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March 30, 2009 by
The month of April generally marks the time when we start thinking about gobbling longbeards or hard-hitting bass. However, as a diehard deer hunter, it’s hard for me to stop thinking about giant whitetail bucks or getting ready for Opening Day. This is especially true after seeing a picture of an absolute monster early-season buck that was taken by a bowhunter from Missouri last September.
Most people recognize the hunter in this picture as Chris Parrish the world-class championship turkey caller. It’s been said that with a mouth call Parrish sounds so good that he can actually spit feathers on stage. This Missouri native has won just about every type of calling competition you can imagine, but don’t let his reputation as an expert turkey hunter fool you.
Over the years, Parrish has filled a trophy room full of top-heavy bucks like this Missouri monster. Believe me this old boy is as good in the treestand as he is on stage during a competitive calling contest. Last season, Parrish spent countless hours scouting a high-racked early-season giant from a safe distance. He utilized long-distance scouting techniques that involved glassing a bean field to pattern the buck’s entry and exit routes. Intense scouting allowed Parrish to put together an early-season game plan that would allow him to intercept the buck directly between its bedding and feeding area. By the time late September rolled around, this bowhunter had the thick-racked 16-point bruiser pegged with the perfect ambush strategy.
Consequently, Parrish decided to hang a treestand overlooking a worn trail leading to the bean field. In most cases, as the season progresses, a lot of mature bucks will not enter an open area food source until just before dusk or immediately after dark. Parrish’s setup was back in the cover and gave him the opportunity to connect with the buck before good shooting light ran out. Finally, all of the pieces to the puzzle came together when the buck stepped into a cleared shooting lane just below his stand. After all of his hard work, a clean double-lung shot placed this 172-class monster on the ground. There is no question that doing your homework and spending time in the woods is really the magic formula for success. Congratulations, Chris on an amazing early-season buck that was taken the right way.
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March 26, 2009 by
Earl Sulfridge has always dreamed about hunting some of the fabled big buck states like Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. However, when you work for a living, it can be tough to find the time or the money to make an out-of-state hunt a reality, especially with the current economy. Last November, Sulfridge decided to roll up his sleeves and comb the thousands of acres that are available in his home state for public-land hunting.
Unfortunately, the vast Daniel Boone National Forest that is tucked away in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky does not encompass miles of rich farmland and open crop fields. A hunter will find steep wooded terrain, high jagged cliffs, laurel thickets and clear-cuts. These wooded sanctuaries and thick entanglements can be extremely tough to hunt, but this type of cover allows a buck to reach maturity and develop some impressive headgear.
 About the second week of November marks the opening of the Kentucky gun season and the beginning of the much anticipated rutting period. Sulfridge had been seeing some monster buck sign consisting of giant rubs and fresh scrapes throughout the month of October. He knew a big buck was definitely using the area and there was no doubt where this hunter would be on opening morning. Consequently, many of his family members also decided to spread out and hunt the large area. As the week progressed, two of his relatives actually had close encounters with the buck, but both were unable to connect with this heavy racked public-land ghost. After the buck with super long brow tines had been unsuccessfully shot at two different times, Sulfridge thought about completely changing locations and going after a different deer.
However, his gut told him to give the area and the buck at least one more chance before the season ran out. The next morning Sulfridge switched gears and entered the woods from the backside of a rocky cliff-line. As it slowly broke daylight, the buck that had been haunting his dreams busted out of some thick cover in hot pursuit of an estrous doe. Quickly, Sulfridge shouldered his rifle and tried to steady the shaky crosshairs of the scope. Without hesitation, he squeezed the trigger and ended the most memorable deer season of his life. The buck had over 20 points (with stickers and kickers) and sported a set of phenomenal brow tines that measured around 12-inches each. This brow-tine bruiser ended up scoring well over 170 and was taken by a workingman from a heavily pressured tract of public land. The buck’s rack is definitely impressive, but those brow tines absolutely blow my mind.
[ Read Full Post ]March 23, 2009 by
Remember the story about artist Josh Spies? Did you wonder what happened to the 175-inch buck with the drop tine? Me too? It seems that Josh’s father, Jim, also a native of South Dakota, had plans to hunt with Cody on opening day of South Dakota’s firearm season while his son was off accepting the Federal Duck Stamp award.
On opening morning Cody and Jim set up high on a prairie hill watching deer through a spotting scope. Cody was looking for several of his older bucks when he spotted a big buck a mile in the distance, but coming their way. Cody immediately recognized it as the big drop tine buck Josh had the close encounter with a couple days earlier. In fact, the buck was in the same neighborhood as the encounter.
The buck was alone and heading for a shelterbelt of trees where bucks ran an active scrape line. Cody’s hope was for the buck to come out the other end and they’d be waiting. After a long hike Cody and Jim reached the other end of the trees, but the buck was quicker and had already reached a thick patch of weeds only 100 yards from the hunters.
With buck fever surging, Jim tried to steady his rifle on his shooting sticks, but the sticks were a little short and he couldn’t see through the tall weeds. Repositioning, Jim steadied himself up against a fence post. Interestingly, the buck watched the repositioning act and didn’t spook. You gotta love the rut!
Once steady, Jim didn’t hesitate and shot the buck right behind the shoulder with his .270. The buck fled with a short burst, but dropped in sight. The drop tine made this buck a special trophy, but it also sported a 25-inch outside spread and all mass measurements were more than six inches. It grossed 175 points. Plus, this buck had nine lives. While caping it the taxidermist found a .22 bullet embedded in the deer’s neck. Some poacher is still cursing their bad luck. Congrats Jim!
[ Read Full Post ]March 22, 2009 by
Do you still need more proof that the grasslands can produce monster bucks? Take a lesson from Josh Spies, a South Dakota native. You may have heard of Josh before, he’s the winner of the 2008 Federal Duck Stamp contest and an award winning artist with an eye for wildlife and hunting. Pioneering artist Terry Redlin was one of Josh’s mentors and encouraged the young artist into the career of art. The Federal Duck Stamp contest was the 76th annual and the new stamp will go on sale in June 2009. Josh is also an avid hunter and not only has he hunted across North America, but also across the globe (www.joshuaspies.com).
Even after trekking around the world on big game hunts Josh still sets aside time to hunt with outfitter Cody Warne. Warne Ranches (www.warneranches.com) is located 20 minutes northeast of the capital of Pierre, South Dakota. Warne manicures his property for pheasants, but also sets aside a portion of habitat specifically for the whitetails. His management includes the essentials of food and water, plus refuge…lots of refuge.
Warne keeps a close tab on the bucks roaming his property and sets a goal of harvesting only those bucks that are 5 1/2 years of age of older. During a hunt in 2008 Josh was lucky enough to meet face to face with several of Warne’s bucks.
The story actually starts during bow season. Josh set aside a few days prior to rifle season for archery action. He got it. While hunting from one of Warne’s ground setups a 175-class whitetail sporting a drop tine passed by his location at 35 yards. Josh didn’t feel right about the shot and saw that the buck was on track to pass through another opening offering a 20-yard shot. Right before the buck was going to enter the shooting lane he turned and took a course in the opposite direction. Josh was sick realizing he was seconds away from a record book buck with his bow. He didn’t have time to grieve about the encounter since he had to jump on an airplane to accept the Federal Duck Stamp Award.
Despite a busy schedule, Josh was able to return to hunt with Cody the last few days of the rifle season. Cody and a neighbor had been watching a non-typical buck Cody dubbed “Big Gnarly.” Cody estimated the buck at 5 1/2 years and had several trail camera images of the buck along with shed antlers from the previous year. Unfortunately the buck disappeared during the rut. Cody wondered if the buck had been poached. On the last morning of the rifle season Cody and Josh climbed on top of a 25,000-bushel grain bin that overlooked a standing cane field next to an alfalfa field. Cody had a gut feeling this was where “Big Gnarly” might be hiding.
At dawn the duo watched six deer walking from the alfalfa toward the cane and to their surprise, “Big Gnarly” was in the lead. With no time to spare, Cody set up a ground blind on the fence line to ambush the deer when they returned to the alfalfa at sunset to feed. Plans don’t always work, but just as the sun set a doe and fawn jumped the fence and a minute later “Big Gnarly” followed the group. The buck stepped out broadside for a perfect 120-yard shot and a “picture-perfect” ending to Josh’s deer season.
[ Read Full Post ]March 20, 2009 by
Bet this in-box mystery buck couldn't wait until he shed his antlers. From the date of the trail-cam pix, he must have run around with a bucket on his head for quite some time!
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March 17, 2009 by
Outdoor legend Bill Jordan who founded Realtree Camouflage lives by a simple southern philosophy that anyone who has ever climbed into a treestand on a cool October morning can understand. “Family, friends and the outdoors” has always been the motto of the folks at Realtree and you can bet your bottom dollar that the Jordan family follows this saying right down to the letter. In fact, over the years, you have probably watched Bill’s young son Tyler Jordan grow up in front of the Realtree cameras. I can even remember watching Tyler knock down his very first buck with his father on a very special hunt that had to touch the hearts of every true deer hunter. Seeing the excitement in Tyler’s eyes and the proud look on Bill’s face reminded me of my first deer hunt with my own dad and grandpa.
I didn’t really understand it back then, but now as a father it’s easy to see why sharing the outdoors with your family is so important. Bill will be the first to tell you that there is no feeling out there that can compare with watching your child develop a true love for the outdoors. There is no doubt that Bill has successfully passed his passion and respect for hunting down to his son. In recent years, Tyler has become a phenomenal hunter who knows exactly how to make things happen in the woods. Last season, this country boy from Georgia was able to drop the hammer on two super stud bucks from the same stand on back to back hunts. The first heavy-racked bruiser was packing around enough headgear to score 165 and the second buck barely missed 160 inches. This was definitely one opening weekend of the Georgia gun season that neither Tyler nor Bill will ever forget. Both of these hunts can be seen on Realtree Outdoors and the Monster Bucks 17 DVD this fall.
 As a father, Bill was actually more excited about his son’s unbelievable success that weekend than any hunt he had personally been on during his own life. On a side note, both of Tyler’s bucks last season were massive 11-pointers that scored right at and well above the 160-class range. However, what’s even more impressive is that he also connected with a huge 168-class buck the season before from the same stand. I think Tyler Jordan knew exactly what he was doing the day he decided to hang a stand in that tree. It’s doubtful that anyone will be able to talk this young hunter into switching locations this fall in Georgia. Congratulations, Tyler on an outstanding season and an impressive streak of 160-class bucks. You probably need to give your old man a big hug and thank him for passing on a true passion that will last a lifetime.
[ Read Full Post ]March 14, 2009 by
Attention Darwin Awards committee: We have a new nominee! The Vermont State Attorney's Office has released court records documenting the state's case against 19-year-old Marcel Fournier of Concord who was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined $400 for using lag bolts to attach antlers to an illegally killed doe in an attempt to pass it off as a legal buck kill. Fournier reportedly shot a doe on the evening of November 22 and, later that night, checked in a racked deer at a local deer check station.
Apparently, Fournier's handiwork (he is an amateur taxidermist) with epoxy and bolts, fooled a few people initially, but an anonymous caller turned in the game violator. (Rack not shown here.)
"It didn't look that good," Warden David Gregory told the Burlington Free Press. "When you grabbed them (the antlers), you'd feel movement."
Fournier will lose the privilege of obtaining a Vermont hunting, fishing or trapping license for at least three years—not to mention a bunch of taxidermy clients.
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March 11, 2009 by
Traditionally, hunting has served as a foundation for building strong relationships between fathers and sons. Some of my best childhood memories are from the times I spent in the woods with my father and grandfather. Without hunting, most of us probably wouldn’t be the people we are today, which is a simple truth that those who believe in Disney’s version of nature will always have a hard time understanding. This is why it’s so important to pass on the hunting tradition to all of our children and that definitely should not exclude the girls.
Just ask longtime deer hunter Mike Abbot about how hunting has helped strengthen his father and daughter relationship. Abbot’s daughter Lillie is absolutely crazy about hunting and was able to take a nice 8-point buck when she was only 7-years old. The Abbot family lives an outdoor lifestyle that has helped keep them extremely close. Mike will be the first to tell you that his daughter’s successful deer hunt meant a great deal more to him personally than any of the bucks he had ever taken. I strongly believe that taking a child hunting today will prevent you from hunting your child down tomorrow.
All of us at the BBZ would like to congratulate Lillie on her first buck and thank Mike Abbot for taking the time to introduce a new young lady to the tradition of hunting. Remember, don’t forget your daughters this season, because daddy’s little hunting partner doesn’t always have to be a boy.
[ Read Full Post ]March 6, 2009 by
Without question, post-season scouting allows you to pinpoint big buck sign like old rub-lines, dried out scrapes and worn trails. These clues really stick out this time of year and can help you piece together the puzzle of where Mr. Big will be hiding out next fall. However, the best thing about combing the woods during the late winter and early spring months is finding sheds. Wrapping your hands around a rack that is sporting bases the size of pop cans and super long tines is enough to bring back whitetail fever. This is exactly what happened to me last weekend after revisiting one of my favorite deer hunting hotspots not far from my home.
Ironically, I found a nice set of antlers not 50 yards from where my treestand was located last December. Both sheds were found together and appear to be dropped from a low-160-class, 8-point that matches up perfectly on both sides.
At this point, I was feeling pretty good about next year’s prospects until my good friend Michael Petrey stopped by with a pair of sheds he had found. This buck’s rack was unbelievable and had just about everything a whitetail addict could possibly want or even dream about. I am talking about a rack with 20 scoreable points and all kinds of character. The rack is loaded with kickers, stickers and heavy trash kicking off all sides of the main beams. (He screwed them to a deer skull, by the way) I guess next season, I will find out just how close of friends Michael and I really are when opening day rolls around! On a side note, I’ve not measured the rack yet and was wondering what everyone thought this bad boy would score?
Find any sheds yet? When you do, send us your photos. We'd love to see them.
[ Read Full Post ]March 1, 2009 by
Miranda White is one hardcore whitetail fanatic who definitely takes her deer hunting seriously. Last fall, White was six months pregnant when the Missouri gun season opened, but her husband Joe was out of town on business. However, she was not going to allow swelled feet, a cramping back or an absent spouse knock her out of punching a tag. She decided to throw on some camo, grab her 30.06 rifle, fire-up the old pickup truck and drive straight to her grandmother’s farm. After hearing this part of the story, I suddenly realized that Miranda’s husband Joe had really hit the jackpot when he put a ring on this country girl’s finger. Let’s face it; all of us know a lot of blowhard guys in our own hometowns that don’t exhibit that kind of dedication in the deer woods.
A few hours before dark, White parked her truck and slowly started working her way down the wood-line toward one of her favorite hunting spots. Unfortunately, she was unable to climb into her treestand, but she improvised by setting up an old foldout lawn chair on the edge of a clearing. From this vantage point, she could clearly see a narrow bottleneck of woods that connected a bedding area with a heavily used food source. Just as the sun began to fade, White suddenly picked up some movement across the field that kicked her heart rate into overdrive. Two large-bodied deer stepped out of the timber, but quickly vanished into a low-lying draw. Without hesitation, she carefully crawled across the narrow field in a desperate attempt to regain sight of the deer.
 As White eased into position, she began to see the tips of antlers through her scope. Both of the deer were definitely bucks, but the one in the back was noticeably larger than the other. A long deep breath followed by the gentle squeeze of her trigger placed one monster Missouri buck on the ground. Consequently, the sudden rush of excitement caused poor Miranda to start having contractions and she had to leave her trophy buck in the field. However, White’s father was able to recover his pregnant daughter’s deer later that night and you can bet that he was one proud poppa. On a side note, Miranda’s buck had broken off one of its main beams, but the giant still had 14- points. Later that season, a neighboring property owner gave the White family a trail cam photo of the same deer before it had busted up its rack. Either way this is one heck of a buck and a phenomenal story.
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