Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2025 i Deer & Deer Hunting

Two and a half hours from home, things were at once comforting and familiar, yet strange and uncharted. November 2nd is a sacred day in my life. Eight years ago today, my twenty-three-year-old daughter succumbed to a year long battle with brain cancer. Anyone grieving the loss of a loved one knows the importance of such anniversaries. As the morning twilight subtly illuminated the woods, I dreaded the anniversary as I always do, but also looked forward to the day with a slim margin of hope that the deep woods and – with any luck – some deer movement would make the morning more tolerable. As six twenty-five came and went, I tried to force my mind away from that terrible morning when my daughter died in my arms. Like…

I tried it the first time when on a couple week public land hunt in Illinois. Being my first serious out of state trip, I was ill-prepared and had never even stepped on these grounds. That said, I had studied the topos for the area. From them, I’d picked out close to double digit spots that screamed potential. Those that use hunting apps realize that, even with quality photography and contour lines, they’re great at giving us places of promise to check, but the promise isn’t always delivered, when the boots hit the ground. Back then, I was just dealing with a contour map. I knew some would be busts, and I didn’t have time to waste. That’s when a light bulb went off. I’d visit each of those locations on…

What follows is a series of photos that document the antler growth process of one mature white-tailed buck. I photographed this buck in western New York State. During the year prior to this pictorial’s timeline, moisture and growing conditions were slightly above average. The buck was 8 years old, healthy and in the prime of his life. Typical of a buck of this stature, his antlers scored 154 Boone and Crockett Club inches after velvet peel. HOW IT HAPPENS There are no cookie-cutter bucks. Each is distinctly different. Some grow antlers that are narrow and tall, while others have drop tines and wide inside spreads. No two are identical, which adds to the whitetail’s uniqueness. Seldom does a buck grow his largest antlers before age 6. Over the 25 years…

One of the most overlooked facets when it comes judging the quality of a buck’s rack, is the role of the doe. It makes sense why we might think that a buck can only inherit antler traits from his father, but this isn’t so. Not only does the mother influence her son’s antlers environmentally, but she contributes to them genetically as well. Believe it or not, a doe can have an even greater genetic impact on her son’s antlers than the sire. According to Auburn University’s Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff, antlers are genetically determined but environmentally influenced. While genetic distribution is a combined input from both parents; when it comes to environmental persuasions, the doe bears most, if not all, the responsibility. There are several key environmental pressures that can compromise…

Occasionally, someone will say something so inspirational or profound that it just sticks with you. As a writer in the outdoor industry for the past 10 years, I’ve been blessed to interview hundreds of people for the thousand-plus articles I’ve written. Some folks are educational or motivational, while others are humorous or witty; Some are extremely chatty and others get right to the point. Regardless of the delivery, each interview has taught me something new about people, wildlife, wild places or the world we live in. quotes below. There’s power and wisdom in these words, and I hope they resonate with you as much as they did with me. And, if you apply the concepts from each quote to your hunting strategy, you’ll probably become a better hunter, too. 1.…

Many people attribute a “gamy” flavor to wild game, and they’re quick to blame muscle blood as the culprit. As a result, after shooting a deer they’ll quarter it, throw it in an ice-filled cooler and let the meat “bleed out,” changing the ice and letting the water drain until it runs clear. This technique is popular throughout America. I’ve heard people talk about it in person and seen it discussed in online hunting forums for years. But do hunters need to bleed muscle meat? Is using a cooler the best way to do it? ccording to John McGannon, the short answers to those questions are: 1. Yes, you should bleed muscle meat through a dry age process. 2. No, you shouldn’t use a cooler and ice unless you’re transporting…

However, with that comes the responsibility of watching over the flocks. Wasting what we harvest is morally criminal and it’s our duty to remove those suffering within the flocks, when we can. NOTHING that follows is an attempt to tell anyone else what to think. It’s merely me sharing how a three-legged buck and turkey caught in a trap has somewhat altered my views on management and what are our responsibilities. A TURKEY The questioning began when I saw that the game warden’s son had caught a turkey in a yote set. The escape attempts had dislocated its hip. It was unlikely to ever walk normal again. Actually, I’d dispatched it immediately, if it hadn’t been the warden’s son. I texted the warden, and left it. Fast forward an hour…

1 MOSSBERG PATRIOT SUPER BANTAM The new Mossberg Patriot Super Bantam boasts all the features you’ll find in the full-sized Patriot but with features to fit smaller-statured users. Plus, the Super Bantam stock design includes a removable 1-inch spacer to allow for customizing length of pull. The variable length of pull (12”-13”) with 1-inch accessory spacer enhances control and comfort in smaller-stature and growing shooters. Standard Patriot features include drop - box magazine, recessed match barrel crown, fluted barrels, spiral fluted bolt, patented LBA® user adjustable trigger (2-7 lbs), and streamlined bolt handle. The rifle comes in .350 Legend. Other features include 20-inch barrel with 1:16-inch twist. The Super Bantam weighs 7.5 pounds and is 40.5 inches long overall. MSRP: $592 | WWW.MOSSBERG.COM 2 TRADITIONS NITROBOLT MUZZLELOADER Traditions unveils the…

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You bet it does, and if it falls in a whitetail wintering area, referred to as deer yards, whitetails will most certainly hear it and will be among the first to smell, see and feast upon the downed tree. Windblown trees, branches and twigs can represent an important food source to winter deer, especially in yarding areas where the forest is primarily made up of mature trees. When and where the snow is deep, temperatures are cold, and there’s competition for limited food, whitetails will quickly consume all edible portions of fallen trees that are within their reach. Such a scenario is perfect for providing supplemental food to increase the chances of winter survival of whitetails, whether on private or public property. With the spread of CWD across North America,…

For whitetails to graduate to top-end status, which means they surpass the Boone & Crockett score of 170, four ingredients are required. The four are genetics, nutrition, management (controlling the population), and age. If any of these keys are missing, it will be very difficult for bucks to reach the Boone & Crockett minimum. Genetics: Much attention is given to the importance of genetics when it comes to big antlered bucks. For the most part North America has great genetics when it comes to whitetails. However, all white-tailed deer are not the same. Not all the recognized 30 subspecies can be expected to have the same top end. Generally, the further north one travels the greater the antler potential. There are several exceptions to this with the most notable being…

Deer antlers are unique. As noted by antler expert Richard J. Goss, “When deer grow antlers they are actually regenerating anatomically complex appendages — something that no other mammal can do.” And, he emphasizes, “The rate at which antlers elongate makes them the fastest-growing structures in the animal kingdom.” Despite decades of antler research, experts still debate how and why members of the deer family (cervidae) evolved antlers. Despite many theories, it’s important to recognize that antlers are secondary sex characters. They evolved hand-in-hand with certain aspects of the whitetail’s breeding behavior. It is more than coincidence that antlers harden and mature just before breeding season. Because velvet is shed at the end of the growing season, when antlers turn into solid bone, this suggests antlers serve primarily for aggressive…

It was a brisk November evening. A boy and his father were bundled up in layers upon layers of clothing and had a small heater in their box blind. They were braving the cold for the chance at shooting a deer. The season was almost over, and it would be one of the boy’s last chances of the year. Then, all of a sudden, there was a sound in the hushed forest, a crunching noise. Probably just a squirrel, the boy thought to himself. But it was no squirrel. In the dim light a white-tailed deer appeared and the boy’s attitude changed from bored to wide awake in the blink of an eye. The boy’s father ranged the deer — broadside at a stiff 100 yards away. He knew it…

One moment you’re wondering why on earth you choose to spend countless hours on deer stands waiting on a caliber of deer you doubt will ever show up. Next, you’re scrambling like you overslept for work because your friend pulls up and tells you there’s a monster buck crusing for does two pastures away. “Hop in,” he says. “Let’s go get him!” In less than an hour, you’re kneeling over that buck of a lifetime. It’s crazy, but that’s exactly how gun-hunting the whitetail rut can be in north-central Nebraska. Fortunately, I know because that’s exactly what happened to me. And I think I’m still shaking with excitement. SETTING THE STAGE Purely for context, I’ve hunted whitetails in 26 states and four provinces over the past 30 years. I’ve chased…

If you’ve decided to join the fold and get a suppressor this year, welcome! Wearing your ear protection on your gun instead of your head is far more comfortable and makes neighbors happy as well. With thousands of new suppressor owners hitting the woods, I thought it might be prudent to publish a quick PSA on zeroing with one for deer season. Yes, screwing a can onto your muzzle will change things, but with a little information, you can determine, even calculate, what that faithful shot will do. It’s best to understand that the added weight will actually droop your barrel a bit. While it’s not enough to see, it’s certainly enough to matter. To help you believe, have a buddy swing his rifle from edge to edge on a…

There weren’t many deer in central South Carolina when I was growing up in the 1950s. The best chances of seeing a deer were among the shadowy live oaks of the big plantations. Those oaks, with their gnarly limbs ornamented with long streamers of Spanish Moss, are something to see. They’re a true symbol of the South. In the few regions that held deer, highspirited hounds gave chase to a fleeing whitetail stag on a frosty wintry morning. However, in my neck of the woods, we hunted deer mostly in our boyhood dreams — when a track or the ghostly flag of a high tail spun white from hair was about all you could hope for. This was a time when men still carried buckshot they had purchased 20 years…

ALEX JACKSON Alex Jackson had this big North Dakota deer on trail cameras throughout the 2022 season, but decided to give it one more year of antler growth. By 2023, it was 5 ½ years old, and quite a bit bigger. October 4, 2023, brought a big cold front with rising barometric pressure. He was hunting a CRP field between a river and soybean field. He hoped to see “Goliath.” The afternoon hunt kicked off, and about 15 does filtered in and out of view. Then, a spike and more does walked through. Shortly after, the big buck entered the field. Within a few minutes, the deer got within range. Jackson took the 25-yard shot. The buck’s rack scored 181 inches. JEFFREY CARSEL Here is a very nice Missouri buck…

NORTH DAKOTA FINDS 17 NEW CASES OF CWD The North Dakota Game and Fish Department discovered 17 new cases of chronic wasting disease during its testing of white-tailed and mule deer during the 2024 sampling season. Department officials tested 1,456 animals for CWD. It found 15 instances of the disease in deer killed by hunters. Two others were “clinical deer” in which the disease was confirmed through diagnostic examination. Officials said the positive cases came from units 3A1 (seven mule deer), 3E1 (one mule deer), 3E2 (one mule deer), 3F2 (four mule deer and two whitetails), 3B2 (one mule deer) and 3B3 (one whitetail). CWD was not previously detected in units 3B2 or 3B3. Sampling efforts fell short of the 10% goal in units where CWD surveillance was concentrated. Game…

Aheavy-racked 10-point buck rips a turnip out of the ground, turns toward you, and munches like it’s his last supper. If all goes well for you, it just might be. But how do you get there? Getting deer into the plot is the first part of the equation. Keeping bucks coming back is an important next step in the process. Knowing how to capitalize, and the proper setup to reach capitalization, is the third part. So, there are bucks in the area. Some of them might even be slammers. But they aren’t using your food plots. At least, they aren’t using these during daylight hours. Or they’re using them during daylight, but not consistently or reliably. So, what’s the deal? Here are possible solutions to these common problems. Check out…

Choosing the right ground blind or treestand locations can draw the line between success and failure — especially for bowhunters, who know that just a few yards can be a difference maker. Using topo maps, aerial photos and satellite imagery in conjunction with a GPS provides useful intel when deciphering where to begin your scouting efforts, and ultimately where to strategically place stands. I use this information as the framework for how and where I begin my legwork. Here are four terrain features that will help get you up close and personal with big bucks this fall. WORK THE INSIDE CORNERS Deer often use inside corners as they travel because they provide the shortest distance between two points. Go to a park or other public places where one sidewalk meets…

If you’re not having fun bowfishing, maybe it’s time to take up knitting or work in the flower beds. How could anyone not enjoy bowfishing? Whether you’re in a boat with a fan and powerful bow lights or wading quietly through a flooded backwater, bowfishing is one of the coolest things to do if you like flinging arrows. No one knows when the first arrow was fired at a fish. It likely occurred during caveman days after it was determined that a smaller spear could fly with the aid of a stick and sinew. Because archery is a worldwide activity, from the jungles of South America to the African plains and northern territories of Europe, Asia and North America, man has speared and arrowed fish, fowl and game for centuries.…

BUCK SCORE: 217 6/8 INCHES DATE HARVESTED: OCTOBER 1, 2024 LOCATION: OKLAHOMA CROSSBOW Shockingly few hunters ever tag a 200-plus-inch deer. Even hunters who actively strive for this goal, dumping untold amounts of time and resources into it, never attain it. Last season, Cody Blalock beat the odds and bagged a massive 24-point Oklahoma buck. Prior to the 2024 season, Blalock had two trail camera photos of the deer. One on October 12, 2023, and another on February 14, 2024. “I hunted him all last season with no luck,” Blalock said. He’s hunted the property for the past six years, and it’s definitely produced. “The smallest deer I’ve harvested on the property was a 167-inch 13-point buck,” he said. “I just bought the property in October of 2023.” Blalock largely attributes…

The answer to those questions today are a little bit different from what they were a decade or more ago, simply because compound bow design has evolved tremendously, and with it, the evolution of all its many parts – including the string-and-cable system. But basically, the answer is … it depends. On what? First, like all machine parts – and a bowstring is an integral part of a very high-tech machine – they will wear out over time. When they should be replaced depends on several factors --the bow’s draw weight, how often you shoot it, how heavy the arrows are, the conditions under which it is shot, how well it’s maintained, and how you store it. For example, if you’re a serious archer as well as bowhunter, you’re shooting…