Deer Hunting Archives - Page 165 of 197

10 05, 2017

Camping World Takes Over Gander Mountain

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 10th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|8 Comments

Tough times in the hunting/shooting retail world has led, sadly, to another mega takeover. Earlier this year Gander Mountain, which had been outfitting hunters for more than 50 years, filed for bankruptcy and was placed up for auction. On April 28, Camping World, the nation’s largest RV retailer, was chosen as the winning bidder ($37.8 million is a lot of money to you and me, but seems cheap for a brand like Gander). The big question: What does this mean for the 126 Gander stores built across the country? Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis said bluntly, “All stores are liquidating, and the inventory in there is going to go away.” Some stores will likely close for good, but “my goal [...]

8 05, 2017

Michigan: Buck With Third Eye Antler

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 8th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Michigan: Buck With Third Eye Antler

@whitetailpress posted this picture on Twitter and asked: Found this crazy shed while out turkey hunting. Ever seen anything like this? Yes. While a third beam/tine growing out of a buck’s face is rare, there have been quite a few unicorn bucks documented over the years. What causes this rarity? It could be simply a freak of genetics, or scientists say a freak tine on the front facial bone of a buck can be caused by trauma, such as a tine puncture from another buck. Strangely, another tine then sprouts out from there. Most freak tines grow out from the long, flat facial bone on a buck, though there have instances of weird tines sprouting around and even out of [...]

5 05, 2017

How to Bowhunt City Bucks

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 5th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on How to Bowhunt City Bucks

People are shooting huge whitetail bucks in small tracts in cities and suburbs where bowhunting is permitted. In Connecticut, northern Virginia, New York—and out in Missoula, Montana. Last week I filmed a TV segment with Kevin Robinson; the heavy 8-point rack with killer brow tines is from his 2016 Montana suburbs buck. Kevin will tell his story on an episode of BIG DEER TV later this fall, but here are a few of tricks. When archery season opens in early September, Kevin hunts high in a draw that overlooks town in the evenings. His tree stand is tight to one of two deer trails that run up and down the mountain. He knows these suburban bucks, and if a big [...]

3 05, 2017

Whitetail Body Language: Why Does Box with Their Feet

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 3rd, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Whitetail Body Language: Why Does Box with Their Feet

Our friend Zach sent us this great cam picture a few years ago of two does squaring off. Notice how the other girls are standing around and staring, urging them on. A deer fight is pretty much like a people fight! Why do does do this? Texas Parks & Wildlife says it better than I could on their page about whitetail body language: Female deer also establish a peck order and display aggressive behavior. Does, like bucks, use the ear drop, hard look, and sidle body language. However, since they don’t have antlers, they use their front feet to determine their dominance. If the preliminary body-language threats are not effective, the dominant doe lunges at her adversary and [...]

1 05, 2017

Georgia: 2 Big-Nose Bullwinkle Bucks

admin2020-06-10T09:16:29-04:00May 1st, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|Comments Off on Georgia: 2 Big-Nose Bullwinkle Bucks

Here at Big Deer Blog we’ve become fascinated by whitetails with unusually big noses, and we’ve committed to building the biggest database of these unusual deer that have been shot across North America. “Bullwinkle" syndrome was first discovered around 2005. The few scientists who have examined deer with swollen snouts say the condition results from chronic inflammation of tissue in the nose, mouth and upper lip. All the cases studied by researchers have shown similar colonies of bacteria in the inflamed tissues. How deer acquire Bullwinkle syndrome is unknown. The affliction doesn’t appear to be fatal to the deer, but there are many unknowns. Bullwinkle syndrome is very rare. We’ve documented big-nose bucks from Michigan to Minnesota to Alabama and other [...]