This is one of the coolest Tweets I've read in a while. Jerry @ BG_Two tweeted: My dad will be 70 next year and he got his first bow buck last night! He was shaking like a little kid when I got to him. I wouldn't trade that moment for anything. He had a goal to get one before moving on to a crossbow and we did it together. I am still pumped! This is just tremendous and makes me happy, way to go guys.
Got this from Travis: Hi Mike: Thought you might be able to shed some light on this. We took this deer October 19 on the Texas/Oklahoma border north of Dallas. As you can see it’s still in velvet! That’s not normal for around here. Any insight on this, and does this change how we plan for the rut? I emailed back: Did his nut sack look normal or small? If a buck injures his testicles (or if they didn’t drop as he grew) it affects his hormones and a buck might not shed the velvet. Let me know. From Travis: I finally heard back from my buddy. You called it. The testicles were small and not near what you’d expect. And [...]
In Oklahoma researchers fitted bucks with GPS collars and monitored their movements. They found that in early fall, most bucks stick to small core areas and have a maze of crisscross patterns. But from late October through November, those same bucks showed longer and more linear movements. The researchers surmised that by traveling in straighter lines, bucks can cover more country faster, and maximize their chances of contacting estrus does. To capitalize this season, as bucks begin to roam farther and in straighter patterns, expand your hunt area, too. Scout and hang more stands in long, linear travel corridors, like river bottoms and long ridges. Rotate hunt those stands for a week and you’ll see bucks on the move.
Okay, something freaky for Halloween. Saw on Twitter where somebody shot this deer the other day and said, “This is a first for me, an extra leg growing out his neck!” Scientists say the extra leg is likely that of a twin that didn’t form all the way. According to QDMA this is most likely a case of a “parasitic twin.” Twin fawns probably began to develop inside a doe, but the twin embryos did not completely separate and one of them stopped developing normally. The leg on this buck’s back neck may actually be a non-functioning remnant of the twin that failed to develop fully, but that remained attached to the healthy embryo. Parasitic twins are rare but have been documented [...]
Big shout out to Big Daddy, who has stuck with me on the BIG DEER blog since I launched it 10 years ago: Mike: Got this guy October 16 from my place in Potter County. This is my 40th archery buck in 40 years from Pennsylvania, which is a 1 buck per year state. Good hunting, Terry Murphy, a.k.a. Big Daddy. Way to go Big Daddy, one heck of an accomplishment sir!