24 07, 2019

Shoot Your Bow: Best Summer Practice

2020-06-10T09:14:53-04:00July 24th, 2019|Big Deer TV, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Shoot Your Bow: Best Summer Practice

Standing in the backyard and burning arrow after arrow into foams target is a good way to get your shooting muscles toned and your release and follow-through down. But now is the time to raise your game and shoot from an elevated platform like you’ll do when deer season rolls around in 6 weeks or so. Why You Should Practice High When you shoot on the ground, you stand fence-post straight, plant your feet in a baseball hitter’s stance, stare across at your target, draw with ease and let an arrow fly. Pretty simple. In a tree stand, you have to stand up on a small platform; turn your body; and your footing is trickier. Leaning left, right, back or [...]

16 07, 2019

Big Deer: James Pope’s 204 0/8” Kansas Buck

2020-06-10T09:14:53-04:00July 16th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Big Deer: James Pope’s 204 0/8” Kansas Buck

Hey Mike: This is James Pope from Lumberton, Texas. On November 10, 2018 I killed the deer of a lifetime on a small farm in southeast Kansas. I’m reaching out to you because I believe you have hunted with the same outfitter, Keaton Kelso. He spoke highly of you and how much he enjoyed having you in camp. I’ve had my deer officially scored and it was been accepted into the Lifetime Awards of B&C with a net non-typical score of 204 0/8!–Thanks, James James, thanks for the sharing the pictures of your Kansas giant, and for the nice words. That is one incredible archery buck my friend. Seeing James’ 2018 monster pop up in my email last evening was [...]

15 07, 2019

8 Best Spots for Trail Cameras

2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 15th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on 8 Best Spots for Trail Cameras

One August day Iowa hunter Jay Gregory glassed a giant buck in one of his soybean fields. He snuck into a thick marsh a half-mile from where he spotted the deer and set up some trail cameras. Over the next 7 weeks he got 5 photos of the buck–not a lot, but enough. The image time-stamped 9:00 a.m. on October 24 was gold–it showed the hard-antlered monster at the waterhole in broad daylight. Jay moved in with a tree stand and arrowed the beast a few days later—it gross-scored 198. After spotting a big buck in an ag field or food plot, sneak in and set a couple of cameras on well-used trails near the closest river, creek or marsh. [...]

12 07, 2019

Should You Shoot Straight Down At A Deer?

2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 12th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Should You Shoot Straight Down At A Deer?

Mike: At one of my best bow stands, deer often walk in and stop right below my stand, 17 feet straight down and less than 10 feet from the tree. I have passed those shots but maybe I should be taking them, shooting down through the front shoulders of the deer and below the neck. What do you think? Hard to pass such close shots, but I’m not sure of the angle.—Doug from Michigan I was in a stand in one day last September, thinking about Doug’s question. A trail ran directly under the stand I was in and 5 feet from the toe of the tree. Five does walked under me that evening, and I envisioned trying to kill [...]

10 07, 2019

Summer Deer Scouting: Mock Scrapes And Trail Cameras

2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 10th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on Summer Deer Scouting: Mock Scrapes And Trail Cameras

A new regulation this year in Virginia prohibits the use of minerals to attract deer in one of the counties I hunt. Since I’m now forced to give up monitoring mineral licks, I’m making mock scrapes and setting trail cameras beside them. Several studies have shown that whitetail bucks will visit scrapes with fresh scent year-round, and especially in the summer months. The fake scrapes are good places (not as good as mineral licks, but the next best thing) to get images of bucks that will roam your area this fall. A mock scrape is not only scent-based, but also a visual sign. Rake out at least a 2 foot by 3 foot area below an overhanging branch. As you [...]

Go to Top