Big Deer Blog

I have never hunted Africa, but I have hunted in many remote locations in North America with many outfitters and guides over the past 30 years, and so here are some thoughts I have on the alleged actions and behavior of Walter Palmer, the dentist from Minnesota, and his guide, Theo Bronkhorst, as they hunted lions in Zimbabwe in July. The hunt was ill-fated from the start. Bronkhorst said that due to travel delays, he had to divert from the area he intended to hunt, and was forced to shift the hunt onto another property nearer the park. I assume that Bronkhorst had the necessary permits and paperwork set up to hunt the original area, and had the hunt gone off then and there, [...]

Two weeks ago we put out Anilogics minerals and attractants, and the first 3 images below came from those camera sites:                                   Tanner sent this buck also growing in VA:         Danny sent this image below, saying: "The Freak." I don’t think this was caused by an injury though.  I have noticed over the years that we have a few yearlings that will have a normal spike on the right side and then have a small mess on the left side."           Finally, thanks to Dan H. for this cool mama and white fawn!      

Some years ago Michigan biologist John Ozoga wrote a great book entitled, Whitetail Country. In it John points out that the first good-sized rubs--on trees 2 to 4 inches in diameter--that you find this September were made by bucks 3½ years or older to mark their home ranges and “to proclaim their control over a given area.” Other bucks and does will see the fresh blazes, and they might come over and lick or rub their heads on them. Those deer will get a whiff of the rub maker’s fore-head and salivary scent, and they’ll know who’s living there large and in charge. Finding clusters of rubs like that in September is a key strategy for your entire season. From late September [...]