Going into 2020 I didn’t have any plans to purchase my first out-of-state hunting property. Then, the perfect property in Kentucky became available and I felt I had to jump on it. I’ve been fortunate to hunt whitetails all over North America but there is something about deer hunting in Kentucky that is special to me. Perhaps it’s the steep hollers and draws that make the hunting so unique. It could be their early archery season which allows you to hunt free-ranging deer in velvet. Or it could be that Kentucky has one of the longest deer-hunting seasons in the U.S. But most likely, it’s because Kentucky is known for having a great population of deer and numerous giant bucks taken every single year.
In April, I discovered a farm near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, recently listed for sale. I know the area well because that is where Salt River Outfitters has their lodge and hunting operation. On my first visit to the farm, I knew it was special; the ridge through the middle lays out like a hunter’s dream and I was struck by the beauty of the entire area and came away convinced this farm was right for me.
I closed on the property in mid-June, later than I would have liked because it didn’t allow enough time to get all the food plots and crops in. But we still gave it our best try even though we knew the results wouldn’t be as good as compared to “on-time” planting. After the closing, we also needed to choose a name. The farm is more than 300 acres, long and narrow and centers down a big ridge and since Kentucky is the bourbon capital of the world the name “Bootleggers Ridge” seemed to fit perfectly.
Kentucky is a “one-buck state” meaning you can harvest only one buck each year. However, there are a number of “Commissioner Tags” available at various auctions so I worked with the Kentucky Houndsmen Association and secured a second buck tag for my use during one of the deer seasons. This second tag made it more practical for me to have a hunting farm in Kentucky as I could now hunt and film through different seasons until I filled both tags.
As August came, the food plots showed some growth (Nothing like what we expect to see for the 2021 season.) and it was encouraging to watch them turn green and come to life. This late-summer month was also when we started to hang trail cams so we would be ready for the archery opener, which is always the first Saturday in September. Never having hunted the farm before, it was enjoyable changing camera locations and learning early-season movement of bucks. Going into the September archery opener, I had five nice bucks on my hit list.
My Dad and I were at Bootleggers Ridge for the opening weekend of archery. If you haven’t hunted early season in Kentucky, it is unlike any other deer hunt. Temperatures are often in the 90s and the deer move mostly at night and if you are very lucky maybe during the last hour of the day, more likely only the last 15 minutes. Also, normal scent control goes out the window because there is no way to stop sweating when it’s 90 and humid. This means, to be successful, you need to pick the correct stand locations based on wind direction that particular day.
Leading up to opening weekend, WTA was able to partner with Buck Bourbon, a deer-attractant company. I know that feeding deer is, sometimes, a hot topic with people on both sides of the issue. I’m of the mindset that feeding is a positive. I’ve seen how it has helped hunters successfully target individual animals that are usually older, and I also believe it does not increase the overall number of deer harvested. Supplemental feeding has also helped overall health of the deer populations by providing essential nutrients, especially in the winter months that can be hard on deer. I had tried Buck Bourbon the previous year and it seemed to be like candy for deer. Once you see it in the field, you know it works like no other product on the market. That’s why WTA invested in and joined the ownership team of Buck Bourbon.
But, back to the hunt. Dad and I arrived in Kentucky for opening weekend and the wind was not normal and was definitely wrong for our primary stands. The first evening we each went to our backup stands, and although those stands had good bucks at them, these bucks were just not the caliber of those we had seen on camera near our primary stands. On the second evening the wind was ideal, so Dad and I were able to hunt our primary stands. The stand Dad hunted had two great bucks coming into it, according to the photos; one we called “Unicorn” because it had a point coming out of its base going forward. The other buck was an absolute giant-framed 8-point with a kicker on its left side. My message to Dad was pretty simple: Whichever one comes out first, let the arrow go!
About an hour before dark I received a message from Dad that he had put a good shot on Unicorn. I had seen only a couple smaller bucks but I waited until after dark then quickly made my way to Dad’s stand to take up the blood trail. Dad was using a Mission crossbow and Iron Will broadheads. It turned out to be a deadly combo as his buck didn’t go more than 65 yards. After watching the Unicorn buck for weeks on that trail cam, it was great to see him up close. Dad was excited he was able to take our first buck, and a good one to boot, off Bootleggers Ridge.
Waking up the next day, as is my daily custom from June until the end of December, I first checked photos from my Exodus trail cams. That morning, checking the camera on the stand where Dad had shot Unicorn the night before, I saw the camera had caught the big-framed 8-pointer coming in only an hour after we had driven off after loading Unicorn.
On the first two days, I had been hunting a deer we nicknamed “Brows,” because he had extremely long brow tines and each of them were split. Apparently he had gone nocturnal since I hadn’t captured a before-dark trail-cam pic of him in the last few days; they were all after dark. I planned to switch and sit night No. 3 in the same stand where Dad shot Unicorn the night before.
We settled into the stand several hours early, which was a good thing because the big-framed 8 walked into the field two hours before dark. The trail-cam pics hadn’t done justice to how big he really was. As he eased in, I drew my Mathews back, tried to steady my breath and let the arrow go. Again, the Iron Will broadhead was devastating. After the shot we gave him plenty of time before taking up the blood trail; he fell no more than 50 yards from the point where I lost sight of him in the trees. This buck was a deer that had zero ground shrinkage and was my biggest archery buck to date. My Dad and I had an amazing opening weekend, and first hunt, on Bootleggers Ridge.
My next trip to Bootleggers Ridge was for youth weekend. My daughter Chelly and her friend Jayna were both hunting that weekend. The weather wasn’t ideal, raining most of the first day, but that didn’t stop Jayna from shooting a good 8-point the first morning. The first night, Chelly and I hunted a stand we call the tower stand, because it is close to a cell tower on the property. From photos, we knew there were three different shooters coming to the stand: a funky Crab Claw, another big-framed 8 and a wide 9-pointer. We ended up seeing 12 different bucks that first night, including one we nicknamed “Baby Shaq.” He is a 125-inch, 2-year-old that has tremendous potential; and he was the largest deer I’ve ever had Chelly hold off shooting. The decision was tough for both Chelly and me. The real question for me was should I let this buck grow to his potential or should I just enjoy the experience of hunting with my daughter. After a night of tossing and turning over my decision, I decided it was more about the experience than size. If Baby Shaq came back the next day, Chelly would have the green light.
Waking to a thunderstorm the next morning, we decided to sleep in. When we finally were able to go out, the bucks from the night before had disappeared; we saw only a single tiny 4-point and a few does up until a few minutes before the end of shooting light. A big-framed deer appeared from the right and I instantly knew he was one of the shooters we had on our trail camera. I helped Chelly set up. I was self-filming this hunt and didn’t have the help of a field producer. The buck was big and I was nervous and afraid I hadn’t “record.” In the madness to get Chelly set up, I had pushed record but forgot to zoom in. so we have a wide view of the action. Like Chelly has always done in the past, she coolly made a perfect shot with her Gunwerks 6XC. As she led the way with her flashlight and lifted up the buck’s head, we could tell she had shot “Crab Claw,” the absolute perfect buck for her! What an absolutely great experience as a father watching his child mature each and every time out. Unfortunately, time seems to pass much too quickly.
Earlier I had mentioned purchasing a Commissioners Tag, so I was still good for one more buck. We moved cameras around and, once again back in Michigan, I was watching our trail cams covering different areas of the farm. We found where Brows had been hiding. Over the next week, we watched him almost every night. George went in and hung my stand at the new site and I continued to watch as Brows came regularly, just minutes before dark. After watching him three nights in a row, within a few minutes of nightfall, I arranged for a trip there to hunt the next night as the wind looked to be perfect for the stand. Since Bootleggers Ridge is just seven hours from home in Michigan, I could leave in the morning and be in the stand to hunt that afternoon. We got to the farm plenty early. Everything was looking perfect as the weather had a nice chill in the air and the wind was absolutely perfect for the stand. My field producer and I eased toward the stand on the two-track road. Only 75 yards from the stand, we bumped him. He was bedded within feet of the road. Brows bounded away and we lost our chance.
It would be a week before we saw Brows again on camera. What I learned since owning Bootleggers Ridge is that the particular corner of the property he calls home, is extremely difficult to get into and hunt. The wind always seems to swirl, making it extra tough. I hunted for him there several times throughout the season but never saw him. Then, monitoring the camera, I saw he had never left “his corner,” even during the rut. He was in there the whole time. As it turned out, I never filled my second tag. I believe, however, I know what land improvements need to be made in that back corner to make it more hunter friendly for next season. I can only imagine how big Brows will be then!
Looking back at this crazy Covid-19 year, I am confident purchasing this great property was the right call. Judging from our first experiences, I am certain we will all have a lifetime of memories hunting together on Bootleggers Ridge!
