Big Deer TV Archives - Page 120 of 194

7 05, 2019

2019 And Beyond: Warm, Wet Weather Means More Snakes

admin2020-06-10T09:15:19-04:00May 7th, 2019|Big Deer TV, Deer Hunting, Hunting News|3 Comments

I hate snakes and I cannot lie. Any snakes, from garters to rats to rattlers to moccasins. Any kind, color or size, I am scared of them all. My heart rate soared and my blood pressure spiked when I read this: After a winter (2018-19) that was warmer and wetter than average across much of the U.S., the country needs to be on snake watch… Snakes like those conditions. Increased populations are expected. And there is more bad news. A new study by Stanford University professor Grant Lipman and the University of Colorado’s Caleb Phillips shows that rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes may bite more people after rainy seasons. The study, which analyzed 20 years of snakebite data, found a significant [...]

1 05, 2019

How Much Are Shed Antlers Worth?

admin2020-06-10T09:15:19-04:00May 1st, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Mule Deer, Shed Hunting|1 Comment

How much cash can you get for your shed antlers? For starters, depends on condition and grade of the sheds: Grade A: Antler in perfect condition, brown and beautiful, with no fading…no broken tines or chew marks…this year’s drop, antler picked up within a few weeks or months. Grade B: Antler in good condition, still natural brown color, may be dull or faded on one side and slightly weathered, probably last year’s drop. May have slight broken tine or chip. Grade C: Antler faded and weathered to white and chalky, on the ground for 2 or 3 years. Here are February 2019 estimates from Antlerbuyers.com: Elk Grade A: $13.50 a pound* Elk Grade B: $11 a pound* Elk Grade C: $3 a [...]

23 04, 2019

Virginia: CWD Confirmed In Buck Shot In Culpeper County

admin2020-06-10T09:15:19-04:00April 23rd, 2019|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|5 Comments

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) in my home state of Virginia has confirmed Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a buck legally harvested in Culpeper County during the November 2018 rut. CWD has been documented in northwest Virginia (Frederick and Shenandoah counties) for some 9 years, and we hunters in the Northern Piedmont have been holding our collective breath that it would not spread. But it has. The latest infected buck was killed in Culpeper County, 40 miles south of the original CWD zone. Officials discovered this CWD from a sample submitted by a local taxidermist in January 2019. At the time this deer was harvested, the hunter did not notice any outward signs of disease, and the [...]

22 04, 2019

Earth Day 2019: Let’s Celebrate America’s Hunters

admin2020-06-10T09:15:19-04:00April 22nd, 2019|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Hunting News|Comments Off on Earth Day 2019: Let’s Celebrate America’s Hunters

On this Earth Day, I refer you to a passage written by two of America’s top deer biologists, Drs. Larry Marchinton and Karl Miller: In the United States roughly 3 million white-tailed deer are harvested each year… This translates to about 150 million pounds of meat. Add to this the amount of elk, turkey, squirrel, rabbit and other game as well as wild fruits, nuts, and vegetables that is consumed. To produce this amount of beef, chicken, or vegetable crops in addition to that which is already produced would be ecologically devastating. Acres and acres of wild places would have to be destroyed to accommodate this increased agricultural production. More wildlife habitat would have to be plowed under. More pesticides [...]

16 04, 2019

Deer Tip: How To Read A Buck’s Body Language

admin2020-06-10T09:15:19-04:00April 16th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Deer Tip: How To Read A Buck’s Body Language

One November morning in Kansas, the rut was rocking when Greg Brownlee saw a doe walk out of a tree line and proceed to cross a CRP field. She stopped and looked back. "Oh boy, this is it," he thought. Greg’s heart dropped as he glassed a young buck with one antler come out the trees toward the doe. Then he caught more movement—an enormous rack overtook the little buck and made for the doe! The hunter started to get excited, but quickly took 5 deep breaths to calm down. "If I think about it too much, I could screw this thing up," he thought. The giant started toward the doe, but when he got about 150 yards out from [...]