whitetail deer Archives - Page 12 of 82

24 08, 2023

Rifle Deer: What’s Better, the Shoulder or Lung Shot?

Clay Hanback2023-08-17T10:53:24-04:00August 24th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting, Hornady, sportsman channel, trijicon, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Rifle Deer: What’s Better, the Shoulder or Lung Shot?

Mike: I was just curious, where do you aim on a deer when you are hunting with a gun? I have had terrific success with the shoulder shot versus the standard behind-the-shoulder shot. The recovery rates and distances that deer run, margin of error and terminal performance are all superior when I use this aiming point. I think others could benefit if they changed where they shoot a buck and go for more shoulder. Thanks, Kenny from VA. Kenny: I have shot a bunch of bucks through the shoulders and agree that it is a tremendous shot. When you’re on target, you not only take out both shoulders but also get the front of the lungs and shock the heart. [...]

21 08, 2023

Pre-Season Hunting Rifle Check

Clay Hanback2023-08-17T10:34:39-04:00August 21st, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CZ-USA, Deer Guns & Loads, trijicon, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Pre-Season Hunting Rifle Check

Just got back from the range and checking these 2 rigs that I’ll hunt with this fall as we film Big Deer TV Season 13 on Sportsman Channel: CZ-USA Model 600 Alpha bolt-action rifle in 6.5 PRC topped with Trijicon Accupoint 4X-16X scope, and CZ 600 in .30-06 topped w/Trijicon 3X-9X Huron. Here are 4 observations and tips I have from that range session. The 6.5 PRC rifle was dead-on last January in Texas, where I killed a nice buck and a huge boar hog with one bullet each. My first shot at the range today was 4 inches high and 3 inches left. I was not shocked. I traveled 2,000 miles back home with the rifle. That might or [...]

14 08, 2023

Whitetail Bow Season Q&A

Clay Hanback2023-08-13T11:24:11-04:00August 14th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Whitetail Bow Season Q&A

You scout and glass a couple of small bucks, a decent 8-pointer and a shooter 10 coming to a bean field like clockwork in the evenings. Will those bucks, and especially the 10-point, be around when bow season opens in late September or October? That bachelor’s club will start to break up in mid-September, but a few of the bucks may still run together into October. In what is known as the “fall shuffle,” some of the bucks will shift a mile or more to winter range while some of them—maybe that big 10--will stay right there, close to where you’re spotting them now. Keep glassing the fields and edges, and hang a tree stand or 2 in the [...]

10 08, 2023

Fix this Tree-Stand Mistake this Season

Clay Hanback2023-08-07T10:12:02-04:00August 10th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Fix this Tree-Stand Mistake this Season

You unconsciously but haphazardly lug a tree stand and steps on the way in to a hunting site, heavy metal clanking every step of the way. You lumber along and crack sticks. You bull through a patch of cover and jump as a deer boils out of there and runs off. Even a moderate amount of human intrusion this close to bow season can and will cause a mature buck to change his pattern. By the time you finally hang your set and start hunting in a few weeks, a big deer might have moved over to the next ridge to travel or bed. The Fix: With rope or bungees, batten down a stand, steps, tools and all your gear [...]

3 08, 2023

How Many Bucks are in a Bachelor Group?

Clay Hanback2023-07-30T10:40:24-04:00August 3rd, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on How Many Bucks are in a Bachelor Group?

These soft, summer evenings in July and August are when I officially start my scouting for the upcoming deer season. A couple hours before dark, I drive to one of my hunt areas and park where I can see a good piece into a field of low-growing alfalfa, soybeans or clover, or a recently hayed pasture. In a more heavily wooded habitat, I find a spot with a decent long view of a clear-cut, power line or similar opening in the timber. Once I’ve obtained a vantage, I break out my 10X binocular and a spotting scope on a tripod, and look for velvet-racked bucks that gather to feed and posture out in the open at dusk. These bachelor clubs, [...]