Mid-Season Update

Okay so it's not exactly the middle of the 2026 Kansas Archery Deer season, but there is still a lot of time left if you have not yet filled your tags. I still have some hunting to do myself. I have been able to get out a few times, but between work, and the store, and family life, it's not easy. Surprisingly I've seen quite a few deer this year. The drought over the past couple of years has taken its toll on the herd, and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has affected many deer in our area as well. We've been blessed with more moisture recently and I hope that this trend continues. It's been a lot of fun to hunt and actually see some deer!

My oldest son (Austin) is a Civil Engineering major at Kansas State University (K-State) and I

made a trip up there in early October to hunt some of the public areas, spend some time with him, and see some new scenery. It was completely different for me to hunt soybeans and oak trees! I'm a Western Kansas kid so it was a lot of fun to try something new. Unfortunately, it was hot with highs in the upper 80's to low 90's and there wasn't much for deer movement except for right at first light and the last little bit of light in the evening. We never drew back our bows, but we had a blast camping, hunting, and spending time together.

Late in October I took my youngest son (Ethan) who is 17 to Colorado on an elk hunt. He drew 2nd rifle season cow tag in a unit that we have hunted a couple times before and we were excited to find redemption after below zero temperatures and frozen firing pins ruined an otherwise successful hunt two years ago. This time it was much warmer and drier. Highs were in the upper 40's, and the elk were hard to find. We could hear them in the dark timber, but we never could lay eyes on them. It was a lot of fun spending time together even though no elk were harmed. This was his last out of state hunt as a youth and makes me sad that we won't get any more of these hunts for a while. He will graduate in the spring and head off to K-State in the fall of 2026.

Austin came home for a weekend to hunt around home. He put in a lot of hours in the stand and

harvested a nice young buck that was chasing a doe. He was thrilled with his success as it had been a few years since last shot a deer with his bow. He shot his first deer with a shotgun when he was very young and has been hooked ever since. He is busy with school and it's hard for him to find time to get away, but I was happy for him and glad that I was able to share this experience with him.

Ethan has been busy with school, Cross Country, and work but I'm hoping that he will get a chance to hunt over the Thanksgiving break. If not, we'll get out his 7-08 Remington and try to fill the freezer with the rifle. Ethan enjoys hunting, but he's always been one that I have to make him go. If I give him an option, he'll stay home, but if I make him go, he has a lot of fun.

I still have my tags to fill and plan to get after it over Thanksgiving and into the late season. I have never been a trophy hunter. Kansas is known as a big buck state and I have been fortunate to shoot some really nice deer over the years, but I have never really cared about scores, or age or anything like that. If a deer (buck or doe) gets me excited and gives me a good shot opportunity, I will likely take it. I shoot lots of 2 and 3 year old deer that most people would pass on, but that's just me. My time is limited, and I like to eat venison!

Fall means new bow season and new bows are arriving here at Coyote Creek Archery. New from Bear is the Alaskan Pro. It's specs fit in perfectly for what I like. It measures 33" axle to axle and has a 6.25" brace height. The new EKO2 cam draws smoother than the original EKO cam in my opinion and it is much easier to adjust with draw length and let-off markings engraved into the cam.

One new bow that has really caught my attention is the new Elite Varos! I love Elite bows, they have an amazing grip, smooth draw, and all of the adjustability that you could ever want. I don't need a new bow myself, but this new Varos is tugging at me pretty hard. Please come buy the ones that I have in stock so that I don't end up with one!

Prime just released the new Divide which is an awesome concept. It's a similar bow to the Form which I am hunting with currently, but you have the option of 8 different configurations. I have a 33/7 (33" ata with 7" brace height) on order that I hope to have here soon.

We are filling back up with arrows, and accessories after the busy season so if you are looking to upgrade your rest, sight, or entire bow after this season, stop in or shop online!

Things slow down for us here in the store in December and our slow season runs until about the 4th of July. After that, it's full throttle through Thanksgiving. The best time to get your bow serviced is when you don't need it! Don't put it off until the last minute when everyone else is getting their bow worked on. Do it during the slow months so that you are prepared when next hunting season rolls around.

I hope that everyone gets to spend time with their loved ones over the holidays. Our modern world has become over commercialized and becoming closer to Christ, helping those in need, and spending time with our family is what is most important!

Thanks for reading if you made it this far and God Bless!