You ask the deer, obviously.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTKICK OUTDOORSKaden Buchmann went wire-to-wire to win the first Bassmaster Elite Qualifier of the season Friday at Norfork Lake in Arkansas, finishing the three-day tournament with 42 pounds, 7 ounces.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.A trophy 10-pound largemouth bass fights a minnow imitation lure.(Doug Stamm/stammphoto.com)But the fun part is how the 22-year-old found some of those fish.Forward-facing sonar was not allowed for the Norfork event, one of three Elite Qualifiers that will ultimately determine which 10 anglers earn invitations to the 2027 Bassmaster Elite Series.
So Buchmann had to find another way to figure out where bass might be hiding — and, more importantly, where 130-plus other anglers hadn't already been.His solution was to ask the locals.Well, the four-legged locals.With so many boats working a relatively small reservoir, Buchmann started watching the shoreline for deer.
If deer were hanging out close to the water, chances were pretty good another angler hadn't just come ripping through that pocket and scared them off."If I saw 15 deer in a pocket, I'd say, 'I'm getting bit here,'" Buchmann told Bassmaster.A young white-tailed deer buck with velvet-covered antlers stands in shallow water in a lake in Canada.(Universal Images Group via Getty Images)And, somehow, it worked.Buchmann spotted more than 30 deer during the opening day of competition — including a 9-point buck — and used their presence as a clue for finding areas that hadn't seen as much fishing pressure.
He weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces that day to take the tournament lead.TREY MCKINNEY SAYS BASSMASTER VETERANS MADE HIM EARN THEIR RESPECT BEFORE HISTORIC AOY SEASONThen he did it again.On Day 2, Buchmann once again spent part of his morn...