Big Deer Blog

Ohio bowhunter Chris Cook sent this to me on Instagram:  2 years, 80 trees stand sits, over 350 hours, more emotions, hard work and preparation than I can begin to explain. “Sideshow” finally made the mistake that I had been eagerly waiting on for so long. I can’t explain this feeling, and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ve watched this deer over the past 3 years, finally decided last year he was a shooter and hunted him hard for 2 years! Way to go Chris, great job!

Great guest blog from Ohio hunter Gary Bendele: November 8, 2018 is a day I will never forget. It started out like so many other November days, as I spotted deer cruising fence lines and creek bottoms in Fayette County, Ohio. I saw a little buck cruising a fence about 3/8 of a mile away. I wanted to know exactly which deer this was, so I grunted and rattled at him. It was dead calm and the rattling caught his attention right away. As the buck started coming my way, a huge buck stepped out of the timber and seemed mad that the little buck was there. He postured up and started out toward the inferior buck. I video my [...]

By now the rut is winding down in most areas, and there’s been pressure in the woods—people stomping around, riding ATVs, shooting guns… A bunch of bucks have been removed from the gene pool, and the survivors are spooky as stray cats. You’ve hunted all day without seeing a rack, right? Well, keep the faith and stay out there. More old deer than you think still cruise your woods into mid-December, hoping to hook up with one of the hot does of the season. You might score big yet. Hunt Midweek One good thing about the post-rut is that 75 percent of the “rut hunters” who were in the woods two or three weeks are long gone. Some of them [...]