Scott Bestul

More Details on the Sad Story of the Biggest Eight-Point Buck Ever Killed

Online Editors — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:04:27 -0500

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 ...

Is This Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin Buck the New World Record Typical Whitetail?

Online Editors — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:42:27 -0500

A 12-point buck shot Nov. 5 in Sheboygan Falls, Wisc., will almost certainly become the new Pope & Young world record typical whitetail and has a strong shot at toppling the Milo Hansen buck from the top spot in the Boone & Crockett record book as well. The buck was taken by Michael Gregoire on his brother’s farm. It was 4 1/2 years old and grossed 217 5/8 inches typical when green-scored by an official Boone & Crockett scorer.

Fining Poachers Based On Boone and Crockett Scores

Online Editors — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:16:31 -0500

Wrist-slap fines for poaching have long been a problem. Serious poachers—or even casual “thrill killers”—are often willing to risk getting caught if they know retribution won’t be too bitter a pill to swallow. In response, many states have amped up the penalties for poaching or other wildlife violations, and one of the more recent ways they've done this with whitetail poachers is to use a fine-calculator based on the buck’s antler size.

Weekly Rut Report

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:40:50 -0500

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.

To Pee or Not To Pee Off Your Treestand?

Joe_Cermele — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:31:50 -0500

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.

Bestul: Massive Main-Frame Eight Point from Park Rapids, Minnesota

Online Editors — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:08:49 -0400

Minnesota bowhunter Eric Hendrickson knew he was looking at a special deer last summer. Hendrickson is a hard-working, self-employed plumber who trades farm labor for hunting privileges on a property near his home near Park Rapids. “I saw this buck feeding in the fields several times two summers ago on the farm, and again during this past summer. I even shot video footage of him a couple of times,” Eric says. “And then he disappeared for awhile.”

The Weekly Rut Report

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:50:40 -0400

Over the course of the next several weeks, I’m going to devote one post per week to report on the status of the rut in the area I’m hunting. I’ll discuss the deer behavior I’m seeing and how I interpret it, and also share some of the tactics I’m using. Hopefully you’ll chime in and use this space for the same purpose…and we can all learn from each other, as well as share some hunting tales.

Ever Followed a Buck for Multiple Seasons?

Joe_Cermele — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:19:43 -0400

For many of us, the day we kill a buck marks the very first time we’ve ever seen him. I have waged a few campaigns against individual deer that lasted the better part of one season, and were sometimes marked by multiple encounters.

Deer Hunting Divas

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:41:20 -0400

The January issue of Outdoors Magazine—a periodical covering hunting and fishing in the Northeast—asks the question “Can the beautiful women we see on television really hunt, or are they just selling sex appeal?” The magazine also promises to “shine a spotlight on the steamy world of women and whitetails.”

Outdoor TV Goes “Big Time”

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:11:02 -0400

I’ll start with a confession; I have watched very little outdoor television. That’s partly design, but mostly accident. When we moved into our current home our twins were just babies; when Shari and I weren’t too darn busy tending kids, we were just too tired to tune in. So we put off ordering cable or satellite, and our rabbit ears pick up nothing but local stations, and poorly (we live in the country). By the time we had baby-raising under control (assuming that’s possible) we realized we didn’t miss television much and just never got back to it. We’ve got a tv, but it’s little more than a movie-watching tool