Clay Hanback, Author at Big Deer

12 12, 2019

Early Post-Rut: My New Best Time To Hunt Deer

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:51-04:00December 12th, 2019|Big Deer TV, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, whitetail deer|2 Comments

Last weekend I wrote an article for Outdoorlife.com entitled, Why Post-Rut is the New Best Time to Hunt Whitetails. In it I wrote: Each year I hunt in several states in early to mid-December, from Kansas to Oklahoma to Virginia. I am witnessing good to great deer movement, and more late rutting activity than ever before. Such good activity, in fact, that the early post-rut is becoming my most productive time to hunt. In early December bucks are tired and battered, but still running on a last jolt of testosterone. Sometimes a buck makes fresh rubs, so look for them. While bucks generally don’t paw scrapes this late, they often cruise back through creek bottoms and draws where they scraped [...]

9 12, 2019

Kentucky 2019 Deer Season Has Record Harvest

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:51-04:00December 9th, 2019|BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Kentucky 2019 Deer Season Has Record Harvest

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that (gun) hunters harvested 107,039 deer during the 16-day season, breaking the previous record of 106,804 that was set last season. Hunters shot 35,143 deer on opening weekend, 19,234 during the second weekend and 11,576 during the third weekend, with the second- and third-weekend hauls also representing weekend records. Officials said a poor mast crop this fall led to deer moving more and being more visible. Also, the weather during the November gun season was ideal, not too warm and not too cold. The modern gun season was recently extended from 10 days to 16 days in much of the southeastern portion of the state, and that lead to more opportunities for [...]

4 12, 2019

Deer Hunting: How To Use The Wind To Your Advantage

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:51-04:00December 4th, 2019|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Deer Hunting: How To Use The Wind To Your Advantage

To a buck you’re a big, walking stink-ball, like Pigpen in Peanuts if you’re old enough to remember. You need to clean up your act, and we’ll get to that later. But for starters, here’s how to read and play the wind and use it to your advantage. The truth is, no matter how badly you stink you can still punch your tag if you hunt in a spot where a buck can’t smell you. App Check On your phone’s weather app, check the hourly for the day and times you’ll hunt. For example, say you find that the wind will be out of the W at 10 mph at 6:00 a.m, but at 8:00 it will turn NW or [...]

2 12, 2019

6 Things To Remember When Hunting Public-Land Bucks

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:51-04:00December 2nd, 2019|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 6 Things To Remember When Hunting Public-Land Bucks

I’m a big fan of Penn State’s Deer-Forest Blog. It’s science-based and consistently provides practical and relate able information for wildlife observers and hunters alike. In this recent post the researchers talk about deer behavior in big woods on public lands. Many of you hunt that type of habitat and those tough bucks. Here are a few highlights you need to remember: Having tracked GPS-collared deer for years in big, rough, hunted woods in Pennsylvania, the researchers say that one critical learned behavior of deer is to find safe zones where they avoid hunters. When deer are disturbed, they do what deer do--run away. If they run to a spot where they don’t get disturbed again, then they will [...]

27 11, 2019

5 Deer Hunt Tactics For Thanksgiving

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:51-04:00November 27th, 2019|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|1 Comment

You and millions of other guys and gals have a few days off this week, and for many of you this is the last best chance to get your 2019 buck. After stuffing your face Thursday, get out there and try these tactics. Hunt where two or three ridges converge and peter out into a creek or river bottom. The thicker the cover in the area the better. If food sources are anywhere close by, the spot will be a dumping ground for whitetails. Set a gun stand or blind on a vantage 100 yards or so downwind of a convergence of hills and draws and watch for a day or two. If and when a burly shooter rolls by, [...]

About Clay Hanback

Early Post-Rut: My New Best Time To Hunt Deer

Kentucky 2019 Deer Season Has Record Harvest

Deer Hunting: How To Use The Wind To Your Advantage

6 Things To Remember When Hunting Public-Land Bucks

5 Deer Hunt Tactics For Thanksgiving