Bowhunting Archives - Page 43 of 65

6 06, 2018

Arizona Bowhunter Shoots World Record NT Coues Deer (139 2/8)

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00June 6th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

A panel of Pope & Young Club measurers recently scored a non-typical Coues deer at 139 2/8, which ties the existing P&Y record for that category. (The rack’s velvet was stripped prior to the official measurement.) The magnificent deer was shot by Wesley Ely of Wilcox, Arizona in August 2017. Here is Wesley’s story in his words: It all began on a summer scouting trip in 2013 when I noticed a young buck with massive antlers. I continued to scout and occasionally hunt the area while the buck kept getting bigger each year. In 2017 I decided to devote all of my time off to find the buck’s summer habits. Sixteen days before opening day, I began to pattern this [...]

7 05, 2018

Top 8 Bowhunting States

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00May 7th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|4 Comments

A ton of interesting information in the QDMA’s 2018 Whitetail Report, including this: Can you guess the top 8 states where the highest percentage of the annual deer harvest is with bow and arrow? #1 New Jersey: Estimated 2016 total deer harvest 49,246; 58% or 28,563 with bow. #2 Connecticut: Estimated total deer harvest 10,412; 50% or 5,206 with bow. #3 Ohio: Estimated total deer harvest 182,169; 45% or 81,976 with bow. #4 Massachusetts: Total deer harvest 12,249; 42% or 12,249 with bow. #5 (three states tie): Kansas: Total harvest 84,065; 37% or 31,104 with bow. Illinois: Total harvest 144,304; 37% or 53,392 with bow. Michigan: Total harvest 341,287; 37% or 126,276 with bow.

3 05, 2018

Mills Buck 172 6/8: Virginia’s No. 4 Archery Non-Typical

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00May 3rd, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Mills Buck 172 6/8: Virginia’s No. 4 Archery Non-Typical

Yesterday I took this picture of Wayne Mills and the incredible buck he shot in Rappahannock County, Virginia, in October 2016. I had seen pictures of this deer, but to see it in person was amazing. Main-frame 12-point with split brow tines…21 score-able points and stickers for character. Net 172 6/8 non-typical. Number 4 all-time in Virginia according to the latest Pope and Young book. We spend a good 2 hours filming a video segment with Wayne and this giant, and you’ll see and hear the story on a new episode of BIG DEER TV this fall. Here’s the written version in Wayne’s words, which first appeared on the blog in November 2016: I was given permission on a new [...]

26 03, 2018

Why Are Fewer People Hunting in 2018?

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00March 26th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

A survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reveals that only 5% of Americans age 16 and up hunt. That's half of what it was 50 years ago. The number of licensed hunters, most of them deer hunters, dropped from 14.2 million in 1991 to 11.5 million in 2016. Most disturbing, the decline is expected to accelerate over the next decades. Why fewer of us? I have my suspicions and government agencies and wildlife organizations have their theories, but I wanted information from real-life hard-core hunters, so I did a little Twitter/social survey. It’s far from scientific, but pretty darn representative I believe. Loss of Access By far the number one reason fewer people are hunting, especially east of [...]

7 03, 2018

What to Plant in Deer Food Plots

admin2020-06-10T09:15:54-04:00March 7th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on What to Plant in Deer Food Plots

Time to start thinking about what to plant this spring: If you live and hunt in the Northeast: Try planting a 60/40 mix of perennial clover (Imperial Whitetail Clover is my favorite) and chicory. Later in July or August, plant a couple of cool-season (fall) plots heavy with brassicas and the like. If you live and hunt in the Mid-Atlantic: Trebark camo creator turned deer-management guru Jim Crumley plants good old ladino clover on his 300-acre property along the James River in Virginia. “It’s a low-maintenance, high-quality perennial (25% protein) that, once planted, will last for 5 years and can be easily over seeded,” he says. If you hunt in the South: If you have the land, equipment and money [...]