang; it was the front desk with news that my gear had arrived. Once everything was secured in my room, I drifted to sleep dreaming of Boone & Crockett antelope.

After breakfast, Dennis and I met at the hotel for a short briefing on the days hunt. I was impressed by his professionalism knowledge of hunting (Keith had already told me that Dennis was one of the best in the business at judging trophy antelope). I was pleased to find that Dennis was willing to pass on his knowledge to a novice antelope hunter like myself. I remember Dennis mentioning that he liked to wait until well after sunrise to start hunting as the additional light made the antelope easier to spot and judge.

After a few minutes of driving, and a stop at the rifle range, we arrived at one for the ranches Dennis has access to in Unit 24. Almost immediately antelope were everywhere. I was trying frantically to look at all of them through the binoculars when a voice said, “no need to look to hard, there are no big ones there.” We continued to drive to a good vantage point to do some glassing, while I continued to look at every thing in sight. During the first couple of hours of the hunt we had seen over one hundred antelope, several small mule deer, two coyotes, and more jackrabbits than you could shake a stick at. All the while, Dennis explained what he was looked for in a identifying a trophy antelope; I tried my best to put this to practice. We spotted several bucks that warranted a second look and one possible shooter who headed to parts unknown while we were trying to get into position for a good look. By lunchtime, Dennis’s teaching was taking affect and I found no need to raise the binoculars to look at every antelope buck for trophy potential (though seeing these animal in there natural habitat was very rewarding and something I remember to this day).

After lunch, we made a short drive to another ranch Dennis leases. This ranch also had a good antelope population. I spotted one buck that looked great given my recent training. After taking a closer look, Dennis said we should pass on him, as he was only a 13-inch buck. (I found out when talking with Dennis later in the year that another of his hunters took that buck. He was indeed 13-inches but scored 80 B&C points. So, I guess some of the training did rub off on me.)

After looking at another hundred or so antelope. Dennis had told me about a nice buck hung out at one of the ranches boundaries. If he were in position, we would attempt a stalk. Sure enough, the buck was where he needed to be. We parked the truck and walked through some drainage to get to the crest of a hill. There were three bucks in this group and it was easy to tell who the big-boy was. I kneeled to place my shooting sticks and found the buck in the scope. Dennis called out a range and I hesitated; the buck had broken off part of his left prong. I told Dennis who said, “you should really think about shooting this buck.” I declined. I found out later that though Dennis did not force the issue (he never tells a hunter they must shoot), he had been scouting this buck for several weeks. I had just passed on an ivory-tipped buck, close to 16-inches in length. Had he not had the broken prong, the buck would have possibly made Boone & Crockett. (Maybe I didn’t learn as much I as I though I had.)

After another hour of glassing we spotted another buck that warranted a closer look. To my eye this buck had all the qualities you would expect for a true trophy antelope. After looking at him through the spotting scope. Dennis agreed this buck had potential and we move in for a closer look. After a couple minutes of closer observation at 400-yards, Dennis said, “that’s a 15-inch antelope.” I asked what he though he would score and the reply was “mid-seventies.” Needless to say, the stalk was on. Dennis suggested we use the cover of a creek bed to get within effective shooting range. About a hundred yards into the stalk Dennis came to a quick stop. Several mule deer were bedded in the shade just ahead of us along the creek bank. If we bumped them, they would spook the antelope. We backtracked and drove to another vantage point to rethink the approach.

Dennis suggested that we use the hill behind the antelope for cover and sneek in from above. This worked out well in an a few minutes we were in position. As I inched toward the edge of the hill I could see several does bedded near by. The angle was such that I could not get a clear look at the buck without exposing my self to all those extra sets of eyes. I backed up and worked myself to another spot. I could see the buck but still could not get a clear shooting angle. Keep in mind the route Dennis had suggested put us within 60-yards of the antelope. I inched a little closer to the crest of he hill. The buck was still only partially visible as I sat up, placed my shooting sticks and prepared for a shot. Dennis, who was directly behind me, slowly stood up and ever so slightly, waved his right- hand. The bedded does stood up and trotted off with the buck close behind. I followed him in the scope. At what I estimated to be 150-yards the group stopped and the buck gave me a straight on shot. I eased the safety off and began concentrating for the shot. I remember in the back of my mind hearing Dennis asking if I needed the range, just about the time the shot broke. The buck dropped in his tracks. I looked at Dennis who smiled and said, “he’s at 147.” I walked down to my trophy while Dennis went back to get the truck. We took several pictures and I felt truly blessed to be able to have this experience. Remembering that Dennis had judged the buck to be 15-inches and in the mid-seventies, we did some scoring. The buck’s was indeed 15-inches with a gross green score of 74 5/8 B&C.