8 02, 2019

Do You Need A Salvage Permit For Deer Skull/Antlers?

2020-06-10T09:15:25-04:00February 8th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News, Mule Deer|3 Comments

Every winter and spring shed hunters find and pick up big “deadheads,” and many of them can’t wait to post images of their finds on Facebook or Instagram. Let me remind you that if you find any size skull with antlers attached in the woods you might—actually you probably-- need to obtain a salvage permit (or at least verbal permission) from the state to possess and transport that skull/antlers. You do not need a permit to pick up and possess shed antlers (no skull). In most states a deadhead—the skull and rack from a buck that died of disease, was hit by a car, or was lost by a bowhunter in the fall—is treated like a roadkill buck, and subject [...]

30 01, 2019

Saskatchewan Bowhunter Kills World-Record Mule Deer

2020-06-10T09:15:26-04:00January 30th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Mule Deer|Comments Off on Saskatchewan Bowhunter Kills World-Record Mule Deer

On October 1, 2018, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation member Dennis Bennett arrowed the deer of a lifetime in the Arm River area of Saskatchewan. This non-typical mule deer was panel measured by official Henry Kelsey measurers and scored 293 6/8.  It has been declared a Henry Kelsey provincial record, meeting the minimum score of 200, surpassing the previous provincial HK record of 290 taken back in the 1920s. . Henry Kelsey and Pope & Young both use the Boone & Crockett scoring technique, with the difference being that Henry Kelsey uses the green score, whereas P&Y and B&C require a 60-day drying period. Pope & Young, which records animals taken by archery only, has declared Bennett’s deer a P&Y world record with a final [...]

4 09, 2018

Hunters: Beware Illegal Pot on Public Land

2020-06-10T09:15:51-04:00September 4th, 2018|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Mule Deer|1 Comment

As deer seasons open across the country, if you hunt public land, you need to be on the lookout for pot gardens, which authorities refer to as “illegal cartel marijuana grows.” California has the most of these illicit operations. In an ominous announcement, DEA Agents and California Game Wardens say a cartel “owns” every national forest, national park, state park and wildlife refuge in the state. Marijuana grows have been found in 23 states and on 72 national forests. Other states with significant cartel gardens on national forests, parks and BLM lands include Colorado, Oregon, Michigan and Wisconsin. Farther east and south, the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky is known to have lots of illicit pot growing. As authorities point [...]

29 08, 2018

Hunting Canada? CWD Transport Laws For Getting A Buck Into the U.S.

2020-06-10T09:15:51-04:00August 29th, 2018|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, Mule Deer|4 Comments

Over the next 4 months, thousands of hunters will travel north to Alberta and Saskatchewan in search of big mule deer and whitetails. If your passport and paperwork are in order, getting into Canada with your bow or firearm is usually not much of a hassle. But nowadays, if you’re successful, getting your buck back into the U.S. can be a major hassle unless you know and follow the ever-changing rules for transporting deer parts. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed in wild deer in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, therefore CWD transport rules are in effect for bringing antlers, hides and meat back into every state in U.S. The rules: --The Big One: Before leaving camp and crossing the [...]

9 05, 2018

Mule Deer: Why Antler-Point Restrictions Don’t Work

2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00May 9th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Mule Deer|Comments Off on Mule Deer: Why Antler-Point Restrictions Don’t Work

Most western states and provinces have, over the years, implemented some type of antler-point restrictions during mule deer hunting seasons. On the surface, antler restrictions make sense: If by law hunters cannot shoot young fork-horns and other immature bucks, those deer will grow older and bigger next year and the next. More mature bucks is good for the health of any herd, right? And most hunters want to shoot a deer with big antlers, right? Not necessarily, say experts with the Mule Deer Working Group (MDWG). These researchers and biologists report that antler-point restrictions have proved to have limited potential to produce more trophy bucks, and they result in a myriad of challenges and problems. For example: -- Available data [...]

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