From the BIG DEER archives, one of my favorite bucks all time: Colin Bourrier and his dad, Albert, had been seeing a small buck behind their house all summer. On the second day of Manitoba’s 2007 archery season (August 28) Albert headed off an hour away to hunt a better spot in the bush, while Colin, who had just turned 15 at the time, climbed into a tree stand behind the house, hoping to shoot the small buck. Colin waited, oh, about 30 minutes and here came a buck—not the little guy, but a velvet giant that nobody in those parts had ever seen before! Colin drew his bow and smoked the titan at 10 yards. Albert, a taxidermist, rough scored [...]

For the fishers on the blog, from Missouri Department of Conservation: HOLY CRAPPIE! Earlier this week, young angler Brady Murr caught this whopper of a black crappie in a private pond…weighing in at 4 lbs. 11 oz., just shy of the 5 lb. state record…Brady's father contacted MDC to weigh the fish and determine a positive species ID. Brady and his father later released the fish alive into the private pond from which they caught it. Love crappie fishing, that's a monster! Way to go Brady for the catch and release!

This disturbing story ran in my local newspaper a while back, front page. Here’s the gist of it: A family let their dogs out of the house one day last October. Meantime, on the adjoining property two guys were sitting in tree stands with their bows, hunting deer. The dog owners called for their dogs to come back, but one animal did not return. That 5-year-old German Shepard had walked under one of the hunters’ stands. According to reports, for some odd reason, the hunters exchanged texts about what to do about the dog. Allegedly one of the men, a 47-year-old chiropractor, said he would handle it, and he shot the dog twice. When asked by authorities why he did [...]

Today’s guest blog from longtime BIG DEER blogger Matt “Flatlander” Cheever. Sounds amazing!  Hey Mike: The weather is turning and it’s grilling season. Many of us have a freezer full of deer and fish that to be need thinned out before we start replenishing this fall. Here’s a great way with what I call “Outdoorsman’s Surf and Turf.” There is no finer dining than the loin of a nice whitetail deer and fillets from ice-fished bluegills. Stuffed Venison Filet Mignon: From a back-strap/loin, cut 1½-inch-thick filets or cutlets; make a small incision in each cutlet that opens up the center up like a pocket. Next, run roasted garlic, fresh mozzarella, sweet Italian peppers and artichoke hearts through a food processor until [...]