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August 31, 2010 by
In recent years, there have been a lot of discussions and heated debates among hunters about how trophy bucks are currently being entered into the record books. Some argue that many of today’s record book bucks are simply being bought by wealthy hunters on expensive and exclusive hunts. On this side of the debate, hunters feel that whitetails are practically being raised like cattle on private land and are only shot by individuals with hefty bank accounts.
With some of these private management programs, it is said that antlered deer are basically pumped full of protein and fed throughout the year like a farmer’s prize hog at the state fair. When hunting season rolls around, these massive-racked bucks are bought and paid for by the highest bidder.
[ Read Full Post ] August 20, 2010 by
Without question, I still feel like a little kid the night before Christmas anytime I go into the field to check my trail cameras. For good reason, you just never know what is going to show up on those pictures. A mega buck with hard-hitting headgear could be just one snap away and that is essentially what keeps all of us coming back for more. There is no doubt that these high-tech scouting tools have completely changed the way we scout and hunt for deer.
However, many hunters severely limit the full potential of these compact surveillance devices by only hanging up a couple of cameras. This season you need to break-away from the pack and start networking your trail-cameras by strategically setting up multiple units.
[ Read Full Post ] August 16, 2010 by
During my younger days, I can vividly remember busting out of a hoop that was being held by varsity cheerleaders and running onto the gym floor under the bright rays of a spotlight beam. The crowd would go crazy as the names of the starting five were blasted from the loudspeakers, which really kicked my adrenalin into overdrive. Those old high school pep rallies during my glory days would really get me fired up, cranked up, and ready to rock before a big game. Unfortunately, I don’t have any energetic cheerleaders on hand or a gym full of screaming fans to help get you pumped up for the opening day of deer season. However, I do have an amazing picture and some mind boggling measurements that will definitely make you want to go climb up a tree right now with your bow.
[ Read Full Post ] August 5, 2010 by
As a young boy, I used to love hanging out at an old country store just down the road from my house. Davenport’s Market was the official meeting place where every deer hunter in the county would check in their deer and swap stories. Without warning, new age technology snuck into my hometown and eliminated the traditional check-in station. Face to face interaction and hunter comradely was replaced by touchtone phones and a computer generated voice. Now, just about everyone I know simply records their deer harvest over the phone and the old country store check-in station is nothing more than a memory.
[ Read Full Post ] July 22, 2010 by
Over the years, I’ve witnessed some wild and crazy things while sitting high up in the treetops or easing through the open hardwoods country. In fact, nature has a mysterious way of making the bizarre look somewhat normal at times. For example, I once watched a giant long tined 10-point buck play with its sworn enemy for at least an hour just out of bow range. Honestly, a full grown coyote and buck took turns chasing each other in short circles and erratic zigzag patterns. Right about now, you’re probably thinking that I am either full of crap or had one too many drinks during that hunt. However, not even a writer with an inventive imagination could make up something that good. If you think that story is strange, then you better hang on tightly to your seats, because things are about to get even weirder. Our good friend Charlie Elk on the BBZ just sent us some video that clearly shows a spike buck actually eating a live bird.
[ Read Full Post ] July 9, 2010 by
As a hunter, I spend every spare second in the woods trying to replicate that indescribable adrenalin rush from my very first close encounter with a whitetail buck. In recent years, I’ve had the opportunity to venture far away from my home state of Kentucky to chase whitetails in numerous states across the country. During these road trips, one of the first things a hunter learns is that every state’s deer hunting rules, regulations, and bag limits are almost always different. Furthermore, many of these hunting laws undergo major changes from time to time. In some cases, hunters who live and hunt in these areas often complain that the state wildlife agencies have made major miscalculations when adding or changing a particular deer hunting regulation. When you stop and listen to all of these different viewpoints, it kind of makes you wonder who is actually right?
[ Read Full Post ] July 2, 2010 by
In my neck of the woods, a “road hunter” is a term reserved for those shady characters that hang high-powered rifles out of their truck windows during or even before the opening of deer season. These outlaws typically cruise the back roads and live by the simple creed of dropping the hammer on anything that is brown! However, don’t let my title fool you, because this story is definitely not about those trigger happy poachers with questionable morals. In this case, the “Ultimate Road Hunter” is simply a well-earned nickname that I gave my good friend and country music singing sensation Craig Morgan. Like most of us, Morgan is confronted with the dilemma of trying to juggle a demanding career schedule with his undying passion for hunting and the outdoors. Consequently, this country boy has found an innovative way to combine both worlds and the results have been absolutely amazing.
[ Read Full Post ] June 24, 2010 by
As a hunter, you would be hard pressed to find someone who knows more about the woods and water than legendary Harold Knight. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of chasing fired-up longbeards and top-heavy bucks with this genuine country boy from Kentucky. During these trips, it didn’t take me long to learn that Knight is capable of making turkey calls sing and mature bucks worry about their future. In fact, it would probably take an experienced math teacher and a good calculator to add up how many gobblers and thick-racked bucks this old boy has tagged throughout his life. Without question, Knight has taken more than his fair share of trophy-class whitetails, but last season he was able to tag the biggest buck of his entire hunting career. Let’s take a sneak peak of how this unbelievable hunt unfolded.
[ Read Full Post ] June 16, 2010 by
As a simple country boy, it’s very difficult for me to even watch the evening news anymore without blowing a fuse! However, sometimes things become so out of whack that you’ve just got to sit back and simply laugh at the madness. It has been reported that the Friends of Animals and Compassion for Animals groups decided to take the Valley Forge National Park Services to court over their decision to cull deer within the park through sharpshooters and birth control. Both groups are passionately arguing that coyotes should be used instead to control the numerous problems associated with the overpopulation of deer at Valley Forge in eastern Pennsylvania.
[ Read Full Post ] May 25, 2010 by  Throughout history people have been fascinated by rare sightings of albino whitetail deer. In fact, these mystical ghosts of the woods have been the center of many ancient Native American legends and folklore. Encounters with solid white deer were even documented in journal entries by early European explorers in the big woods country of present day Wisconsin. The natural intrigue with white deer can probably be best explained by their unusual appearance that catches both the eye and our imagination. According to biologists, the recessive gene that causes albinism in whitetail deer is very uncommon. The chances of an albino deer being born are only 1 in 20,000. In addition, the solid white coats of the deer make them more susceptible to attack from predators, which dramatically decrease the overall survival rate of these special whitetails. With that being said, very few people will ever have the opportunity to catch a mere glimpse of these white ghosts. However, there is a unique place in Wisconsin called Boulder Junction that is home to an unbelievable number of wild albino deer.
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