The old-time deer hunters didn’t care what a buck scored, all they wanted to know was, “What did that sucker weigh?” A lot of hunters still want to know just that, especially up in Maine where a 200 is a much sought after 200-hundred pounda. Here’s simple math for estimating a deer’s live weight. Pull the guts out of your animal, hang it and weigh it on a scale, pull up the calculator on your Smartphone and multiply the deer’s field-dressed weight by 1.28. That will give you a good ball-park. For example, a 150-pound gutted buck would have weighed about 192 on the hoof, give or take 5 pounds.  A 120-pound doe would have gone about 154. What is the heaviest buck [...]

Mike: Every time I walk into my favorite stand I jump four or five deer that blow up and crash away. I have the wind right, and I am quiet. What am I doing wrong? Travis from NY Travis: Oftentimes the shortest and easiest route to a stand or blind is not the best way. In your case since you repeatedly jump deer, it sounds like you are walking through (or very close to) a thicket, ridge or similar spot where deer like to hang out and browse, or bed down. Whitetails are habitual animals that eat, walk and hang in the same general areas so long as they feel safe and comfortable there. You need to avoid them and find a new way to [...]

Folks loved our recent discussion on how to choose a deer taxidermist, and several of you asked for a follow-up post on how to care for and preserve a mount once you get it home and on the wall. Hunting expert and long-time blogger Matt “Flatlander” Cheever, who has been covering this topic for us, explains: Hi Mike: Let me share some tips that will keep that buck of a lifetime on your wall looking good throughout your lifetime and beyond. First, the biggest enemies to a professionally mounted game head are light and heat. If at all possible don’t hang a mount directly over a heat source like the fireplace--I know it looks the best there, just be sure to [...]

Right now, a lot of hunters are getting their 2013 bucks back from the taxidermist. From the pictures of the shoulder mounts I have seen, most of the work has been good, but a few of the bucks have been average at best. Since you’ll pay $500 and up to mount that big 10-pointer you’ll kill this fall (think positive) you’ll want the taxidermy work to be in the good to excellent category. Long-time BIG DEER blogger and great hunter Matt “Flatlander” Cheever says that now is the time to lay the groundwork and find a taxidermy shop. Flat sent us this list of things to look for 4 years ago, and it’s still great, solid advice: Start looking around [...]

Do any of you walk the woods and scout for old buck sign this time of year? I know it's not a sexy topic, but if you go out and do it a few days this spring, your whitetail hunting will improve three-fold 6 months from now. A study of wild, hunted deer in Louisiana found that the average core area of mature bucks in the fall and winter months is only about 300 acres. Much smaller than you probably imagined. Although big deer venture out of these comfort zones on excursions for does in November, they come home after the rut and spend most of their days back in the same small areas. If food and cover remain the same, [...]