CAMERA STAKEOUT™    MSRP: $27.99
Hunt Smarter™ by having the freedom to put your camera in the perfect position without the need of a tree – film field edges, food plots, grassy transition areas or anywhere!  With an XTENDIBLE tube that adjusts any height 22”-51”, capturing that perfect footage won’t be an issue. The Hawk® Camera Stakeout is ultra-stable with the unique 6-inch Deep Earth Auger that features a unique Anti-Tip Ground Plate. Lightweight design is compact & easy to carry so no matter where you go, your camera can now capture it with the CAMERA STAKEOUT™. Utilizes universal ¼”-20 Post and works with any type of small camera.  Also include GoPro® Ready Mount for ground blind, third-angle or decoy filming.

DEFENDER™ CABLE SECURITY    MSRP: $19.99
Strong, Quick & Convenient Security for your Game Camera and other equipment! Protect your gear with the HAWK® Defender™ Adjustable Locking Cable. This 7-foot long cable uses a Patent Pending adjustable locking mechanism to hold the cable securely at any position, meaning you can conveniently wrap and ‘cinch’ the cable around large or small items as needed. 5/16” Cut-Resistant Braided Steel Cable is coated with a protective vinyl that protects against scratches and the weather.  Features all-new Hawk® CHAOS™ Camo for ultimate concealment.

SHAG™ GAME CAMERA CONCEALMENT    MSRP: $12.99
Go undetected and blend your trail camera into its natural surroundings with SHAG™ by HAWK®. This is the ultimate camera ‘ghillie suit’, making your game camera practically undetectable from a distance to unsuspecting game, thieves and hunters!  The SHAG features an elastic brand that universally wraps around the body of any game camera in seconds.

GAME CAMERA SPEEDMOUNT™    MSRP: $14.99
Take the hassle out of setting up your game cameras with the HAWK® Game Camera SpeedMount™.   The Quick Socket Adapter attaches to your camera ¼”-20 insert for a fast connection that allows the user to easily take the camera on-and-off the mount throughout the season when checking photos, replacing batteries, etc.  This rock-solid arm features sharp tree screw threads or universal T-Post adapter to work in all situations.

2018 ATA BOOTH #2725

HAWK® – HUNT FROM ABOVE®

Hawk Group, LLC
Scott Lee
810-201-8275
scott@hawkhunting.com

My first trip of the year to hunt Illinois is always a exciting time, just being able to leave your own state and leave work behind is a welcome feeling. Earlier in the summer I had strategically placed some trail cameras on field edges, future scrape sites and tight pinches that were easily accessible on the farm I was hunting – looking for a potential candidate to hunt in the fall of 2016. I also had prepped in the summer by hanging some of the HAWK Heliums in some major travel corridors between doe bedding areas close to some normal breeding scrapes anticipating pre-rut and rut activity.

The cameras never lie and after getting pictures of a buck I nick named Scrape Master, the pursuit was on. I knew by the intel that if I was to encounter him and get a shot it would be in one spot close to his favorite scrape that I always got his picture. I had secluded access that allowed me in and out without a lot of detection and the Helium KickBack afforded me the comfort I needed to sit all day when those daylight pictures started showing up.

With the unofficial start of summer here (Memorial Day Weekend), there’s just one season that now separates us from climbing back into a stand for 2017. As summer days slip by, crunch time sets in and only time will tell if all the hard work during summer months will pay off.

In light of those long, hot, bug filled days we’ve compiled several articles we believe may provide some new insight to your summer scouting & preparation. None the less, hopefully some fresh reading to pass the time before Fall.

1) 4 Step Process to Planting Food Plots – Bone Collector 

2) Mark Drury’s Top 10 Pre-Season Scouting Tips – Mossy Oak

3) 6 Classic Summer Mistakes Most Deer Hunters Make – Wired To Hunt

4) Safely Hanging an Invisible Treestand – Robinson Outdoors 

5) QDMA’s Guide to Summer Food Plots – QDMA

6) 7 Steps for Taking Better Trail Camera Pictures – Outdoor Life

7) 11 Steps to a Perfect Deer Hunting Treestand Set-Up – Wired To Hunt

8) 3 Camera Locations for Summer Deer Inventory – Bucks Bulls & Bears

This summer grab your boots, trail cameras and a cold one at the end of the day – Deer Season 2017 is on the horizon.

I have been blessed in my 29 years of archery hunting to take a lot of great whitetail bucks, but never did I imagine I would have the opportunity at a deer of this caliber. November 14^th, 2016 I headed to north central KS with my good friend and cameraman Wes Cooper to go hunt with Cody Kuck and Heartland Pride Outfitters. We met up with Mike Hunsucker and Brandon Franklin midday and headed west in pursuit of some giant whitetails. We did not arrive in camp till 10:30pm, but we were all pretty excited and stayed up till after midnight putting a game plan together for Tuesday. It did not take long to realize Cody and his guides had done their homework and showed us a good number of nice bucks that he had on the farms we would be hunting. Tuesday morning we started scouting at sun up and then spent the next six hours slipping in and hanging stands. We ended up hanging two sets on two different farms about three miles apart. Of all the bucks Cody had pics of, there was one non-typical that I really hoped to get a crack at. Only problem was he seemed to be the only shooter on that farm while the other farm had four different shooter bucks using it. We decided that first evening we would try hunting the non-typical.

With unseasonably warm weather the deer activity that afternoon was not great for Wes and I. Mike and Brandon on the other hand were on a big buck that afternoon, but could not get him close enough for a shot. Wednesday brought much of the same warm weather patterns and we decided to hunt the other farm near a pond. That morning we had an encounter with a shooter but he stayed just out of bow range. It was a long all day sit as the temps climbed up to 70 degrees. Sitting by the pond offered a great deal of waterfowl to keep us entertained, but by the end of the day we had only seen 4 deer. With a cold front moving in that night we had high expectations for the 3^rd day.

I wanted to give the non-typical one more opportunity and the wind was perfect out of the NW that morning. The draw we hung the stand in was only about 600 yards long and maybe 100 yards wide with a CRP field to the west and a winter wheat field to the east side. We had our stand on the east side of the draw about 300 yards from the north end where the bedding area was located. That Thursday morning, November 17^th, we climbed into our Hawk Helium XL stands before sun up with no idea what was about to go down.

At day break we had a doe come from the SE that caught our wind and right away we started to question our stand choice. After she spooked, I decided to rattle and a couple nice two year olds came in to check things out. About 8:45 I picked up the horns again and before I could finish my sequence, a nice three year old came to within ten yards of the tree. It was just one of those special mornings that the bucks really seemed to be on their feet and cruising. About 9:15 Wes and I were chatting it up in the stand and he asked me what the non-typical looked like. I got my phone out and pulled up a pic to show him. As we were looking at the picture I looked up the draw and saw a deer heading our way. Right away I knew it was a nice buck and as soon as I got my binos up I knew it was him. We watched as this giant made his way through the draw, heading right toward our tree. As I reached for my bow I gave myself a little pep talk: “you got this, just keep it together”. The Lord brought him just far enough down the draw before he stopped and appeared like he was going to head back to his bedding area. By this time he was at 26 yards and I was already at full draw waiting for him to give me that shot angle I needed to seal the deal. As he turned to head back north I released the arrow. I knew the shot was a little back, but was sure it was good enough to get the job done.

As an archery hunter you live for that moment. I was flooded with emotions that I had no control over. Twenty-nine years of bow hunting and I had just killed my biggest buck ever. Not until Cody met up with us and we walked up on him did I realize just how big he really was. This buck’s trail cam picks did him no justice. We had all thought he would be pushing about 170 inches, so when we walked up on this 20pt 188 inch giant…well let’s just say there was no ground shrinkage. And just when I thought this hunt could not get any better, Mike ended up killing another great buck the following morning. There is always so much more that happens on a hunt such as all the stories shared and friendships made along the way. I was truly blessed to be given such a great opportunity at a buck of a lifetime and even more blessed to get to share this moment with such good friends!

Score: 188 inches
Age: 6.5
Date: November 17, 2016
Location: North Central, KS
Treestand Model: HAWK Helium XL Hang-On
Other Hawk Gear: Tactical Solo Tree Hook, Xtendible Bow Arm

Watch the hunt for this Giant on the upcoming Season 10 of Heartland Bowhunter – Only on the Outdoor Channel.

Monday 08:30 AM EST

Wednesday 08:30 AM EST

Thursday 09:30 PM EST

Thursday 05:00 AM EST

Heartlandbowhunter.com

Heartland Bowhunter – Facebook

Heartland Bowhunter – Instagram

Ty Easly Instagram – Instagram