BigDeer Archives - Page 207 of 342

6 04, 2016

USFWS: Hunters, Fishermen Provide $1.1 Billion for Conservation

admin2020-06-10T09:16:49-04:00April 6th, 2016|BigDeer, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

WASHINGTON – On March 6, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will distribute $1.1 billion in revenues generated by the hunting and fishing industry to state wildlife agencies throughout the nation. The funds support critical fish and wildlife conservation and recreation projects that benefit all Americans. The Service apportions the $1.1 billion annually to all 50 states and U.S. territories through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration programs. Revenues come from taxes generated by the sale of firearms, ammunition, archery and fishing equipment and electric boat motors, as well as from taxes on the purchase of motorboat fuel. “These funds are the cornerstone of state-based efforts that are critical to the preservation of America’s [...]

4 04, 2016

Monster Kansas Deer Sheds: One Side Scores 121!

admin2020-06-10T09:16:49-04:00April 4th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Shed Hunting|3 Comments

From Mike C., The Antler Collector on Facebook: Nearly 18 years of trying to buy one of the most outstanding sets of Kansas sheds I have ever seen came to reality yesterday. This set was picked up 20-plus years ago in eastern Kansas by Dave Griffin. Very little was ever spoken of this elusive giant, as Dave was VERY private. And man was he a tough cookie to break. But finally he agreed to let them go. Here are a few of the stats. The animal’s right antler is an amazing 4-point with a few non-typicals. It scores 85 3/8, just from the typical 4 points. If it was clean, this would have been a world-record 4-point. The G-2 is [...]

31 03, 2016

How Much Are These Sheds Worth?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:49-04:00March 31st, 2016|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Shed Hunting|3 Comments

Scott sent this picture of a beautiful set of 181-inch sheds he found a few years back. He had them stained, which I think looks good, but which knocks back the value of the antlers. I asked Mike at The Antler Collector for an appraisal of these sheds; you can use his response as a track to run on if you have a large set you might want to sell sometime: Split G-2 hurts the net…Stain, ouch, not good news. And pen-raised deer have swallowed up the prices up on the wild racks. An antler like this would need to be sold on Ebay in my opinion. He would get between $125 and $300 if lucky. A lot of 220- [...]

29 03, 2016

2016 BIG DEER Field Report: Wisconsin

admin2020-06-10T09:16:49-04:00March 29th, 2016|BigDeer|Comments Off on 2016 BIG DEER Field Report: Wisconsin

How was the 2015 winter where you live and hunt, and how did that impact the deer? Our friend Kim sent this report from northwest Wisconsin: The winter of 2014-15 was almost mild, and 2015-16 was beyond mild, mid-60s some days in February. Great news for the deer population, a very stress free winter. I saw a lot of 1- and 2-year-old bucks that still had their antlers as of February 19th. Does look very healthy, with fawning a couple months away. Two fawn bucks from last spring that I have been seeing are already large for their age group, both with buttons the diameter of a quarter on their heads. Average snow depth this winter for my area was [...]

28 03, 2016

BIG DEER Exclusive: Manage the Land, Manage the Deer

admin2020-06-10T09:16:49-04:00March 28th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Management|Comments Off on BIG DEER Exclusive: Manage the Land, Manage the Deer

This is part 1 of a 3 part series from our friend and Illinois land-management expert Matt “Flatlander” Cheever: Notice in the title of this post, I said manage the land, not “manage your land.” If you own hunting property, great. But you don’t have to be a landowner to participate in habitat and deer herd improvement. In fact, you bring added value to a landowner if you are capable of improving his property with your knowledge and elbow grease. This can give you a leg up on the hunter who simply wants to show up on opening day in the fall and hunt. Impress your landowner by showing up in the spring with a chainsaw and asking if there are [...]