Outdoors News
Bowhunter does what he loves, gets attention
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FarkRAPID CITY — Any man’s dream is to have his passion also be his livelihood. This is the reality for Black Hills Archery owner and operator Al Kraus.
If you are a bowhunter in the Black Hills area, you may know of Kraus. Not just for his hunts, but for his expertise and leadership in archery. Kraus takes joy in not only the hunt, but also in helping
others and teaching kids a sport that is not in the mainstream.
Kraus is on the board of directors of the South Dakota Bowhunters, and he is the bowhunter director of the South Dakota Archers Association and the bowhunting director for South Dakota Youth Hunting Adventures which work hand-in-hand with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. He has been a Master Bowhunter Education Instructor for about 12 years and is in charge of the 4-H Archery Program.
“Just the sport and the kids, they’re highly important to me,” Kraus said.
And he loves archery for the right reasons.
“The thing I love about bow hunting the most is the challenge and not so much the kill,” he said Friday, taking a break from his busy shop.
“Bow hunting has absolutely been my passion my whole life.”
Kraus has garnered quite a bit of attention in the past year for a spectacular hunt in which he has been featured on the front cover of a Realtree’s Monster Bucks production video and on the cover of North American Whitetail magazine. Realtree is a production company that specializes in hunting videos. The company is exceptionally popular among hunters for its Monster Bucks series. Kraus has been associated with the company for about five years — shooting videos and becoming a four-year member of the company’s pro staff.
Kraus added the greatest shoot to date for Realtree when he arrowed the largest typical whitetail deer ever filmed by the 16-year-old series: A seven-and-a-half year old whitetail buck with a 5-by-6 frame that scored a whopping 204 inches.
During the end of last October, Kraus invited David Blanton, the vice president of Realtree, and several cameramen to a hunt south of Des Moines, Iowa. The time of year was perfect for hunting whitetail deer, Kraus said, because the deer are in the pre-rut stage and can be fairly responsive to rattling and calling. Bucks are attracted to the sound of horns hitting together which simulates a fight.
On the fifth day of the hunt, Kraus was in his tree for about 11 hours when he did another rattling sequence. Kraus spotted the buck directly across the river. He had heard the rattling and was looking for the fight, but instead of coming across the river, he walked up the river away from Kraus. That is when Kraus made a deer grunting sound to attract the buck to within about 2 yards from his position.
A bow hunter has zero room for error. He first has to get the buck to within 20 yards of his position, a feat unto itself. A deer’s senses are much more perceptive than a human’s; any noise, sudden movement or even a slight hint of human scent can startle the animal and ruin the hunt.
“You have to overcome all of their senses,” Kraus said. “There is a lot to overcome, as well as some luck.”
Kraus took his shot from about 5 yards away in a tree. The buck went about 50 yards before falling into the river.
Kraus did not initially know the magnitude of his kill.
“I knew he was huge, but I really tried not to look at his horns. I focused on getting his attention with the call and once he committed, my attention went to yardage, timing of my draw and executing a perfect shot. I found him submerged under water.”
But when he pulled the buck out of the water, it hit him.
“I have to say I was fairly taken over by emotion,” he said. “I have hunted whitetails my entire life and they truly are my favorite critters to bowhunt and to get to take such a magnificent creature with my bow was quite a blessing. Just an absolute honor and privilege.”
As for the monster buck, it has a new home, full body mounted in Kraus’ living room.
“It’s where my 3-year-old can shoot foam arrows at it,” he laughed.
Left, Al Kraus, owner and operator of Black Hills Archery, poses with a whitetail deer that was the largest captured on video by Realtree's Monster Bucks crew. It was a seven-and-a-half year old whitetail buck with a 5-by-6 frame that scored a whopping 204 inches. (Courtesy photo)
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