Patrick (left), one hell of a guide who kills a lot of big deer, just helped his client to this unusual monster. OMG, I count 4 velvet drops! I would rather shoot that buck than a 170 typical, what about you?
I am a lucky man for having spent the better part of my life hunting in wild and remote places like the one you see here, and I never take that for granted. I am just back from 5 days in this remarkable moonscape, where I hunted and glassed and climbed from dawn to dusk in search of a mule deer buck, side-hilling and sliding down into those bottoms, and then clawing my way back up and out again. It was the most physically grueling hunt I have experienced in years…and one of the most rewarding. I cannot tell you where I was or reveal the ending just yet, as the final chapter has yet to be written.
Don Dziedzina at Illinois Outdoors is first to report this monster. Word is a hunter shot the buck on October 28 on public land between Eagle River and St. Germain Wisconsin. Don says he’ll have more details to follow, “but for now, these are pictures worth a thousand words.” Wow, I’d say, that’s going to be one of the top non-typical bucks shot in America this year. Some will likely say the buck looks high-fence because of the white rack, which does look unusual, but I believe this giant is legit.
Mike: My buddies and I were talking about how bucks’ necks swell up, and none of us can find any definitive information on what causes it. We know it’s based on the mating cycle. Is it muscle mass increase, blood flow, etc.? Thanks, Jason T. Jason: In the latest research from Delaware, biologists found that the circumference of a buck’s neck can increase 50% in the rut. I asked Sarge Vasquez, a wildlife biologist and member of the Big Deer Hunt Team, for more. Sarge says: One of my old college professors, Dr. David Hewitt, wrote and edited a great book entitled, Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer. We talked about why bucks’ necks swell, and while Dr. Hewitt said he wasn't aware [...]
This from our friend Tim O. in the Upper Peninsula, who writes, "I have 9 different wolves on trail-cam in the same area and I've seen 10 others…they're all different colors and are easily identifiable.” Here’s what happened to Tim the other day: I decided to take a 4-wheeler ride to swap out memory cards on a trail camera at one of my bow stands the other night. Instead of driving right into my spot I chose to walk in the last 150 yards. I swapped the cards and started walking out, but I took a wrong turn in the dark and didn't realize it right away. I walked up on a fresh wolf deer kill! Immediately I heard growling [...]