𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, 𝗟𝗟𝗖

02/04/2026

Another good post by The Hunting Report

Leasing didn’t start as a power move. It started as a solution.

Landowners were dealing with liability, damage, and uncertainty. Leasing offered structure. Clear rules. A name on paper. Predictable income. From that side of the fence, it made sense.

But changing incentives always changes behavior.

Once access had a price, the goal quietly shifted. Ground wasn’t judged by how well it hunted. It was judged by what it could earn. Short-term value replaced long-term relationships. Consistency replaced community.

That shift didn’t automatically make hunting better. It made it different.

Leases encouraged exclusivity over turnover. Pressure became internal instead of shared. Fewer hunters learned a property deeply because fewer hunters ever stepped foot on it. When mistakes happened, there was no broader community to balance them out.

It also changed how people think about land. When access is bought, expectations rise. People hunt more often to “get their money’s worth.” Sits increase. Pressure concentrates. The calendar fills up faster than conditions deserve.

None of that is malicious. It’s human nature.

The result is a quieter kind of loss. Not fewer deer everywhere. Not worse hunting everywhere. But a thinner pipeline of hunters who understand patience, restraint, and shared responsibility.

Leasing didn’t ruin hunting.
It professionalized access.

01/25/2026

Very well said !

Hunting didn’t change because deer got smarter. It changed because the image of hunting got edited.

TV hunting turned a long, patient process into a highlight reel. Misses disappeared. Empty sits were cut. Bad decisions were left on the floor. What remained was a polished version of success that made hunting look easy, repeatable, and guaranteed.

That shift rewired expectations.

Suddenly, success meant antlers on camera. Seasons were judged by inches. Passing deer became performative. Decisions were made for optics instead of outcomes. And hunters who didn’t live in prime areas started believing they were doing something wrong instead of realizing the playing field was never equal.

TV didn’t teach patience. It taught outcomes.

It normalized hunting perfect farms with perfect access, low pressure, and managed deer while pretending those conditions were universal. Viewers weren’t shown the years of restraint, the locked gates, the paid leases, or the controlled pressure. They were shown the kill.

That distortion leaked into real woods. Hunters stopped learning from observation and failure and started copying tactics without context. Pressure increased. Access tightened. Ego grew. The conversation shifted from how to hunt well to how to look successful.

This isn’t about jealousy or nostalgia. It’s about damage.

TV hunting didn’t ruin deer. It ruined expectations. It convinced people that patience always pays quickly, that restraint always leads to giants, and that if it didn’t work, you must not be trying hard enough.

Real hunting is slower. Messier. Uneven. It doesn’t follow episodes or timelines. And most seasons don’t end with a celebration.

The industry didn’t fall apart because of technology or new hunters.
It cracked when entertainment replaced honesty.

01/10/2026

⚠️Long Post Alert⚠️

2 Season Stats + 2025 Trailcam Dump

Now that ACW has been operating for 2 full seasons we wanted to share some stats and some comments from our side.

Total Hunters (2 seasons) = 35
Total “bucks” harvested = 16 (which is 45.7% success rate)
Total “shooters seen, shot at, missed”by those hunters = 29 (which is 82.8% opportunity rate) **

** Shooters is subjective – we can only go by what a shooter is in the eyes of that hunter in the stand. Many times we know which deer they are talking about based on description and or trail camera picture taken nearby their stand from that sit.

I’ve been hunting for over 40 years, and I’ve put everything I have into this sport and into this business. I care—probably more than I should—when someone leaves Kansas empty-handed or with a bad taste in their mouth it genuinely bothers me. But here’s the hard truth: you can do everything possible for some people and still never make them happy. That’s just dealing with the general public.

Between my wife, my guide, and myself, we control what can be controlled—from lodging, food, properties, stands & blinds, daily sits, logistics, and playing the wind as best as possible. What we do not control is whether you can actually kill a buck. You are here to kill a deer that you are happy with, and if that doesn’t happen, some people leave extremely disappointed or pi**ed off. That buck is a wild animal. You have to fool his nose, eyes, ears, and often other deer with him. We don’t control deer movement, deer numbers per sit, weather, moon phases, wind direction, the neighbor’s dog, cattle, or random bad luck.

Sometimes it’s 75 degrees on November 9th. Sometimes you get an East wind for four straight days. Sometimes half your hunt is high wind and rain. That’s hunting.
You’re trying to kill a mature buck in a five-day window while possibly dealing with some of those factors mentioned above. If someone told me I could hunt Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, or Kentucky with an 83% opportunity rate, I’d sign up every time.

That’s what you’re looking for opportunity…

I get calls all the time from guys asking me about outfitters I’ve hunted with, and they always ask the wrong question: “What was your success rate?” That question means nothing. You don’t know how I hunt, how well I shoot, or if I screwed something up while in the stand. The only question that matters is, “What was your opportunity rate?” Because that’s all an outfitter can give you—a legitimate chance at a mature buck.

If some of the hunters included in that 83% had done a few things differently, obviously our success percentage would be higher. But once you’re in the stand, your hunt is on you. We can’t sit with you. We can’t pull the trigger or release the arrow for you. We can’t be sure you are all doing the right things while out in the field. We provide the chance—what you do with it is your responsibility.

What I wasn’t prepared for when I got into outfitting was the level of ego, entitlement, excuses, and immaturity in the hunting world. And honestly, the ones you least expect it from are often the worst ones. We actually stopped sharing trail-cam pictures because grown men couldn’t handle it. The bitching, pouting, and du***ss accusation’s were ridiculous. Big deer turn some adults into children—plain and simple.

Then there’s the guy(s) who gets blanked for a sit or two and come back to camp acting like the world just ended. This isn’t a high-fence hunt. You’re not owed a deer. Then the ones that complain about deer numbers. Did you come to Kansas to see 20 deer a sit that you weren’t going to shoot anyway, or did you come here for a real crack at a giant? If all you want is deer volume, this probably isn’t the place for you. And let’s talk about expectations. You’re hunting "five days". There have been years where an entire season goes by and I have had to eat my own tag and I live here. That’s how hunting goes and any “experienced” hunter should know it.

The big bucks are here. The opportunity is here. If you want guarantees, this isn’t for you. If you want to actually hunt with a real chance at a big Kansas buck, that’s exactly what we offer.

12/22/2025

••After a long physically & mentally draining season of outfitting, it was time to enjoy my time in the woods. After a few random sits this season and passing on some very nice bucks I knew it could be tag soup again this season but that was a choice I would have to live with. Saturday morning while checking the cell cams I said to our 11 yr old (Nora) “Hey you wanna come hunt with me this afternoon?” Well I’m glad she said yes… this had to be one of my favorite hunts in years.. no expectations, no overthinking anything, just grab our camo and get in the tree. We got in the tree about 3:15 and between numerous laughs & giggles and a few coughing spells, the first few deer came walking through the CRP around an hour later. Nora and I had a little friendly bet what would be the first deer we would see would be, she picked a doe and I said a little buck. Well the first buck walked in was a nice 2yr old 8pt and then trailing him was 2 little d***s. Nora was like “Oh man let’s kill that 8!” I laughed and she was like “Oh man why not?” haha. We watched them for maybe 30 min before 4 does joined them. As soon as the sun set the 8pt kept looking behind him and started getting nervous. Nora asked “why is he acting like that”…. I said it’s 1 of 2 things either he’s watching a coyote or a bigger buck is coming in. Well lucky for us it was a bigger buck. He stood behind a cedar for a good 10min before he showed himself and when he did Nora was like “oh man we are killing him RIGHT!” Haha of course I said heck yea just have to hope he turns broadside. Well at this point it’s 5:15 and losing light fast. 2 min later he gave us our shot. I thought I made a good shot but we didn’t have a ton of blood to trail where he stood when I hit him and Nora’s toes were cold and she wanted to get back to the truck. So we waited to go track him today.. 80 yards later there he laid. ••

12/12/2025

Confirmed this morning….This stud is still alive and well 🙌🏼

12/10/2025

A huge congrats to our hunter David on grinding it out the past several days taking one heck of a buck. Today was warm here in Kansas almost hit 60° and I asked David do you want to skip the afternoon with it being warm…. “heck no I can’t kill one from the lodge” - the buck was on his feet at 3:45 and was the first deer David saw this afternoon.

12/08/2025

••Congrats to our hunter Andy who killed an old brute of a buck named “Hook”. Hook was a just a bully buck with crappy genetics who was a regular on the farm. We got down to Andy’s last sit and he said man let me have a crack at him and by 4:45 he came strolling into the field within 45 yards and the rest is history.

11/22/2025

🚨🚨

11/22/2025

A big Congrats to Jared Prusia from We Are HUNTR podcast on his 164 6/8” 8 pointer! The weather and (east) winds all this week made deer sightings tough but after an inch of rain pushed through Thursday night into Friday am and temps in the 40s, Jared made a plan to sleep in and get out in the woods just as the rain was coming to end. The plan worked and by 11:50 a.m. Jared had the beast of an 8pt on the ground.