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29 03, 2017

Is Old Ammo Safe to Shoot?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00March 29th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|3 Comments

Mike: I have some boxes of Core-Lokt .270 loads that must be 10 years old? Are those shells still safe to shoot and hunt with? Love the blog, keep up the good work.—George from Nebraska George: For starters, let me say that I’ve been hunting with .270, .30-06 and 7mm loads from a test batch I got at least 10 years old. Some of the cartridges are 15 years old.They are still reliable and accurate, and I’ve killed dozens of bucks with them. If center-fire cartridges are stored in a dry place at moderate temperatures with low humidity—say on a shelf in a dry basement where you have a dehumidifier running—they can have an amazingly long shelf life. There are [...]

27 03, 2017

2017: It’s a Tough Economy for the Gun & Hunting Industry Right Now

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00March 27th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, Gear Reviews, Hunting News, Remington|12 Comments

The health care chaos last week on Capitol Hill notwithstanding, things have been looking pretty good since President Trump’s election last November. The stock market is up and consumer confidence is high as the President reduces burdensome regulations on business and moves to act on tax reform this summer. But ironically the election of our first pro-gun president in 8 years has slowed the sale of firearms and softened the overall shooting/hunting market. In recent years, with anti-gun Barack Obama at the helm and with the prospect of Hillary looming for another 8 years, law-abiding and freedom–loving Americans had a deep and well-founded concern that their gun rights were in serious jeopardy, and so we purchased guns and hoarded ammunition [...]

24 03, 2017

Spring Gobbler Fever: How to Call Wild Turkeys

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00March 24th, 2017|Big Deer TV, BigDeer|2 Comments

While this is a deer hunting blog, I know that millions of deer hunters will be hitting the turkey woods this spring. Here are some calling tips from one of my turkey hunting books.--MH Diaphragm Mouth Call Mouth calls have been around for 150 years. Early diaphragms were big and crude, but modern calls are streamlined and high-tech, featuring either a latex or prophylactic reed crimped into an aluminum frame. A tape skirt covers the frame and acts as an air seal. There are many mouth calls on the market. Some have one or two rubber reeds; others three or four. Some calls have clipped or notched reeds designed to put rasp into your yelps. How to Mouth Call Place [...]

22 03, 2017

Need A Salvage Permit For Deer Skull/Antlers?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00March 22nd, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Shed Hunting|Comments Off on Need A Salvage Permit For Deer Skull/Antlers?

During the winter and spring shed hunt of 2017, hunters across the country have been finding, picking up and posting on social media some giant “deadheads,” like this 200-class skull making the rounds on Facebook. Let me remind you that if you find any-size skull w/antlers in the woods you might—actually you probably-- need to obtain a salvage permit (or at least permission) from the state to possess and transport that 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 hunter last season—is treated like a roadkill buck, and subject to the same state roadkill laws, which in most cases means you need [...]

20 03, 2017

Study: Trees Know When Deer Feed On Them

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00March 20th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on Study: Trees Know When Deer Feed On Them

Science continues to uncover interesting things in the deer world. The Deer Forest Blog reported that a recent study found that some trees know when they are being browsed by deer…and they put up a defense mechanism to stop it. The study looked at beech and maple saplings that comprised the regenerating under-story in a forest, and thus were often browsed by deer. The researchers simulated deer browsing by clipping buds off the saplings and then applying deer saliva to the wounds. They found that the saliva caused the saplings to increase production of salicylic acid, which signals a tree to produce more tannins. Tannins are bitter and not palatable to deer. The scientists concluded that the production of tannins may deter future [...]

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Is Old Ammo Safe to Shoot?

2017: It’s a Tough Economy for the Gun & Hunting Industry Right Now

Spring Gobbler Fever: How to Call Wild Turkeys

Need A Salvage Permit For Deer Skull/Antlers?

Study: Trees Know When Deer Feed On Them