28 02, 2023

What Causes Bucks to Have Weak Brow Tines or No Brows?

2023-02-28T15:35:19-05:00February 28th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science, whitetail deer|1 Comment

Last month I hunted a friend's ranch in West Texas, 5 hours west of San Antonio and 80 miles north of Del Rio. This is a raw, rocky desert environment that had experienced a long drought, though there is a good water system on this 1,000-acre property. My buddy Cecil recently purchased the ranch, and he has been running 8 to 10 corn feeders year-round. There has been minimal protein feeding here the last 2 years, but he plans to fill the protein feeders and increase supplemental feeding this year. I hunted a week and one thing jumped out at me: 7 out of every 10 bucks of all age classes we saw had small and weak brow tines (that’s [...]

28 01, 2023

Beginner’s Guide To Coyote Hunting

2023-01-25T07:40:54-05:00January 28th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Management, Predator Hunting|2 Comments

When deer season closes here in Virginia, my friend Rick is not ready to hang up his camouflage just yet. “Hunting coyotes in the winter extends my time in woods,” he says. “I’m not the greatest caller, but coyotes are mating now, and some days they run to my calls. If I call in 3 or 4 dogs this month and shoot a couple, I’ll be happy.” Here’s a quick primer if you've never done it and want to try it. Do You Need a License? Many states consider Canis latrans a nuisance species, and no hunting license is required. In other places, you’ll need a general state hunting license for varmints. Read your regs and be legal. Where to [...]

1 08, 2022

Survey: Pennsylvania Hunters Like New Saturday Deer Opener

2022-07-29T11:13:37-04:00August 1st, 2022|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|1 Comment

A major survey shows that most hunters in Pennsylvania liked the new and controversial Saturday-after-Thanksgiving start to the firearms deer season. For many years, the Penn. gun season started the Monday after Thanksgiving, but that was changed to the Saturday opener in 2021. Two-thirds of the hunters surveyed preferred the Saturday opening day. Top reasons cited included more opportunity to hunt since most people are off work that day, and kids are out of school and its easier for them to go with a parent on Saturday. 27 percent of hunters surveyed by Responsive Management on behalf of the Pennsylvania Game Commission said they oppose a Saturday opener. Most of those hunters are old-school and hunt from mountain camps. Deer [...]

20 07, 2022

“Clover Roads”: Easy Food Plots For Deer

2022-07-18T08:28:48-04:00July 20th, 2022|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, whitetail deer|Comments Off on “Clover Roads”: Easy Food Plots For Deer

If you hunt deer on 200 acres or more of private timber, you probably have several logging roads that crisscross the property. Map out a couple flat road sections that are secluded near the center of your woods and turn them into “clover roads.” Planting 500 to 1,000 yards of open logging road is like putting in a half-acre or one-acre food plot, and with minimal work it’s a no-brainer. With an ATV or UTV and a weighted drag, ride the roads and break up the soil, then plant them with a proven attractant like Imperial Whitetail Clover. A couple things to consider. Plant accessible but hidden stretches of roads--deep in your woods, and out of sight of a county [...]

1 07, 2022

Why You Should Not Mow Deer Food Plots

2022-06-28T15:40:51-04:00July 1st, 2022|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Why You Should Not Mow Deer Food Plots

Put away that tractor and mower! In a recent study, Craig Harper, extension wildlife specialist at the University of Tennessee, found that regular mowing does not improve perennial food plots, and does not increase crude protein of the forage. In fact, the study showed that mowing white or red clover and alfalfa plots reduced forage production by 25 percent. Deer consumed 608 lbs./acre more forage in un-mowed study plots. Kip Adams of the National Deer Association agrees. “Contrary to what you might have heard, there is little to be gained by mowing clover,” he says. “In fact, you lose forage for deer and other wildlife.” Kip understands that many hunters like to mow their plots at least once, and for [...]

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