We recently got a couple more submissions of deer afflicted with the big nose phenomenon, which was first documented on BIG DEER back in 2008. Jeanie sent this picture of a buck that her husband killed near Pauline, SC last November. And this trail camera shot comes from central Texas. As this recent article from QDMA explains, “The swollen snouts of afflicted deer result from chronic (long-term) inflammation of the tissues of the nose, mouth and upper lip… How and where deer acquire the Bullwinkle bacteria is still unknown.” The most common question I get is: “Are these deer safe to eat?” I have always advised NOT to eat the meat of a big-nose deer, and the QDMA article concurs: [...]

From longtime blogger Dutch: Mike: I think some time ago there was a thread on the blog about hair loss in deer. This past Friday, I was hunting on my family’s farm in Virginia and had this little lady stop by. She was definitely the boss doe in charge of her group, and seemed perfectly healthy other than not having any hair on her back. I've never seen this before and my first thought was mange but whenever I've seen animals with mange in the past, it's been in random splotches on their bodies, usually with little sores. This just seemed so uniform. Just wanted to share and see if you or anyone else had any thoughts.—Dutch I reached out [...]

Hi Mike: Check out the photo taken by a buddy of mine while crabbing on the Navesink River in New Jersey. This buck was dogging the doe up and down the river bank until she got fed up and jumped in to swim across. They swam a good 300 yards across that section which dumps out into the Atlantic about a 1/2 mile away. The way bucks chase does always amazes me. Just when you think you've seen it all! —Paul Milata

I have blogged and said on TV many times: "The NUMBER ONE THING that will kill your big-buck hunting is too much pressure. How much pressure it too much? This article from the QDMA references a study where researchers put GPS collars on mature bucks and monitored their movements and habits: “They found that at 1 hunter per 250 acres, minimal effect could be seen in the way bucks move. However, at 1 hunter per 75 acres bucks responded by choosing thicker cover (and) they traveled less… observation rates/hunter success decreased… and once the season opened, it only took three days for bucks to change their behavior…clearly there is a breaking point where having too many people in the woods affects [...]