Big Deer TV Archives - Page 185 of 193

20 05, 2015

Montana: Saga of the Mutt Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:19:37-04:00May 20th, 2015|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Shed Hunting|4 Comments

I used to hunt out on the Milk River every fall with my buddy Luke Strommen, before the epic EHD outbreak of 2011 wiped out the whitetail herd, which is still struggling to recover. For several years in the early 2000s, as soon as I rolled into camp, Luke would start chattering about this one special buck that roamed the river around Vandalia. "Saw the Mutt Buck the other day…guy missed the Mutt Buck two days ago…the Mutt Buck is cool…maybe you’ll get a shot at the Mutt Buck…" Well, I never saw the Mutt Buck (and curiously I never knew how he got his name) and had forgotten all about him, until I ran across this story that Luke sent [...]

18 05, 2015

Deer Science: How Does Have Fawns

admin2020-06-10T09:19:37-04:00May 18th, 2015|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Science|2 Comments

According to a fascinating and ongoing whitetail project conducted by researchers at Penn State, discretion and secrecy are top priorities to a doe about to give birth in May or June. Does split up and avoid contact with other does of their social group. A young doe that will give birth for the first time will seek out a secluded fawning site outside of her core area. An older doe will usually return to the same fawning spot each year to give birth. Most yearling does generally give birth to a single fawn. Twins are common among adult does. The researchers point out that in Pennsylvania where this project is happening, 80% of pregnant yearling does have single fawns; 74% of does 3 years [...]

18 05, 2015

Best Insect Repellents for 2015

admin2020-06-10T09:19:37-04:00May 18th, 2015|Big Deer TV, BigDeer|Comments Off on Best Insect Repellents for 2015

I went for a hike Saturday and got eaten up by bugs. You’ll be out there shortly, hiking down to the river or camping, and you’ll suffer the same fate if you don’t spray down. While I don’t like to use repellent, you should. Insect bites aren't just itchy and uncomfortable; mosquitoes and other insects can transmit Lyme disease, West Nile virus and other nasty stuff. In the latest tests by Consumer Reports, here are 4 top repellents to use this summer. Non-DEET: Sawyers Fisherman's Formula ($9.99 from Cabela’s), with active ingredient 20 percent picaridin Repel Lemon Eucalyptus, which contains 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus. Both of the above non-DEET products repelled mosquitoes and ticks for at least 7 hours, [...]

8 04, 2015

Mule Deer: Populations Up Big In Eastern Montana

admin2020-06-10T09:19:38-04:00April 8th, 2015|Big Deer TV|1 Comment

Mule deer populations in Eastern Montana are showing signs of a strong recovery based on post-hunting season surveys this winter. This is great news, since most of what you read and hear is how muley numbers are down and falling across much of the West. From 2010 to 2012, a string of cold, snowy, brutal winters that lingered into spring cut mule deer numbers by as much as 55 percent in the region. But after surveys this winter, biologists estimate a near-record number of 91 fawns per 100 does in many areas. Bucks are also doing well, with an average of 37 bucks per 100 does compared to a long-term average of 32 per 100 in Eastern Montana. Biologists note that observations [...]

25 03, 2015

Hunting TV: Why I Air No-Kill Episodes

admin2020-06-10T09:19:38-04:00March 25th, 2015|Big Deer TV, BigDeer|7 Comments

In the last couple of seasons of BIG DEER TV, we have aired episodes from Wisconsin, New York, Montana and other places where we hunted hard, had fun and did not shoot a buck. Those "no kill" shows were some of our most popular and highly rated episodes. One good trend in hunting TV is that more and more viewers want to see and hear the real story, whether it ends with a buck or not, and more and more producers and network executives are getting that, albeit slowly. Every time somebody questions me on whether we ought to air a no-kill episode or not, I point them to this letter I got one time from a viewer: Mike: I want to tell [...]