Big Deer Blog

Huntersurvey.com recently asked people what type land they hunt on the most: 38 percent said a friend's or family member's property for free...28 percent said public land…18 percent hunt on land they own…11 percent lease or belong to a hunt club. The survey also asked what size land: 38 percent said they hunted 200 acres or larger, but 24 percent hunt properties of 50 acres or less. The takeaway: Small to mid-size private lands that people can hunt for free continue to be the foundation of whitetail hunting across America. Over time, this is where the majority of us grew up hunting, learning the woods, coming to enjoy and respect nature, learning how to do it. It’s where we took our kids to get them into [...]

From Fox News.com: Authorities combing the rugged wilds of upstate New York for a pair of killers who escaped a maximum security prison two weeks ago are turning to those who know the terrain best, asking hunters to help in the search. Richard Matt and David Sweat cut their way out of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora on June 6. They’ve eluded a massive manhunt since then and authorities admitted Friday it’s “entirely possible” the search could take months. They said their plan is to pursue the two men “relentlessly” while turning to hunters for assistance. “We’re asking them to review video from…trail cameras to see if they see anything suspicious,” State Police Maj. Charles Guess said at a press [...]

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources did a report on how climate change will impact wildlife. As temperatures warm and winters moderate, the report says there will be "winners and losers" among the state’s mammals, reptiles and birds. How will Wisconsin’s state animal, the whitetail deer, be affected? Good news: Warmer winters will mean less winter kill and higher reproductive rates for deer in following springs, so herds will build back up and be stable. More deer would mean more tags for hunters. Not so good news: Climate change is predicted to result in warmer summers, longer dry spells, and more intense rain events: the perfect environment for the midge that transmits epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). The theory is that as this disease moves [...]