by Scott Bestul

I grew up hunting deer in Wisconsin. I distinctly remember how much I yearned to take a trophy buck. And while I occasionally pine for the hunts of my youth, the truth is that my odds of tagging a wall-hanger are far better now than they ever were when I got my start in the 1970s.

According to a recent press release by the Boone and Crockett Club, whitetail entries in the B&C book have skyrocketed in recent years, rising some 400 percent across whitetail range in the past three decades. And some states, Wisconsin in particular, have made incredible jumps. Badger State hunters registered 40 bucks in the B&C book from 1980-85. That number soared to 383 animals from 2005-2010, an increase of 857 percent! Illinois’ jump for that same time period is even higher at 896 percent. And Ontario went from a single deer during the 1980-85 period to 41 from 2005-10—an incredible 4,000 percent gain!

by Scott Bestul

The term “world-record whitetail” gets tossed around so much these days that it’s easy to ignore. But the buck pictured at left may well be the real deal.

by Dave Hurteau

Last week the Muskegon Chronicle added to the anecdotal evidence that the venerable .30-30 Winchester--despite it’s long track record--is in fact a little underpowered for use on modern television sets.

According to the article, a 66-year-old man from Oceana County allegedly fired a .30-30 deer rifle at his television Monday night. The television, however, was still functioning when police arrived. It's unknown what show the man was watching. And, you’ll be shocked to learn, he was intoxicated. Now, I know that none of you would ever get drunk and shoot your television set with a deer rifle, but if you did…

by Scott Bestul

The latest headline in the ongoing lead-vs.-lead-free debate comes from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which last week reported that veterinarians at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center expressed frustration at what they describe as the continuing toll that lead bullets wreak on eagles and other raptors. Vets at the Raptor Center say that 17 eagles were brought to them with lead poisoning last year alone, down slightly from a 25- to 30-bird average. Most of these eagles, vets contend, ingested lead while feeding on hunter-killed deer carcasses. Lead-poisoned eagles can become blind, too weak to fly, and/or suffer internal damage and seizures.

Some hunters are getting on the lead-free train. Mark Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, says that education is the key to reducing the number of lead bullets that hunters use in their rifles, shotguns, and muzzleloaders. “As time goes on,” Johnson says, “More and more deer hunters will start using nontoxic bullets, and that will be good for the eagles.”  (VOTE BELOW)