Blog - Page 299 of 362

22 05, 2014

America’s Top Hunting Cartridge

admin2020-06-10T09:22:49-04:00May 22nd, 2014|BigDeer|4 Comments

A few years ago, Boone and Crockett compiled data from their record book entries and found that hunters are shooting more big animals with the .300 Mag. than with any other caliber. Would you have guessed that? Because I have 200-pound whitetail deer on my mind most of the time, I would not have imagined the .300, until I started thinking about it. Many of the “book animals” are big and heavy—brown bears, moose, elk, muskox--and so some version of the .300 Mag. makes sense. Plus, the .300 is very popular out West among mule deer hunters. In their data B&C did not distinguish among specific variations of the .300 Mag.; trophies killed with the .300 Win. Mag, .300 WSM, .300 [...]

21 05, 2014

Montana Longbow Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 21st, 2014|Big Deer Stories|5 Comments

One of my favorite stories from the BIG DEER archives: Our friend Eliot Strommen (Luke’s dad) shot this massive buck on his Montana ranch several years ago. My friend Randy took this portrait of Big E and the “Sticker Buck.” I think it is a fantastic picture. Luke, who had a lot of history with this buck, and who had found his sheds 3 years in a row, says the brute was least 6.5 years and maybe 7.5. Most of us will never shoot a buck so old. Most of us will certainly not do it with a longbow and wood arrow. Eliot and Luke never scored the buck officially. These guys hunt for the fun, the challenge. the mystery...don’t worry with stuff like official scores or record books. But Luke and [...]

20 05, 2014

WA: Deer Poacher Gets 5 Years in Prison

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 20th, 2014|BigDeer, Hunting News|4 Comments

In a 2012-2013 killing spree that investigators dubbed the “Headless Deer Case,” Garret Victor James Elsburg, 25, was suspected of killing dozens of bucks, decapitating them and leaving their bodies to rot. Washington Fish and Wildlife officers were able to confiscate some of the heads, match them to the carcasses and eventually bust Elsburg. Like many criminals Elsburg was a braggart, and that helped to get him caught. He apparently posted many pictures of himself holding the severed deer heads on Facebook and other sites. In one photo he wore a T-shirt reading “Damn I’m Good” while smiling and hoisting the head of a trophy mule deer. “These were the most flagrant acts of poaching in my 25 years as a game [...]

19 05, 2014

NC: “Lancetfish” Washes on Beach

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 19th, 2014|BigDeer, Deer Science|1 Comment

Just in time to freak out the Memorial Day crowds that pack onto the beaches at Nags Head, heart of the barrier island where I have vacationed many times, comes this story from WABF. A surfer dude found this weird fish that had washed ashore, and he photographed it. Because of its appearance and its long and very high dorsal fin biologists…believe the fish is a lancetfish... Lancetfish have large mouths and sharp teeth and are typically known to be deepwater fish… Very little is known about the lancetfish's biology… This we do know. With its eel-like body and piranha head and teeth, that is one strange- looking critter. Photo: Leif Rasmussen

19 05, 2014

Facts About Deer Fawns

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 19th, 2014|BigDeer|2 Comments

Reports are coming in that the first fawns are dropping. Some factoids about these beautiful little animals: --A whitetail fawn weighs 4 to 8 pounds at birth, and its weight double in 2 weeks. --Each fawn has a unique smell that its mama doe recognizes. --A fawn spends its first month in hiding, separate from the doe; but the doe comes around 2 to 4 times a day so the fawn can nurse. --A healthy fawn can outrun you when it’s only a few days old. --A fawn has about 300 white spots. --25% of twin fawns have different fathers.

Big Deer Blog

America’s Top Hunting Cartridge

Montana Longbow Buck

WA: Deer Poacher Gets 5 Years in Prison

NC: “Lancetfish” Washes on Beach

Facts About Deer Fawns