If you caught my last post, you know that F&S Whitetail columnist Scott Bestul and I just returned from an 8-day bowhunt in southern Iowa. We were after a 150-inch buck. There are lots of them, comparatively speaking, in The Hawkeye state. But even here, the best place to find one is at the taxidermist’s, especially with 75-degree temperatures in early November and a sea of corn still standing. So between morning and evening hunts, we dropped in on Risher Taxidermy (641-647-2648) just outside of Centerville, IA, where we found owner Monica Risher working on a ... [ Read Full Post ]

And when I say upstate, I’m talking way upstate. Namely, Moira, NY—only a handful of miles from the Canadian border and just down the road from North Bangor, where I grew up. I can tell you, there is not a lot for the deer to do up there, so I’m not surprised to read about one getting into trouble, but this was uncalled for. From the Watertown Daily Times:

For a few terrifying minutes, a Moira man became prey for a disgruntled buck.
An attack by a 10-point buck Friday sent Gerald A. Dabiew, 56, to the emergency room, covered from head to toe with cuts and bruises. . . .

“[H]e looked at me, and the next thing I know, he was coming right at me," he said. "He got me down on the ground, and it was then I knew that he really wanted to kill me. . . .

"I've got bruises from head to toe," he said. "He picked me up in the air and pounded me into the ground. . . .

"I don't know why he came around. All I was doing was throwing wood," he said. "I'm not even a hunter."

So what do you think?... [ Read Full Post ]

From a Southwick Associates Press Release:
In an October 2009 survey, Southwick Associates asked anglers and hunters which type of organization they trust the most for accurate information regarding fish and wildlife conservation. The results of the monthly AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com poll show that state fish and wildlife agencies are considered the most trustworthy source of conservation information among hunters and anglers.

Of the 2,771 anglers surveyed, 54.4 percent reported state fish and wildlife agencies were their most trusted source. Of the 3,378 hunters surveyed, 50.7 percent agreed.  The second most trusted source, with 25.1 percent of anglers and 29.5 percent of hunters, was sport-fishing and hunting non-profit conservation groups.

Other options included federal agencies, outdoor television, and outdoor print media. Who do you trust most? [ Read Full Post ]

Last week, a giant whitetail was allegedly poached near the town of Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The buck’s antlers sported a highly symmetrical frame and is said to have green-scored 192 B&C, and netted 188”. The inside spread of 28-3/8” is mule-deer wide.



Lou Cornicelli, the Minnesota DNR big-game coordinator, had this comment about the monster buck ... [ Read Full Post ]

A guest post from Special Projects Editor (and Field Notes News Blogger) Dave Hurteau.

I know. It’s not the greatest photo. But it was the best I could do from a treestand, in low light, as the buck cruised by on the heels of a doe.

Last night I returned from an 8-day bowhunt in southern Iowa with F&S Whitetail columnist Scott Bestul. We had a mission: Kill a 150-inch buck. On November 6th, the third day of the trip, with the rut kicking in, we hung a stand in a pinch point between thick doe bedding cover along the edge of a standing corn field. That afternoon, I ... [ Read Full Post ]

From the Outdoor News:
Minnesota conservation officers last week seized a record-book deer rack and on Thursday morning filed poaching charges against a man from Cannon Falls, Minn., in the case. . . .
According to the complaint, Troy Alan Reinke, 32, admitted to conservation officers that he had shot a small doe and a small buck on separate dates in early October, and failed to tag or register either of the deer. Reinke said he shot the large 8-point buck, with a 185 net green score, on Halloween evening. . . .

[According to the] Boone & Crockett Club . . . the rack likely could be a world-record rack for an 8-point deer. [ Read Full Post ]

Not too long ago I asked if any of you would immortalize your gun dog in the form of a tattoo. The response was a unanimous…HECK NO! In fact, a few of you wondered if I had been sipping too much of the homemade hooch.

But everywhere I look these days dog art (not body art) seems to be gaining a foothold. Just down the street from my house here in Charleston, S.C. is a popular gallery called Dog & Horse. You can get everything from an oil portrait of your gun dog to a genuine statue of your pooch that might require a front-end loader to move. But let me say straight up, there’s no way I’m forking over that kind of dough—often thousands of dollars—for a painting of Pritchard.

I’ve got plenty of pride in my dog, but I prefer the more subtle approach. Maybe a bumper sticker on the truck (I’m fond of the one that reads “My Boykin Spaniel Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student.”). And I’ve always liked the idea of Boykin boot cleaner, like the one with the pointer in the above photo.

How... [ Read Full Post ]

From washingtonpost.com:
A deer that jumped a wall at the National Zoo was fatally injured by two lions Sunday as dozens of startled spectators looked on. Click here to read the full story.

And here's a video taken by an onlooker. The deer did escape the lions, but had to be euthanized because of a gut injury.

[ Read Full Post ]

This question came up on another gun blog when someone mentioned that they had seen a rifle of mine for sale, and another blogger asked about the gun—a 7x57—and inquired if I was still alive. Far from taking offense, I see this as a reasonable question, and will attempt to answer it as best I may.

On the one hand, I am very old. I can remember before television. I can remember when actual music was played on the radio. When I was born, there were still a fair number of men alive who had fought in the Civil War. I can remember when people believed what our government had to say. Obviously, that is a long, long time ago and does not argue well for my survival.

On the other hand, someone is writing this stuff and it sounds like me. And, in a week I’m going way up to northern Maine to freeze my nasty bits and not see a single one of the six deer that are left in that state. That sounds like something I would do. Last week I dropped enough at Cabela’s and Brownell’s to finance Cruella Pelosi’s health care package for a month. That’s definitely me.

And... [ Read Full Post ]

First off, I appreciate everyone who took the time last week to send in reports of the rut activity (or lack thereof) in your area. It is always fascinating to me to see how sometimes-small regional variations can make a huge difference in the level of rutting behavior that hunters witness.

Here in the upper Midwest, we are brink of an explosion. For the most part, the full-bore chase phase has not begun. But the bucks—including some of the mature deer—are getting very active. They are on their feet, roaming their core areas, hitting rubs and scrapes and looking for that first estrous doe. My good friend Mitch Hagen was hunting in southern Iowa over the weekend and reported several large bucks “shadowing” does. This is a fascinating behavior to me; the doe is clearly not “in” yet, but the buck senses she is getting close. The buck does not dog her or chase her, but simply follows and keeps track of her movements.

Mature bucks are highly adept at noting the signs of a soon-to-be estrous doe. He’s been down the breeding path before and can recognize whatever signals she’s sending... [ Read Full Post ]

Many years ago, when Shari and I were first dating, my wife-to-be was under the mistaken notion that I drank a 20-ounce bottle of pop every time I went hunting. Finally, I had to confess that I was not hooked on soda. The bottle was empty when I stuffed it in my backpack and, um, filled if my bladder convinced my brain we’d been in the treestand too long.

[ Read Full Post ]

From the Missoulan:

Officials say a downed power line near Eureka in northwestern Montana electrocuted more than a dozen animals over a period of months, including a wolf that was "still warm" when it was found earlier this month.

[ Read Full Post ]