Deer Hunting Archives - Page 78 of 198

29 03, 2021

Year Of COVID: 2020 Deer Harvest Up Across U.S.

Clay Hanback2021-03-29T11:12:21-04:00March 29th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Year Of COVID: 2020 Deer Harvest Up Across U.S.

A 5% increase in new deer hunters plus more time in the woods for longtime hunters led to increased whitetail harvests in many states. Maine: Some 33,157 deer were tagged, the highest total in 18 years. Wisconsin: Hunters registered 188,712 deer during the 9-day gun season, up 16% from 2019. The number of bucks harvested was 85,340, compared to 75,236 last year. Arkansas: The state reported an increase in license sales and a record-breaking harvest. Hunters checked more deer than any season since 1938, with a reported 214,022 animals and counting. Oklahoma: All-time record license sales led to a preliminary 2020 harvest exceeding 120,000 deer. Virginia: Hunters harvested 208,131 animals, up less than 1% from the 206,976 deer taken last year. West Virginia: [...]

26 03, 2021

#1 Key To Deer Hunting: Hunt Every Hour You Can

Clay Hanback2021-03-10T13:28:16-05:00March 26th, 2021|BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on #1 Key To Deer Hunting: Hunt Every Hour You Can

One day in November a few years ago, Brian Larue and his buddy, Bob Evenson, cut out of work early. The rut was still on in Winneshiek Co., Iowa, and the bowhunters were pumped. They had scouted and hunted their land hard all season; they knew good bucks were there and actively rubbing and scraping. Brian sneaked toward one of his favorite stands in a walnut tree, even though he figured the northwest wind would be wrong there. When he got to the stand he found the wind was more of a straight west, okay for the deer movement in the area, so he climbed up and started hunting. He looked down and noticed a big, shiny rub, only a [...]

17 03, 2021

Tips For Hunters Concerned With Lead In Venison

Clay Hanback2021-03-10T10:20:44-05:00March 17th, 2021|Big Deer TV, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Tips For Hunters Concerned With Lead In Venison

In our last post, we reported that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture found that some 7% of the venison donated to shelters has some level of lead contamination from bullets. If this issue concerns you, the Minnesota DNR offers these tips, which are relevant anywhere in the country. ENJOY YOUR HUNT Get out. Have fun. Nothing in the DNR’s lead bullet fragmentation study suggests you shouldn’t go deer hunting. TAKE LEAD EXPOSURE SERIOUSLY Pregnant women and children under six should never be placed in a situation where they could ingest lead particles. That’s because pregnant women and younger children are especially sensitive to lead exposure. They absorb most of the lead they take in, and the brains of infants and [...]

15 03, 2021

Are Lead Bullets Contaminating Your Venison?

Clay Hanback2021-03-16T06:45:44-04:00March 15th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|3 Comments

Back in 2008 when I was writing for Outdoor Life, I broke a story to our readers about potential lead contamination in deer meat. North Dakota, Minnesota and a few other states had allegedly found lead fragments from hunters’ bullets in ground venison donated to homeless shelters. The story caused controversy back then, with most people saying this was just a ruse by environmentalists to stop hunters from shooting lead bullets. Most people said that we have been eating deer shot with lead bullets for decades and it ain't harmed or killed anybody yet. I can’t argue with that. The lead issue kind of flamed out for a decade. I hadn’t heard much about it, until now. Kool 101.7 [...]

12 03, 2021

Tree Stand Maintenance Tips For Deer Hunters

Clay Hanback2021-03-10T10:59:21-05:00March 12th, 2021|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Tree Stand Maintenance Tips For Deer Hunters

Right or wrong, on private land, many of us leave our lock-ons and/or ladders up in trees and out in the woods all year, ready to hunt next fall. If you do this, here are some important things to keep in mind. The straps, chains or cables that connect the stands and steps to trees are your foremost consideration when left out in the elements. These connectors will weather and wear, and routine inspection and service is a must. Longtime BIG DEER blogger and tree stand guru Matt Cheever doesn’t skimp. On all 50 tree stands he maintains in Illinois, he uses 3 ratchet straps per climbing apparatus (ladder section or stick) and another 3 straps on each lock-on stand. [...]