17 07, 2018

Athens Georgia: Hotbed Of Deer Information and Research

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 17th, 2018|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Athens Georgia: Hotbed Of Deer Information and Research

You might know that Athens is a vibrant college town, home to the SEC Bulldogs. Did you also know it's the epicenter of whitetail research and deer-hunting information in America? Last week the BIG DEER TV crew took a road trip to check it out. First stop, headquarters of the Quality Deer Management Association. I stepped in the front door and naturally checked out the shed tree in the corner. It's built with an antler from every state and province where whitetail deer are found. Impressive, and they tell me it weighs more than a ton. I sat down for a lengthy talk with Brian Murphy, CEO of QDMA and one of the top deer biologists in the country. This [...]

13 07, 2018

Recipe: Grilled Venison Beer Brats

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 13th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Recipes|4 Comments

Perfect for a summer Friday or Saturday night: --Shoot deer in fall. Gut deer. Transport some meat to processor and have brats made. (These jalapeno cheese brats came from a  buck I shot in Montana, though a deer you shoot and gut anywhere will do.) --Simmer brats in 50/50 mixture of water and beer for 20 minutes. Do not boil brats, just a low, slow simmer, rolling brats occasionally. --As brats simmer, sip remainder of leftover over beer. Heat gas grill and chill at least one more beer. --After 20 minutes, remove brats from stove and drain water/beer mix. Reduce grill to medium-low. Add brats and grill, covered, for 6-8 minutes, until charred slightly. --Remove from grill, serve with mustard [...]

10 07, 2018

3 Top Summer Spots For Trail Cameras

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 10th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

I’ve had several Spartan cameras out for a while, but now in July is when I start my recon in earnest. Velvet antlers are up and growing full bore; when you get an image of a buck with potential, you’ll know it and can start tracking and patterning his movements. One: Last week we set 2 cameras on 2 one-acre clover plots hidden back in the woods. We set 3 more cams near larger food plots, but not aiming out into the fields. Rather, we pointed these cams 20 to 30 yards back in the thickets that rim the edges, on well-used deer trails. Secluded, thick pockets and bottlenecks like this are where you’re apt of get close images of [...]

9 07, 2018

How Summer Heat Affects Deer

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 9th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on How Summer Heat Affects Deer

Above normal temperatures--say a string of 90-plus days with high humidity--cause whitetails to stress. The amount of stress is dependent on the quality of the habitat. Deer consume more water than any other mineral (water is a mineral, a naturally occurring substance). The amount of water deer need increases during hot and dry periods in summer. Where good water is abundant, no big deal. But where water is limited either by quantity or quality, some of a deer’s bodily functions are limited, such as transferring calcium to growing antlers or milk production for fawns. Deer travel to find water. But if they are forced out of their home range in search of H2O, bucks and does expend huge amounts of [...]

6 07, 2018

Social Media Rumor Bucks

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 6th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

The posts and picture said: “30-point monster killed at our Georgia hunt club. That is the biggest rack I’ve ever seen in GA.” Another guy added: “One of the new guys in our hunting club killed this out of my tower stand last year!” Well, that would be difficult since this amazing buck was shot by Bill Crutchfield in Maryland 12 years ago. This is fact, as I have interviewed Bill and posted on this giant several times: the 28-point, 268 1/8-inch Crutchfield titan is one of the biggest whitetails ever killed in Maryland, and on the East Coast. Lesson: This is just but one example of rumor bucks you see all the time on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Enjoy the [...]

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