Post by drs on Dec 19, 2006 8:51:50 GMT -5
Officer, not car, finally gets deer, and it's a big one
By Steve Ford (Contact)
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Monster deer aren't limited to vast tracts of private land or exclusive and expensive leases.
Sometimes they can literally come right out of the neighbor's backyard in places you'd never suspect unless you're a deer hunter or a police officer who's spent part of his career working third shift.
Turns out Kenny Fields, 39, is both. A 17-year veteran of the Evansville police force, Fields is a deer hunter who prefers a compound bow over any firearms.
"People wouldn't believe the places I've seen deer in Evansville when I was working third shift," said Fields. "Most of the big deer in Vanderburgh County don't get killed by hunters, though. They get hit by cars.
"One of the biggest deer that ever got hit in the city was right by the Lloyd Expressway, but not near Wesselman Woods. It was at Mary Street right by Berry Plastics. It was a 10-pointer with good mass, definitely a book deer. One of the guys had it mounted."
Such deer use green belts like Pigeon Creek to make their way into the city and are usually spotted - or hit - in those areas. They tend to be nocturnal and tend to know how to navigate traffic, people and pets.
Fields hears about such animals from fellow officers or through friendly landowners who don't mind having a grateful police officer around to keep an eye on their property during hunting season.
"It's definitely an advantage for someone like me who likes to hunt close to home," said Fields. "I'll really appreciate the confidence those people show in me by allowing me to hunt their land.
"Most of the really big deer I hear about usually end up getting hit by a car before I ever get them. That can be frustrating. But then there's other times when you're pleasantly surprised."
That's because Fields doesn't hunt urban deer just for the novelty. He hunts for quality bucks as well as does for the freezer. This year he scored a dandy.
"I told (taxidermist) Danny Knight I'd probably never see him again," said Fields. "I doubt I'll ever get one bigger than this."
The buck Fields killed at 34 yards with his bow had 15 points, main beams of 28 inches (one just over, one just under) and an estimated raw score of about 180.
Fields isn't certain - he's still doing some research - but he thinks it might be the biggest deer ever killed with a bow in Vanderburgh County.
"I'd never seen this deer before," he said. "I knew there were big deer in the area, but I also knew a big one I'd seen had been hit by a car. I'd even passed on a small 8-pointer earlier in the day.
"Then I saw a doe and this buck was 10 yards behind her lip-curling. He wasn't chasing her, just tending her. I had to let the bow down twice to wait for him to come through, but he finally did on the third try."
Fields then waited an hour before getting out of the tree and quickly found his arrow, which had passed through the deer. There was a little blood at that spot but no more.
"My father-in-law (Kenny Conger) and the landowner (~ME~) helped me find it at 2:30 in the afternoon," said Fields. "They were laughing at me because I started doing a little dance when I saw it. It was such a relief to find that buck."
It shows that next big deer might be closer than you think.
You can contact Steve Ford at 464-7511 or fords@courierpress.com
By Steve Ford (Contact)
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Monster deer aren't limited to vast tracts of private land or exclusive and expensive leases.
Sometimes they can literally come right out of the neighbor's backyard in places you'd never suspect unless you're a deer hunter or a police officer who's spent part of his career working third shift.
Turns out Kenny Fields, 39, is both. A 17-year veteran of the Evansville police force, Fields is a deer hunter who prefers a compound bow over any firearms.
"People wouldn't believe the places I've seen deer in Evansville when I was working third shift," said Fields. "Most of the big deer in Vanderburgh County don't get killed by hunters, though. They get hit by cars.
"One of the biggest deer that ever got hit in the city was right by the Lloyd Expressway, but not near Wesselman Woods. It was at Mary Street right by Berry Plastics. It was a 10-pointer with good mass, definitely a book deer. One of the guys had it mounted."
Such deer use green belts like Pigeon Creek to make their way into the city and are usually spotted - or hit - in those areas. They tend to be nocturnal and tend to know how to navigate traffic, people and pets.
Fields hears about such animals from fellow officers or through friendly landowners who don't mind having a grateful police officer around to keep an eye on their property during hunting season.
"It's definitely an advantage for someone like me who likes to hunt close to home," said Fields. "I'll really appreciate the confidence those people show in me by allowing me to hunt their land.
"Most of the really big deer I hear about usually end up getting hit by a car before I ever get them. That can be frustrating. But then there's other times when you're pleasantly surprised."
That's because Fields doesn't hunt urban deer just for the novelty. He hunts for quality bucks as well as does for the freezer. This year he scored a dandy.
"I told (taxidermist) Danny Knight I'd probably never see him again," said Fields. "I doubt I'll ever get one bigger than this."
The buck Fields killed at 34 yards with his bow had 15 points, main beams of 28 inches (one just over, one just under) and an estimated raw score of about 180.
Fields isn't certain - he's still doing some research - but he thinks it might be the biggest deer ever killed with a bow in Vanderburgh County.
"I'd never seen this deer before," he said. "I knew there were big deer in the area, but I also knew a big one I'd seen had been hit by a car. I'd even passed on a small 8-pointer earlier in the day.
"Then I saw a doe and this buck was 10 yards behind her lip-curling. He wasn't chasing her, just tending her. I had to let the bow down twice to wait for him to come through, but he finally did on the third try."
Fields then waited an hour before getting out of the tree and quickly found his arrow, which had passed through the deer. There was a little blood at that spot but no more.
"My father-in-law (Kenny Conger) and the landowner (~ME~) helped me find it at 2:30 in the afternoon," said Fields. "They were laughing at me because I started doing a little dance when I saw it. It was such a relief to find that buck."
It shows that next big deer might be closer than you think.
You can contact Steve Ford at 464-7511 or fords@courierpress.com
I am hopping Kenny will show me the mount, and I will take a photo of it to show everyone at that time. 
This Hunter was one of the happiest Hunters I've seen in a long time!!! AGAIN CONGRATUATIONS KENNY!! ;D (If you should be reading this)
