Clay Hanback, Author at Big Deer

16 09, 2021

BIG DEER Predicts Early Trickle Rut For 2021

Clay Hanback2021-09-16T11:27:57-04:00September 16th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, whitetail deer|6 Comments

For many years the late, great whitetail behaviorist and hunting expert Charles Alsheimer produced his annual Whitetail Calendar, with predictions on how whitetails would rut each fall based on environmental cues like the light intensity of the moon. According to Charlie, in a fall like 2021 when you have a full moon in mid-October and another one in mid-November, the pump is primed for a classic “trickle rut.” “Some does will cue off the October full moon (and come into estrous) while others will cue off the November full moon,” Alsheimer wrote in Deer and Deer Hunting magazine. “So late October you get a pop in the rut, and then Thanksgiving week you get another pop in the rut, and [...]

14 09, 2021

Tools For Setting Tree Stands

Clay Hanback2021-09-14T08:52:01-04:00September 14th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Tools For Setting Tree Stands

Guest blog from our friend Matt “Flatlander” Cheever, who hangs and maintains dozens of tree stands each season in Illinois. Great tips as you set stands and prep shooting lanes for the upcoming season: You want your tree stand work to be efficient, and the key is to be organized. Assemble all stands beforehand in the garage or shop; don’t wait to put them together on the tailgate at the hunting property. Paint older stands well in advance, and allow them to air out for a while. A camo pattern made with spray cans is preferred. You can sometimes buy quality spray paint that may be even better than the paint that comes on the original equipment. That can make [...]

10 09, 2021

Gear Review: Fenix HM65R Headlamp For Hunters

Clay Hanback2021-09-10T17:18:29-04:00September 10th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Gear Reviews, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Gear Review: Fenix HM65R Headlamp For Hunters

In recent years, I’ve spent a little extra money to upgrade all my hunting gear, and I hunt better and safer for it. The housing of the Fenix HM65R headlamp I now use for deer hunting is built of a serious quality, black magnesium alloy. It’s strong, lightweight, and even waterproof to 2m. The 2 lights—a large spot with clear lens and a smaller flood with diffuser lens—have individual on/off buttons, and can be used independently, which is practical in most hunting situations. With an easy press of a button, you can engage 4 output levels on the spotlight; at the highest output, it’s a published 1000 lumens of light, which in layman’s term is very, very bright. Three flood [...]

9 09, 2021

2021 EHD Outbreaks Whitetail Deer

Clay Hanback2021-09-09T10:13:36-04:00September 9th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 2021 EHD Outbreaks Whitetail Deer

So far, it’s not been a terrible summer for deer deaths due to Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), but it’s still early in September. The disease typically rears its ugly head starting in August each year and runs through the first frosty weather of October. Here are the 2021 outbreaks we know of: Idaho: The most sick and dead whitetails are showing up in the West. Idaho Fish and Wildlife has confirmed positive cases of EHD in samples taken from dead deer in the Clearwater area. Reports of 250-300 dead deer and counting. Washington: 36 deer near the town of Colfax are believed to have died from EHD. Two dead whitetails near Davenport tested positive. “We are bracing ourselves for this [...]

7 09, 2021

Bowhunting: How Far to Shoot A Deer

Clay Hanback2021-09-07T11:58:19-04:00September 7th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Bowhunting: How Far to Shoot A Deer

I once read an archery column in a major magazine written by a reputable guy that went like this: The buck was standing 88 yards away in the cornfield…I drew my bow and released the arrow…struck perfectly in the neck, the buck went right down… People howled, 88 yards is too damn far with a bow! That was 10 years ago. If the guy had written that today, fewer bowhunters would have protested because as archery technology has advanced light years, longer shots have become more acceptable, especially with Western bowhunters. But, all hunters would and should still howl about shooting a buck in the neck with an arrow. There is simply no such thing as “struck perfectly in the [...]

About Clay Hanback

BIG DEER Predicts Early Trickle Rut For 2021

Tools For Setting Tree Stands

Gear Review: Fenix HM65R Headlamp For Hunters

2021 EHD Outbreaks Whitetail Deer

Bowhunting: How Far to Shoot A Deer