Rack Report: Travis Champlin's Incredible Kansas Buck

Buck: 206 1/8"
Hunter: Travis Champlin
Location: Kansas
Time of Year: Nov. 13, 2010
Weapon: Bow

Wisconsin bowhunter Travis Champlin is a passionate bowhunter who hunts several states each season. One of his favorite states to hunt is Kansas, where he tagged a monster buck a couple of seasons back.

After meeting up with hunting buddies in Kansas - during the first week of November - unseasonably warm temperatures put a damper on most deer activity. On Nov. 11, Travis elected to hunt a stand location where his friend Andy Steele had previously arrowed a 176-inch buck. The morning dawned cooler and the area bucks began to prowl. Sudden movement brought a nice 10-point buck by Travis’ stand, but he elected to hold off.

“I know you have to pass on smaller bucks if you want to shoot larger bucks, so as tough as it was, I passed,” Champlin said. “I wondered if it would come back to haunt me.”

The next morning a driving rainstorm forced the archers indoors, so later Travis and Todd Duncan decided to move one of Champlin’s treestands to another area. While walking to the treestand, the pair jumped a giant buck bedded in some cedars.  The two archers’ jaws dropped as the top-heavy trophy bounded away. Travis’s treestand was relocated and then Champlin grabbed his game camera to see if there were any photos of the big buck. There were several. With snow in the forecast the next day, Travis was stoked!

The next morning with snow on the ground, Travis climbed into his treestand and promptly rattled up three bucks. The bucks were decent, but not the big non-typical Champlin hoped for.

At 10 a.m., Travis spotted a doe 300 yards away, with a monster buck following. The excited bowhunter rattled his antlers hoping to call in the buck, but the buck followed the doe instead and bedded 400 yards away. For the next few hours, Champlin watched the brute, hoping he would move again before dark. Champlin decided to try calling again, so he grunted loudly. In seconds, another buck came in behind him to investigate. The bedded giant wouldn't tolerate the interloper. It stood up, and Travis watched walking in his direction before it vanished behind some cedars.

In seconds, the buck appeared from the cedars and was then only 10 yards away!  Champlin slowly drew his bow but accidentally pressed his release, sending his arrow over the buck’s back. Reaching for another arrow, Travis drew again. By now, the buck was 30 yards away, standing broadside. This time his shot was perfect, and the great buck traveled 80 yards before piling up.

Travis was in awe at the huge buck’s massive rack - the antlers were compact but gnarly. With a 12 6/8-inch inside spread, the 19-point buck nets an amazing 206 1/8 inches.

Reflecting on the experience, Champlin said he is grateful to the landowner who gave him permission to hunt. “Without access to that property, I would have never shot my buck,” he said. “I want to thank all private landowners who let non-residents hunt on their properties.”

Have a big-buck story you want to share? E-mail us at rackreport [at] realtree [dot] com.