BigDeer Archives - Page 117 of 343

15 07, 2019

8 Best Spots for Trail Cameras

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 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. [...]

10 07, 2019

Summer Deer Scouting: Mock Scrapes And Trail Cameras

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 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 [...]

8 07, 2019

What Causes Warts On A Whitetail Deer?

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 8th, 2019|BigDeer|Comments Off on What Causes Warts On A Whitetail Deer?

Our friend Danny sent us these trail-cam photos of a young Maryland buck with what hunters commonly call warts. The technical name for these growths: cutaneous fibromas. They are smooth, black to gray hairless tumors of the skin caused by a virus, which is thought to be transmitted to deer by biting insects, just as blue tongue is transmitted. Warts may show as single, multiple, or in clumps; they can vary from 1/2 to 8 inches in diameter. They can be found anywhere on a deer, but are most common on the head, neck, and shoulders. The growths rarely extend below the hide of a deer. When the skin from a deer with warts is removed there is typically no [...]

4 07, 2019

Can Deer Antlers Help Cure Cancer?

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 4th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on Can Deer Antlers Help Cure Cancer?

According to an international study lead by Chinese researchers and published in the journal Science , a system of cancer-related genes allow deer to grow a new set of antlers every year, but the animals rarely die of cancer thanks to other tumor-suppressing genes in the body that keep the aggressive cells in check. An antler is a complex organ of bone, blood vessels, nerves, muscle and velvet. “Deer can completely regenerate (this) organ. No other mammal has that ability,” said Wang Wen, the study’s lead author. The researchers also noted that while deer might get tumors all over their body, the growths do almost no harm and disappear with time. This jibes with what we have posted on BIG [...]

3 07, 2019

USDA Program To Control Wild Hogs

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:15:18-04:00July 3rd, 2019|BigDeer|Comments Off on USDA Program To Control Wild Hogs

Do you live, hunt deer and maybe farm in the Deep South, on ground where hogs are out of control? Then you’ll be interested in this: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)announced today it is offering $75 million in funding for the eradication and control of feral swine through the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) in a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The 2018 Farm Bill included this new pilot program to help address the threat that feral swine pose to agriculture, ecosystems and human and animal health. NRCS will direct up to $33.75 million of the allocated FSCP funds toward partnership efforts to work [...]