About Clay Hanback

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So far Clay Hanback has created 428 blog entries.
17 04, 2023

6.5 PRC for Deer/Hog Hunting

2023-04-17T10:08:00-04:00April 17th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CWD, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, Hornady, trijicon, whitetail deer|0 Comments

In 2018, Hornady introduced the 6.5 PRC, or Precision Rifle Cartridge, as big brother to the 6.5 Creedmoor. The 6.5 PRC is based on the little known .300 Ruger Compact Magnum, necked down to accommodate 6.5mm bullets. Examine a PRC round and you’ll notice how short and fat the case is, and how far the bullet protrudes from the brass. By design, the distance from primer to the cartridge’s front edge (right at 2 inches) is shortened to ensure proper seating of a long, high ballistic-coefficient bullet in a short-action bolt magazine. By far the most popular load for the 6.5 PRC is Hornady’s Precision Hunter with 143-grain ELD-X bullet, though more PRC loads are coming to market as the [...]

14 04, 2023

Scout Deer as You Hunt Turkeys

2023-04-14T14:09:58-04:00April 14th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|0 Comments

The turkey was gobbling hard two ridges over. I dropped down into a creek bottom, waded the water, marched up the next hill and came upon a big thicket I’d never seen before. I’d hunted both turkeys and deer on this property for years, but had never spent much time over here in the east end. The shortest way to close the distance to the gobbling bird was straight through the jumble of honeysuckle and greenbrier. I spotted a deer trail and followed it in. As I ducked through the cover I noticed dozens of antler-scarred trees and saplings. I stepped over old scrapes. Lots of tracks and droppings. I made a mental note to come back later in the [...]

12 04, 2023

Post-COVID Hunting License Sales Down 3.1%

2023-04-12T12:59:34-04:00April 12th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News|0 Comments

One of the only good things to come out of the pandemic was an increase in outdoors sports and hunting in particular. Studies documented a 4.9% increase in hunting license sales from 2019 to 2020 in what was known as the “COVID Bump.” Unfortunately, that bump that I and other bloggers cheered seems to be over. A study last year by the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports showed a 1.9% decrease in hunting license sales from 2020 to 2021. The latest study just released by the Council indicates license sales decreased by approximately 3.1% in 2022 compared to 2021. “Our results indicate that the impacts of COVID on getting people outdoors may be waning,” said the Council’s [...]

11 04, 2023

How to Find Big-Buck Sanctuaries

2023-04-03T14:17:00-04:00April 11th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|0 Comments

All us humans need a sanctuary, a place where we feel safe and comfortable hanging out, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends. A refuge we can come home to and flop into bed after dinner, or a long night out on the town. Old bucks need those shelters too. They're called sanctuaries. Now, before full spring green-up, is the perfect time to roam your hunting ground and find them. A sanctuary is the major bedding and security cover for the deer that live on or travel through your property. There are smaller satellite covers dotted around the woods that bucks use frequently, but here we’re talking about the main safe zone. In a Maryland study, researchers found that GPS-collared bucks [...]

7 04, 2023

Top 5 Bowhunter States

2023-04-03T14:04:51-04:00April 7th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|0 Comments

Quick, how many licensed bowhunters are there in America? How bout 3.7 million. The Archery Trade Association worked with the National Deer Association and state wildlife agencies to identify the number of licensed residents in each state that bowhunted in the 2021-22 season. “This is the most reliable single-source of bowhunting participation data generated to date,” said Jeff Poole, ATA president and CEO. “We are pleased to share this information and know the data serves as a benchmark to inspire growth nationwide.” The data is available here: 2021 State-by-State Hunting Data, 3.7 Million Bowhunters in America along with harvest statistics for each state. The ATA also created a downloadable one-sheet document so members can easily read and compare state bowhunter numbers. So what [...]

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