Bowhunting Archives - Page 44 of 65

29 01, 2018

Deer Season is Over: Learn From Your Mistakes

admin2020-06-10T09:16:08-04:00January 29th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

I have started thinking back about what went right and what went wrong last season. The best memories are of the few days when I shot a buck, but I will learn the most by replaying and analyzing all those tough and lean days and weeks when I didn’t get a deer. How did I mess up? What could I have done differently? Map and Scout More A buddy called last September and said, “Hey man, I got permission to hunt a new farm, you in?” “Let’s go!” I roared and off we went for a week in the early season. We hunted like mad, had fun, saw some deer but came home empty-handed. We should have slowed down and [...]

25 01, 2018

Shed Hunting: What Killed That Deadhead Buck?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:08-04:00January 25th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Shed Hunting|Comments Off on Shed Hunting: What Killed That Deadhead Buck?

Shed antler season 2018 has officially begun, and people across the country are roaming the woods—and, it seems, finding an inordinate number of “deadheads,” or the carcasses of mature bucks that have been dead for weeks and more likely months. They are popping up everywhere on social media. Run across a dead buck and what comes to mind: What killed this animal? Lost by a bowhunter…hit by a car (ran off into the woods and perished)…attacked by a predator…succumbed to EHD last summer? Here are some interesting tips from the QDMA on how to examine a deadhead and possibly determine its cause of death. Also, while doing a rudimentary field autopsy on a dead buck is fine, remember that in [...]

22 01, 2018

Best New Crossbows For Hunters

admin2020-06-10T09:16:08-04:00January 22nd, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Gear Reviews|1 Comment

Our friends at Petersen’s Bowhunting Magazine give us the specs on 6 new crossbows that were unveiled at the 2018 Archery Trade Association show. Since getting a good buck with a crossbow on TV is high on my bucket list—while I have killed my share of deer with vertical bows, I have never even shot a crossbow, much less bagged a deer with one—this article was of interest. Some one-liners that caught my attention--I did not realize that crossbow technology and engineering had come so far so fast: …the (Mission) SUB-1, so named for its ability to consistently deliver groups less than 1 inch at 100 yards. At just 6 inches wide, the Stealth NXT (pictured) headlines TenPoint’s next generation [...]

12 01, 2018

Garmin Xero Rangefinding Bow Sight

admin2020-06-10T09:16:08-04:00January 12th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|4 Comments

The Archery Trade Association (ATA) show 2018 is going on right now in Indianapolis. I’m not there, but from what I hear this digital range-finding sight from Garmin is the big news, and I can see why. I just wonder why it took a company so long to come up with one. From Garmin: We are excited to announce the Xero A1 and A1i, two groundbreaking auto-ranging digital laser bow sights that automatically measure the distance to a target and provide a precise, virtual lighted pin for the shot. A silent, single-button trigger mounted on the bow’s grip lets the archer range targets at rest or at full draw, virtually eliminating distance estimation and hunter movement …The laser range [...]

22 11, 2017

Hunting Tactics For Thanksgiving Weekend

admin2020-06-10T09:16:09-04:00November 22nd, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Hunting Tactics For Thanksgiving Weekend

Most of the does have been bred by now, but mature bucks that have survived battles with other males, not to mention the gauntlet of hunters’ arrows and bullets, still prowl for a few days for the last 10 percent or so of gals that are still receptive. This is a great time to whack a monster, like the 22-point, 221 4/8-inch Iowa giant that Brian LaRue got with his bow on November 22 a few years ago (picture). The buck crossed a field, hit the woods, and cut through several thickets, rubbing as he cruised for the sight or smell of a last hot doe. Brian put an arrow in the deer’s boiler room as it swung 20 yards [...]