Big Deer Stories Archives - Page 64 of 113

7 04, 2017

Ticks and Snakes: When to Stop Shed Hunting

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00April 7th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Shed Hunting|6 Comments

Shed-Hunting fanatic Kelly from South Dakota filed his last field report of the spring: Mike: Time to stop shed hunting, ticks are terrible and I saw a “rattler” last weekend. That is all it takes for me to quit the shed hunting and go Walleye wader fishing. Ended the season with 102 antlers, and I know I will find a few more as I wader fish. I fish some areas where I hunt, so I know the land area very well. Pictured is #101 in count and the biggest of the year, 82”. I searched 4 hours for other half with no luck.—Kelly Enjoyed your reports, Kelly, 100 for the year is awesome man. I’m with ya on the ticks [...]

5 04, 2017

Cryptorchidism in Deer: “Stag Buck”

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00April 5th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Cryptorchidism in Deer: “Stag Buck”

Have you ever seen a buck in velvet well past September, maybe into November or December, or even with velvet antlers still intact in spring or summer? Commonly called a “stag,” the oddball buck exhibits unusual antler growth and retains velvet on the antlers due to low testosterone levels. Scientists refer to this condition as cryptoridism, and it’s rare. It can result from a birth defect or disease that causes a buck’s testicles (one or both) not to drop normally. Or, a buck may injure his privates, say on a wire fence (ouch). Cryptorchidism can occur in whitetails, blacktails (picture above) or mule deer (below). A stag buck is different, and he doesn’t engage in the seasonal rituals of normal [...]

3 04, 2017

Scout for Deer in Spring

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00April 3rd, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

When you scout and hunt in October or November, you find some rubs and scrapes and scratch the surface of a buck’s core area, but you don’t walk around too much or explore too deep in the woods for fear of spooking deer. That’s smart. But you only get a glimpse of how and where the bucks are living. But now, in early April and before the woods green up too much, you can walk every inch of your woods and investigate. The next couple of weeks are the best time to scout your hunting land. Start walking and cover every ridge, draw and creek bottom. Stick your boots and nose in every field edge, thicket or swamp. You’ll bump [...]

31 03, 2017

South Dakota Shed Hunt

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00March 31st, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Shed Hunting|1 Comment

BIG DEER’s shed-hunting expert Kelly Kirsch filed this field report: Mike: Walked another 16.8 miles last Saturday and found 6. I found one that I call the “kick stand,” it stands on its own. Kind of a cool antler, my wife already claimed it! Sunday I hurt so I just hit one place, a small dam with grasses in the middle of an unpicked corn field. It just felt right! Well, we picked 8, with three sets and this one good set.—Kelly By my count Kelly is pushing 100 antlers for the year so far, with some great sets like in the picture above. Gonna be a slammer buck this fall.. For BIG DEER's best shed-hunting tips click here.

29 03, 2017

Is Old Ammo Safe to Shoot?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00March 29th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|3 Comments

Mike: I have some boxes of Core-Lokt .270 loads that must be 10 years old? Are those shells still safe to shoot and hunt with? Love the blog, keep up the good work.—George from Nebraska George: For starters, let me say that I’ve been hunting with .270, .30-06 and 7mm loads from a test batch I got at least 10 years old. Some of the cartridges are 15 years old.They are still reliable and accurate, and I’ve killed dozens of bucks with them. If center-fire cartridges are stored in a dry place at moderate temperatures with low humidity—say on a shelf in a dry basement where you have a dehumidifier running—they can have an amazingly long shelf life. There are [...]