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22 04, 2014

Earth Day: The Ecological Argument for Deer Hunting

admin2020-06-10T09:23:02-04:00April 22nd, 2014|BigDeer, Deer Science, Hunting News|Comments Off on Earth Day: The Ecological Argument for Deer Hunting

On this Earth Day, I point you to a fantastic and enlightening passage written some years ago by two of America’s top deer biologists, Drs. Larry Marchinton and Karl Miller. In the United States roughly 3 million white-tailed deer are harvested each year… This translates to about 150 million pounds of meat. Add to this the amount of elk, turkey, squirrel, rabbit and other game as well as wild fruits, nuts, and vegetables that is consumed. To produce this amount of beef, chicken, or vegetable crops in addition to that which is already produced would be ecologically devastating. Acres and acres of wild places would have to be destroyed to accommodate this increased agricultural production. More wildlife habitat would have [...]

21 04, 2014

Ohio: Monster 252” Buck Found Dead

admin2020-06-10T09:23:02-04:00April 21st, 2014|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Shed Hunting|7 Comments

Drew sent this picture of a tremendous buck he had been hunting for the past 3 years. “A truly remarkable animal that we called Moose,” Drew wrote. “Unfortunately, Moose died due to (another) bowhunter’s mistake (not mine) and we recovered his body and antlers this spring. My story is too long to put into an email tonight, but if you would like more I would be grateful and happy to share it with you.” Drew will be sending the full and exclusive story soon. He also sent a trail-cam video of Moose on the hoof, and it is amazing footage. I’ll wait and post that with the story. Drew says the rack was scored at 252 1/8" and that was after squirrels had [...]

18 04, 2014

Illinois: Big 10 Sheds w/Drop Tine

admin2020-06-10T09:23:02-04:00April 18th, 2014|BigDeer, Shed Hunting|5 Comments

Archie over at Midwest Buck Quest turned us on to these big sheds that were found recently in Illinois. Split brow and a nice drop! Hope this hunter, who wishes to remain anonymous, gets a crack at him this fall. This is a good reminder to get out there this weekend and do one more round of shed hunting before the woods green up. Find a nice set like this (or one antler) and you know the buck that dropped them survived last hunting season. If he does not get hit by a car or otherwise perish this summer, he will live in the general vicinity of where he cast his sheds (typically within 500 acres or so). Teaser: You [...]

16 04, 2014

Maryland Bowhunting and Broadhead Study

admin2020-06-10T09:23:02-04:00April 16th, 2014|BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Management|3 Comments

I had a fascinating conversation with Andy Pedersen, a retired engineer and hard-core bowhunter who for more than 20 years was deeply involved with a deer management program on the Naval facility where he worked and hunted (and still hunts today). From 1989 to 2006, 161 bowhunters participated in the tightly controlled program on 3,000 acres of great whitetail habitat near the Potomac River. Pedersen’s records show that 104 of them (65%) hit 908 deer and recovered 746 of the animals within 24 hours for a recovery rate of 82 percent (+- 2.5%). From 2007-2012, hunters stuck another 388 deer and found 337 of them. Add the numbers and you get a recovery rate of 83.6% over the 24-year span. The [...]

15 04, 2014

Texas Sheds & Snakes

admin2020-06-10T09:23:03-04:00April 15th, 2014|BigDeer|5 Comments

Sarge and Miller from the #Big Deer Hunt Team just got back from an eventful weekend in South Texas. They drove down to hunt hogs, but the pigs weren't cooperating. Most people think hog hunting in Texas is guaranteed, but it's not. Pigs can be tricky, often coming out into the open at or near dark, especially on a ranch where they've been shot at and worked on pretty good. Anyway, the hog hunt quickly turned into a creepy combo: sheds and rattlesnakes. I got text updates throughout the weekend, which was ok for the sheds but freaky with the snakes. The final tally: 0 hogs, a dozen or so antlers and 4 ugly serpents, which they proudly displayed on my Yeti to freak me out (and make me wonder what's inside the next time I open that [...]

Big Deer Blog

Earth Day: The Ecological Argument for Deer Hunting

Ohio: Monster 252” Buck Found Dead

Illinois: Big 10 Sheds w/Drop Tine

Maryland Bowhunting and Broadhead Study

Texas Sheds & Snakes