6 10, 2023

Hunting October’s Sensitive Bucks

2023-10-06T11:16:32-04:00October 6th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Hunting October’s Sensitive Bucks

Archery season begins in many states tomorrow, here are some things to keep in mind about the big deer you’ll be hunting. One of the things I’ve noticed is that October whitetails are super sensitive.  The animals seem to be extremely skittish. Their senses, especially their sensitivity to smell, seem to be much keener than at other times of the year. That makes the hunting tough. You have to be extremely careful and cautious, and you have to pay close attention to the details when choosing and accessing stands. Another observation is that deer move very slowly in October, due primarily I think to the warm temperatures they’ve been battling all summer. The heat, along with their extreme sensitivity, puts [...]

2 10, 2023

Missouri Crossbow Hunter Bags 18-Point Doe

2023-10-02T09:16:45-04:00October 2nd, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Missouri Crossbow Hunter Bags 18-Point Doe

Kelly Moore had been getting camera images of a nice buck on his hunting property for weeks, and when bow season opened, he headed out to hunt him. One cue the velvet-racked deer showed up, and Kelly’s bolt was on target. As Kelly and his buddies admired the animal, they soon realized that certain parts of the “buck’s” anatomy were missing. They quickly determined the animal was a doe, which the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed soon thereafter. Source: KY3 in Springfield Mo ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Some background on does with antlers:  Scientists say there are two types of antlered does. The first are females with velvet-covered antlers, like the one Kelly shot in Missouri. These animals usually have normal female reproductive [...]

27 09, 2023

Hemorrhagic Disease in Whitetail Deer 2023

2023-09-27T09:37:13-04:00September 27th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Hemorrhagic Disease in Whitetail Deer 2023

In June 2023 I blogged: Many areas in the West and Deep South have received plenty of moisture this spring, so I think any outbreaks of Hemorrhagic Disease (HD)  — either epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) virus or bluetongue virus-- in whitetails will be spotty and insignificant. But I see potential trouble spots in the Midwest… where conditions range from abnormally dry to exceptional drought in many areas. Moderate drought conditions also exist eastward across the upper Midwest to Pennsylvania and south into the Virginia Piedmont…so I’m on the lookout for EHD in these regions too. There were no reports of any HD outbreaks anywhere in America throughout the summer and early fall, but in mid-September HD reared its ugly head [...]

25 09, 2023

Why You Should Shoot a Doe Early in Bow Season

2023-09-25T09:21:42-04:00September 25th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Why You Should Shoot a Doe Early in Bow Season

In this open letter to hunters as the 2023 season kicks off, Chad Stewart, deer management specialist with the Michigan DNR, writes: …”the typical Michigan hunting philosophy to date is to hold off on taking antlerless deer until later in the season.” While there are exceptions to this way of thinking, that is the predominant philosophy of whitetail hunters in most states: Spend the early archery season and the rut trying to get your buck, then maybe shoot a doe or 2 for the freezer after Thanksgiving until the season ends. But in regions where there are too many antlerless deer, where the buck/doe ratio is out of balance, such as in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan right now, that [...]

18 09, 2023

Big Deer’s 2023 Moon-Rut Hunting Guide

2023-09-18T08:55:01-04:00September 18th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, Deer Science, whitetail deer|6 Comments

Over the past 40 years I’ve spent more than 1,000 days in deer stands across North America during the magic month of November, during every imaginable moon phase, during all the waxing and waning days. Though many scientists don’t put much stock in the moon and its effects on whitetails and the rut, my journal notes and personal observations say differently. I am convinced the various lunar phases can and do impact the movements of rutting deer, though admittedly those effects can sometimes be difficult to see and predict because of warm-weather patterns and moderate to heavy hunting pressure from region to region, Here are my 2023 moon-rut predictions. Factor them into your gameplan as you schedule your rut-hunting vacation [...]

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