DAN SIMMONS Sportsman's Quest MORE COLUMNS SPECIAL TO THE PVT Roy Keefer writes about deer hunting in Nebraska, among other outdoor locales. Advertisement

My good friend Roy told us about his Texas hunt in a previous article.

Here is one from the great state of Nebraska. He continues to hunt with pointy sticks, and is obviously more successful than most of us with our smoke tubes.

You'll notice that more and more of these stories come from out of state, which is the result of a well-entrenched game tag lottery system. Nebraska hasn't bought into this mentality and has some of the best whitetail hunting on the continent. Trophy bucks and delicious corn fed does are harvested each year.

I'm looking forward to this being one of my next hunts; perhaps I will see you there; we may even get Roy to be our guide.

Writes Keefer:

"If you're a bow hunter, Arizona and Nebraska are two states where you can hunt deer and buy your tag over the counter and they both have a lot of public land. This type of hunt does force you to do some research and talk to people, and I usually contact a game warden in an area where I plan to hunt. Chat rooms on the Internet are also a great place to pick people's brains for information.

"A few years ago, I went on the Internet to check out new hunting spots. On a Nebraska chat room I met a guy, who with a cousin, offered whitetail deer hunts.

"They had not hunted with bow hunters, but I was willing to take a chance. This has developed into a five-year long relationship, and we return each year to hunt on the Republican River for trophy whitetails. This is about one of our trips.

"On our first trip to Nebraska, we had a lot of fun, saw tons of deer and I collected a nice eight-point buck. I vowed this year I would hunt for a trophy buck, or go home empty handed. My wife, Shelby, practiced for several weeks and decided she wanted to see if she could also tag a deer. Her goal was not as lofty, she just wanted to take one with a bow and see what it was like.

"Our arrival in Nebraska was met with the weather we have become accustomed to experiencing. Some days are beautiful, some are snowy and windy, sometimes it rains, but it's always better than sitting at home thinking about hunting.

"The first five days of our hunt were uneventful. We saw a lot of deer, but could never close the deal. They were too small, too far away or too smart for us. Finally on the sixth day, I was sitting in one of my favorite treestands enjoying the morning, when I heard the rustle of deer approaching.

"Soon, I saw a doe being chased by a decent buck. She ran all over the area near my stand. Then she angled toward me and off to my left. If luck was with me, she would pass by a cedar tree twenty yards away; that's what she did. The love-starved buck followed her. I drew my bow when he disappeared behind the cedar, and as soon as he reappeared I sent an arrow through his heart. He ran off 40 yards and tipped over.

"He had a high rack with hints of palmation in the tines. It was a nice buck and I was elated as we took photos, but the day wasn't over. Shelby went off to another stand and I did the same. Thank God, Nebraska allows you to take two bucks.

"I hadn't been in my stand an hour when the guide's truck pulled up. Shelby had arrowed a deer. Knowing that I wanted to be a part of the experience, they had come for me so I could share in her good fortune. Again we took photos, and since it was getting late, I was dropped at a nearby stand to hunt that evening.

"I had a feeling about the evening hunt. For some reason, I thought I would either see a big buck, or none at all; I was right. I rattled some horns to break the evening silence. Soon I heard brush breaking as a buck came toward me at a near run.

"I barely had time to put the horns aside and grab my bow before he stopped at a scrape 20 yards from my stand. Despite my increased heart rate, and a case of nerves, I sent the arrow into his chest. Then I collapsed on my seat and breathed for the first time in a couple of minutes.

"The buck fell after a 60-yard sprint. I was on cloud nine; he was the biggest whitetail I have taken, scoring 151 gross. He had 12 points and split brow tines. To top it off, we had taken three deer in one day with our bows.

"We'll soon be off to Nebraska again. The cost of my hunt will be twice as much this year. You see Shelby is now a bowhunter."

What's New

Deer skinning, using a rock, rawhide rope and horse existed long before Europeans come to this country. Early explorers told of the Native Americans using this method to skin their buffalo.

With the prolific deer populations of the mid west, and the many hunting camps, a quick and efficient method of dressing the animals is appreciated. I found a simple, efficient, lightweight device for doing this, as have many hunting camp owners. It's the ten Minute Deer Skinner; this is a tool, which quickly and easily removes the deer's hide, allowing quicker cooling and meat processing.

For more information go to www.tenminutedeerskinner.com> or call 405-324-1231.