BigDeer Archives - Page 155 of 350

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.

18 04, 2018

Bigger Bucks: 5 Food-Plot Pointers

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00April 18th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

One: Design Before You Dig On an aerial map, look for strips and pockets of open ground toward the interior of your property, and plant those first. This keeps your plots—and the bucks they attract--away from roads and the neighbors’ fence lines. Also, the closer you plant to thick bedding cover the better your chances that mature 8- or 10-pointer will pop out into the plot to grab a bite one evening this fall. Think back to past hunts on the land. Whitetails are habitual animals that come and go in the same places from year to year. Where have you seen the most deer and found the found the most trails, rubs and scrapes over the years? Plant your [...]

16 04, 2018

Bucket List Hunt: Carmen Mountain Whitetail

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00April 16th, 2018|BigDeer|1 Comment

Back in 1940, a different type of deer was observed in the Sierra Del Carmen Mountains of Mexico. While nearly identical in color and features to the common whitetail, this animal was considerably smaller in stature, and even a bit smaller than the Coues deer, which inhabits similar mountainous habitat. Scientists studied the animal and identified it as the “Carmen Mountain Whitetail.” A mature Carmen buck weighs 100 pounds and stands about 30 inches high. Antlers are typically baskets, with beams that curve inward. An 8-point buck that scores 80 to 100 inches is a good one. Eighty years ago, the only known habitat of the Carmen whitetail in the U.S. was the Chisos Mountains of Southwest Texas. The tiny [...]

13 04, 2018

Scout Deer In Spring Turkey Season

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00April 13th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

When we scout and hunt a property for deer from September through December, we poke around and look for rubs, scrapes and tracks. But we are reluctant to walk around too much or penetrate too deeply into the woods for fear of bumping deer. That’s good, but trouble is, by working only the perimeters of a hunting area, you only get a glimpse of how and where the deer, and bucks, live and travel. But in the spring, you can walk freely in the woods and investigate every ridge, bottom and thicket for signs of deer. Why not kill two birds with one stone and combine your scouting with your turkey hunting in April and May? At daylight, listen for [...]