The old-time deer hunters didn’t care what a buck scored, all they wanted to know was, “What did that sucker weigh?” A lot of hunters still want to know just that, especially up in Maine where a 200 is a much sought after 200-hundred pounda. Here’s simple math for estimating a deer’s live weight. Pull the guts out of your animal, hang it and weigh it on a scale, pull up the calculator on your Smartphone and multiply the deer’s field-dressed weight by 1.28. That will give you a good ball-park. For example, a 150-pound gutted buck would have weighed about 192 on the hoof, give or take 5 pounds.  A 120-pound doe would have gone about 154. What is the heaviest buck [...]

Mike: Every time I walk into my favorite stand I jump four or five deer that blow up and crash away. I have the wind right, and I am quiet. What am I doing wrong? Travis from NY Travis: Oftentimes the shortest and easiest route to a stand or blind is not the best way. In your case since you repeatedly jump deer, it sounds like you are walking through (or very close to) a thicket, ridge or similar spot where deer like to hang out and browse, or bed down. Whitetails are habitual animals that eat, walk and hang in the same general areas so long as they feel safe and comfortable there. You need to avoid them and find a new way to [...]