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24 02, 2016

Field Report: Calling Illinois Coyotes

admin2020-06-10T09:16:59-04:00February 24th, 2016|BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Predator Hunting, Remington|Comments Off on Field Report: Calling Illinois Coyotes

Longtime Big Deer blogger Scott from MI went on his annual coyote hunt down in Illinois and filed this report, which includes great info on calling coyotes and coyote guns and loads: Hi Mike: We had a great coyote hunt the other weekend in Illinois. We hunt along the Mississippi River in the northwest corner of the state. Weather was great, low in the teens and highs in the upper 20s and 30s. Most of the snow was melted with some hard icy spots left, so it made it a little difficult to sneak around and into our setups. Still, it was much better than previous years when we have had 12 to 24 inches of snow to deal with! All of our normal [...]

23 02, 2016

Shed Hunting Field Reports

admin2020-06-10T09:16:59-04:00February 23rd, 2016|BigDeer, Shed Hunting|1 Comment

Shed nut Kelly from South Dakota reports from his last 2 weekends, during which he walked 43 miles, give or take: Went to a new place two weekends ago, northwest SD. Logged 16 miles Saturday and about 7 Sunday for a total of 23 miles. I picked 18 on Sat. and 4 on Sun., almost one antler per mile. In the picture above you can actually see where the shed dropped through the snow, pretty neat. Another long walk last weekend turned up 29 more antlers. With deep snow piles gone the grass is laid flat, and old antlers missed from last year show up. Found about 50% fresh antlers and 50% old last weekend, including 4 nice ones [...]

22 02, 2016

Best Rifles and Calibers For Deer Hunting

admin2020-06-10T09:16:59-04:00February 22nd, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads|4 Comments

Caliber: I’ve shot whitetails, mule deer and a few blacktails with a dozen different cartridges over the years, and from those experiences I’ve drawn the following simple yet practical conclusion: Choose a rifle caliber that shoots a 130- to 165-grain bullet accurately out to 300 yards and you’ll be in great shape for deer anywhere in North America. Five time-tested standbys--.270, .308, .30-06, 7mm-08 and 7mm Rem. Mag.--fit that criteria and, all things considered, are my top choices for straight up mule deer hunting and whitetail hunting. Quick note about the .270: I have shot a bunch of bucks with this cartridge, and I prefer the added weight and anchoring power of the 150-grain bullet over the 130-grainer. Quick note [...]

18 02, 2016

Southeast Deer Study Group 2016

admin2020-06-10T09:16:59-04:00February 18th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Science|1 Comment

This respected group holds an annual conference at which biologists and researchers present their latest findings on whitetail biology and management. The 2016 meetings just wrapped in Charlotte, NC. I followed Tweets from the conference #SEDSG. Some of the most interesting new science: Elizabeth Cooney @UGAWarnell studied fawning sites and found that does often choose igloo-like domes of vines/shrubs in which to drop and hide their young. (I found that fascinating.) Rebecca Shuman @UGAWarnell reported that fawns are at most risk during their first week of life. In a study, 51 of 70 fawns perished, half of those in the first 7 days of life. Of the 51 fawn deaths, 45 were killed by predators, mostly coyotes. Bobcats and black [...]

17 02, 2016

Big Saskatchewan Shed!

admin2020-06-10T09:16:59-04:00February 17th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Shed Hunting|1 Comment

Our friend Amanda w/Buck Country Outfitters in Saskatchewan found this great matching set the other day. Three common characteristics of the racks up there jump out: dark, almost black in color (the color of used motor oil is a term I've written many times); good mass, almost a clubby look, though great tine length on these antlers; and short brow tines, which cost many bucks up there 5-10 inches in score. Let's say this buck puts on 20 more inches of bone this summer (but no junk), he'll be in the 170s gross typical w/not many inches of deduction, although his right side is a tad weaker. He could in the best case scenario net 170 book. And if the winter weather holds, he and [...]

Big Deer Blog

Field Report: Calling Illinois Coyotes

Shed Hunting Field Reports

Best Rifles and Calibers For Deer Hunting

Southeast Deer Study Group 2016

Big Saskatchewan Shed!