From this QDMA report: Dr. David Stallknecht of the Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) at the University of Georgia, which tests samples from sick deer in a number of states around the nation, said his agency is aware of localized outbreaks of EHD in Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina and Florida, with isolated cases reported in a number of other states…In other words, an average year.  “No one is screaming that all the deer are dying, but there are some animals out there (positive with EHD),” Stallknecht said. Although some great bucks like the "Missouri Freak" above succumbed to EHD this summer, and that is a shame, it is unlikely a severe outbreak of the disease will occur this late in the [...]

On an all-new episode of BIG DEER TV tonight, I spot and stalk for mule deer in a remote section of Montana. That leads to this product review:   I have been using Yeti Tundra coolers in deer camps and hunting rigs for years. Simple fact: no other cooler can match the one-piece, roto-molded polyethylene Tundra for durability and ice retention for your supplies and, once you shoot a deer, your quartered or boned-out venison. The Tundra has become incredibly popular with hunters. When I show up in a camp anywhere in North America, it’s 50/50 that the locals will already have a Yeti or two sitting aside the fire pit. Nearly 100 percent of Texas deer camps have them, [...]

Excellent field report from longtime Big Deer blogger Derek: Hi Mike: Last year I got my buck while still in velvet on the first hunt of the year. This year it took me a few more weeks. I started getting trail cam pics of a really nice buck out in one of our CRP fields. For the first month I got pictures of this buck only, with no other bucks and no does and fawns, he was a real bachelor. I figured he was bedding in some cattail sloughs and making his way to the neighbor’s bean field. We have one lone bush along the fence line in this CRP field, so I set up and brushed in a blind [...]

Here’s a collection of trail camera photos I’ve received recently. Thanks to the hunters, and good luck with these BIG DEER! This first buck was sent to me in a private message on Twitter—the 8-pointer is a monster anywhere, and as big as they come for the southern state where he walks. Wow! From fellow VA hunter Kclap: This is one we've been watching for a couple years. Not a monster, but a cool pic losing his velvet. From longtime Big Deer Blogger Scott: I had a couple pictures of this buck back in late June and first week of July then he disappeared for 2 months. I checked my camera this past week and look who showed back up! [...]

Wisconsin, like most states, after years and decades of public hearings and wrangling on both sides, finally permitted crossbows to be used alongside vertical bows beginning with the 2014 archery season. In one short year, hunters seem to like this option. According to the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal and info from the Wisconsin DNR, through the first weekend of the 2015 season, crossbow license sales accounted for 32% of bow licenses sold, up from 26% from the same time last year. The report showed 42,245 crossbow licenses sold through last Sunday, up 16% from the same time in 2014. I won’t bore you again with the old arguments of crossbow versus compound, but I do know we have a lot of passionate bowhunters from Wisconsin and [...]