Jeremy Husong isn't a trophy hunter or a meat hunter, he's a mix of both. And since he lives and hunts in Oklahoma, and also hunts in Kansas, he can satisfy his urges for either type of hunting.
"I've passed up a lot of bucks, but rarely pass up the chance to take a grain-fed doe," said Husong, a 32-year-old roofing contractor from the town of Kansas, Okla., population about 800. "I love the deer meat from the area."
Husong didn't have a chance to hunt the first two days of the 2004 Kansas season. He left Oklahoma Friday, December 2 with his dad Jim for a four-hour drive into Kansas, where he'd hunt with his dad, his uncle Paul Partridge, and Paul's son, Joe Partridge.
Chasing Kansas Bucks After a stop en route to buy his license, and a quick report from his uncle -- he said he passed up several bucks and saw several does -- Husong headed out hunting, planning to spend the afternoon at a spot overlooking a wheat field. The previous year at this spot, his uncle had taken a 13-point buck that scored 147.
When Husong got to the field, he saw a whole herd of big brown shapes in the field -- but they were cows.
"I decided instead to hunt a patch of timber," he said. "I made a wide circle so I wouldn't interfere with the spot where my uncle was hunting.
"Just as I got to the timber, I heard a deer snort," he added. "I saw tails far away, running away, but instead of following them or just watching, I hurried to a spot where I thought I could intercept them."
Husong had the same thing happen in previous years, and rightly guessed that the deer were headed for a well-used crossing. He and his uncle had been hunting the property since 1997, the first year Kansas deer hunting opened for non-residents, and had come to know the deer patterns. He'd barely gotten to the spot when he saw three does come out, and they were running.
A big buck came out after them, and it was walking.
"I knew right away that it was massive, with long tines, and though I didn't know how wide it was, I knew it was a shooter," he said. "I pulled up and shot, and missed it broadside."
A Second Chance Luck was on his side. The buck didn't know where the shot had come from and continued walking away.
"I coached myself to calm down and shoot," Husong said. This time, his 7mm mag Winchester featherlight rifle dropped the deer. Soon, he was standing and looking down at his trophy, feeling "overwhelmed."
"When my dad and uncle saw it, they looked the same way I was thinking, as overwhelmed and amazed as I was," Husong said. "We both just stood there."
The buck's typical rack scored 174-4/8, measured by Buckmaster's scorer Gene Pitman. The rack is a typical 10-point, with 15 scoring points, and three or four more points had been broken off. The inside spread is 23-6/8 inches, while the outside spread is 26-4/8 inches. There were healed scars on both its ears.
Husong, who has done taxidermy mounts of about 80 deer, did the taxidermy work on his buck. He had been doing about 25 taxidermy mounts a year, but recently decided to cut back.
Enjoys Taking Kids Hunting That's because since then, he's added another aspect to trophy and meat hunting -- taking youngsters hunting. He loves bragging about his cousin Joe Partridge's accomplishments in the field. The 11-year-old hunter has taken two 10-pointers with his .7mm-08 rifle, and dropped one of those with a 300-yard shot.
Husong's 14-year-old daughter, Abby, killed a 131-scoring 10-pointer with a .223 rifle. And his 10-year-old daughter, Lora, got her first deer in 2006, using a muzzleloader to harvest a 6-point buck. His wife, Kristie, joins the family in the field whenever she finds time.
"I've passed up a lot of nice deer while hunting with them, including two big Oklahoma deer that I thought each of them was going to get," he said. "And although getting that Kansas buck was a big thrill, I'd rather see them shoot -- I get more of a thrill with that."
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