Antelope Creek Wildlife & Ponds

Montana Archery Antelope 2018

10/1/2018

September 1, 2018 at 5am, my cousin Nick and I hit the road heading west. Although I have made the trek west every year for the last 10 years, this was Nick's first time heading out after antelope. Heading out I knew things may be a little different from years past hunting antelope. Record amounts of rain had fallen throughout the summer. While Nick was excited and was looking forward to an opportunity to harvest his first antelope, I had hopes of arrowing a antelope I have had dreamed of, to have a shoulder mount of.

Our anticipation was high on the trip out and the weather was cooler than normal but still looked to be good for our stay. Nick had heard all of my stories on how many antelope were in this area. As we were nearing the ranch he was certainly not disappointed in the numbers of antelope roaming the prairie. As we arrived during the late morning hours, we quickly decided to scout a few of the ponds I knew generally had antelope sign. Due to the amount of water we not only had to look for antelope tracks, but we had to find a piece of water that was small enough to hunt well. Some of the ponds were close to 5 acres in size, that traditionally one could shoot every corner of the pond.

The first water hole we pulled up to, was about the perfect size. With the proper blind positioning one could should the entire pond. A quick walk around the pond quickly revealed many tracks, indicating the antelope were using this pond. We decided to get Nick's blind set and for him to start hunting. From here I continued to scouting for a place to set me own blind.

As I scouted the next few hours, I found little antelope sign on specific ponds, though there were antelope everywhere. One thing In common with these ponds was that the cattle had access to them. I knew I had to find a pond where the cattle were not at. There was one pond I needed to go at yet, it was in the same pasture Nick was set up in but about a half mile apart. So I headed that direction.

On the way there I spotted two bucks just off the road on the neighbors. As I got closer I quickly realized one of the bucks fit the criteria of the type of buck I was after on this trip. The pond I was headed to would only be about a quarter mile, as the crow flies, from these two bucks. However they were near another pond on the neighbors also. I could only hope there were tracks on the pond I was headed to and that maybe sometime in the next 3 days they would visit.

The pond was larger than I wanted, but there were a lot of tracks on the waters edge. The majority of the tracks were on the west ends where the water runs into the pond. The water in this area is longer and narrow. So I set my blind between these two tails, and hunkered in for the rest of the afternoon hunt.

I had no visitors to the water that afternoon. Nick and I had decided we would stop hunting about an hour before dark so we could go get the tent and camp set up in the daylight. After I picked him up I told him about these two bucks and I again wanted to go scout them to see what was going on. They were still in the same place I had seen them. My gut told me they were not going to leave this area on the neighbors.

As we headed towards setting up camp, We decided to stop into the neighbors and ask permission. After a little visiting, we learned those two bucks have been there all summer. He granted us permission to hunt those two bucks. As we left to set the tent up, we both decided we would continue hunting were we were due to all the sign, especially considering these two bucks were not too far from either pond. With the rut approaching you never know where they could go. After all Nick had antelope walk by him they just never came in to water.

The next morning we both had high hopes for the day. I dropped Nick off at his blind as I headed to my blind. We had both planned to sit all day. However by 1pm neither of us had any action at all. This was a big surprise to me. The sun was hot, it was windy and there were a lot of antelope in the area. But there was also a lot of water in the area. I still could not stop thinking about the bucks on the neighbors. I decided to make a quick scout trip to see what they were doing. They were still in the same spot as the day before.

I returned to my blind thinking about what my next move was. I was going to sit the rest of the day to see what happened at this water hole. The hours creeped by and all I observed were the blue winged teal that had been dabbling in the pond all day. My gut was telling me we had to make a move.

We both decided to pull our blind about 45 minutes before dark and move both of them to the neighbors pond. Why both blinds? This pond was big, and with both blinds we could then cover the entire pond. This way, hopefully, at least one of us could get a shot at the bucks if they watered. We went in and set the blinds close to dark. As we finished setting them we had a group of does want to come water. With one and a half days left to hunt, and temps in the low 90's, we were both excited and anxious for the next day's hunt.

We headed out early and got settled into the blinds in the dark. We both were hoping today was the day. As the morning went on I found myself observing the teal, mallards and gadwalls on the pond again. There were no antelope in site but I still had high hopes. I continued to read my magazines to help pass the time. About 9:30 I was going to take a quick nap, so I took a quick look around to be sure nothing was nearby. There they were on the backside of the blind and heading towards me!

I got the camera tuned on, arrow knocked and range finder ready. They were both slightly hesitant to come to the water and kept a close eye on the blind. As they approached I didn't know if it would happen. They were hanging up about 70 yards out with full attention on my blind. Finally, the target buck came forward and approached the water. As he bent down to drink I ranged him at 56 yards. I clipped the release and drew back. As he was still drinking I split the 50 and 60 yard pins, settled it behind the shoulder and squeezed the trigger.

As the arrow impacted he he wheeled to the right, I saw the arrow stick into the ground in front of him and immediately nothing the white and yellow fletchings were now crimson colored! I couldn't be more excited! The buck ran about 15 yards and stood there. I could see the wound and the blood flowing from it. I didn't think it would be long. He walked another 15 yards and laid down. It was all over and the plan had come together! This is my biggest antelope to date and to top it off I got him with my bow!

After we gutted and hauled him out of there, Nick settled back into his blind to finish out the day in hopes another would come by him. Although he had antelope come near him, nothing ever did present a shot. There are a few tips I want to share with you that will hopefully help you on your next hunt.

First with the water holes. In an instance like we had, with lots of water and the ponds were big, find the smallest pond possible. If they are still too big focus on the narrow tails of the pond. That is where these bucks came to water. Most of the tracks on other ponds were also near these tails. The second tip is to always follow your gut. This hunt and last years mule deer hunt, on the same ranch, I had gut feelings on what to do. Both time's I went with the feeling and the plan worked out. The last tip is to not be shy to ask for permission. On this hunt I watched a truck from Minnesota drive by these antelope many times. I assume he was hoping they would cross the fence onto some BLM ground. Luckily for me he didn't, but if he had just went and knocked on the door, it may have been him not me wrapping a tag around that antelope buck.

Good luck out there this fall! Remember to Hunt Hard, Hunt Smart and to Hunt Safe!

You can watch the entire hunt right HERE!

WATCH VIDEO

Springtime Supplemental Forage Stocking

5/1/2018

If you want to take your fishery to the next level of fish production, I am a firm believer in doing supplemental forage stockings. That forage can be anything from more bluegill, fathead minnows, shiners, shad or even trout. We typically use fathead minnows, unless the natural forage production, typically bluegills, in lacking in recruitment.

At this time we will stock more bluegill, with fathead minnows, to help try and boost the bluegill population. A healthier bluegill population means more forage that produced naturally through spawning. If I am trying to better the population in a pond we will stock larger sized bluegill. The fathead minnows are used for immediate forage.

When the forage populations are fairing well we will still stock a forage such as fathead minnows each spring. How many? Well as many as one wants to pay for. Constant attention to the fishery is necessary to know what, how and when to act. If there is still minnows left after ice off, you can cut back on the spring stocking. If you see no sign of them in the shallows, then it is time to stock as many as you feel comfortable.

The time of the stocking can be critical depending on desired results and species you are wanting the forage to benefit. When we are trying to grow large bass for example, we stock around the time the bluegill are spawning. This helps to take the pressure off of newly hatched bluegill fry for a little while. At least giving them a little better chance of making it. Most, likely won't make it, but if they can live longer and grow bigger this means more calories in that meal for the bass or other predatory fish.

This strategy should hopefully get more of your natural forage species, to make it into late summer and early fall. This is when we will typically do another stocking of minnows, just before the ice comes on.

Remember to manage today for a better tomorrow!

Establishing Mineral Sites

4/9/2018

Why establish mineral sites on your hunting grounds? I get this question often. No it is not a magic bean that, over night will give you bigger antlered bucks for the coming fall. In fact mineral supplementation alone, is not going to result in larger antlered bucks on your hunting ground.

Think of mineral sites just like our multi-vitamins we take. They alone will not get you into the best shape you can be. Instead you have to eat and exercise correctly. Those multi-vitamins simply help you be as healthy as possible, reducing the risks of illness. Well the same goes for wildlife.

These mineral sites are their vitamins. They help that deer be as healthy as possible putting their bodies in the best condition possible. With the proper use of mineral sites, while properly managing your herd, native habitat, food sources, predators and stress on the herd, all combine to help maintain the healthiest herd possible. Healthy animals means those animals can and will express their greatest potential!

With antlers beginning to grow and does are in the last stages of gestation, now is a great time to get those site either started or refreshed for the upcoming growing season. The next 4 months are vital for your deer herd. Does will be lactating and bucks growing antlers, both requiring large amounts of nutrition and mineral supplementation.

I always recommend keeping mineral out year round. Fall and winter months they don't use or need it as much but again aids in making those deer as healthy and is as good of condition as possible. In some states you cannot hunt over mineral sites. This worries many hunters about keeping them out all year.

In this situation just read your states regulations. Often times you just have to place the mineral so many days before the season or cannot have a stand position within so many yards of the site. Simply place the mineral sites in areas you don't hunt. Whether that be in sanctuaries or just hard to hunt place where wind swirls or there aren't good stand sites.

There are many minerals out there to choose from. Just be sure to do your homework to be sure you are getting the best bang for your bucks. If you have questions on choosing the right mineral feel free to email.

Remember to manage today for a better tomorrow!

Predator Management

9/25/2017

I often hear how the game numbers are not what they used to be. People discuss with me how they don't see the pheasants today like they did 20 years ago. Quail used to be in many of the plum thickets. Deer numbers were a lot higher before the 2012 EHD outbreak than they seem to be today. Many of the deer herds are taking longer to recover to those numbers than many people may have expected.

There are, what I think, two major reasons why the above statements are heard and true in many cases. The first reason is loss of habitat. It is rare to see plum thickets in fence lines, cattail sloughs a being drained to farm, shelter belts and tree groves torn out to gain a few more acres of crop ground. Pasture and CRP was being torn out at alarming rates with high commodity prices. Although a lot of CRP has been going back in over the last few years it takes time to rebuild those populations. We can plant trees but unlike a stand of CRP they take 10 years to establish. The other major reason for declining or slow rebound of populations is predators.

Not long ago I received Nebraska's 2015-2016 season fur harvest summary. Reviewing the summary it is no wonder we don't see the game populations that many people talk about. Every species on that list, except woodchuck, had declined in the estimated number trapped and hunted compared to both the previous season and the 5 year average.

The top 3 nest predators, raccoons, stripped skunks and opossums, declined in the following ways. 46.1% fewer raccoon were harvested in the 2015-2016 season compared to the previous and that number was 53.9% fewer than the 5 year average. Stripped skunk were 29.1% lower than the previous and 31.2% lower than the 5 year average. Opossum harvested was 19.4% fewer than the previous season and 23.2% fewer than the 5 year average. Why such the decrease in predator harvests?

There could be many options to this. Maybe people did not respond well to the survey to get better numbers. I feel a big part of it is likely economic. Many people I know stopped trapping due to the very low fur market. Furs have not been going for much the past few years making it less appealing for hunters and trappers to spend their money on fuel and baits for not much return if any at all. Maybe we are losing people interested in the sport?

If you are experiencing unsatisfactory game populations on your property, maybe it is time to start observing predator populations. Start trapping with family and friends. Teach your kids or grand-kids the past time. Invite others to hunt or trap predators on your property. Trapping and hunting predators can be a great time to get outdoors after all our game seasons are closed. Most trapping seasons run through February or March.

Bottom line if you want to increase game populations good habitat management and predator management both are keys factors. So get out there and enjoy the outdoors.

Remember to manage today for a better tomorrow!

Brett Kleinschmit

Managing Clover Plots

8/24/2017

We are only a week away from the opening day of Nebraska’s deer season and a few short weeks later many of the other Midwestern States seasons open. Are you fully prepared for the season? Don’t think only about your tree stands and shooting your bow. Yes both are very important but what about those food plots? Right now is the perfect time of year to do that final management practices to clover plots.

August is the time that I like to do the last mowing for the season. Usually it seems we start getting a little more rain and the temperatures start to cool. This can provide ideal growing conditions for the clover. Mowing Clover helps with two things. It helps to control weeds in the plot along with rejuvenating the plants. That rejuvenation helps provide new succulent growth that wildlife love to come a browse. I base mowing these plots off on when the archery season opens. Trying to mow about 2-3 weeks before the opener seems to be best. That way by the time you are ready to climb into the tree that clover is thriving once again.

This time of year is also good for fertilizing your clover plots. Using something like potash or a high potassium fertilizer along with some potassium will also help you obtain those lush plots into the growing season. It is said that doing this fall fertilizing may also help lessen the effects of possible winter kill on clover. I plan to do some of my own side by side testing this year to see the different results on how stands come back the following spring.

In the past I have sprayed clover to knock out the grass and broadleaf weeds about this time of year as well. However I have found that spraying is likely best done in the spring and early summer months. Spraying does work now but given the time of the year, typically mowing the clover now will set most of the weeds back that they won’t be an issue the rest of the fall. I will follow the plots up with spraying next spring to get ahead of the weeds early. Remember to take soil samples this fall and follow those recommendations for spring fertilizing as well.

With the proper management and care of your clover plots you can get them to last 3-5 years, and maybe longer in some instances.

Remember to manage today for a better tomorrow!

Brett Kleinschmit

Fall Preparation

8/1/2017

As I stood there staring at all the fallen trees entangled in itch weed and thistles my imagination led me to September. I could see myself sitting high above a lush clover plot as the deer came out to feed. First the does with their fawns, followed by the younger bucks. As evening turned to dusk, a mature buck came walking out 20 yards from my stand. I imagined myself coming to full draw and sending an arrow through double lung city leaving a frothy red trail as he ran back to the woods.

As I sat there daydreaming of fall, I knew I could turn this tangled up weed patch into something spectacular. The next night I was back with a chainsaw and began going to work. Even after working 12-13 hour days I still found the motivation to come cut up some brush for an hour a couple of nights a week. Finally, after a couple of weeks of cutting off and on with the chainsaw I had cleared the area of brush and trees and even had dug a few stumps out which seemed to make the area double in size. On to the next step, I had to get rid of all the weeds and thistles which had grew to about 5-6ft. tall. I filled the sprayer on the four-wheeler up and headed back down to the plot. Being careful not to get my young apple trees on the edge of the plot, I gave the whole area a healthy dose of round-up.

A week or two later and all the weeds and thistles were dried up and falling over. Now was the time to hit it with the rotary mower. Although the ground was covered with bark and branches, it was no match for the mower lowered all the way to the ground and the tractor roaring in first gear. A short 20 minutes later the plot was looking better than ever with the weeds gone and the wood chopped to tiny pieces.

As it was the middle of July, the plot could be planted anytime. I just had to play the waiting game for rain. However, work slowed before rain came and since I was only summer help, I got cut for the summer. With nothing better to do, I headed back down to the plot and cleared even more trees out and at least doubled the size of the plot. Now as July is coming to an end, the plot is prepped and ready to be planted with the first sign of August rain. As long as all goes well, come the beginning of September the plot will be a luscious green with a frothy red trail leading into the woods.

James Kleinschmit

Limiting Factors

3/15/2017

We as humans like to push the limits of Mother Nature, and some like to think we can control it. That is far from the truth, we are quite small in relation to Mother Nature and she is a powerful force to reckon with. No matter how much we think we know she will always adjust things as she sees fit to make it all work out. There are, however, management techniques out there that we can perform to make our personal dreams and goals a reality. One may following the plan by the “book” yet still not be observing the results they desired. This is likely due to one or more limiting factors. Whenever we try to push the limits of Mother Nature, whether it be growing large numbers of bigger and more fish in our ponds, large deer populations or an abundance of upland birds there is generally always going to be at least one limiting factor preventing these goals from being attained.

Generally speaking with most situations the most common limiting factor is food. Many think well that sounds easy to handle. Plant more food plots, put supplemental wildlife or fish feeder out or stock more bait fish in our ponds. Well it is not always that easy. Yes all of this may help to some degree but it is more of a band aid to a bigger problem at hand, populations above the carrying capacity. Is the predator/prey ratios out of line or maybe not enough harvest is taking place? Maybe food is not the issue and there is plenty to go around. What could it be? Maybe there are too many furbearing animals on your property making it difficult for upland birds to recruit individuals into the population? Maybe there are not enough or the proper predators in your pond to keep the bluegill population in check so they can grow to preferred sizes? Perhaps it has nothing to do with food or predators.

There may be a habitat issue at hand. There may not be enough fawning or brood rearing cover to safely harbor those young individuals from predators. Perhaps there isn’t enough submersed vegetation in your pond to hold young of the year fish for both as a food source for those Largemouth Bass or to harbor the young bluegill so they can be recruited into the population. Water quality may also be an issue in your pond. The water body may be overloaded in nutrients causing major algae blooms or maybe the pH of the water is not in the acceptable range or there could simply be not enough dissolved oxygen in the water body to allow for healthy fast growing fish.

Whatever the limiting factor may be in your particular situation remember there are management strategies that can be done to correct these factors. Remember that for every management action you take there will be some sort of reaction to that action. So make sure you do your research to make sure you are making the correct adjustments to get your desired results. We as humans love to push the limits of Mother Nature and every scenario is going to have its limits. It is up to us to determine those limits to best meet our goals.

If you would like help determining what those factors may be in your situation feel free to contact me. We can set up a date and time to come and meet up to discuss goals, dreams and the issues you are noticing.

Remember to Manage Today for a Better Tomorrow!
Brett Kleinschmit

Timing of Antler Casting

2/1/2017

Over the past month I have had quite a few questions regarding when deer begin to shed their antlers and why. Some have been concerned that they were seeing deer drop antlers in December and others wonder why some bucks hold onto their antlers long into the winter. There are a number of factors affecting antler casting and I cannot say anyone knows the exact answers. However in my experiences I have noticed trends relating to when along with doing quite a bit of reading on the subject.

First off I want to discuss how antlers fall off. Antlers are essentially dead material once they harden and velvet is rubbed off. They attach to the pedicle which is living bone. This connection is only maintained during high testosterone levels. The combination of the rut being over and photoperiod shortening, testosterone levels begin to diminish. The bone cells known as osteoclast, reabsorbs calcium between the antler and pedicle, weakening the connection resulting in the antler falling off.

Although low testosterone levels and photoperiod changes are the main contributing factor to antler casting there are a number of other factors that can influence the drop. All of these factors relate to some level of stress either in the entire herd or in an individual. As one may expect, nutrition is very important and herds and bucks in great physical condition will likely hold their antlers longer. If you are seeing many of the local bucks dropping antlers earlier than expected there is likely a habitat issue going on. This could be simply caused by an over populated herd, crop failures due to extreme drought, extreme heat or even extreme cold. This year I think weather factors have lead to some increased stress in many parts of Nebraska and South Dakota. We started off with unseasonably warm temperatures into mid to late November. This was followed by snow storm and extreme cold throughout December and January with again unseasonably warm temperatures mixed in between. These weather related stresses could have led to early casting in some areas.

Breeding will also play a factor. If the buck to doe ratio is skewed towards does, and all does are not being bred in the initial rut, then this can leading to prolonged breeding. This causes testosterone levels to stay elevated resulting in longer antler holding. If bucks are frequently fighting, this too will cause elevated testosterone levels, resulting in the holding antlers longer. However, if the buck to doe ratio is nearly even and all the breeding is done in short amount of time this could result in many of the bucks casting early.

However, if you notice only one or two bucks casting early there is likely some sort of stress on that individual deer. This could be due to age, injury, and dominance status. Maybe there is a mature buck on your property and he gets very stressed out from a worsened body condition after a long rut and is having a tough time putting the body reserves back on. This added stress certainly does the deer no good. One of the bucks may have been injured in some fashion either from fighting in the rut, running from predators, hit by a car or many other scenarios. His body taking over trying to heal itself can cause added stress to the individual. In times like this the body will use nutrients where there are most needed. Finally a younger buck may have been “The Boss” on your farm all season, when sometime in the late season a much more dominate buck moved onto the property making him lose dominance. This loss of dominance can result in reduced testosterone levels. All of these factors can lead to individuals casting their antlers early.

In closing there are many factors that can affect the “when” factor of antler casting. I personally think the winter weather has more to do with it than many think. It was the middle of April 2016 when I was drilling some CRP grasses for a client of mine. That morning as started out around the field, I was coming to where a shelter belt and a wooded draw met, when 6 whitetail bucks came running out of the draw. All of these bucks were still holding both sides of their antlers. If you remember the winter before was one of the warmest I can remember. The ground did not freeze, we had maybe half a dozen snow storms, and the snow was melted within a few days of those storms. The deer had very little weather related stress that year and it showed in the number of bucks holding antlers well into the early spring.

Remember to manage today for a better tomorrow!

Brett Kleinschmit

Oakwood Buck

1/3/2017

There he was about 400 yards away walking along a slough towards the lake. I grabbed the antlers hanging on the branch next to me and rattled them together a bit. He disappeared behind the hill and cattails and I sat there waiting. Did he hear me? Was he going to come my way? Would I finally get a chance at him? Suddenly, there he was standing between to cedars on the edge of the corn field only 150 yards away. I gave a little bleat from my doe in estrus can and waited. He heard it and began to venture out into the cornfield. Next thing I know he was only 40 yards away and closing the distance fast.

Although everything was going so smoothly that brisk November morning, there had been months of preparation up to that point. It had all started the very first weekend that I moved to Brookings, SD to start my freshman year of college. As soon as I was moved in I was out driving around looking for a spot to hunt. It didn’t take long before I found a spot close to town that looked great for ducks and deer. I soon had my trail camera and stand set up in what appeared to be a secluded area with plenty of deer sign. Checking my camera about two weeks later was like opening Christmas presents. There was a good 5x5 and he was even out in daylight. I started hunting whenever I found time, but things slowed down and I never saw any deer except when I was duck hunting.

After a frustrating night in the stand, I was ready to move my stand. During an evening hunt, I had rattled and was quietly waiting when I heard something coming in the trees and brush behind me. I could tell that whatever it was was within 20 yards. Then along came some blundering kid with his dog making all kinds of raucous. He walked 10 yards in front of me and never noticed me. About half an hour later he was back just as loud as ever. Not to my surprise, I never saw what was behind me in the brush.

The next time out I was reluctant to try a new spot along the edge of a cornfield. On my walk in, I realized I had forgotten my trigger release in my gun locker. I went and sat anyway figuring I’d shoot fingers if a nice buck came to within 20 yards. As I sat there watching the sunrise, a nice buck came walking out of the trees. As he walked past at 50 yards, I was really kicking myself for forgetting my trigger release. After he was gone, I immediately went and took my stand down and put it up along the cornfield close to where the buck came out of the trees. Sitting there the next few days I only saw a few does and a flock of 50-60 turkeys.

After returning to Brookings from the Nebraska rifle opener I was right back in the stand. Tuesday’s I didn’t have class until 1 so I was in the stand in the morning. Early on I saw a buck walking along the edge of the cornfield 150 yards to the north. When I grunted at him, all he did was turn and look, then kept on going east. As I sat there in disappointment that he left, my
mind was soon back to normal when a huge flock of turkeys came walking out of the trees only 50 yards to the south. Soon there were 3 does joining them. I sat there admiring them when out of nowhere, another nice buck walked past the does and into the trees. Grunting at him proved worthless as it only scared the does off. Sitting there wondering if I just ruined my entire hunt, I looked up to see the buck I first saw coming back in my direction. He was still a good 400 yards away, but he was coming in the right direction.

I grunted and rattled right away before he got too close and then waited as he disappeared in the cattails. Five minutes later there he was 150 yards away between two cedars, scanning the cornfield for does and danger. I bleated at him with my doe in estrus can and watched him start across the field. As he angled away from me, I gave him another bleat. Suddenly there he was at 40 yards and getting closer fast. My heart was racing as he was almost to my shooting lane. I drew back and waited as he took a few more steps. ”Meah,” I bleated at him and he stopped at 15 yards, staring up into the tree looking for what had just made that sound. THUMP! He turned and ran, the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. As he got to the other side of the cornfield he slowed and came to stop. As he stumbled in a circle, he fell to the ground dead. Excited as I was, I waited in my stand for what seemed like forever.

After gathering my things and crawling down I hurried to where he lay. As I walked up to him, my heart began to race even faster. I knew that this was definitely the biggest deer I had ever shot. On top of that he was my first South Dakota deer, and only my second archery deer. He would’ve been a 4x5, but after all the fights he had been through, he broke off both brow tines and his left G2 leaving him only a 4x2. Never the less, I was still super exited and more than happy with him considering I was hunting public land with stands set up only 200-300 yards apart across the whole property.

Now that the season is over, I am already excited for next year, wondering what made it through the season and hoping I’ll have a chance at them.

James Kleinschmit

Crane Wreckin

12/4/2016

A few years ago Monte Feck and I both started guiding snow goose hunts for Neu Outdoors. During that time I got to know Monte pretty well and learned about his business of guiding Sandhill Crane hunts that he and his partner, Bryan Baker, had recently started. I have never hunted Sandhill Cranes and knew nothing about hunting them so I was intrigued by what he did. We talked about me making it down there to hunt with him over the last few years and it was always in the back of my mind. Finally this last summer I talked with my brothers and a few friends about making the trip. We set the dates and could wait to get down to the Kansas/Oklahoma line to hunt these amazing birds. Finally the morning of November 28th came and we left Yankton headed for Oklahoma to hunt cranes for a few days with Crane Wreckers.

As we headed south Monte gave me a call updating me on the hunting. Instead of hunting Oklahoma like we had planned Monte and Bryan had a couple fields lined up in Kansas with a bunch of birds. We made a quick pit stop to grab our Kansas hunting licenses. We arrived to the area we were going to hunt just in time to meet up with Monte at the field we would hunt the following morning. As we got there the cranes were starting to head back to the refuge to roost for the night.

Once all the cranes had left the field we headed into the cut milo to find a good place to set up for the mornings hunt. Once we had the place we wanted to set up determined we got the blind all put together in the ditch line and set out the decoy stakes. All we had to do for the mornings hunt was set the decoys on the stakes and wait.

Shortly before sunrise the morning of the 29th we were all set up and settled into the blind patiently awaiting the cranes to show up. Soon after sunrise the southern skies began to fill with waves cranes coming to feed. We had anywhere from 50 to 100 cranes finishing right into the kill hole with hundreds following behind them. It was quite the site seeing those wide wingspans and long legs coming in to land. Their distinct sound was even more impressive. I have heard them during their migration before but not like that where you are sitting right underneath of them.

With 14 shooters in the blind we had our limit with 5 volleys 2 of which consisted of 2 birds and a single bird harvested. After the final volley we had a 14 man limit on the ground. As we took pictures, picked up the decoys and broke the blind down loading all into the trailer, we still had waves of cranes flying over. In fact we thought we may be able to hunt the same field the following morning. After cleaning birds, eating lunch, and taking a short break we went back out to scout the field again for the next morning and indeed they were all back in there so we decided to give round 2.

Again we set the field once the birds left so we were ready to go in the morning. It was again an impressive flight to the field. With 5 guys in the blind it took us little time to have our limit on the ground. This was truly a great experience and one I hope to do again. It was amazing to see these birds coming out to the fields to feed. There were thousands of cranes in the area and again they kept flying into the field as we were picking up. I don’t care what type of hunter you are but I feel this is one hunt all must experience at least once.

Monte and Bryan of Crane Wreckers run a great operation. They have a spacious blind with comfortable seating so that you are comfortable for the hunt. They use stuffer decoys with about 90 decoys to a set up. The blind is designed to add sections to it to accommodate the number of hunters present for each hunt. These guys work their tails off to make sure each and every group of hunters is on birds and they get it done every day. To book a hunt with them contact Monte at 620-222-7470 or go to their website http://www.cranewreckers.com/

You can watch this hunt next Monday December 12 on Cabela’s Northern Flight to see how the entire hunt unfolded!

Brett Kleinschmit

<<Previous