A cold wind drifts through the river bottoms outside Reinbeck, Iowa, carrying with it the rustle of turkey feathers and the sharp cackle of pheasants. Out here, between cornfields and cattails, is where Taylor Harris finds his peace. These are the same grounds he roams with his father, where deer once ran thick before EHD took its toll, and where his young son Knox—born just last July—might one day take his first steps into the timber. Taylor’s story isn’t one of record books or viral videos. It’s one of family, missed shots, bad luck, and the stubborn joy of showing up anyway.
Small Town Start
Taylor was born and raised in the small town of Reinbeck, Iowa, where community and hard work shape most people’s paths. For 13 years, he worked in contracting before taking a position with the Iowa Department of Transportation in late 2023. Just one month later, he got married. The following summer, his son Knox was born. “It’s been a busy last 18 months,” he laughed. “But it’s been pretty cool.” That balance between work, family, and hunting time? That’s the juggling act most hunters can relate to.
A Hunter Is Born
Taylor’s hunting journey started young—around 10 years old—tagging along with his dad and sitting at the base of the tree, too fidgety to stay still. “I couldn’t see anything from down there,” he joked. “So I blame him for that, not me.” It wasn’t long before he was watching hunting shows and flipping through photos of deer his grandfather had harvested. Those early visuals lit a fire. From there, the bow became his primary weapon, a tradition inherited from his father, who gave up rifle hunting when Taylor was born.
Party Hunts and Push Shots
After high school, Taylor joined a shotgun party hunting group, usually filling the role of “pusher.” While the strategy yielded results—including a memorable 10-point he dropped mid-phone call with his dad—it also wore on him. “Eventually, I was just the guy who walked all day. I was like, I’m kind of done with that.” Still, that chaotic push hunt taught him something: sometimes, the deer come when you least expect it—even if you’re on the phone, mid-sentence, with your gun dangling at your side.
River Bottom Bucks
In 2020, Taylor tagged his biggest buck yet—a wide, split-brow 12-point scoring somewhere in the high 140s. “That deer was the first one I shot on the river ground me and my dad bought,” he said. The story was classic: forgot his release, rushed back to the truck, spotted antlers in the early light, and pulled off a perfect shot standing next to a tree. “If I hadn’t forgotten my release, I never would’ve seen that deer,” he admitted. Sometimes, forgetfulness works in your favor.
Gear Wrecks and Bow Battles
But not everything has gone Taylor’s way. There was the time a bow blew a cam screw just before the season opener, and worse yet, the day his dad accidentally ran over his fully setup bow with a truck. “It completely crushed everything. And it was November 9th,” he said, laughing now but clearly still feeling the sting. Despite the setbacks, Taylor stuck with Bowtech. “They’re smooth, reliable, and don’t break the bank,” he explained. And like most serious archers, he’s been on a gear nerd journey—fiddling with releases, sights, and setups until everything feels just right.
Turkeys, Timber, and Timbercocks
While deer remain his obsession, turkey hunting has snuck up on Taylor—literally. He tells a story of setting up decoys when a tom nearly landed on him in the dark, smacked his Jake decoy, and bolted. “That bird almost took me out,” he said. He’s also had pheasants walk right past his blind, leading to a running joke with his wife. “I called them timbercocks once, and now she won’t call them anything else.”
EHD’s Wake
But not all seasons are kind. EHD hit Taylor’s area hard in 2023. “I bet 85% of our herd is gone,” he said grimly. “We used to see a dozen deer a night. This year, I might’ve seen 12 total.” Recovery will take time, but Taylor’s keeping hope. He’s letting small bucks walk and trying to protect the remaining does. “Mother Nature always balances things out,” he added.
From Misses to Milestones
Despite all the highs, one of Taylor’s most memorable stories comes from a hunt where he missed—a lot. At 18, he had a doe at 15 yards and managed to miss six times. “She just stood there the whole time,” he said, still in disbelief. “I even Robin Hooded an arrow stuck in a tree behind her.” Years later, his first bow kill would be a mature doe the landowner had nicknamed and claimed no one could get close to. “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” Taylor said. “I’m 99% luck, 1% skill.”
Legacy in the Making
These days, Taylor hunts with a deeper purpose. Whether it’s watching fog roll over the river bottoms or dreaming about taking Knox into the woods one day, it’s about more than tags and antlers. “People always told me I needed to go to church,” he reflected. “But sitting out there in the woods—watching the sun come up, hearing the birds, just being there—that’s always been my church.”
And someday, it’ll be Knox’s too.
