This was my first time using Bow and Arrow Adventures. They were recommended to me by a hunting acquaintance on a previous hunt. The main reason that I selected them was the they specialize in bow hunts and had the ability to put me on a hunt in various states and various species. I called Scott to talk through options and he pointed me and my son to a hunt in South Dakota on a 40,000 acre ranch that would provide a chance to see lots of deer and a shot at a 150+ class deer.
Scott was 100% correct! The lodging and facilities were just fine for a whitetail hunt. My son and I had the basement of the hunting lodge to ourselves. The lodge had satellite, washer/dryer, full kitchen, etc. The meals were provided each night (and were very good). They made lunches for us every day in case we wanted to stay all day in our stands.
About the deer.... We saw an average of over 50 deer per sit. There were a couple of sits that I only saw a couple of deer, but most of the time I could glass and see 50-75 deer at all times. So, it wasn't uncommon for us to see over 200 deer in a day. There were always deer around us, but the weather was warm (30's to 60's) and they were only active for a few hours before bedding down for the mid-day. We could always see shooter bucks, but we didn't always have one close to us and the patterns of the deer were "off" with the temperatures.
The guides at the ranch were excellent. They were able to work with us on stand placement and preference so that we were happy and successful. I haven't had a guide be that flexible with me until I hunted here. I've hunted in Illinois, Ohio, and Georgia and this was the most accommodating guides. I had been watching a buck for a couple of days and they hung a stand that would be closer to his patterns I had observed the last couple of days. I connected on a stud (160"+) about an hour before dark on the last day of our hunt!!!! Unfortunately, I still don't have my hands on him, since he ran on the neighbors property. This caused us to have to wait until the next morning to do the search and my flight was too tight to continue on the trail. Fortunately, the guide found him the next morning and I will be putting this big guy on the wall. I will post pictures when I get him back from the taxidermist.
I've used guides in multiple states in the past and you always have to try and do research online and hope for the best unless you happen to know someone who has used them before. I've been pretty lucky in the past, but using Bow and Arrow Adventures allowed me to have trust in their locations and that they have vetted out the good ones. I'll be using them again for my whitetail hunts and possibly that big elk one day.
None to date. If you are the outfitter please email us.
unusually warm. Mornings were around 30 and highs in the 60's and 70's
