Clay Hanback, Author at Big Deer

9 08, 2021

USDA Study: Whitetail Deer In U.S. Exposed To COVID Virus

Clay Hanback2021-08-09T11:04:41-04:00August 9th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on USDA Study: Whitetail Deer In U.S. Exposed To COVID Virus

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently completed a study that analyzed serum samples from free-ranging whitetail deer for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Results indicate that certain deer populations in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania were exposed to the virus that causes COVID 19. APHIS collected 481 samples between January 2020 and March 2021 from Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. Scientists detected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 33 percent of those samples. The results varied by state: Illinois = 7 percent of 101 samples contained antibodies; Michigan = 67 percent of 113 samples; New York = 19 percent of 68 samples; and Pennsylvania = 31 percent of 199 samples. It should be pointed out that there [...]

5 08, 2021

How To Scout Deer On 50 Acres

Clay Hanback2021-07-31T09:33:22-04:00August 5th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on How To Scout Deer On 50 Acres

After supper on August evenings my buddy Rick strolls down to the barn behind his house, anchors a spotting scope on a fence post and glasses the deer that come to munch the Imperial Clover that he sows in his 10-acre back field. At dusk 2 or 3 nice 8-pointers generally show up with a couple of spindly bucks, and a few does. Rick studies the bucks and patterns where and they walk out of the woods that border the field. Every fall he hangs a tree stand inside the wood line and tags one of the best deer. You can scout and hunt like that if you own or lease a 20- to 50-acre tract of mixed fields, woods [...]

3 08, 2021

When Do Velvet Deer Antlers Stop Growing?

Clay Hanback2021-07-31T09:06:45-04:00August 3rd, 2021|BigDeer|Comments Off on When Do Velvet Deer Antlers Stop Growing?

A gentleman from the Midwest wrote and told me he had spotted some mighty fine bucks this summer, and he wondered how much more those racks would grow. It’s a great question, and I ran it by one of BIG DEER’s most respected pros, Dr. Mickey Hellickson who said: Generally, the majority of antler growth, especially with regard to tine and beam length, will be complete by early August. During mid- to late August, the antlers begin to harden; that is why growth slows and then stops. During early to mid-September, the velvet dries and is shed, usually in only a matter of hours. The cue for the hardening and velvet shedding is the change in photoperiod caused by increasing darkness and decreasing [...]

1 08, 2021

How To Hunt Deer Where Other People Don’t On Public Land

Clay Hanback2021-07-31T09:01:40-04:00August 1st, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on How To Hunt Deer Where Other People Don’t On Public Land

Two decades ago noted Missouri biologist Dr. Grant Woods used a mix of GPS technology, fancy software and old-school observation data (a ton of hours logged in a tree stand looking for deer) to produce maps of the hunting pressure on the properties he managed at the time. His spatial analysis inevitably showed that on all the lands, most people hunted close to fields, logging roads and similar access areas. Face it, most deer hunters go the easy route and aren’t willing to work for it. Some are leery of getting lost and walking too far back in an area. For example, on one large property Grant found that all the hunters spent 100 hours or more in “hot zones” [...]

29 07, 2021

Don’t Hunt With A Clean Rifle Barrel

Clay Hanback2021-07-29T11:17:49-04:00July 29th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, trijicon, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Don’t Hunt With A Clean Rifle Barrel

Something that Texas custom gun maker Lex Webernick told me years ago stuck, and has served me well on deer hunts all over North America the last 30 years: Know your rifle and when the barrel gets dirty enough to start affecting accuracy. For example, you shoot a lot at the range and find that your rifle starts to open up a group after, say, 20 rounds. I’d clean that rifle barrel after every 15 rounds, or five 3-shot groups. But I personally never take a completely clean rifle on a hunt. I usually run 3 shots through a clean barrel to dirty it a bit, that seems to be the sweet spot accuracy-wise, and then go hunting.

About Clay Hanback

USDA Study: Whitetail Deer In U.S. Exposed To COVID Virus

How To Scout Deer On 50 Acres

When Do Velvet Deer Antlers Stop Growing?

How To Hunt Deer Where Other People Don’t On Public Land

Don’t Hunt With A Clean Rifle Barrel