trijicon Archives

13 11, 2025

How to Beat “Lockdown”

Clay Hanback2025-11-13T12:32:48-05:00November 13th, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, trijicon, whitetail deer|0 Comments

Last week was a kick-ass week to hunt, and many good bucks were tagged across the nation. Now, on November 13, I'm getting reports from all over the East and Midwest about the woods and fields going quiet as the "lockdown" or breeding phase of the rut is happening. Well, here's a simple, positive and effective strategy for the next few days.--MH "Lockdown” is the mini-phase when older bucks hook up with the older does to breed, and they all seem to go underground for three or four days. To punch your tag, I believe your best chances the next few days are in the morning. Head for your best stand or blind deep in the timber and hunt there [...]

9 11, 2025

.35 Remington: Thick-Woods Buck-Thumping Cartridge

Clay Hanback2025-11-09T11:55:53-05:00November 9th, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, trijicon, whitetail deer|0 Comments

I bet most of you hunters under the age of 40 have never have heard of the .35 Remington, much less ever owned a rifle chambered for it. The cartridge gained popularity in the 1950s and ‘60s, when Marlin and Winchester chambered lever-actions for the .35 Rem. People who hunted thick woods, from northern Michigan to Maine to anywhere in the country where most shots are 100 yards and in, loved the hard-hitting cartridge that dropped deer on the spot. The niche round continued to be popular into the 1980s and ‘90s. I began hunting with the .35 Rem. in 2018, when Marlin, owned by the now-defunct Remington Arms Company at the time, chambered a new Model 336 lever for [...]

26 10, 2025

4 Rut Stands For Farm Country Bucks

Clay Hanback2025-10-26T09:33:13-04:00October 26th, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Rut, sportsman channel, trijicon, whitetail deer|0 Comments

Where are the best spots in farm country to ambush a rut-wired buck? The first week of November bucks love to troll nose down across an old pasture or weed field from one point of woods to the next. It’s a natural pinch point. Hang a tree stand in the downwind point of timber where you can see and shoot far out into the cover with a firearm. If bowhunting, move a stand more toward the middle of the patch of woods and set up on the downwind side of the heaviest doe trail in the vicinity. Let’s say that later in November you see a big 8-pointer chase a doe out of the far point of woods and toward [...]

11 09, 2025

Big Deer’s 2025 Moon and Rut Hunting Guide

Clay Hanback2025-09-11T13:56:03-04:00September 11th, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, trijicon, whitetail deer|0 Comments

2025 ruting moon phases: Full November 5…last quarter November 11…new November 19…first quarter November 27 As I have said time and again on the blog and on BIG DEER TV, I am neither a scientist nor an astronomer. But I am a whitetail hunter and have been doing it for 50 years, more than 30 of those professionally. I’m also a moon fanatic. Over the years I figure I’ve spent more than 1,000 days in a deer stand in November, during every imaginable moon phase, and all the waxing and waning days. My journal notes and personal and observations indicate there is something to the November moon and how it impacts the movements of rutting whitetails. My 2025 predictions: I [...]

1 09, 2025

How to Remove Rust from a Gun

Clay Hanback2025-08-26T11:40:18-04:00September 1st, 2025|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, trijicon|0 Comments

You know you should store all your handguns and rifles in a locked safe, or at least in a cool, dry place, with a dehumidifier running for good measure if there is a hint of moisture (as in a basement). But if you do pull out one of your guns and see a few spots of rust on the barrel or receiver, here’s an interesting way to remove it. From Range 365, which has a collection of great gun videos: The trick…is finding a penny minted before 1982, which were 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. To start you need some light oil (good old 3-in-1 will do just fine), a medium brass-bristle cleaning brush, some paper towels, and [...]