Deer Hunter Numbers Are Declining Again
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
15h ago
Numerous studies documented a 4.9% increase in hunting license sales from 2019 to 2020. One of the few bright spots of COVID was that it produced a rekindled interest in deer hunting across the United States as people sought to get outside, and try to harvest their own food. But an extensive study of 46 states in 2022 found that overall hunting license sales decreased by approximately 1.9% in 2021 compared to 2020. Resident license sales were down 4.0% in many states. And yet another new study finds this troubling trend is continuing. The Wisconsin Department of Naturals Resources studied 18 y ..read more
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How to Hang a Tree Stand For Bowhunting
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
3d ago
If bowhunting big deer is not a game of inches, then surely it is one of feet. You can do some awesome scouting and find a killer spot ripped with buck sign. But if you move in with a stand and set it a foot too low…or angled on the south side of a tree as a 10-pointer marches in from the west… You get it. If your positioning is off just a bit, you might as well be off a mile, because you are probably not going to shoot that buck. Use this guide to fine-tune your stand placement for better shots. Size matters. A straight tree 15-20 inches in diameter is perfect for any type stand, “lock-on,” l ..read more
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Have You Ever Had Buck Fever?
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
1w ago
“It’s telltale adrenaline surge is so instant and convulsive that a blood-pressure check at that moment would bust the machine that takes it,” wrote Robert Ruark in his 1953 classic, The Old Man and the Boy. The legendary author was referring to buck fever, a malady which can affect us all in different ways. A mild case of it is good and required–if our heart doesn’t jump and our nerves don’t rattle a bit when we see a heavy 8-pointer sneaking through the woods on a frosty November morning, then why are we out there? But a bad case of the fever, with uncontrollable shaking, heavy sweat and gas ..read more
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Deer Hunt Tip: Keep Your Grunt Call Handy
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
2w ago
The heavy 8-pointer popped out onto the levee road 350 yards away, heading for a dry canal where he would be out sight in seconds. I pulled out my call and cut loose a barrage of loud, aggressive grunts. To my surprise and delight, the buck stopped, looked and began marching my way, the hair up and bristling on his neck. It was the tail-end of the rut, but this bully was still looking to mix it up. I kept calling intermittently and he keep looking and walking. A couple of times he paused and turned his head as if losing interest. I grunted harder, and by gosh it worked. The old Mississippi war ..read more
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Highlights from the NDA’s 2024 Deer Report
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
3w ago
The National Deer Association’s 2024 Deer Report is hot off the digital press, and let’s get right to the meat of it. Hunters across America are shooting more mature bucks than ever. In 2022-23, 42% of the bucks shot across North America were 3½ years or older. One out of every three bucks shot in the U.S. today is at least 3½! Mississippi hunters get the gold star for holding out for a big deer; a whopping 80% of bucks shot in the Magnolia State are 3.5 years or older. How many people kill a deer each year? The NDA crunched the numbers and found that 41% of hunters across the U.S. tagged at l ..read more
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Deer Hunting Fact: Buck Movement is Wildly Unpredictable
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
3w ago
The bowhunting weather here in Virginia was excellent last October. Multiple days of cool, clear, high-pressure skies made for enjoyable sits morning and afternoon. Conditions were perfect, and spirits were high in pour camp. Around the 20th, we figured bucks would start scraping and prowling in the pre-rut any day now. I hunted every day for two weeks and never saw a shooter. I headed out to western Nebraska for rifle season. First evening, I glassed 40 deer coming to a milo field, the only major food source within two miles. Next afternoon from the same stand, with the same warm weather and ..read more
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Shed Hunt Scouting Tip: Learn Deer Trails
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
1M ago
My friend Don Kisky, co-host of Whitetail Freaks TV Show on Outdoor Channel, uses his March shed antler hunts to do one thing: learn every main and secondary deer trail on his hunting property. On a shed hunt, he cuts every trail (new and old) and follows it to find where that path comes and goes; where it crisscrosses another trail; how and where a trail cuts through cover and bends around obstacles. Everything about a deer trail, Don learns it. That helps him kill giant bucks the next fall. For example, one November day as Don was sneaking into a stand, he  looked up and spotted a monst ..read more
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How Do You Act When You Shoot a Buck?
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
1M ago
I have always tempered my killing with respect for the game pursued. —Fred Bear I am no Fred Bear, don’t claim to be. When it comes to bowhunting, I couldn’t carry the man’s jockstrap. But for the last 40 years, I have unabashedly hunted and killed deer according to Fred’s mantra. I suppose that is why I get uncomfortable and feel a bit ashamed when I witness an episode like this, either in person in the woods or on YouTube or TV: A fellow shoots a buck and watches it topple over. Grinning, he raises his arms high into the air, balls his fists and starts hollering, “He’s down, he’s down, hell ..read more
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How to Build the Best Food Plots for Deer
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
1M ago
This is a tutorial on how to create small and affordable food plots that whitetail deer will love, and which are actually easier to hunt than 2- to 4-acre green fields. The Plan Roll out an aerial photograph of your property, and pull up the Google Earth coordinates for a secondary source. Look closely for strips and openings where you might plant some clover, tucked away—and this is key—in areas where you don’t have to cut down many if any trees, or otherwise do extensive clearing and leveling. Look for easy-to-work spots that are part of the natural landscape and your herd’s habitat. Now thi ..read more
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Should You Buy a Used Hunting Bow?
Big Deer Blog
by Clay Hanback
1M ago
Mike: Getting my tax refund soon, and got some money to play with.  Went to the local archery shop with my buddy, who upgraded to a new Hoyt RX-8. I was looking at the used bows and picked up a Hoyt Alpha X 30 with draw weight and length that fit me perfect. “Sweet bow and hasn’t been shot a lot,” the shop owner said, “You can have it for $800.” I wasn’t bow shopping, but before I could think I blurted, “Will you take $700?” Both my buddy and I walked out of there with bows! Love the bow and it shoots fine, so I don’t have buyer’s remorse. But I wondered what you think of buying a used bo ..read more
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