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November 19, 2009 by
As hunters in several states prepare for their firearms season openers, reports of some absolute stud bucks are streaming into the Big Buck Zone from around the country. Just take a look at this Indiana beauty sent to us by Tim Lord.
"It was on opening day, this past Saturday, Nov. 14th in Huntington County in Northern Indiana," says Tim. "I was hunting our 250-acre family farm where we grow corn, beans and premium grade alfalfa for a local dairy farm. I was in a Pop-up ground blind on a ridge overlooking our big creek bottom at 2 in the afternoon when I saw this big 11 point running and chasing a hot doe. They ran right up to me and we’re going to race on by. It was bright, sunny and warm, around 60 degrees.
"I stopped him by mouth with a doe bleat and shot him in the neck at 18 yards with my 50 Caliber CVA. It was the only shot I had. He dropped in his tracks.
"The buck had a 20-inch spread, G2’s & G3’s are 11 and 10 inches. I’ll be getting this officially scored after the drying period. His live weight was about 265 and we aged him at 6 1/2."
Awesome buck, Tim! Congratulations from the Big Buck Zone.
[ Read Full Post ] November 18, 2009 by
A newly formed congressional caucus comprised of those who generally share the views and agenda held by the country’s most outspoken and politically active anti-hunting organization has yet to make any serious legislative inroads on Capitol Hill, but deserves the continued watchful eye of sportsmen.
There was relatively little fanfare surrounding the formation of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus earlier this year, but it attracted the attention of many in the hunting and wildlife conservation community, not as much because of its name, but because of its primary ally.
Sportsmen’s groups are acutely aware that the Washington, DC-based Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is the most politically entrenched and fiscally powerful anti-hunting organization currently in operation. The animal-rights behemoth has helped finance the anti-hunting side of literally every hunting-related ballot initiative effort for the past two decades; on subjects ranging from dove-hunting in Ohio and spring bear hunting in Colorado, to lion hunting with hounds in Washington and trapping in Arizona.
So, when the leaders of the HSUS roundly hailed the formation of a congressional caucus whose main agenda includes “animal welfare issues,” it sent up bright red warning flags to hunters and wildlife managers across the country.
Chaired by Reps. Jim Moran (D-VA) and Elton Gallegly (R-CA), CAPC purports to raise awareness of animal welfare issues in Congress and attempt to build coalitions in support of “common sense, humane animal welfare laws.”
On his Web site, Rep. Gallegly is identified as a champion of animal rights. Rep. Moran’s biography notes his “near-perfect ratings from the League of Conservation Voters and other similar scores from organizations committed to animal protection (and) gun control.”
Just weeks ago, caucus member Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), an outspoken critic of trapping as a wildlife management tool, introduced her second anti-trapping bill in the past three years. Lowey’s HR 3710, the “Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act,” would make it illegal to use any trap that will “kill or capture wildlife by physically restraining any part of the animal” within the National Wildlife Refuge System. More than half of the bill’s 39 current co-sponsors are members of the CAPC.
[ Read Full Post ] November 16, 2009 by
We here at the Big Buck Zone promised to keep you apprised and updated on some of the monster bucks shot across the country this fall. Here's the latest on the big Wisconsin deer we told you about last week directly from the good folks at Boone and Crockett Trophy Watch.....
"Numerous recent articles have been brought to our attention claiming that this buck has a green score higher than the Milo Hansen World Record Typical. While it is indeed a very impressive trophy for any hunter with any method of harvest, it unfortunatley will most likely not approach the 200 inch mark for typical whitetail deer. It has an unmatched point on the left side of the rack and a point off from the normal G2 on the right side. For the typical category, these will both be abnormal points and therefore deductions. From the photo's we have seen, a non typical score of low 200's is possible but a typical score of over 213 does not seem realistic."
[ Read Full Post ] November 12, 2009 by
Ask anybody in the know and it was billed as one of the best days, if not the best day, of the seeking and chasing phase of the rut to hunt this year. Yep, November 11 was it, made all the better because it fell on a holiday when many people would actually have the day off from work and could go out there without spending a precious vacation day.
Given the variations in weather from place-to-place, moon phase and local herd dynamics, it’s always risky to pinpoint an exact day that is supposed to be “the” day to get outside and kill the buck of your dreams. But editors like it for cover blurbs on their magazines and wanting to be good soldiers and a service to their readers, writers try to comply. So they consult with biologists and all of the hardcore hunters they know. They look at the moon and consult long-term weather projections. And then with all of the certainty of an exact population count of any wild animal species, they reach into their butt and pull a date out (metaphorically speaking of course!)
For probably 80 to 90 percent of the whitetails range, it’s usually a safe bet to say that somewhere between Nov. 9-13 will fall what might be the best days of the season. In fact, if you can get the week off, you’re probably better off taking it then and being out there everyday.
For my part, I planned to test the experts’ projections and get out there and hunt the entire day of the 11th. Mother Nature had other plans. A massive nor’easter, one of the worst in a decade the weather guy says, rolled into the central mid-Atlantic region. It promised to be a three-day storm arriving the night before the 11th (and still raging as I write this).
No way was I going to sit a stand in that madness—driving rains and 50 to 60 mph winds, but I did take a gander that the evening just before the storm arrived would be a blockbuster. It wasn’t, though I did see (and missed, another story altogether) a single 9-point buck. Other hunters I spoke to saw little increased activity, blowing another hole in the usually reliable theory that deer will move like crazy on the front and back edges of a front. (My experience tells me this is still usually true, though I suspect the unusually warm weather had a little to do with the lack of observable deer.)
In speaking to hunters in other parts of the country who were out there on the 11th, it was a decent day. No better, no worse. From what I’m hearing, the deer were doing what they were supposed to. If it was warm, hunting was slow. If it was cool (not the case most places), they were on the move.
Did you make it out there Nov. 11? I’m curious to hear how the rest of the BBZ crowd did on that day or even this week. Let us know by sharing your comments below or if you have photos of a whopper you took, send me the story and photo to hunteditor@gmail.com. I’d love to share it with everybody else.
Regardless of this little weather delay in the mid-Atlantic, bucks should be ready to go all in throughout most of its range. Weather, evil bosses and understanding wives permitting, everyone should get outside as much as they can over the next week or two. Hunt safe and good luck. And to all of our nation’s veterans and soldiers, thanks for everything you do for our country. I hope you more than anybody got the chance to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.
[ Read Full Post ] November 10, 2009 by
The internet is burning up with reports of the "new" world record whitetail. The stud 12-pointer apparently tallied a gross green score of 217 5/8 which puts it as the new No. 1 for both P&Y and B&C. The hunter, Michael Gregoire of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, shot the 240-pounder last week.
Great buck, Mike. The heartiest of congratulations. World record? We're rooting for you, but...well, we've been down this road a few too many times to embrace an early score. What do you guys think it might score? Better than Milo Hanson's buck? Or how about Mel Johnson's long-standing P&Y record? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
[ Read Full Post ] November 10, 2009 by
Many deer hunters will tell you that luck is definitely a factor in any successful hunt. On the other hand, the die-hard hunters who consistently tag top-heavy bucks season after season will also tell you that a lot of hard work is involved as well. Everything has to fall into place at just the right time to connect with a mature whitetail. Locating and patterning a bruiser buck is tough enough, but knowing exactly where to hang and when to hunt a particular stand is also a difficult task. Many hunters feel this is where luck enters the equation. However, some hunters like Spook Spann who are dragging giants out the field every season disagree with this theory.
Hardcore whitetail addicts like Spann share several common characteristics. Success for these hunters usually boils down to a lot of time scouting, taking advantage of every opportunity, perseverance, and the ability to adjust or modify their individual hunting strategies to meet any challenge. It’s these characteristics that have enabled Spann to fill a trophy room full of extraordinary whitetails. For example, a few weeks ago, Spann found himself in the rolling hill country of southern Illinois chasing a particular buck he had passed on the year before. During the early summer months, he decided to create a small opening along a tree-line in the middle of a thicket that bordered an agricultural field. A combination of late-summer scouting and trail-cam surveillance allowed the hunter to establish a predictable pattern.
Spann snuck into the area before his hunt and setup some stands in the small clearing he had made earlier in the year. Like clockwork, the long-tined buck walked to within 6 yards of his stand and started quartering away creating the perfect shot. One year of growth had transformed a nice deer into a real jaw dropper. Spann’s 12-point buck will easily score in the 170s and will be a great addition to the countless other trophy-class monsters he has accumulated over the years. Congratulations Spook on another phenomenal bow buck to add to your collection. You’ve got to love it when a lot of hard work and a plan finally come together!
[ Read Full Post ] November 7, 2009 by
Although warmer weather for the early part of this week threatens to slow things down a bit, bucks seem to be on the move in many parts of the country right now as chase-phase activity kicks into gear. Buddy George Hamilton sent this treestand report from Friday...
Had a great morning today. The temperature was just below freezing and the winds were not too bad and out of the NW which was perfect for my setup. Off and on throughout the morning, there was a light snow coming down. Conditions seemed perfect and historically, November 6 has proven to be a good day to be in the woods. It felt like the rut to me!
Saw my first deer, a doe, at 7:57. She was running and then stopping and looking behind her—all while her tongue was hanging out and she was gasping for air. I got ready, fully expecting a buck to be trailing her. However, nothing showed up behind her until about a 1/2 hour later. A small 5-pointer came through the woods like a goofy bird dog. He was cutting back and forth trying to follow her scent. When he got about 20 yards from the stand I grunted to him. He stopped in his tracks and looked around for the other "buck." I grunted again and he turned and walked right under the stand. I grunted a couple more times just to play with him, but he decided the doe was more interesting and he took off on a trot to find her.
About 7 minutes later he was back. This time he came down the hill and was still trotting and quartering back and forth trying to work out her scent trail. He went down the hill to where I last saw her. After that, I decided to hit the grunt call and/or the can call every 15 to 30 minutes. At about 9:15 I did two grunt calls. At about 9:18 I saw a rack buck coming down the hillside toward me. He was about 80-90 yards away when I first saw him. I grunted and he stopped and looked down the hill. I grunted again and he made a 90-degree turn and started walking on a straight line right toward me! At about 45 yards he stopped and was looking down the hill for the source of the grunt. I grunted again and he flicked his tail and started walking right toward me again. He stopped at about 20 yards and just stood there for a few seconds, looking around. He started walking again I drew back when he went behind some tree trunks. When he stepped out he stopped at about 10 yards and I released the arrow.
It was a pass through and he spun and ran about 40 yards and went down! Because Mass. now allows us to shoot two deer on the same day, I nocked another arrow and sat for about a 1/2 hour. At that point I decided to get down and start getting the dead deer out of the woods. Just as I stepped off of the last tree step I saw another rack buck walking right toward me! He got about 30 yards away and caught the scent of the dead buck and the he spotted it. His attention became totally focused on the dead deer and he stood in one spot for about ten minutes. I was able to put my release back on, unhook my bow from the pull up rope and nock an arrow. The leaves were wet from the rain and snow, so I started to stalk him and got about 20 yards away. He looked like an old buck. He was gray and big! I think he would weigh more than the one I shot, but this guy's rack was goofy. He had a typical left side to an 8-pointer, but his right side was a single spike about 15 inches long with a little brow tine. I wonder if he's an old timer and is going downhill. He stepped into an opening, still focused on the dead buck and I started to draw the bow back, but I let off and decided to let him go. (Seeing as I was supposed to pick up my daughter at college and work tonight!) He started walking up to the dead buck and was posturing - his hair was raised up on his neck and back, his ears were laid back, and he was doing the stiff-legged walk. He got to within five feet of the dead deer and was bobbing his head up and down. At that point I simply stepped out from behind the tree and started walking toward him. He finally noticed me and just stared at me like he couldn't believe a human was less than 30 yards away! Finally he spun around and took about three or four leaps and then stopped and stared at me again. I kept walking toward the dead buck and the old guy finally trotted out of sight!
I got the buck out of the woods and checked him in at the old Mass. Wildlife Headquarters building. He weighed exactly 180 lbs, fully field dressed. He's a nice 6-pointer on an 8-point frame, minus the brow tines.
[ Read Full Post ]November 4, 2009 by
Word just in on this awesome muley deer...Taken during the Idaho muzzleloader season (Unit 45), it is said to be the new state record.
[ Read Full Post ] November 3, 2009 by
With the quality deer management philosophy so solidly ingrained in today’s hunter’s mind, the old “if it’s brown, it’s down” approach for more and more hunters is becoming a thing of the past. I make no judgment on whichever approach you choose to pursue or to what degree you make those decisions on your own land or lease. As for myself, I suppose I have shot enough deer and see enough in a season that I am more than content to let the “little ones walk” with the rightful hope that they will grow into bigger deer—the tagging of which is always a thrill to any hunter. A big set of antlers is truly one of nature’s most awe-inspiring works of art.
But here’s the question: How big is big enough? And I don’t necessarily mean the minimum accepted size for where you hunt. Some places it’s a 125- or 130-inch buck, in others it’s a series of measurements that must be judged in the field, i.e., the rack must be bigger than 14 inches wide, 12 inches tall and have a base circumference measurement of at least 28 mm. That can be a lot to determine!
I’m talking about if you have one buck tag in the area you hunt or if you are on a guided hunt where you are nearly always limited to a single buck and your hope is to take a really nice one, not just the minimum, how do you decide? That is the dilemma I’ve faced on a pair of hunts so far this season.
Hunting with Hunter’s Specialties David Forbes on his place in northern Missouri earlier this season, I had a rare broadside shot at an 8-point that would have easily scored in the 140s. The shot was a few yards beyond my self-imposed limit, which certainly gave me pause. But what honestly weighed more heavily on my mind was that it was the first morning of a four-day hunt where 150-inch and bigger deer were a very real possibility to shoot. To be clear, I never get to hunt anyplace with realistic odds like that. It’s always a possibility, but a remote one at best. I let the buck walk.
While I saw some bigger deer during the hunt including an incredible 170-inch buck (first I’ve ever seen on the hoof in my life), none of the bigger ones came close enough for a shot. A parade of smaller bucks presented shots, but that was it. I never drew an arrow on anything as big as the buck I passed on that first morning. I had had a choice, and in a way, I had chose incorrectly.
Fast forward to my hunt with Rut-N-Strut Guide Service (www.rutnstrutguideservice.com) last week and the second day in, I was faced with watching a mid to high 120s 8-point feed 56 yards in front of my blind. I was sporting a Thompson/Center Triumph Bone Collector muzzleloader so the shot was imminently doable. While I would have been fine had I chosen to shoot, I knew outfitter Todd Rogers really preferred us to shoot a 3 ½-year-old hitting at least the 130s if possible. I sighed as my conscience and H.S. cameraman Jimmy Estes agreed it was the right choice. I was becoming a wildlife watcher. Back in camp, half of the hunters would be done by the end of the day, including H.S. pro staffer Rick White, who actually filled his tag the first day of the hunt.
The next evening, same blind, virtually the same time and what I thought was the same buck came ambling along. But it wasn’t. This one was a 10-point. It had roughly the same frame as the buck of the day before, but two more points that meant extra inches. This one miiiggghttt scrape 130, but I was betting it would still come in a touch under. I went so far as to actually settle the crosshairs of the Cabela’s scope onto it’s shoulder (usually a sure inducement to pull the trigger), but in the end, simply watched it walk away.
By the second to last morning, I wasn’t seeing much until a big boy strolled into a field about 400 yards from my hillside perch with a handful of other deer. We watched him for an hour as the other deer filtered back into some draws. The heavy-racked whitetail was with three does and a smaller buck. When the rest of his group began to follow a fenceline my direction and funnel through a ravine that brought each of the other four within 80 yards, I thought I was in the money. I was wrong.
The big buck turned the other direction and disappeared into some trees far, far out of my reach. With a windy evening ahead and only one day to hunt after that, I was growing convinced that my choice to hold off once again was going to bite me.
I’m interested in knowing what some of our BBZ hunters would have done in that situation. Would you have shot the 10-point (he was a very nice buck) or held out for something bigger knowing that possibility may never happen?
Most outfitters will tell you, don’t shoot the first buck that comes along, but in light of my experiences this season, how much weight do you give that advice? Share your opinions below.
[ Read Full Post ]October 30, 2009 by
These photos have just come in—two giant bucks reportedly from Nebraska. Can't hardly believe the size of the buck's rack in the back of that pickup truck! It looks more like a moose. Details as they come in.
We're in the process of tracking down Mystery Buck No. 2 as well. Killer mass and brow tines.
[ Read Full Post ]
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