Big Deer Blog

2 09, 2014

When and How Bucks Shed Velvet

2020-06-10T09:22:47-04:00September 2nd, 2014|BigDeer, Deer Science|5 Comments

This is a picture of the Mini-Beast Buck last night, which means he stripped the velvet clean off his rack one day last week in late August. The bottom picture is of Mini-Beast with growing velvet antlers in July. The best description of the velvet-shedding ritual I have ever read comes from the research book Way of the Whitetail by Leonard Lee Rue III: Usually in the last week of August and the first week of September, the bucks begin to peel the velvet from their antlers. Mature bucks often peel four to five days earlier than the younger bucks, but I have seen younger bucks peel first on many occasions. Whereas up to this point the bucks have done everything possible [...]

29 08, 2014

2014 Hunt Season is Here!

2020-06-10T09:22:47-04:00August 29th, 2014|Big Deer TV, BigDeer|4 Comments

Here's another look at "Mini-Beast" that a hunter in the Midwest has had on camera for a couple of months. I thought this was a great image, with the other smaller buck hiding in the background. The sight of this velvet giant has the BIG DEER TV Team fired up as we hit the road for Season 4. We are starting super early this year, with teams hunting and filming from Colorado to Kentucky next week. Next week... I can hardly believe the season got here so fast! I'll be archery hunting the opener in the Bluegrass State, where there's a 50-50 chance that if I see and get a shot at a big deer his rack will still be in velvet. Or maybe half [...]

28 08, 2014

Oregon: Mule Deer Head Found in Truck, 5 Poachers Arrested

2020-06-10T09:22:47-04:00August 28th, 2014|BigDeer, Hunting News|5 Comments

From Northeast Oregon Now: Just after 6 p.m. (last) Sunday, an Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife trooper came across a Jeep Cherokee with the driver’s door ajar (at an intersection near Pendleton and the Umatilla River). The trooper noted an empty gun case and ammunition inside the vehicle. About two and a half hours later, another Jeep Cherokee arrived at the intersection with five occupants inside. The trooper observed the occupants were in possession of the head of a freshly killed mature buck mule deer. (Oregon State Police Photo) Most disturbing is that the poachers ranged in age from 19 to 23. The 23-year-old was deemed to be the shooter and charged with killing the deer out of season and wasting [...]

27 08, 2014

Hardest Working ATV for Hunting?

2020-06-10T09:22:47-04:00August 27th, 2014|BigDeer|3 Comments

Somebody sent me this picture, which I said had to be a fake, nobody could load a whole darn moose on a 4-wheeler... My Saskatchewan 4-wheeling friend Grant Kuypers (stuck in bog in bottom photo) responded. (You cannot believe the places those crazy Canadians try go with their quads): Hello Mike: I was looking at the picture of the moose on the quad. You are right, it is something us crazy Canadians would love to try! And I think it could be legit. When I was in Alaska one time, I was fortunate enough to drop a 61” moose that probably weighed 1,500 lbs. They had a little 300 Honda in camp. It was in rough shape, but we decided to try [...]

26 08, 2014

Bowhunt “Micro” Food Plots

2020-06-10T09:22:47-04:00August 26th, 2014|BigDeer|Comments Off on Bowhunt “Micro” Food Plots

Dr. Grant Woods has been a champion of tiny green food plots, which he calls “hidey holes,” for many years. He explained to me one time: “A hidey-hole is a small patch of green forage hidden in the woods where deer can grab several mouthfuls of food before they move on to a larger green field or crop. I use a leaf blower to clear a spot about 20 feet x 20 feet where I see sunlight hitting the forest floor. I’ll take 10-10-10 fertilizer and sow it over the cleared spot. Next, I’ll put down some winter wheat, buck wheat, peas or any seeds that will germinate on top of the soil and produce a crop quickly after the first [...]

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