Clay Hanback, Author at Big Deer

7 07, 2025

How and Where to Find Big Bucks with Trail Cameras

Clay Hanback2025-07-07T10:52:33-04:00July 7th, 2025|BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|0 Comments

I run a few trail cameras year-round on my hunt property just to see what I might see, but right now is when I start serious recon for the upcoming season. Velvet antlers are up and growing full bore. A buck’s rack will have developed its eight or 10 points in June, and most of the of the tine and beam length will fill in by late July. When you get a single image of a potential shooter, your eyes will pop, and you’ll know it! Then you can scatter more cameras throughout your property to start tracking and narrowing his movements. Mineral Cams If it is legal to attract deer with mineral licks where you hunt, do it. Building [...]

2 07, 2025

How Velvet Deer Antlers Grow

Clay Hanback2025-07-02T11:34:48-04:00July 2nd, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|0 Comments

July: Zoom Month for Antler Growth Velvet antler is the fastest-growing tissue in the mammal world. In mid-summer, each beam and tine may grow a quarter-inch per day, the process driven by a buck’s hormones, photoperiod and the availability of good forage. According to Missouri whitetail scientist Dr. Grant Woods, a buck’s rack will have developed most of its points by mid-June, and most of the beam length will fill in by late June into early July. “Those are general rules, but the growth of individual racks can vary,” he says. “Some bucks will show a lot of antler growth early, while others will add a bunch to their rack during July.” July is the zoom month. Right now, fast-growing [...]

18 06, 2025

Everything You Need to Know About Food Plots for Whitetail Deer

Clay Hanback2025-06-18T13:09:24-04:00June 18th, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, whitetail deer|0 Comments

Why should you plant food plots for deer? Two reasons. One is to provide feed and attract deer to your property. The other is to keep deer on your land by decreasing the size of a herd’s home range. If you hunt a 200-acre property, will planting a plot or two keep deer on it all the time? No. But food plots can help you go from 50/50 (deer on your property/off it) to maybe 70/30 or even 90/10. For the small landowner (or hunting club), decreasing the range of bucks is the biggest benefit of food plots. How many plots should you plant? That depends, depending on the size of your land and especially the deer density in an [...]

9 06, 2025

Do Predators Really Kill Large Numbers of Deer Fawns?

Clay Hanback2025-06-09T14:40:31-04:00June 9th, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Predator Hunting, whitetail deer|0 Comments

Most all scientific studies conducted during the past 30 years have documented predation, largely by coyotes, as the leading cause of whitetail fawn mortality. Leading hunters to run out and buy AR .223s and holler, "Gonna save a fawn and kill every coyote I see!" But wait a second. Sure, coyotes eat some little deer, but maybe not as many as once thought. “Predation may have less of an impact than we think,” writes Justin Dion in this article posted to the National Deer Association’s website. In the springs of 2016 and 2017, Dion and his fellow researchers at the University of Delaware captured and collared 109 newborn fawns in Sussex County in the southern portion of the state. The [...]

5 06, 2025

8 Great Muzzleloader Deer Hunting Tips

Clay Hanback2025-06-04T10:07:31-04:00June 5th, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, trijicon, whitetail deer|0 Comments

The popularity of blackpowder hunting is making a comeback! Here are 8 things to remember when you go out to smoke a buck this fall. Pour a measured charge of your powder of choice down the bore of your .50-caliber rifle, or drop in 2 or even 3 50-grain Triple 7 pellets in modern rifle that will handle 150 grains, like my trusty 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader. Some rifles shoot best with 2 pellets 9100 grains), while others like 3 pellets (150grains), so do some range testing. Insert your bullet of choice at the muzzle, and start it down the bore with a short starter. With your ramrod, seat the bullet firmly all way down and on top of the powder, [...]

About Clay Hanback

How and Where to Find Big Bucks with Trail Cameras

How Velvet Deer Antlers Grow

Everything You Need to Know About Food Plots for Whitetail Deer

Do Predators Really Kill Large Numbers of Deer Fawns?

8 Great Muzzleloader Deer Hunting Tips