Clay Hanback, Author at Big Deer

1 11, 2024

BREAKING: Scott John’s Giant Kansas Bow Buck, 229 7/8”

Clay Hanback2024-11-01T10:01:03-04:00November 1st, 2024|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, whitetail deer|0 Comments

Big Deer blogger Dean Weimer reports on this Kansas giant shot last month: High school teacher and multi-sport coach Scott John is a dedicated family man and avid outdoorsman. He is a consummate hunter who absolutely loves bowhunting whitetails in his home area of eastern Kansas. Scott had been after a dandy non-typical buck for the last two seasons. But as they so often do, the giant had eluded Scott’s best efforts. In fact, he’d only ever laid eyes on the buck once while in a stand. That was in early November 2023. On Tuesday October 22, 2024, the temperature was a balmy 92 degrees–less than ideal hunting conditions to say the least. Scott, like practically every other sane bowhunter [...]

29 10, 2024

How to Hunt a Swamp Buck

Clay Hanback2024-10-29T08:34:45-04:00October 29th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|0 Comments

If you hunt in or around a river bottom, swampy area or coastal marsh, read this: Biologists worked a project in southern Delaware for four years, capturing bucks and then collaring them with GPS. They separated the deer into two age classes–4½ years old and younger, and 5½ and older—and monitored their movements around swamps and marshes. They found that the oldest bucks hardly ever left the swamps until cover of darkness. The younger bucks not only left the marsh on occasion, they also readily used nearby upland forests and crop fields. The 5-year-olds routinely avoided those areas. The scientists wrote, “Not using wetland areas increased a buck’s risk of mortality by 2.7, meaning he was nearly 3 times more [...]

21 10, 2024

Stand Sites for Farm-Country Bucks

Clay Hanback2024-10-21T09:19:22-04:00October 21st, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Stand Sites for Farm-Country Bucks

Hang a tree stand on the closest elevated hardwood ridge near a corn or bean field. Most of the deer that come and go to the feed will cut across that ridge somewhere, often in or on the edge of thick green cover. I've seen it happen dozens of times each season. Set up downwind of the heaviest doe trail you can find, with rubs and scrapes nearby. Good for either morning or afternoon. Rutting bucks love to troll across an old pasture or weed field that connects crops and a woodlot. It’s a natural pinch point. Set a tree stand just back in the woods where the buck will stage and look for does, and move back to bed [...]

14 10, 2024

Hornady CX Copper Bullet for California Hunting

Clay Hanback2024-10-16T11:24:43-04:00October 14th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hornady, sportsman channel|Comments Off on Hornady CX Copper Bullet for California Hunting

Years ago, fearing that lead in the environment was leading to the demise of the California Condor and other birds and wildlife, California began a slow move to ban all lead ammunition in the state. Then in October 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that instructed the California Game Commission to phase in the ban on all lead ammunition no later than July 1, 2019. Today, non-lead bullets and shot are required when hunting any wildlife anywhere in California. I was in the beautiful Central Coast wine country of Cali last week, hunting for blacktail deer. I chose Hornady’s Outfitter load with the 130-grain CX copper alloy bullet. My rifle and load shot great at the range—1.5 inches high at [...]

9 10, 2024

Tarsal Scent for Deer Hunting

Clay Hanback2024-10-09T14:48:06-04:00October 9th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, whitetail deer|2 Comments

One morning in early November, I smoked an 8-pointer with my muzzleloader and got on the blood trail. I could smell his rankness as I tracked, and when I found him a short way ahead, I covered my nose with my sleeve and thought, Man, you stink. The deer’s hocks were wet and black as motor oil. I rolled him over, held my breath and started gutting. Leaves popped. I peeked up and saw 10-pointer bearing down, head and rack held low, hair bristling on his neck. I crouched low behind the dead deer. A rut-crazed buck is unpredictable. I figured staying put rather than trying to wave him off was best. The intruder sidled to within 15 yards, popping [...]

About Clay Hanback

BREAKING: Scott John’s Giant Kansas Bow Buck, 229 7/8”

How to Hunt a Swamp Buck

Stand Sites for Farm-Country Bucks

Hornady CX Copper Bullet for California Hunting

Tarsal Scent for Deer Hunting