BigDeer Archives - Page 283 of 344

13 05, 2014

“Hunt your own way…”

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 13th, 2014|BigDeer|16 Comments

Back when I was working for Versus, now the NBC Sports Network, I posted this picture of Chad Christie’s incredible monster. Two reasons. One, I am absolutely obsessed with drop-tine bucks, and this just might be the most impressive one I have ever seen. I wonder if I could hold it together if I saw that thing coming through the woods at me?Two, I asked Chad to get in touch with me because I’d love to profile his buck here on the blog and on TV. I never heard from Chad, but some guy named Dave chimed in: Why would you want to put this guy on TV? I hate gun season because they (gun hunters) only go out opening weekend, sit [...]

12 05, 2014

Iowa’s #4 Typical Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 12th, 2014|BigDeer|5 Comments

We love scanned photographs of old giant whitetails. Thanks to Mike C. for posting this one to our BIG DEER Facebook page: “How would u like to have this giant Iowa buck hanging in ur garage after season? This monster, a rare 7x7 typical, had a 210-inch frame and a final net of 196 4/8. Killed by Michael Edle in SE Iowa in 1989, an extreme cold year (like the winter just passed). If it wasn’t for a couple of sticker points this deer would likely have been Iowa's state record. I checked the B&C records. Shot 25 years ago, the amazing Edle Buck is #4 in Iowa and the 46th biggest typical ever shot in North America.

9 05, 2014

Rate Your 2013-14 Deer Season

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 9th, 2014|BigDeer, Deer Management, Deer Science, Hunting News, Predator Hunting|12 Comments

The results of QDMA's unscientific poll reveal about what I expected--that in about half the country, the whitetail herds are trending in a negative way. Based on the number of deer and the number of bucks you saw last season, how would you vote? Leave a reply below so we can see if the BIG DEER numbers jibe with QDMA's. I'll comment first. I vote "blue down" because the 2013-14 season was one of my hardest in the last 15 years. I hunted from Canada to Wisconsin to New York to Nebraska, and it was tough everywhere. I even had to push it on two Texas hunts to shoot bucks. It's not supposed to be hard in Texas, but it was for me. In the end I shot some nice bucks, [...]

9 05, 2014

Food Plots: How to Plant Seeds

admin2020-06-10T09:22:50-04:00May 9th, 2014|BigDeer, Deer Management|2 Comments

From long-time BIG DEER blogger and food-plot specialist Matt “Flatlander” Cheever: Hey Mike: It’s that time of year to start getting our hands dirty in the deer woods with habitat projects. Food plot planting is kicking off in the South and close by to the North. Passing along a tip to the BIG DEER readers: It’s a common mistake to till, disk or dig too deep. The bigger the equipment you use the easier it is to over-till, which brings up dormant weed seeds. On the other hand, if you don’t till enough you won’t get good seed-to-soil contact. A good rule of thumb is to plant twice as deep as the seed is in size. For clovers, brassicas and the [...]

8 05, 2014

How Much Are Shed Antlers Worth?

admin2020-06-10T09:23:02-04:00May 8th, 2014|BigDeer, Shed Hunting|1 Comment

Mike: What are shed antlers going for these days? I have a big pile I might want to unload if the price is right? I’ve been getting that question a lot. Here are some guidelines to go by. Keep in mind that the value of antlers can vary according to antler size (bigger is better), condition and grade of the sheds and the simple effects of supply and demand. These are spring 2014 estimates; I’ll try to update the figures every year or so. I checked with shed fanatic Mike C., who told me that whitetail sheds are running from $7-$10 a pound. “Ten dollars a pound for single sheds that that are like 70-78 inches. The deer farm market has killed the [...]