19 11, 2018

New Jersey Bowhunter Revitalizes Farm, Shoots 6.5-Year-Old Buck

2020-06-10T09:15:26-04:00November 19th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|3 Comments

In 2016, Jeff Herrmann, long-time friend of BIG DEER, bought a rundown farm in New Jersey and set about making it a dedicated hunting property. The land is 133 acres, 40 of those tillable. Well into his third year of land management, Jeff has put in 10 acres of beautiful food plots. “What you see in the picture below are primarily brassicas,” he says. “Specifically, groundhog radish, purple top turnip and dwarf essex rape. The work is paying off. In October, Jeff shot this great big-bodied 7-pointer with his bow. “I believe he was the oldest buck on the property when I bought the farm, at least 4.5 back then.” Proof that with dedication and hard work, anybody can create [...]

5 11, 2018

69-Year-Old Hunter Shoots First Bow Buck

2020-06-10T09:15:27-04:00November 5th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

This is one of the coolest Tweets I've read in a while. Jerry @ BG_Two tweeted: My dad will be 70 next year and he got his first bow buck last night! He was shaking like a little kid when I got to him. I wouldn't trade that moment for anything. He had a goal to get one before moving on to a crossbow and we did it together. I am still pumped! This is just tremendous and makes me happy, way to go guys.        

2 11, 2018

October Velvet Mystery Bucks

2020-06-10T09:15:27-04:00November 2nd, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on October Velvet Mystery Bucks

Got this from Travis: Hi Mike: Thought you might be able to shed some light on this. We took this deer October 19 on the Texas/Oklahoma border north of Dallas. As you can see it’s still in velvet!  That’s not normal for around here. Any insight on this, and does this change how we plan for the rut? I emailed back: Did his nut sack look normal or small? If a buck injures his testicles (or if they didn’t drop as he grew) it affects his hormones and a buck might not shed the velvet. Let me know. From Travis: I finally heard back from my buddy. You called it. The testicles were small and not near what you’d expect. And [...]

1 11, 2018

Hot Tactic Now: Hunt Where Rutting Bucks Travel

2020-06-10T09:15:27-04:00November 1st, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting|1 Comment

In Oklahoma researchers fitted bucks with GPS collars and monitored their movements. They found that in early fall, most bucks stick to small core areas and have a maze of crisscross patterns. But from late October through November, those same bucks showed longer and more linear movements. The researchers surmised that by traveling in straighter lines, bucks can cover more country faster, and maximize their chances of contacting estrus does. To capitalize this season, as bucks begin to roam farther and in straighter patterns, expand your hunt area, too. Scout and hang more stands in long, linear travel corridors, like river bottoms and long ridges. Rotate hunt those stands for a week and you’ll see bucks on the move.

25 10, 2018

Gun Hunters: Protect Your Hearing

2020-06-10T09:15:27-04:00October 25th, 2018|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Guns & Loads, Deer Hunting|5 Comments

Had my annual physical recently, and glad to report that, knock on wood, I’m doing well. But doc did say, “You have slight high-frequency hearing loss in your left ear.” I have always been able to hear extremely well, able to pick up the crunch of deer hooves at long range and zero in on the direction and location of those sounds. Hearing has been my greatest attribute as a hunter, and to know I’ve lost even a bit of that is disturbing. Audiologists point out that exposure to noise greater than 140 dB can permanently damage hearing. Almost all guns create noise over that level. A .22 can produce noise around 140 dB, while larger calibers can produce sound [...]

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