Deer Management Archives - Page 9 of 53

27 01, 2020

Pennsylvania Bowhunter Tags 43rd Buck

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:51-04:00January 27th, 2020|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, whitetail deer|1 Comment

Today’s fine guest post is from Big Daddy, who has been with me on the Big Deer Blog since I started it 11 years ago. Thanks for the support, BD! I began hunting in 1967 at age 12 and took my first bow-killed deer,a doe, that year. In those early years I was just trying to kill any deer. The years passed and most found me with a filled tag, some with bow others with gun. In 1976 I killed my first P&Y buck and it changed my hunting career forever. During the past 42 years I have taken 43 bucks with a bow, all but one in Pennsylvania. One was in New Jersey. I purchased property in north-central PA [...]

23 09, 2019

North Carolina 2019: Big Year For Big Bow Bucks!

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:14:53-04:00September 23rd, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on North Carolina 2019: Big Year For Big Bow Bucks!

Every year when bow seasons open in September in some states across the country, one state gets particularly hot for big bucks. This year it’s North Carolina, where the archery season opened September 8. First we blogged about the 160-inch velvet 8-pointer that Brandon Johnson killed on opening day. Since then we’ve heard of 4 more NC giants. We got word of all these bucks from the Carolina Sportsman website. If you hunt or fish in the Carolinas, you need to check out and bookmark this site, it’s a fantastic regional resource. Jonathan Phillips of Pittsboro, NC shot this 9 1/2-year-old buck (above) on opening day. The Chatham County deer scored 137 5/8, proof that rack score means little. Anybody [...]

11 09, 2019

Bowhunting: 5 Keys To Shooting An Early-Season Buck

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:14:53-04:00September 11th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Bowhunting: 5 Keys To Shooting An Early-Season Buck

If you hunt in Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina or any state where the archery season opens in September, click here and for tips and advice on how to punch your tag super early. I teamed with Outdoor Life digital for a 5-point plan that involves understanding late-summer buck behavior, trail-camera strategies, best tree stand spots and more. Good luck and send me pictures if you shoot a good buck this month or anytime this season!

3 09, 2019

5 Top Spots For Trail Cameras in September

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:14:53-04:00September 3rd, 2019|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on 5 Top Spots For Trail Cameras in September

1. A small clearing in the woods 70 to 100 yards off an alfalfa, soybean, clover or corn field. Some mature bucks hang up in these areas in late afternoon before moving out to a field after dark. 2. A bottleneck of thick cover on a deer trail that leads into a field. A big buck will usually walk the thickest route in, and you can get a close-up image of him. 3. Back in the woods where two or more drainages with thick cover come together. Oak trees that drop acorns nearby make this a surefire bet for buck images. Especially good for those nocturnal giants that don’t get to a field until dark. 4. “Our thousands of cam [...]

30 07, 2019

Pre-Season Whitetail: How To Scout and Find Bucks

bluemillion2020-06-10T09:14:53-04:00July 30th, 2019|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Pre-Season Whitetail: How To Scout and Find Bucks

Years ago, an Ohio bowhunter by the name of Chad Moore wrote and told me about the dream buck he had just shot. The tale of the tape was impressive: the 6½-year-old 9-pointer with the drop tine and beams like Red Bull cans at the bases scored 186 non-typical. The story of his hunt was pretty simple and straightforward. Chad didn’t use a big or flashy technique to kill the giant. He just did a lot of good things right: the scouting, the trail-cams, the tree-stand placement, the scent control… He kept at it day after day, until the monster popped up in his bow sight one afternoon. Then, heart thumping and knees shaking, he held it together and made [...]