About Clay Hanback

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So far Clay Hanback has created 591 blog entries.
29 07, 2021

Don’t Hunt With A Clean Rifle Barrel

2021-07-29T11:17:49-04:00July 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.

28 07, 2021

How To Hunt A Buck In A Swamp

2021-07-28T09:15:58-04:00July 28th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on How To Hunt A Buck In A Swamp

Biologists worked a project in southern Delaware for 4 years, capturing and collaring whitetail bucks with GPS. They separated the deer into 2 age classes--4½ and younger and 5½ and older—and monitored their movements around swamps and marshes. They found that the oldest bucks hardly ever left the swamps until cover of darkness. The younger bucks not only left the marsh on occasion, they also readily used nearby upland forests and crop fields. The 5-year-olds routinely avoided those areas. The scientists wrote, “Not using wetland areas increased a buck’s risk of mortality by 2.7, meaning he was nearly 3 times more likely to be killed compared to a (old) buck who regularly hid out in swamps.” Further, the experts noted [...]

21 07, 2021

Kansas: 321 3/8” Butcher Buck #2 Non-Typical Archery All-Time

2021-07-21T09:09:20-04:00July 21st, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|2 Comments

Last weekend at the Pope & Young Club’s Annual Convention in Reno, Nevada, the Kansas monster was officially panel scored and confirmed as the second-highest-scoring non-typical whitetail ever taken by a bowhunter. COVID postponed the panel scoring of this crazy buck, which Brian Butcher shot back on October 10, 2019, but now it’s official. Field & Stream has the full story, click here to read it.

19 07, 2021

7 Muzzleloader Deer Hunting Tips

2021-07-19T11:02:07-04:00July 19th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 7 Muzzleloader Deer Hunting Tips

Pour a measured charge of Pyrodex down the bore, or drop in the proper number of 50-grain Triple 7 pellets. Insert bullet and start it down the bore with a short starter. With your ramrod, seat the bullet firmly all way down and on top of the powder, but don’t tamp it or beat it hard. You just want a good, firm seat. Once fully loaded, leave the ramrod in the barrel and scratch it with a knife or mark with a Sharpie. Check the reference mark each time you load to make sure you seat the proper amount of powder and a bullet. Never cap a loaded rifle until you are in the timber and ready to hunt. When [...]

14 07, 2021

3 Tips For Glassing Deer In Big Country

2021-07-12T13:38:39-04:00July 14th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Mule Deer, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 3 Tips For Glassing Deer In Big Country

From hoof to shoulder, a whitetail deer stands 3 to 3 ½ feet (a muley is only slightly taller). Aim your binocular or spotting scope low in the brush or you’ll look right over a lot of bucks. Glass for a flickering ear or tail, the glint of an antler, a patch of white, a horizontal backbone in vertical timber… Find a piece of a deer and the whole animal will suddenly materialize in your optic. Lay back into a hillside, get comfortable and steady and break big country into quadrants. Raise and anchor your binocular/scope and scan one section slowly and methodically, then move to the next quadrant and the next… Then go back and glass each quadrant again. [...]

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