Deer Hunting Archives - Page 176 of 196

28 10, 2016

Montana: Summer Strommen’s First Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:16:32-04:00October 28th, 2016|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|7 Comments

Friend and longtime Big Deer blogger Luke Strommen writes: So proud of this young lady! Summer, who turned 10 two days earlier, was so excited to go hunt for her first buck. It was 25 degrees and really foggy on opening morning of the two-day youth hunt. After setting up in a blind on edge of a wheat field, I told Summer that we would try to tag the first buck that gave us an ethical opportunity, if we saw one. She was hunting with a .308 and low-recoil 125-grain loads. The bullet really drops after 300 yards, but I won't let my girls shoot that far anyway. Our rule right now is to keep it under 100. This buck [...]

24 10, 2016

Virginia: 21-Point Cold-Front Giant!

admin2020-06-10T09:16:32-04:00October 24th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

I posted Friday that with the weekend beginning on October 21, the best hunting of the year was about to heat up: Historical “rut curves” assembled by biologists over decades show that bucks really begin to rev up their scraping around October 20…the data show that 5 to 7 percent of a herd’s does are bred by bucks around October 21… With the cooler weather…that will occur in the Eastern U.S. (last) weekend, I predict the buck movement and hunting will get better… after (last) week of 80-plus Indian Summer days here in Virginia, a cold front will blow through later this afternoon, and the low tomorrow morning will be 44. …the next couple of days should be good. Virginia [...]

21 10, 2016

October 21: The Best Hunting Starts This Weekend

admin2020-06-10T09:16:32-04:00October 21st, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on October 21: The Best Hunting Starts This Weekend

After lazy weeks of fattening up on grain and acorns in summer and early fall, whitetail bucks get antsy and start to move around more in mid-October. Historical “rut curves” assembled by biologists over decades show that bucks really begin to rev up their scraping right now, around October 20. Better yet, the data show that 5 to 7 percent of a herd’s does are bred by bucks around October 21, give or take a few days. That’s not a whole lot, but good things happen when bucks start to rip more scrapes and prowl for the first estrus does. The more they are on their feet, the better your chances of seeing and shooting one. Bonus: There’s little hunting [...]

19 10, 2016

Virginia Bowhunter Shoots Massive 7-Point Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:16:32-04:00October 19th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

Today’s guest blog from fellow Virginia hunter Chris Davis. These are the stories I like the best, hard-working, hard-hunting Americans doing their thing, grateful for the opportunities we have, thankful for the chance to one day shoot a big deer: Opening day of bow season in Virginia, I went behind my house in the morning because I only had a few hours to hunt. I saw a fawn come by, but not much else. I noticed rubs on big cedar trees that were fresh. I decided to come back in the afternoon when I had more time. When I returned later that day I saw squirrels, birds and a few hawks flying around. Daylight was starting to fade when [...]

14 10, 2016

“Stag Buck” Velvet Antlers: What Causes This?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:33-04:00October 14th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|2 Comments

BIG DEER TV producer Justin Karnopp sent me this text: Shot velvet buck with no testicles. Coolest buck I’ve ever killed! I can’t wait to see the video footage. This will make a terrific episode for next season, as a stag buck like this is very rare. According to QDMA a birth defect known as cryptorchidism causes a buck to keep velvet antlers beyond the normal velvet-shedding time of late summer: In extreme cases both testicles remain in the abdominal cavity and never descend into the scrotum. The normal production of testosterone is diminished, and the antler cycle of hardening, velvet shedding and antler casting is altered. These same results can sometimes be produced in a buck that is born [...]