About Clay Hanback

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So far Clay Hanback has created 518 blog entries.
25 09, 2023

Why You Should Shoot a Doe Early in Bow Season

2023-09-25T09:21:42-04:00September 25th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Why You Should Shoot a Doe Early in Bow Season

In this open letter to hunters as the 2023 season kicks off, Chad Stewart, deer management specialist with the Michigan DNR, writes: …”the typical Michigan hunting philosophy to date is to hold off on taking antlerless deer until later in the season.” While there are exceptions to this way of thinking, that is the predominant philosophy of whitetail hunters in most states: Spend the early archery season and the rut trying to get your buck, then maybe shoot a doe or 2 for the freezer after Thanksgiving until the season ends. But in regions where there are too many antlerless deer, where the buck/doe ratio is out of balance, such as in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan right now, that [...]

20 09, 2023

Kitchen Chair Tree Stand in Oklahoma

2023-09-20T09:12:50-04:00September 20th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Kitchen Chair Tree Stand in Oklahoma

This tweet by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (@OKWildlifeDept) has gone viral: This "tree stand" was discovered on public land in McIntosh Co. by Warden Rowland. Not only is this EXTREMELY NOT SAFE, it is EXTREMELY NOT LEGAL. Not Safe: The chair was attached to the tree by just 4 small screws! Not legal: In Oklahoma (and many other states) it’s illegal to drive nails or screws into a live tree on public land. In a related tweet after posting the chair in the tree the ODWC said: We are hosting a hunter safety class specifically for adults. Please sign up, some of you really need it. LOL

18 09, 2023

Big Deer’s 2023 Moon-Rut Hunting Guide

2023-09-18T08:55:01-04:00September 18th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, Deer Science, whitetail deer|6 Comments

Over the past 40 years I’ve spent more than 1,000 days in deer stands across North America during the magic month of November, during every imaginable moon phase, during all the waxing and waning days. Though many scientists don’t put much stock in the moon and its effects on whitetails and the rut, my journal notes and personal observations say differently. I am convinced the various lunar phases can and do impact the movements of rutting deer, though admittedly those effects can sometimes be difficult to see and predict because of warm-weather patterns and moderate to heavy hunting pressure from region to region, Here are my 2023 moon-rut predictions. Factor them into your gameplan as you schedule your rut-hunting vacation [...]

13 09, 2023

3 Great Hunts to Kick Off the Fall

2023-09-05T08:48:14-04:00September 13th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer|Comments Off on 3 Great Hunts to Kick Off the Fall

You’re a charter member of the Big Deer Army, some 12 million of us strong across the United States. More people hunt whitetails by far than any other game species. But the best deer hunting is still months away. Feel the need to get outdoors, where the air is clean and the environment quiet? Here are 3 cheap and easy hunts you can do right now near home. The bonus is that if you are lucky enough to bag a few critters they are great eating for you and your family. Squirrels These little animals are the quintessential small game to hunt, found in abundance across the U.S. The eastern gray squirrel is king, found from New York to the [...]

11 09, 2023

Early-Season Whitetail Q&A for Bowhunters

2023-09-05T08:40:18-04:00September 11th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Early-Season Whitetail Q&A for Bowhunters

You scout and glass a couple of small bucks, a decent 8-pointer and a shooter 10 coming to a bean field like clockwork in the evenings. Will those bucks, and especially the 10-point, be around when bow season opens in a few weeks?   That bachelor’s club will start to break up in mid-September, but a few of the bucks may still run together into October. In what is known as the “fall shuffle,” some of the bucks will shift a mile or more to winter range while some of them—maybe that big 10--will stay right there, close to where you’re spotting them now. Keep glassing the fields and edges, and hang a tree stand or 2 in the nearby [...]

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