Blog - Page 10 of 348

30 10, 2023

Hunt Buck Scrapes at Dusk

Clay Hanback2023-10-24T07:11:15-04:00October 30th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Hunt Buck Scrapes at Dusk

Researchers at the University of Georgia’s “Deer Lab” conducted an extensive study on the scraping behavior of whitetail bucks. On major finding: 85 percent of all scraping (by bucks of all ages) occurs at night, and a 3½-year-old or older buck is rarely observed at a scrape. Take that at face value and you’d never hunt scrapes again. But not so fast; read between the lines for some useful data. When analyzing the time codes on their trail-cam images and video reels, the researchers noticed that a flurry of heavy scraping occurs at or just after dusk on late-October and early-November days. Hmm, so here's how to play off that science. Scout for a doe trail, draw or ridge funnel [...]

27 10, 2023

Best Bowhunting on Halloween

Clay Hanback2023-10-22T10:54:03-04:00October 27th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Best Bowhunting on Halloween

Magical stuff happens on Halloween, so dress up in camo, paint your face and go bowhunting. Compared to the last several years, we’ve noticeably cooler weather for October, and let’s hope the trend holds. A little cold front followed by a few days of high-pressure with a light northwest wind and temperatures in the 35- to 55-degree range… If those conditions come together on Halloween, you’ll see deer moving, and bucks starting to rut. Moon-wise, no trick but a lot of treat this Halloween. Based on the full hunter’s moon October 28, I predict good to great deer movement October 27 and continuing through November 4. This is one of my favorite windows to bowhunt any year, and made better [...]

26 10, 2023

Feeder and Blind Setups for Texas Deer

Clay Hanback2023-10-22T10:41:07-04:00October 26th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Feeder and Blind Setups for Texas Deer

An estimated 5.3 million whitetails inhabit 252 of the 254 counties in Lone Star State. Texas hunters shoot more than 800,000 deer (does and bucks combined) a year. While there are no stats to back me up, I feel confident saying at least 95% of those deer are shot from towers and box blinds positioned to watch corn feeders. “This is Texas, feeders have long been part of our hunting heritage,” says my friend Wren Munsterman, who has managed and hunted ranches in all geographical regions of the state. Wren says, “My main strategy regarding stands and feeder placement is twofold: first, to avoid shooting into a rising or setting sun during the hours of peak deer movement, and secondly, to provide [...]

22 10, 2023

Use Tarsal Scent for Pre-Rut Bucks

Clay Hanback2023-10-22T11:17:00-04:00October 22nd, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, Gear Reviews, whitetail deer|1 Comment

This is a true story, I swear. One morning in Virginia, I shot a 10-pointer with my muzzleloader and got on the trail. I could smell his rankness in the air and in the blood as I tracked, and when I found him I covered my nose with my sleeve and thought, Whoa, you stink. The deer’s hocks were dripping and black as motor oil. I rolled the buck over, held my breath and started gutting. Leaves popped. I peeked up and saw another 10-pointer bearing down on me, head and rack held low, hair bristling on his neck. I crouched lower behind the dead deer. A rut-crazed buck is unpredictable, and I figured staying put rather than trying to [...]

19 10, 2023

How to Hunt Deer in Suburbs

Clay Hanback2023-10-15T10:05:10-04:00October 19th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on How to Hunt Deer in Suburbs

I live and hunt a couple of hours outside the concrete jungle of northern Virginia, for decades one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. Even in these difficult times of Bidenomics, suburbia continues to sprawl into the once-rural counties where I grew up hunting. New roads and houses continue to carve up the land, and the deer habitat, across the region. And the deer kill keeps going up! Hunters tag tens of thousands of whitetails in small woods and thickets (many only 10- to 50-acres), and we shoot some massive bucks. A good portion of the harvest occurs during the bow and muzzleloader seasons in late October and early November. I think these are the best times [...]

Big Deer Blog

Hunt Buck Scrapes at Dusk

Best Bowhunting on Halloween

Feeder and Blind Setups for Texas Deer

Use Tarsal Scent for Pre-Rut Bucks

How to Hunt Deer in Suburbs