Deer Hunting Archives - Page 43 of 196

22 09, 2022

4 Deer Hunting Mistakes And How To Fix Them

Clay Hanback2022-09-21T08:44:06-04:00September 22nd, 2022|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on 4 Deer Hunting Mistakes And How To Fix Them

In the last 2 years I have shot over the spine of 2 bucks by dropping my bow and pulling out of the shot too soon. Since I started flinging arrows at hay bales with a recurve too long ago to remember, I have been fighting this glitch. You might struggle with it too. When you release and try to watch your arrow hit a deer, you unwittingly drop your bow arm and lift your head a few inches. Sometimes your rig is so fast and forgiving that you can get away with it. Other times you shoot just over a deer. Quick Fix: Pick a spot on a deer, draw, release the arrow and don’t move a muscle until [...]

18 09, 2022

North Dakota: Early Bow Season Hot For Big Bucks

Clay Hanback2022-09-23T10:56:55-04:00September 18th, 2022|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on North Dakota: Early Bow Season Hot For Big Bucks

Kyle Olson knew the buck he was looking at on his trail camera. He had several photos of him from the previous year. “The first thing I thought is that he really blew up this year. I bet he put on 40 inches of antler,” Olson said. Kyle’s bow squeaked as he drew back. "I knew it was now or never,” he said. His shot was true and the buck ran about 80 yards and crashed. The mainframe 5-by-5 had split brows and two kicker points. The rack had great mass and taped out at 166 ⅞ inches green-score in velvet. Read the full story at Realtree.com Kyle’s deer is one of several big velvet bucks I’ve seen hit [...]

14 09, 2022

5 Bowhunting Deer Questions Answered

Clay Hanback2022-09-08T13:10:04-04:00September 14th, 2022|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 5 Bowhunting Deer Questions Answered

You scout and glass a couple of small bucks, a decent 8-pointer and a shooter 10 coming to a bean field like clockwork in the evenings. Will those bucks, and especially the 10-point, be around when bow season opens in a few weeks? That bachelor’s club will start to break up in mid-September, but a few of the bucks may still run together into October. In what is known as the “fall shuffle,” some of the bucks will shift a mile or more to winter range while some of them—maybe that big 10--will stay right there, close to where you’re spotting them now. Keep glassing the fields and edges, and hang a tree stand or 2 in the nearby [...]

9 09, 2022

Taxidermist’s Tips For Velvet Deer Antlers

Clay Hanback2022-09-09T12:22:20-04:00September 9th, 2022|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Taxidermist’s Tips For Velvet Deer Antlers

A Mississippi taxidermist told the Clarion Ledger special care needs to be taken when handling velvet antlers if a hunter intends to have the early-season buck mounted. Ellis Solomon of Ellis Solomon Taxidermy in Brandon, Miss. said, "I think the biggest mistake is (a hunter grabs) the rack. Velvet is skin, but it's a lot more delicate. It will tear if you stress it enough. Don't drag (the buck) by the antlers. When you handle (the antlers), you're tearing and twisting that velvet. Don't drag it by the antlers and don't drag it over anything. Just try to handle (a velvet rack) delicately." Solomon said another enemy of velvet racks is moisture and advises to keep them dry if at all [...]

9 09, 2022

Do Bucks Make Scrape Lines?

Clay Hanback2022-09-06T11:32:10-04:00September 9th, 2022|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Do Bucks Make Scrape Lines?

I have been hunting whitetail deer for 40 years, and I cannot honestly say I have ever shot a buck on his scrape line. I might have, I just don’t know. I’m not even sure scrape lines exist. The more I hunt whitetails in different habitats and terrains across the country, the more I believe that scraping is more random and scattered than on some particular line of travel between food and bedding cover. That’s why I don’t scout for scrape lines anymore. From Halloween through November 15 or so, I look for a ridge, draw or creek bottom pocked with a dozen or so dark, stinky scrapes, with fresh rubs nearby. I set a sit there a few days. [...]