KEOTA OUTDOORS

Ep. 13: Years in the Making: How Shed History Led to a 7-Year-Old Bow Buck

Luke Long

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0:00 | 45:57

On this episode of The Outdoor Aligned Podcast, Luke sits down in the mancave with his buddy Kiley Harpster to talk everything deer.

Kiley shares the full story behind his 7-year-old, 147” 10 pointer he arrowed in December of 2025. This buck was never a “superstar” on trail camera and stayed low on his radar for years — until the end of the 2025 season when Kiley shifted his focus to age and maturity. Once he committed to hunting this deer, it didn’t take long to capitalize.

The craziest part? Kiley has sheds from this buck dating all the way back to the 2021 season, including antlers from when the deer was 3, 5, and 6 years old. Recently, he even picked up the final shed from his 2025 bow kill — bringing the entire story full circle.

From there, the guys dive into shed season 2026. As of early March, Kiley believes 40–50% of bucks are still carrying antlers based on trail camera intel. Luke shares that he’s found 16 sheds so far this season, and spirits are high heading into the back half of the grind.

To wrap things up, Kiley talks about attending the Quest Hunt Competition banquet, where he and his teammate placed 7th overall in Missouri with two outstanding archery bucks. They discuss the future of Quest under new ownership and why competitions like this keep bowhunters motivated.

This episode is all about patience, maturity, long-term deer history, and the moments that make it all worth it.

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