BigDeer Archives - Page 190 of 350

1 02, 2017

Iowa Muzzleloader: Lady Smokes 240” Velvet Buck!

admin2020-06-10T09:16:31-04:00February 1st, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|3 Comments

Hi Mike: My wife, Lyla, harvested this buck with her muzzleloader near Osceola, Iowa on December 22, 2016 at 3:30 pm. The deer known as "The Freak" has 26 scorable points, an inside spread of nearly 24 inches and main beams 27 inches plus. He was 6 1/2 years old. The Freak lived most of his life on a 4,300-acre farm located 10 miles south of our farm and managed by Steve Snow. Every year in mid-October the deer would come back to our farm, except for 2016, when our first picture of him was on Nov. 2. The Freak remained in velvet last year, we believe, because he was wounded by a neighboring bowhunter the previous year. This is [...]

26 01, 2017

Whitetail Deer w/Hernia: South TX Big Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:16:31-04:00January 26th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Whitetail Deer w/Hernia: South TX Big Buck

Got this email from James D. on January 8: Hello Mike: I have a place down in deep South Texas in Webb County. I have one particular buck that appears to have a hernia. I was doing research last night and trying to find images of something that matches the growth/tumor that this deer exhibits. I found the article on your website about hernia and it looks almost exactly like the one you posted. I have been watching this buck for over 3 years and am assuming he is at least 6 1/2 years old now. He has never exhibited any abnormality the past few years. This picture was taken this week. His neck is still swollen and he appears to [...]

25 01, 2017

Kentucky Kid Shoots 169” Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:16:31-04:00January 25th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

One day last November Jordan Mills hunted on family property near Lily, Kentucky in Laurel County. He left home about 1:30 PM and was in his tree stand by 2:20. Jordan had patterned the deer in this area and knew they traveled along an abandoned logging road in the afternoons. It was windy and cold, and darkness fast approached. Jordan decided to try his Extinguisher call, and he delivered two loud grunts. Immediately he heard deer walking behind him—6 does but they were not looking in his direction. A yearling fawn began to stamp her foot, and all the does looked directly away from Jordan. Then he heard a loud, deep grunt from the direction the does stared. Jordan had [...]

23 01, 2017

Illinois Bow Buck “Wild Thing”

admin2020-06-10T09:16:31-04:00January 23rd, 2017|BigDeer|3 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Illinois bowhunter Zach Atkins, who along with his wife Ellie make one of our favorite outdoor couples: Hey Mike: Here is the buck I killed on November 19th 2016. We call him "Wild Thing!” This deer is very special to us because he was the first deer Ellie and I ever got on trail camera together. We have been after this buck for 3 years and I finally got it done. On November 19th I decided to put Ellie in a stand where we had been seeing 7-10 deer every night. I decided to go to a different stand, not knowing what I would see. I never would have imagined that Wild Thing would come [...]

18 01, 2017

Shed Hunting: Why Some Bucks Drop Antlers in December or Early January

admin2020-06-10T09:16:31-04:00January 18th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Shed Hunting|3 Comments

Kelly aka “Shedhunter” from South Dakota sent this picture of a fresh shed he found the other day, and it got me to wondering: What causes bucks in some areas to shed their antlers early in late December or early January? QDMA biologist Kip Adams points to a couple of things. “Nutrition is important, as bucks in good physical condition generally retain their antlers longer than those who are nutritionally stressed,” he says. “Widespread early antler casting (in your area) may signify a nutritionally stressed herd resulting from too many deer for what the habitat can support.” Also, Kip says that in northern states mature bucks typically shed antlers earlier than younger, smaller deer. “(Older) bucks skip many meals during [...]