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19 06, 2017

Pre-Season Tip: How to Set Tree Stands Around Fields

admin2020-06-10T09:16:11-04:00June 19th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

Luke Strommen, who you might have seen shoot some great bucks with his longbow on my TV shows, is one of the best field hunters I know. The habitat he hunts in northeastern Montana is a patchwork of huge alfalfa and wheat fields stitched with woodlots and strips. He has had to master the technique of setting his stands for close shots (15 yards or so) w/his longbow. He’s one the best I’ve seen at it, and here’s his advice to help with your stand sets this fall. “I always try to hunt from trees on the fringes, edges and funnels around fields and stay out of the woods if I can, especially early in the season,” says Luke. “This will [...]

16 06, 2017

5 Summer Work Projects for Deer Hunting Land

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 16th, 2017|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

Get out and put in a little sweat equity this weekend and for the next few months to improve your hunting this fall. If you’ve got a good-sized pasture or overgrown field on the property, one of the best things you can do is mow 5 or 6 strips through the weeds, maybe 100 yards long and 20 yards wide. Leave strips of the larger and taller vegetation, like blackberries and greenbrier, between the mowed rows. This simple task creates diversity of food and edge that whitetails love. When late-summer rains come in time for bow season, weeds and forbs pop up in the mowed strips, and deer love the new and succulent food source. While you’re at it, hang [...]

14 06, 2017

2017 Deer Update: How Are Mule Deer Doing?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 14th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Management, Deer Science, Mule Deer|Comments Off on 2017 Deer Update: How Are Mule Deer Doing?

At the 2017 North American Deer Summit last week, Jim Heffelfinger of the Arizona Game and Fish Department reported on the status of the mule deer across the American West. Mule deer went through tough times in the 1990s, and populations declined in many areas. More than 20 years later most people still think mule deer numbers are down, “but actually there’s good news,” said Jim. “Mule deer populations have been trending up, and are stable or increasing slightly in most states.” Jim pointed to Utah, Idaho and California as bright spots, with herds on the slight rise. But he did acknowledge that the winter of 2016 was brutal in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, where there should be [...]

12 06, 2017

2017 Whitetail Report: How Are The Deer Doing?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 12th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|1 Comment

I recently returned from the 2017 North American Deer Summit, a two-day event where the top deer biologists and scientists in the nation gather to discuss the health of our herds and the future of hunting. First on the agenda: How are whitetail deer doing across the U.S.? QDMA biologist Kip Adams kicked off the discussion with some good news. After several tough years (2011-2014) when winters were harsh in some regions and big outbreaks of EHD killed substantial numbers of deer in other areas, things are looking up for America’s most popular and widespread game animal. Kip pointed out that the buck harvest is up 4% (hunters in America shoot some 2.7 million bucks every fall). Furthermore, the percentage [...]

9 06, 2017

Alberta Black Bear Hunt

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 9th, 2017|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Shed Hunting|Comments Off on Alberta Black Bear Hunt

Come to find out, Big Deer’s resident shed-hunting expert is also a bear hunter. Kelly files this report from the Alberta bush: Mike: Another great Canada bear hunt in the books. Very warm conditions this year, but many bears. Had to be selective when picking an animal to shoot, as there were many rubbed bears. The units I hunt in Alberta are two-bear units. I shot this black bear and waited for a colored bear to no avail. This was my fifth year up in Alberta and I have yet to shoot a color-phase, but there is always next year. I’m happy. The bear I shot squared 6’6” with a very clean coat. Already looking forward to next year!—Kelly K

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Pre-Season Tip: How to Set Tree Stands Around Fields

5 Summer Work Projects for Deer Hunting Land

2017 Deer Update: How Are Mule Deer Doing?

2017 Whitetail Report: How Are The Deer Doing?

Alberta Black Bear Hunt