whitetail deer Archives - Page 12 of 92

1 04, 2024

Pennsylvania Deer Harvest Up 2 % in 2023-24

Clay Hanback2024-04-01T10:32:31-04:00April 1st, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Hunting News, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Pennsylvania Deer Harvest Up 2 % in 2023-24

The Pennsylvania Game Commission reports that hunters harvested an estimated 430,010 whitetails last season. The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 171,600, while the antlerless harvest was about 258,410. The 20023-24 harvest is 2% greater than that of 2022-23, and 4% higher than the total harvest seen as a three-year average. As for last season’s buck kill, it was by 5% over 2022-23, and up 6% over the three-year average. Overall, 27% of deer hunters shot a buck. That was a slight increase over 2022-23’s 26% success rate, and up significantly from the 15% success rate seen as recently as 2007-08. The majority of bucks harvested are older than in decades past, too. Before antler point restrictions, most of the [...]

27 03, 2024

Deer Hunter Numbers Are Declining Again

Clay Hanback2024-03-27T09:42:23-04:00March 27th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|1 Comment

Numerous studies documented a 4.9% increase in hunting license sales from 2019 to 2020. One of the few bright spots of COVID was that it produced a rekindled interest in deer hunting across the United States as people sought to get outside, and try to harvest their own food. But an extensive study of 46 states in 2022 found that overall hunting license sales decreased by approximately 1.9% in 2021 compared to 2020. Resident license sales were down 4.0% in many states. And yet another new study finds this troubling trend is continuing. The Wisconsin Department of Naturals Resources studied 18 years of detailed license data. Software used in the study allowed the DNR to track and analyze the ages, [...]

25 03, 2024

How to Hang a Tree Stand For Bowhunting

Clay Hanback2024-03-24T09:07:05-04:00March 25th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on How to Hang a Tree Stand For Bowhunting

If bowhunting big deer is not a game of inches, then surely it is one of feet. You can do some awesome scouting and find a killer spot ripped with buck sign. But if you move in with a stand and set it a foot too low…or angled on the south side of a tree as a 10-pointer marches in from the west… You get it. If your positioning is off just a bit, you might as well be off a mile, because you are probably not going to shoot that buck. Use this guide to fine-tune your stand placement for better shots. Size matters. A straight tree 15-20 inches in diameter is perfect for any type stand, “lock-on,” ladder [...]

11 03, 2024

Deer Hunt Tip: Keep Your Grunt Call Handy

Clay Hanback2024-03-11T12:44:52-04:00March 11th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CZ-USA, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, trijicon, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Deer Hunt Tip: Keep Your Grunt Call Handy

The heavy 8-pointer popped out onto the levee road 350 yards away, heading for a dry canal where he would be out sight in seconds. I pulled out my call and cut loose a barrage of loud, aggressive grunts. To my surprise and delight, the buck stopped, looked and began marching my way, the hair up and bristling on his neck. It was the tail-end of the rut, but this bully was still looking to mix it up. I kept calling intermittently and he keep looking and walking. A couple of times he paused and turned his head as if losing interest. I grunted harder, and by gosh it worked. The old Mississippi warrior marched to within 120 yards, and [...]

6 03, 2024

Highlights from the NDA’s 2024 Deer Report

Clay Hanback2024-03-06T11:01:54-05:00March 6th, 2024|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Highlights from the NDA’s 2024 Deer Report

The National Deer Association’s 2024 Deer Report is hot off the digital press, and let’s get right to the meat of it. Hunters across America are shooting more mature bucks than ever. In 2022-23, 42% of the bucks shot across North America were 3½ years or older. One out of every three bucks shot in the U.S. today is at least 3½! Mississippi hunters get the gold star for holding out for a big deer; a whopping 80% of bucks shot in the Magnolia State are 3.5 years or older. How many people kill a deer each year? The NDA crunched the numbers and found that 41% of hunters across the U.S. tagged at least one animal in 2022-23. The [...]