2007 Success

	Will Pingrey, September 16, 2007 Iowa Youth Season TC Muzzleloader, 70 yard shot, 300 yard recovery. Congrat's Will from Prairie Images! That is a fine Iowa whitetail.
	Bryce Lambley, October 8, 2007 Somewhere in Nebraska Gentlemen, Family, and fellow Sitka Gear staffers-- Last night was one of the cooler whitetail hunts I've successfully concluded. Was sitting on the center pivot in the middle of a 1/2-mi. circular corn field. The previous evening I'd seen some activity near the pivot from the second pivot leg so moved closer to where the action had been. As it turned out, I only saw two deer, one of which I'd kill. :) About 10 min. after sunset this nice 4x5 steps out of the corn 80 yds. E of me along this grassy/marshy swale that's maybe 50-60 yards wide and extends maybe 450 yards into this standing cornfield from the E (3 o'clock) side of the crop circle (I'm at the far W end of it). I videotape him briefly but it's kind of dark and I'm hatching a plan. Problem is he starts to head into the grass to the N where he will cut my access trail (through some hip-high foxtails and other crap) and also be straight downwind (W wind). I have to walk back that way anyway to get out of this field so figure I'd better be aggressive and try to make something happen as I'm likely to spook him anyway. When the buck disappears into the thick grass, I gather my stuff, dismount and start down some corn rows to the E so I won't be visible to the buck in case he can see out of the thick stuff. But the corn rows kind of angle ENE away from the pivot access route and are also noisy, so by the time I reach the second pivot track (approximately where he should be) I'm probably 30 yards from the grass patch and pretty sure he has to have heard me by now. But I've been trying to sound like a deer in a corn field if that's possible, walking slow and pulling on corn occasionally. I start down the pivot track back to the access route and it's cluttered but I'm doing my best and as I near the edge, I see cornstalks moving literally 4 yards in front of me but just off the pivot track. Mind you, it's right at quitting time and dark in that field. I stop and everything is quiet for a minute. I grunt lightly a couple times and otherwise stay quiet hoping the buck will step out into the pivot track where I might have a shot (assuming it's even the right deer). Finally the deer loses its nerves and sneaks quickly into the pivot track and runs out S into the open grassy area. That was exciting and I figure the gig is up but I don't hear him bound away so I tiptoe to the edge, still grunting and when I'm about 4 rows from the edge, I see him standing outside the corn, maybe 12-15 yards away, looking back. There is a hole (very tight) and if I lean forward and get my bow under this debris and then when I draw back it pulls the corn back above my head and it feels good and I let her go... I lose sight of the arrow immediately but hear the good slicing sound. The deer crashes away into the marsh and I see the cornstalks moving against the sky briefly on the other side of the marsh. Blood is found immediately and the buck went maybe 60 yards tops, barely making it to the corn on the other side. Double-lung pass through with the Woodsman head. Good blood trail. He was exactly what I thought he was, maybe a 127" gross 4x5, pretty heavy mass on bases for a 3.5 year old in these parts, very good brow tines, and will make a nice skull mount. (The cape is freaking awesome and I saved it). It WAS a spectacular hunt and I'm very happy to punch Nebraska tag No. 1 with him. It had to be my new Sitka Gear, right? Sorry for the long-winded story; there is no short version of how this one came about... I couldn't make this up. :) Bryce
	Tony Godlewski, October 29, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa Minnesota hunter, Tony Godlewski, took this old Iowa ten point buck on October 29th. Great mass some stickers and a nice droptine make him a great trophy. Patience, restraint on some smaller bucks and a natural knack for whitetail hunting produced Tony's first deer with a bow, a Mathews.
	Paul Scott, November 2, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa I HAD A FAVORABLE WIND TO CARRY MY MRS. DOE PEE ESTRUS SCENT THE DIRECTION I WANTED. ABOUT 5:40PM OR SO I RATTLED A FEW MIN. LATER THIS GUY CAME IN. HERE'S MY SET UP I HAD A LONG SCENT WICK WITH ESTRUS HANGING ON THE FENCE LINE HE CAME UP AND SNIFFED IT UP AND DOWN . HE THEN CRAWLED UNDER THE FENCE , I HAD MADE A SCENT TRAIL PAST MY STAND HE FOLLOWED IT TO WITHIN 12 YDS WHERE I TOOK THE SHOT HE RAN AROUND A 120 YDS I THOUGHT I HEARD HIM CRASH THATS WHERE I FOUND HIM. TOOK MY BROTHER AND I 3HRS TO GET HIM OUT. HE HAS SOME GREAT MASS AND A FEW STICKERS A 12 POINTER. WE THINK HE SHOULD SCORE IN THE 160'S HOPE THESE PICTURES WORK THANKS PAUL SCOTT
	Austin Laabs, November 4, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa Austin’s first bow kill On November 4^th we went to a new stand around 2 pm and we didn’t see a single deer for the first two hours. Suddenly we saw 2 does running across the open bean field towards us but they ended up heading into a big pocket of timber roughly 200 yards away. After that we waited about a half hour, then we saw 2 more does and one small buck dogging them all over the place. Then about 5 pm dad saw 2 more does acting weird so he told me to get my bow ready. So I did and about 1 minute after that sure enough here came the buck. Dad kept moving the can in different directions and got the buck to come right in to my 25 yard shooting lane. When he got there, Dad grunted at him, and stopped him. I let him have it and he ran 50 yards, looked back, and then tipped over dead. After that we went and followed his blood trail, then we saw him lying there and I got really exited. Then we went home and showed him to my family. I harvested this buck with my new Mathews Ignition bow, which I had just purchased only two days before this hunt. I’m using Beman Camo Hunter ICS 500 carbon arrows and 75 grain three blade Muzzy broad heads. My shot placement was a perfect according to my Dad and Grandpa. The shot ended up double lunging the buck with a quartering towards me shot. I can hardly wait until next October, to get back into the woods to harvest another great white-tailed buck. I’m still hunting with my Dad, trying to fill my doe tag.
	Ryan Hueton, November 10, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa I shot this nice 12 pointer on the 10th. It was a loud windy night. Didn't see the buck till he was at 20yds. I waited till he passed below me and then stood up and shot @12yds. He ran 40yds.
	Scott Sibbel, November 22, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa It was about 8:05 when I first saw him next to the field with a doe and fawn. After about five or ten minutes the doe and fawn came in off the field on a trail right out in front of my stand, and this guy was right behind. He was standing next to the field for a little longer, and I grunted and he started my way on the trail the doe and fawn had just gone by on. He came right in like the other two and I drew back and waited. I shot him at 10 yards, center punched his heart. He only went 40 yards north of me where he nose dove into a log and flipped over and came to a rest. What an awesome Thanksgiving morning hunt!
	Ron Ludwig, November 25, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa 30 yard shot Mathews bow responded aggressively to a grunt call Green Score: 195+ Net Typical This is why whitetail enthusiasts want to live in Iowa. Congrat's from Prairie Images.
	Brandon Squibb, November 18, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa I shot this buck on November 18th. He wasn't the buck I had been hunting, but it was a great hunt and I am very happy with him. There was a smaller 8 and a doe below me at about 15 yards for about a half hour. I heard this buck from a long way out working on some trees making all sorts of noise. I grunted a couple of times and then I could hear him running right at me! He stopped just perfect at 10 yards. The shot was good and he only went about 15 yards, I saw him lay down! Now it's time to get out the shotgun!
	Alex Golay, November 23, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa Hi my name is Alex Golay. I'm 15. I shot this 10 pointer the morning after Thanksgiving which would be the 23rd. He's a main frame 10 that scores 165 4/8. I used my Bushnell Elite rangefinder to find out that he was 21 yards away when I shot with my Browning bow. I had him on my video camera before season several times and I knew he was a shooter.
	Eric Hart Kevin Hart Ronnie Hart December 1, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa Eric Hart (guy in the yellow) Main-frame 8 with 12” G2’s and 2 kickers on the left G2 Gross score 135 B&C Kevin Hart (red sweatshirt) Massive 9 pointer with 12” G2’s and 6+” bases Gross score 148-2/8 B&C Ronnie Hart (jacket ) Massive main-frame 10 point with a broken brow, 12” G2’s, and great tine length all around Gross score 160 B&C
	George Parris, January 5, 2008 Somewhere in Iowa First deer using a release. First deer in a long time from a tree stand. Good opportunity for daughter Morgan to follow her first blood trail. It made for a long night but well worth the effort. Equipment: Hoyt Protec, Beman 340 ICS Hunters, G5 Montec Broadhead, Tru-Fire Bulldog Release, Black Gold Flashpoint Sight. Shot at 25 paces. Recovery distance approximately 150 yards.
	Ryan Weber, December 1, 2007 Ontario, CA I shot this deer with a cross bow. Thought you might want to post the picture. It is an 11 point.
	Kent Brant, November 6, 2007 Somewhere in Iowa I used a grunt call and snort-wheeze to call this buck to 20 yards. I was using a decoy at the time. I took the shot from my knees in a brush pile.