BigDeer Archives - Page 175 of 342

26 04, 2017

How Spring Floods Affect Deer

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00April 26th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Predator Hunting|Comments Off on How Spring Floods Affect Deer

This week a low-pressure system has brought steady rain and localized flooding to the Carolinas, and today it’s moving up the East Coast. Late April and especially May is also when floods are common along the Mississippi and other rivers and streams in the Midwest. How does all this spring rain and flooding affect the whitetail deer? The good news, biologists say that rising floodwaters of river and creeks won’t kill many if any adult deer, though it will displace the animals for days and perhaps weeks. But the deer will filter back into their habitats and core areas once the waters recede. While pregnant does will move out of rising water now and for the next few weeks, the [...]

24 04, 2017

Remove Rust from a Gun

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00April 24th, 2017|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

Store all your firearms in a cool, dry place, with a dehumidifier running nearby for good measure if there is any hint of moisture (as in a basement). But if you pull out one of your guns and see a few blotches of rust on barrel or receiver, here’s an interesting way to remove it. From Range 365: The trick…is finding a penny minted before 1982, which were 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. To start you need some light oil (good old 3-in-1 will do just fine), a medium brass-bristle cleaning brush, some paper towels, and your pre-1982 penny. Pick a spot to start, put some oil on the metal, rub the penny over the area, and wipe [...]

21 04, 2017

Earth Day 2017: Hunters America’s #1 Conservationists

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00April 21st, 2017|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Earth Day 2017: Hunters America’s #1 Conservationists

On Earth Day tomorrow, I refer you to an enlightening passage written some years ago by two of America’s top deer biologists, Drs. Larry Marchinton and Karl Miller: In the United States roughly 3 million white-tailed deer are harvested each year… This translates to about 150 million pounds of meat. Add to this the amount of elk, turkey, squirrel, rabbit and other game as well as wild fruits, nuts, and vegetables that is consumed. To produce this amount of beef, chicken, or vegetable crops in addition to that which is already produced would be ecologically devastating. Acres and acres of wild places would have to be destroyed to accommodate this increased agricultural production. More wildlife habitat would have to be [...]

19 04, 2017

White (Piebald) Deer Sighting

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00April 19th, 2017|BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on White (Piebald) Deer Sighting

Our friend Danny was out turkey hunting yesterday morning (look for his hen decoy low in the frame) and spotted this white deer, beautiful against the sea of green. Looks to be a fair amount of brown on its head, so it’s officially a piebald. “I need to set up my cameras and get some better pictures,” Danny said. “Should be fun watching it all summer.” Biologists say that less than 1% of all whitetails born will exhibit piebald traits. It sure will be fun to chronicle this rare white deer here on BIG DEER blog!

18 04, 2017

How Deer Antlers Grow

admin2020-06-10T09:16:30-04:00April 18th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on How Deer Antlers Grow

In April, as the days continue to get longer and daylight increases, new antlers begin to grow from buds that form on the pedicels on a buck’s head. Typically within a month, main beams and brow tines begin to sprout and split off. A month or so later, in early June, second and third tines will form. Throughout early summer, the fledgling racks grow fast and furious. Antler tissue is the fastest growing tissue known to man. Beams and tines may grow a quarter-inch or more per day, the process driven by a buck’s hormones and the photoperiod of the days. According to Missouri scientist Dr. Grant Woods, a buck’s rack will show most of its points by mid-June, though [...]