BigDeer Archives - Page 146 of 342

30 04, 2018

Is Gutting A Deer In Public A Crime?

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00April 30th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

I remember reading several years ago about a Connecticut man who was arrested after local residents saw him use a hunting knife to gut a deer. The man, who said wanted to show his sons how it was done, conducted the procedure in the back lot of an apartment building. He told officers he found the carcass on the side of a state road and brought it to the parking lot, where he proceeded to show his sons field-dressing technique. But witnesses called the behavior “shocking.” When the arresting officer arrived at the scene, he reported that he was “overcome by a very strong smell emanating from the carcass,” and charged the man with disorderly conduct. Okay, the guy probably [...]

27 04, 2018

Maine: Deer Rides Ice Floe To Safety

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00April 27th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

From the Bangor Daily News: When the Allagash and St. John rivers finally begin moving after spending five months frozen over, it can be a spectator sport for local residents. On Monday, many of those residents got more than they bargained for as a young deer floated past on an ice floe. Sue Underhill Kelly was one of those who captured the scene and shared it on Facebook. “We were holding our breath as it floated by and it looked right at us…”Kelly wrote in a text exchange. “We were thinking certain death. But we watched it stay afloat until it went out of sight around a bend. We jumped in the truck and went downstream and saw it still [...]

24 04, 2018

2017-18 Virginia Deer Harvest

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00April 24th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

During the 2017–18 season, hunters harvested 189,730 deer in Virginia. This total included 95,474 antlered bucks, 12,822 button bucks, and 81,434 does (43% of the total harvest). Archery hunters killed 27,630 deer…muzzleloader hunters shot 48,811 animals…and firearms hunters (rifles and shotguns) shot 113,169 deer, or 60% of the total. Deer hunting with dogs accounted for approximately 54% of the total firearms deer harvest in the 59 eastern counties where deer-dog hunting is legal. Approximately 157,500 deer (83%) were checked using the Department’s electronic telephone and online checking through the Go Outdoors Virginia portal. According to Deer Project Coordinator Matt Knox, the stable or declining deer harvest trends experienced in most Virginia counties over the past decade were expected. Knox further [...]

23 04, 2018

Late Spring Shed Hunting

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00April 23rd, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Shed Hunting|Comments Off on Late Spring Shed Hunting

Tyler Knott of Iowa is still shed hunting, and he just found this 72 6/8” left side. The late spring of 2018 has the woods still brown and open, with “green up” still a good week or two away. Conditions are great for one last day or two of shed hunting in an around bedding areas. Hit the woods, find a deer trail and follow it until you come to a thick and obvious area where deer stage and/or bed. Back in the fall hunting season you would have stopped, tested the wind and worked the outer fringes of such a sanctuary so as not to spook any deer. But now, plow right in. Go slow and look close for [...]

20 04, 2018

Spring: Deer Antler Growth Cycle

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00April 20th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|1 Comment

This graphic from the Mississippi State Deer Lab shows the entire antler growth cycle…here we focus on spring growth, what is happening right now: New antler growth resumes about 3 weeks after (old) antler drop, on a scab that has formed over the pedicles. A growing antler is covered with velvet and grows from the tip. Antler growth is slow during April-May and becomes more rapid during June-July, especially in older bucks.