The Green River, Kentucky Hunt
By Brad Blaine
This hunt is unique in the way it came to happen.  It all started with the realization that in order to kill a trophy whitetail buck you have to be where they are.  A simple concept but one that isn't easily accomplished with someone who has strong roots and ties to his family farm and traditional hunting grounds as I do.  Yet through "getting real" with the situation I was faced - a lack of trophy deer available to hunt, I took the plunge, literally. 

I had first heard about Green River Wildlife Management Area through the internet.  I'm an active member of about three forums and I post with some regularity.  Through one forum, I was made aware of the Green River WMA's trophy potential.  For about 5 years, there's been a 15 inch minimum antler restriction with very little firearm hunting.  In fact, now you can only firearm hunt this particular area two days out of the entire year the rest is bowhunting only - no muzzleloader season, no youth season, no antlerless season, and so on.  In short, it allowed the deer on this 20,000 acre parcel of property to reach that magical 3 - 5 years of age that so rarely happens on my hunting grounds or anywhere else for that matter.  One of the fellow forum members told me about it and hosted a "forum hunt" where he'd point you in the right direction.  Well, I was unable to attend the dates of the forum hunt but told him I'd give it a try the week before.  So with my license bought, maps printed off the internet, reservations at a local campground made, I set off on the 5 1/2 hour drive to the small town of Knifley, Kentucky September 3, 2004.

Located in south central Kentucky, I didn't know what to expect.  I thought I might hear dueling banjos around the next curve in the road!  Yet, to this hillbilly's surprise the folks were all very warm and hospitable.  Well, almost!  I arrived at the Holmes Bend Campground located on the Green River WMA that afternoon and set up.  The property is part of a US Army Corps of Engineer's Project and as such the facilities were very typical of a well-funded facility.  The COE had built the lake on property they acquired some years ago and built the campground and a few marinas and boat launches as well.  Each site had a parking spot, a picnic table, a firepit and a work table.  Nearby there were showers and restrooms.  Overall, quite an impressive facility.  That was until the Labor Day Holiday crowd showed up.  Campers, RV's, houseboats, and people by the droves started to flood the area.  Knowing that this wasn't going to lead to anything good, I simply set up my site, jumped in my Cherokee and headed off to some spots that looked promising from my tabletop scouting efforts.

When I started checking the areas out, I was amazed at how truly huge the area is.  However, it is very accessible - probably too accessible.  I scouted a few draws and fields trying to get a sense of travel patterns between bedding and feeding areas.  It was a little difficult.  There's not an abundance of deer in the area.  Couple that with the huge amount of agriculture plus the abundant cover and deer were simply not going to be moving much in the late summer heat where 80 degree temperatures were the norm.  Still, I found a few choice spots and headed back to the campground for dinner and a good night's rest. 

When I arrived at the campground it was filled completely to capacity over 100 campers!  So much for peace and quiet!  However, the neighboring camper, a Kentuckian, stopped over and having seen me in my camo asked, "So, you going to try and go bowhunting are you?"  I answered yes and we exchanged information.  A very nice gentleman - typical of the south.  We must have talked for 30 minutes before heading out separate ways and bedding down for the night.

The next morning, I woke up early, heated a microwave breakfast sandwhich in the remaining hot coals and headed out for the spot I had decided would be my #1 location.  It proved to be the right choice.  The area I had chosen was a creek draw which was bordered by a warm season grass field along the southern half of its eastern side then stopped halfway to a brushy fenceline with a cornfield on the northern half of the eastern side.  Wind was coming out of the east to northeast and my approach and position were located right at the junction of three cover types downwind of a trail.  As I approached my position I noticed a deer coming out of the field and at 25 yards I could tell it was a buck.  A quick glance through my crappy Bushnell 10X binos told me that he was a legal 15-16 inch wide 8 point with tines about 4 inches long, about a 100-110 class buck.  I was hard pressed to make a decision!  Should I shoot him or let him walk?  As I had ample opportunity for the next 2-3 minutes, I had decided to let him walk.  Perfect opportunity though - 25 yards in an open field broadside it simply doesn't get any better for a shot than that!  However, that would be the only buck I'd see the remainder of the trip while I had a bow in hand and actively pursuing deer!  I set up my pop up blind anyhow and waited till noon but never saw anything other than a few squirrels.  So, I headed back to the campground for lunch.

As I was eating a sandwhich and relaxing from a really hot morning, my neighboring Kentuckian camper arrived.  We exchanged notes and apparently I had seen more deer than he had!  He had been hunting the area for about 5 years since the antler restriction first took effect and said that he'd have probably shot the buck I saw.  "Well,"  I told him, "I'll probably regret it later, but I was hoping for something a little bigger." 

"Yeah, I don't blame you as far as you've come I'd probably wait too!"  he replied.  "He keyed me into some other good areas to check out and I decided I'd go take a look after lunch.