Big Deer Stories Archives - Page 21 of 113

22 01, 2019

Ultimate Guide To Hunting Shed Antlers

admin2020-06-10T09:15:26-04:00January 22nd, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Shed Hunting|Comments Off on Ultimate Guide To Hunting Shed Antlers

Google shed hunting and up pops more than 1 million links to a mind-bogging array of antler info. There are shed-hunting clubs, a shed-antler record book and Facebook pages. Tens of thousands of articles and blogs have been published and posted on how and where to hunt for antlers. Television shows on antler hunting air on Sportsman Channel each year. I produced a shed episode for Big Deer TV a few years ago and it was one of the most popular shows of the year. There is a good chance you are at least a semi-obsessed antler hunter, or that you will get into it very soon. Either way, here’s stuff you need to know. When to Shed Hunt When [...]

16 01, 2019

Illinois Late-Season Bow Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:15:26-04:00January 16th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

Today’s guest post from Flatlander, longtime friend of BIG DEER: Hey Mike, reporting in on the last week of the Illinois archery season. We’ve had 10 inches of snow dumped upon us, and the deer are still a slave to their stomachs. I’ve been playing cat and mouse with a buck we’ve called “Captain Hook” for his unique brow tines. He was elusive during the pre-rut and disappeared for almost 6 weeks. Most recent trail cams at Christmas revealed he was alive and back, moving among our food plots. Cold temps and flooded low ground had deer on their feet on the warmest part of the day, when I had a close encounter with Captain Hook on New Year’s Eve. [...]

14 01, 2019

Why Some Bucks Shed Antlers Early

admin2020-06-10T09:15:26-04:00January 14th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Shed Hunting|1 Comment

I am hearing reports of bucks shedding their antlers early this year. What causes this? QDMA biologist Kip Adams points to a couple of things. “Nutrition is important, as bucks in good physical condition generally retain their antlers longer than those who are nutritionally stressed,” he says. “Widespread early antler casting (in your area) may signify a nutritionally stressed herd resulting from too many deer for what the habitat can support.” Kip says that in northern states, mature bucks typically shed their antlers earlier than younger, smaller deer. “(Older) bucks skip many meals during the breeding season, and those that rut hard may be in poor post-rut condition... even when abundant forage is available for deer. These bucks are choice [...]

8 01, 2019

Indiana: 180-Inch Homestead Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:15:26-04:00January 8th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Indiana: 180-Inch Homestead Buck

Thanks to Ben Andrew for sharing his tremendous 2018 buck from central Indiana. “Sentimental buck right here,” Ben said. "Shot off the homestead where I grew up, and where my dad taught me years ago with a muzzleloader. Place where I got my first buck 25 years ago. “My father is my lifelong hunting buddy. He’s getting into his middle 70s, and still after it with me. Unfortunately the land around us is up for sale.” How much longer Ben and his dad have to hunt the home place is unknown. Many of us face similar uncertainties these days, but we have to stay with it and hunt hard while we still can. Tale of the tape on Ben’s massive [...]

3 01, 2019

Hunt Tactics for Winter Bucks

admin2020-06-10T09:15:26-04:00January 3rd, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Hunt Tactics for Winter Bucks

We have 2 more days to hunt deer this season in Virginia…if you’re still hunting too, try these tips. Afternoons are always best in late season. Deer move straight from their beds to a cornfield or beans or a thicket or a pasture with weeds--anywhere they can find last scraps of food. When you hunt a food source, the wind can’t blow back toward a bedding cover or travel lane out, and it can’t swirl out into a field where the does will pop out first. Set up downwind of a trail or funnel where your scent will blow back into a dead zone in the timber where no deer will hopefully come out. If just one doe winds you [...]