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11 06, 2013

Illinois Giant Bow Buck: 211 4/8!

admin2020-06-10T09:23:35-04:00June 11th, 2013|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting|450 Comments

It will be a few months till deer season and the new big-buck stories start rolling in. Until then, enjoy these giants from the Big Deer archives.--MH Mike: October 27, 2007 my dad, a friend and I hunted until 8:15 am. We all had plans for the day so we ended early. I decided to walk around the perimeter of my 47 acres just to see if anything was around. I have an old Christmas tree farm in Illinois, about 45 minutes from St. Louis. I had walked about 300 yards when I saw this massive rack lying under a pine tree. I kept walking 3 feet past the buck and, nocked an arrow, slowly walked 3 steps backwards and drew. As [...]

10 06, 2013

100-Year-Old “Trail Camera” Picture!

admin2020-06-10T09:23:35-04:00June 10th, 2013|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Management|424 Comments

Jay Graber saw our recent post and picture of “Does Flying Around” and sent this. Fascinating! Mike: That picture is from the book Hunting Wildlife with Camera and Flashlight by George Shiras, a pioneer in nighttime wildlife photography. Peter White, his son-in-law, had a summer home on Whitefish Lake in the UP where some of the photos were taken. Early 1900s. My great-grandparents were the caretakers of that camp. My grandmother's (Ingrid Rundquist) cat was caught in a few of the pictures too and are in the book. Pretty cool, huh? Funny, after all of these years that I've had these books (volumes I and II) with the rich family history, I never tied the century gap together with today's [...]

6 06, 2013

The Color of Deer Antlers

admin2020-06-10T09:23:35-04:00June 6th, 2013|BigDeer, Deer Science|10 Comments

Mike: Why do some bucks have chocolate antlers and others white racks? Seems like dark antlers are slightly more common on bigger bucks, am I right?—Tim from MN Whitetail biologist Mickey Hellickson told me in an email one time: Antler coloration is determined by several things, including: (1) buck age (older, more dominant bucks make many more rubs on trees than younger bucks, therefore their antlers tend to be darker; (2) bark coloration of the predominant rubbing trees in a region; (3) genetics (some strains of bucks have light racks in their DNA while other have dark); (4) time of year (early in the fall “new” antlers are darker; later in the season antlers that have been exposed to sun and light [...]

5 06, 2013

Montana: Bowhunt Elk The Hard Way

admin2020-06-10T09:23:35-04:00June 5th, 2013|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer|991 Comments

My buddy Lucas Strommen reports on his elk hunt in northeastern Montana last fall: My hunt last week was harsh. Five days, went on a death march every day. Packed in spike camp and cached water in some rugged country. Was the closest I've been to succumbing to exposure, I believe. We started a fire under a canopy of outcropped sandstone, and stripped down to dry out and warm our bodies. Lots of elk. Was on my knees, 50 yards in sleeting snow from a 6x6 bull, but out of my range for my bow. I was using a 1956 Bear double-shelved Kodiak with vintage quiver and arrows bought at Dick's Sporting Goods and Clothing in NY in 1959 (I have the [...]

4 06, 2013

Why Do People Shoot Signs?

admin2020-06-10T09:23:35-04:00June 4th, 2013|BigDeer|1,133 Comments

I have never understood why people do this, it is incredibly destructive, illegal and could be dangerous. Yet many of the road signs you see out in rural areas are drilled with one or more bullet holes. Why? BTW, this hole looks to be a cluster of pellets fired from a shotgun at close range. Wonder if the genius got any blowback?

Big Deer Blog

Illinois Giant Bow Buck: 211 4/8!

100-Year-Old “Trail Camera” Picture!

The Color of Deer Antlers

Montana: Bowhunt Elk The Hard Way

Why Do People Shoot Signs?