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Realtree Outdoors 2008 — Episode 6

Legendary for big bruisers, the Midwest beckons hunters to its rich farmland like an ice cream truck beckons a child. For Bill Jordan, hunting whitetails in a Midwestern state is the cherry on top. With a desire to go after the big guys, Jordan contacted Bill Hill with BorderBucks Outfitters in northern Missouri. A mutual friend of the Bills encouraged them to hunt together, and upon meeting the owner of the outfit, Jordan was immediately impressed.

"I could instantly tell that Bill Hill knew what he was talking about when it came to whitetails," Jordan says. "He struck me as a dedicated outdoorsman and experienced hunter."

BorderBucks Outfitters is located in a part of Missouri that is close to the Iowa border, which everyone knows has a reputation for incredible deer. Jordan began his hunt around Thanksgiving and encountered several good deer, but he didn't' get a shot. He returned again shortly, but an unbelievable ice storm paralyzed that part of the state downing power lines and busting up trees. Before Jordan returned home to wait out the ice storm, he got a glimpse of just what the area had to offer.

"One afternoon I watched 125 to 150 deer in a soybean field covered with snow," Bill says. "I was pumped up about getting back out there, and this time I wanted to take my son with me."

After letting some of the conditions thaw out, Jordan and Tyler returned to hunt the same area where he had watched the deer crowding the field. The temperatures dipped down in the single digits and snow remained on the ground. The rut had passed so the deer were relying on their food sources hitting the bean fields and cut corn fields. Jordan and Tyler sat in stands that lined these feeding areas with the hopes of getting a few to come into bow range.

"During one day of Tyler's hunt, we saw approximately 200 deer in one of the fields," Bill says. "The place was just covered up in deer. Tyler was beside himself with excitement, and who could blame him."

Tyler eventually made a shot on a nice buck that stood 30 yards from his stand, but missed when his arrow hit a limb. Jordan honed in on a large buck as well that measured approximately 160 B&C, but upon closer inspection, he could see that three points had busted off its left main beam, so he didn't shoot.

"I had numerous shot opportunities on smaller deer, but I could never get any of the big guys to come within range," Jordan says.

Although both guys went home empty handed, they enjoyed a remarkable hunt.

"We had a blast, no doubt about it," says Jordan. "Just spending that time with my son in the freezing, yet beautiful conditions, was unbelievable. BorderBucks definitely has the deer."



For more info, check out www.borderbucksoutfitters.com, or call 816-225-6754.