Clay Hanback, Author at Big Deer

24 03, 2021

How To Clean A Shotgun

Clay Hanback2021-03-10T11:11:28-05:00March 24th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CZ-USA, Deer Guns & Loads|Comments Off on How To Clean A Shotgun

Make triply sure the gun is unloaded. Visually and physically inspect the gun to be sure there isn’t a shell in either the magazine or the chamber. Rack a pump or semi-auto several times, or break open an over/under, several times just to be sure. Secure the gun in a gun vise and spray a little Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber around the action and down the barrel. Fit your cleaning rod with a gauge-appropriate brass brush and work it up and down the barrel. Take care not to drag the cleaning rod along the muzzle. Dowse a patch with gun solvent or bore cleaner and scrub the bore. Repeat as necessary. Run a dry patch down the barrel. Check for [...]

22 03, 2021

How To Use A Turkey Box Call

Clay Hanback2021-03-10T12:24:47-05:00March 22nd, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, sportsman channel|Comments Off on How To Use A Turkey Box Call

As you read this, I’ll be down in south Georgia at the Gopher Plantation, hunting the spring opener, running my old Lynch box and trying to strike a gobbler or soft talk one into shotgun range. These days I’ve gone back to using a box call almost exclusively, because it makes the most realistic raspy hen yelps. To run a box call generally: Hold it lightly in your left palm and work the lid gently with the fingers of your right hand (vice versa for lefties). Keep your fingers off the sides of a box so you won’t deaden its sound. Some people run a box better with a vertical hold, which I really like too. Lay a call in [...]

17 03, 2021

Tips For Hunters Concerned With Lead In Venison

Clay Hanback2021-03-10T10:20:44-05:00March 17th, 2021|Big Deer TV, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Tips For Hunters Concerned With Lead In Venison

In our last post, we reported that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture found that some 7% of the venison donated to shelters has some level of lead contamination from bullets. If this issue concerns you, the Minnesota DNR offers these tips, which are relevant anywhere in the country. ENJOY YOUR HUNT Get out. Have fun. Nothing in the DNR’s lead bullet fragmentation study suggests you shouldn’t go deer hunting. TAKE LEAD EXPOSURE SERIOUSLY Pregnant women and children under six should never be placed in a situation where they could ingest lead particles. That’s because pregnant women and younger children are especially sensitive to lead exposure. They absorb most of the lead they take in, and the brains of infants and [...]

15 03, 2021

Are Lead Bullets Contaminating Your Venison?

Clay Hanback2021-03-16T06:45:44-04:00March 15th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|3 Comments

Back in 2008 when I was writing for Outdoor Life, I broke a story to our readers about potential lead contamination in deer meat. North Dakota, Minnesota and a few other states had allegedly found lead fragments from hunters’ bullets in ground venison donated to homeless shelters. The story caused controversy back then, with most people saying this was just a ruse by environmentalists to stop hunters from shooting lead bullets. Most people said that we have been eating deer shot with lead bullets for decades and it ain't harmed or killed anybody yet. I can’t argue with that. The lead issue kind of flamed out for a decade. I hadn’t heard much about it, until now. Kool 101.7 [...]

12 03, 2021

Tree Stand Maintenance Tips For Deer Hunters

Clay Hanback2021-03-10T10:59:21-05:00March 12th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Tree Stand Maintenance Tips For Deer Hunters

Right or wrong, on private land, many of us leave our lock-ons and/or ladders up in trees and out in the woods all year, ready to hunt next fall. If you do this, here are some important things to keep in mind. The straps, chains or cables that connect the stands and steps to trees are your foremost consideration when left out in the elements. These connectors will weather and wear, and routine inspection and service is a must. Longtime BIG DEER blogger and tree stand guru Matt Cheever doesn’t skimp. On all 50 tree stands he maintains in Illinois, he uses 3 ratchet straps per climbing apparatus (ladder section or stick) and another 3 straps on each lock-on stand. [...]

About Clay Hanback

How To Clean A Shotgun

How To Use A Turkey Box Call

Tips For Hunters Concerned With Lead In Venison

Are Lead Bullets Contaminating Your Venison?

Tree Stand Maintenance Tips For Deer Hunters