Clay Hanback, Author at Big Deer

18 10, 2021

Deer Gun Hunting: 8 Tips To Make One Shot Count

Clay Hanback2021-10-13T10:50:58-04:00October 18th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CZ-USA, Deer Hunting, trijicon, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Deer Gun Hunting: 8 Tips To Make One Shot Count

When a deer is quartering away from you, aim for the heart/lung vitals behind the shoulder you can see, then slide the scope’s crosshair back, pin it on the ribs and press the trigger. The harder a buck is quartering away, the farther back you aim on the ribcage—6 inches to 8 inches to even a foot. The physics is for the bullet to punch through the deer’s ribs, angle forward through the lungs/heart and either lodge in the opposite side front shoulder or exit it. Think out a shot before it happens. Say you’re stalking on a ridge: What if a buck jumps out of that draw? Which way will he run? Is it 150 or 200 yards across [...]

14 10, 2021

When To Drive To Your Tree Stand

Clay Hanback2021-10-13T10:30:21-04:00October 14th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on When To Drive To Your Tree Stand

When bowhunting large cut corn or alfalfa fields, I often have a buddy drive a truck or ATV through the field and drop me off and pick me up after dark as close as possible to my tree stand. If deer are out in the field or close by in the surrounding woods, they obviously run off, just as they would any normal day when a rancher or farmer drives by. They are used to farm vehicles. I have my driver park and idle right there until I slip out and climb up into my stand. When he drives off, deer will eventually pop back out into or near the field like nothing ever happened. With some setups hard on [...]

9 10, 2021

Should You Shoot A Doe In October?

Clay Hanback2021-10-13T09:29:55-04:00October 9th, 2021|BigDeer|Comments Off on Should You Shoot A Doe In October?

Most of us wait until after the rut and later in the season, December or even January where legal, to shoot a doe or two for the freezer. But should we consider filling our doe tags now? Specialists at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) say targeting antlerless deer earlier in the year has its advantages. They note that shooting does and reducing the total number of deer in an area can have an immediate impact on available food and habitat. Less overall pressure on available nutrients can help bucks achieve better physical condition as the rut approaches. Healthier bucks can lead to more successful breeding and therefore better hunting during the rut, since bucks stay active and on the search for does. One [...]

8 10, 2021

4 Spots To Hang a Tree Stand In October

Clay Hanback2021-09-30T10:12:50-04:00October 8th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

You can’t go wrong hanging tree stands in these spots this month: Break Line: Look for a linear strip where pines, cedars or hardwood trees come together with brush, tall grass or second-growth saplings. Deer walk and browse on these edges; bucks rub and scrape on the lines as the rut approaches. Oak Ridge: A narrow hogback with acorn trees within 100 yards of a corn or bean field is one of my favorite spots. Deer cut around points, ditches and gullies on a ridge; hang stands on these terrains to funnel bucks close. Bucks will stage, eat acorns and browse in ridge thickets not only in the evenings, but in the mornings as well. Creek or River Crossing: Water [...]

6 10, 2021

2021 Deer Forecast: Texas Season “One For The Books”

Clay Hanback2021-10-05T09:08:32-04:00October 6th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|3 Comments

If you’ve always wanted to hunt Texas, this season is the time to go: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists say that 2021-22 is expected to be a deer season for the books. “White-tailed deer forecasts and expectations are, in large part, driven by habitat conditions that the deer are experiencing across their range in Texas in the eight to ten months prior to the season,” said Alan Cain, TPWD White-Tailed Deer Program Leader. “Though the end of 2020 was dry, and early 2021 experienced freezing conditions that delayed green up of important browse plants, the late spring and summer rainfall acted like liquid fertilizer for forb, grass, and woody plant production and has provided a buffet of natural [...]

About Clay Hanback

Deer Gun Hunting: 8 Tips To Make One Shot Count

When To Drive To Your Tree Stand

Should You Shoot A Doe In October?

4 Spots To Hang a Tree Stand In October

2021 Deer Forecast: Texas Season “One For The Books”