Field and Stream - Finding Deer to Hunt RSS

The 180-Class Pending B&C World Record 8-Point Buck!

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:46:12 -0500

This 8-point buck is a shoe-in for the B&C world record.

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:52 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of January.

Giant Illinois Buck Is Potential World-Record 8-Pointer

Sarah Smith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:11:41 -0500

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.

Shoot Me Down: The Whisker Biscuit is Still the Best Rest for Bowhunting

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:06 -0500

by Dave Hurteau

First, we have a new high-speed video to show you, which is cool on its own merits. It illustrates, like you’ve probably never seen before, the most common complaint about a Whisker Biscuit arrow rest: “Too much fletching contact.” Check it out.

It’s plain to see that there is indeed a mountain of such contact. No one could argue otherwise. So much so that, as I say, it’s just crazy that a Whisker Biscuit can be so accurate.

Yet it is.

Deer Crashes Through DC Library Window

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:14:39 -0500

--Chad Love

By now the "deer crashes through (insert building here) stories are fairly routine, but it's not often that you see it happen in...Washington, DC?

From this story on nbcwashington.com:

Mostly, wildlife in a library is found in two-dimensional form, safely contained in the pages of the collection. But a deer's visitation was more than words at the Washington Highlands Interim Library on Tuesday afternoon. One librarian was in the bathroom, and another checking emails when they heard the crash of glass. Both staff members walked toward the sound of the commotion and discovered a small deer had leapt through one of the windows at the interim library, located on 4037 S. Capitol St. SW.

Bizarre Buck: Maryland Hunter Tags 23-Pointer With Brain Abscess, Hollow Antler

Online Editors — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:54:46 -0500

This bizarre buck had a hollow antler due to a brain infection.

Massachusetts Firefighters Save Deer from Well

Sarah Smith — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:08:14 -0500

--Chad Love

Here's one from the "Next Time, Let's Just Stick To Kittens In Trees" files. Firefighters in Truro, Mass. spent most of Sunday figuring out how to rescue a deer that had fallen down an abandoned well.

From this story on whdh.com:

Crews rescued a deer stuck in a well on Sunday. Authorities say the deer may have been caught in the Truro well for days. The deer was 12 feet down the dry well, and kicking wildly. “I've gone to many animal complaints; I’ve never seen a wild animal this upset. She tried several times to jump out of the hole and she was just not able to clear the 12 to 14 foot hole,” said Officer Jeremiah Valli of the Truro Police Department. They couldn't shoot the deer with a tranquilizer because he’s a game animal.

The Best Shotguns of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:43 -0500

These are the best new shotguns of 2012.

The Tale of a 21-Point, 200-Class, Double-Drop Iowa Monster Buck

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:11:41 -0500

The story of a monster 21-point buck from Iowa.

Boy, 10, Tags Louisiana 18-Pointer On Solo Hunt

Sarah Smith — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:33:12 -0500

--Chad Love

Here's a story about a ten-year-old Louisiana boy who tagged a massive, 18-point buck earlier this month. On the face of it, it seems to be one of the typical "boy kills monster buck" stories we see every season.

You know, the kind of story that causes you to wail and gnash your teeth as the black bile of envy rises up in your throat. But this one has an unusual twist in that this ten-year-old boy did it all by himself.

From this story on thetowntalk.com:

Ten-year-old Jack Dekeyzer is an accomplished deer hunter, not to mention being mature for his age. Therefore, his father Peter Dekeyzer was OK with letting his son make his first solo hunt on family property in early January. "Jack has been hunting with me for several years now and has already killed four does and little bitty 'hill' deer that had 9 points with a 10-inch spread. So, when he asked if he could hunt by himself, I really didn't give it a second thought," the elder Dekeyzer said.

The Best New Rifles of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:41:18 -0500

The Best New Rifles of 2012.

Minnesota Sees Decline in Deer Totals for 2011 Season

Sarah Smith — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:08:05 -0500

--Chad Love

The final numbers are in, and it looks like Minnesota's 2011 deer season will fall about seven percent from last season's totals.

From this story in the Albert Lea Tribune:

Smaller deer populations and a windy first weekend of the firearms season resulted in Minnesota’s deer harvest dropping 7 percent in 2011, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Minnesota hunters killed 192,300 deer during the 2011 season, a drop of 15,000 from the 207,000 in 2010. In 2011, firearms hunters harvested 164,800 deer, while archery and muzzleloader hunters harvested 20,200 and 7,300 deer, respectively.

Poll Question: Do You Use Lead-Free Ammo for Deer?

Sarah Smith — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:13:17 -0500

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)

Should Celeb Hunters Get Preferential Treatment In Iowa?

Sarah Smith — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:21:35 -0500

--Chad Love

Should the state of Iowa continue giving "celebrity" deer hunters special treatment every year by giving them tags even as thousands of peon un-celebrity hunters are forced to wait years for the shot at an out-of-state deer tag? Some people don't think so.

From this story in the Des Moines Register:

A program that gives celebrities a chance to immediately hunt deer in Iowa while other out-of-staters wait an average of three years for the privilege is drawing pot shots from within and outside of Iowa. The likes of former pro athlete Bo Jackson, comedian Jeff Foxworthy and rocker Ted Nugent have hunted in Iowa under special licenses the state has set aside for them since the late 1990s. The idea then was to encourage high-profile hunters to help promote the state as a top deer-hunting destination. That, in turn, would lure other hunters of all walks to bring their rifles and wallets to cash-strapped rural Iowa in pursuit of a trophy-sized buck.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 3

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:48:52 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 2.

Why Whitetail Food Plots Work Better Than Bait

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:55:47 -0500

by Scott Bestul

It’s time to plow under the clover-plot-equals-corn-pile argument. Of the many fresh debates germinated by modern whitetail management, none has proved faster growing or hardier than food plots vs. bait, in which one side insists that planting plots to attract and kill deer is no different from luring them to a mound of carrots or sugar beets. This may sound perfectly sensible…until you soil-test the dirt from which the logic grows.

Food plots are very different from baiting—and better for the health of the deer herd as well as for hunting. And while it’s true that a small plot of lush clover in the middle of otherwise barren woods may be no different from a pile of corn in terms of fair-chase principles, food-plot planting and management provides a long list of tangible and intangible benefits. Here are the main ones.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:34:22 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 2.

Bruce: Lessons from Deer Season

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:32:57 -0500

Rut Reporter Eric Bruce has been writing about hunting and fishing for newspapers and magazines for 25 years and hunts deer all over the South, including near his Georgia home. States covered: AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, FL.

Another season has come and gone. I was able to get out and hunt about 70 times this fall. Some were successful, some finished without ever seeing a deer. A few hunts were only an hour long; others included public land hunts, an island hunt and an out-of-state hunt. Here are some of the things I learned along the way.

Ray: Planning for Next Season

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:52:41 -0500

Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.

I'm already thinking about next year's deer season before the current one ends. And as we prepare to say adios to the 2011-2012 season, here are two things worth doing.

Because of drought across the region in 2011, winter forage is even more reduced than normal in the southern and middle sections of the region. In the northern extremes, where crops like wheat often help deer through the winter, production is way down. To help deer, and specifically rut-weary bucks, through the cold and stressful days of a long winter, I keep my bait areas and corn feeders running until spring.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day I

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:48:40 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 1.

Bruce: Hot Rut, Where You Can Find It

Sarah Smith — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:22:06 -0500

Overall Activity Status: Activity is excellent in areas where the rut is kicking in, which includes Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Bucks are actively cruising and seeking, with some chasing ongoing. Look for rut-related movement to peak very soon if not already.

Fighting: Some fighting will break out if rival bucks are after the same doe in estrus. Some bucks may respond to rattling if they have not located a hot doe. Bucks are no longer trying to establish their pecking order as this has already been settled earlier in the season. Most fighting will be between mature bucks that have wandered out of their home range in search of does.

Can Lyme Disease Threat Lead to Increased Acceptance of Hunting?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:14:13 -0500

--Chad Love

Is the threat of Lyme Disease opening the door for more deer hunting opportunity and acceptance?

From this story on boston.com:

Beth Webb knew there was more to her boy’s stiff neck and fever than met the eye, but only when his temperature jumped to 107 degrees and he wound up in a hospital emergency room did she spot the telltale red bull’s-eye of a tick bite on his chest. Then more appeared. “As we were sitting there, bull’s-eyes were just popping up all over his body,’’ Webb said. Her son, Ashton, 7, went home from Newton-Wellesley Hospital with antibiotics and appears to have fully recovered, but the Dover family’s battle with deer ticks - and the Lyme disease they carry - remains in full swing.

Bruce: A Hodgepodge of Rut Action

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:22:22 -0500

Things are heating up in some areas of theSouth, others are slow, while others are hoping for just a little action before the season is over.

Typically the rut should be getting cranked in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi in January. The problem with predictions is that deer herds can vary so much from one county and region to another. Some portions of a state may be experiencing rutting frenzy while others have already had their rut come and go.

In Florida, particularly the panhandle, the deer are in pre-rut while it’s over in some parts of the state. Trevor Fitzgerald operates Southern Arrowhead Outfitters in the Florida panhandle and says that “our deer are in pre rut. They are rubbing and scraping a lot. It won't be long before it kicks off. Here is a picture of one that was killed last week just after he made a rub.”

Ray: A Buck for Next Year

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:01:53 -0500

In North Texas, the general season for whitetails ended on January 1. One of my friends, who wants to remain anonymous and keep his honey hole anonymous as well, was in hot pursuit of a giant right to the end.

He first saw the big buck in 2010. A couple of trail camera pictures before the season and then two sightings in daylight during the late season in December. Both times, the 140-class 8-point buck was well outside of bow range. The season ended without a shot.

Ray: A Winter Desert Hunt in New Mexico

Sarah Smith — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:18:13 -0500

Any coverage of late season deer hunting in the Southwest is not complete without mention of January bow-only hunts in the desert. In states like New Mexico and Arizona, archers can hunt Coues whitetails or desert mule deer. Early to mid January can mean peak rut hunting for both species.