Deer Hunting Archives - Page 150 of 184

19 06, 2017

Pre-Season Tip: How to Set Tree Stands Around Fields

admin2020-06-10T09:16:11-04:00June 19th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

Luke Strommen, who you might have seen shoot some great bucks with his longbow on my TV shows, is one of the best field hunters I know. The habitat he hunts in northeastern Montana is a patchwork of huge alfalfa and wheat fields stitched with woodlots and strips. He has had to master the technique of setting his stands for close shots (15 yards or so) w/his longbow. He’s one the best I’ve seen at it, and here’s his advice to help with your stand sets this fall. “I always try to hunt from trees on the fringes, edges and funnels around fields and stay out of the woods if I can, especially early in the season,” says Luke. “This will [...]

16 06, 2017

5 Summer Work Projects for Deer Hunting Land

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 16th, 2017|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

Get out and put in a little sweat equity this weekend and for the next few months to improve your hunting this fall. If you’ve got a good-sized pasture or overgrown field on the property, one of the best things you can do is mow 5 or 6 strips through the weeds, maybe 100 yards long and 20 yards wide. Leave strips of the larger and taller vegetation, like blackberries and greenbrier, between the mowed rows. This simple task creates diversity of food and edge that whitetails love. When late-summer rains come in time for bow season, weeds and forbs pop up in the mowed strips, and deer love the new and succulent food source. While you’re at it, hang [...]

12 06, 2017

2017 Whitetail Report: How Are The Deer Doing?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 12th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|1 Comment

I recently returned from the 2017 North American Deer Summit, a two-day event where the top deer biologists and scientists in the nation gather to discuss the health of our herds and the future of hunting. First on the agenda: How are whitetail deer doing across the U.S.? QDMA biologist Kip Adams kicked off the discussion with some good news. After several tough years (2011-2014) when winters were harsh in some regions and big outbreaks of EHD killed substantial numbers of deer in other areas, things are looking up for America’s most popular and widespread game animal. Kip pointed out that the buck harvest is up 4% (hunters in America shoot some 2.7 million bucks every fall). Furthermore, the percentage [...]

7 06, 2017

DIY Deer: Cheap, Easy Trail-Camera Fasteners

admin2020-06-10T09:16:12-04:00June 7th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|3 Comments

It’s time to get your trail-cameras out at mineral sites and on food plots if you haven’t already. The 2017 buck season will be here before you know it! This guest blog from our good friend Kim might come in handy: Are the straps on your trail cameras getting old and worn, or do you just not like the way they attach a cam to a tree? Well, for under $6 you can make 4 tree fasteners that will hold your cams securely in place. Parts list: --Four 5-inch-long Eye Screws --8 Fender Washers --4 Lock Nuts --4 Wing Nuts --Four 2-inch-long round-head Stove Bolts. The diameter of the washers, nuts and bolts will be determined by the model of [...]

2 06, 2017

Can a Whitetail Buck Have Two Home Ranges?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00June 2nd, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|2 Comments

Ninety-nine percent of bucks have a home range of a mile or so where they spend 95% of their time year-round. The boys venture out of their core areas once in a while, especially during the November rut, when they often leave for days or weeks on doe excursions. But they eventually come back home where they feel safe and comfortable. Of course there is the rogue buck. Researchers with Pennsylvania’s Deer-Forest Study monitored GPS-collared Buck 12783, which had 2 distinct home ranges. Source:Penn State College Agricultural Sciences In the image above, his main home range is the eastern (right side) mass of blue. To the west is a “vacation home” that he used for 2 years. The researchers believe [...]