Bowhunting Archives - Page 56 of 65

28 07, 2016

How to Make the Ultimate Mock Scrape

admin2020-06-10T09:16:46-04:00July 28th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

Today’s guest blog is from Wisconsin hunter and friend of BIG DEER Kim Redburn: Did you know that a whitetail buck will check and freshen a scrape year-round? Four years ago I started running 6 trail cameras 365 days a year on my land, as I really enjoy the wildlife and the change of seasons they capture. Being a hunter with 40 years of experience, I didn’t think I would stumble onto some deer behavioral habits I was not aware of. But I did. Initially when I purchased my small wooded property I completed an extensive walk of the land in early spring. I found several trails, a few small rubs and scrapes and 2 larger scrapes that I call [...]

15 07, 2016

Deer How-To: Scouting Big Bucks

admin2020-06-10T09:16:47-04:00July 15th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

Excellent guest blog and advice from Montana traditional archer Luke Strommen, a charter member of the Big Deer Hunt Team: To all the BIG DEER Bloggers: Here is story and a lesson I have learned. Hope it helps you find a big buck and shoot him this season. One time I spotted a gnarly 6x6 during my scouting and glassing routines in the summer. The mature whitetail used his primary core area throughout July and August. I saw him many times and took some distant digital images of him from one of our tree stands. He would browse in an irrigated alfalfa field, and having completed his evening ritual, he’d sneak off to spend the night in a 20-acre corn [...]

30 06, 2016

Summer Deer Scout: Set Your Trail Cams Now

admin2020-06-10T09:16:47-04:00June 30th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Summer Deer Scout: Set Your Trail Cams Now

This is the weekend to go to the beach or pool, do a little fishing or hiking, play golf, grill out… And if you’re serious about your hunting, drive to your spot, lather on the tick and bug repellent, set some cameras and find some bucks to hunt in 3 or 4 months. I’ve had a few cameras out for a while, but now around July 4th is when I start my recon in earnest. Velvet antlers are up and growing full bore; when you get an image of a buck with potential, you’ll know it and can start tracking and patterning his movements. One day this weekend I’ll set 2 cameras on 2 half-acre clover plots hidden back in [...]

28 06, 2016

Flying with Guns: Best Hard-Side Travel Cases

admin2020-06-10T09:16:47-04:00June 28th, 2016|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Guns & Loads|Comments Off on Flying with Guns: Best Hard-Side Travel Cases

You’ve heard that airline baggage handlers are gorillas that throw bags and gun cases around, but in my experience that is not the case. I peek out the plane window whenever I can and watch those guys, and for the most part they are responsible with peoples’ bags. Now, I understand that some people flying with guns have horror stories, and some of those have been posted here on the blog. But I’ve been lucky with my rifles over the last 30 years, and yes, I knock on wood. I’ve always used a top-quality hard case. With all those miles you fly and connections, plus the last leg of a journey to and from your destination, your case (and guns [...]

11 05, 2016

Top 10 States: Giant Non-Typical Whitetail Bucks

admin2020-06-10T09:16:48-04:00May 11th, 2016|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

The odd monstrous non-typical is walking in every state, but without question your odds of seeing one are best if you live in the Midwest, or own or lease ground there, or travel there to hunt. This region has the most soybeans and the best genetics for growing big, bad freaks. Some Midwestern states don’t allow gun hunting until after the November rut, and even then much of it is limited to slug or muzzleloader. This allows a good number of bucks to live past 4 or 5 years and begin to sprout antler junk. You can hunt anywhere in the Midwest and have a fighting chance of encountering a freak, but your odds go up if you hunt [...]