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Battle of the Bucks: The Finals

May 16, 2013

Each year, we round up photos of the country's biggest bucks and most thrilling hunting stories for the Outdoor Life Deer of the Year contest. We started off with 24 finalists, and we're now down to the final two. The overall winner will be awarded a Cabela's gift card and a Weaver range finder in addition to eternal bragging rights. Select your favorite buck and then hit the submit button at the bottom to enter your vote.

0 | Read the full entry
Deer of the Year Contest

Enter a photo of yourself with your 2012/2013 deer and you could win great gear and be featured on the cover of our August 2013 issue! We’ll use the information you give us to generate the charts to the right.

* JPG, GIF or PNG
SPONSORED BY:
YamahaCabelasWeaver
+ See All
  • big_deer.jpg
  • Dad_Buck_2.jpg
  • 2012-12-02_10-51-30_933.jpg
  • Daulton_9pt.jpg
  • ohiogiant10.jpg
  • IMG_4970.JPG
  • 2012-11-21_14-35-29_432.jpg
Harvest Stats
When, where and how BBZ fans took their deer in the 2012–2013 season.
Technique

Technique

97
Tree Stand
21
Ground Blind
15
Still Hunt
31
Spot and Stalk
0
Track
4
Drive/​Push

Recent News

  • May 10, 2013

    Deer Management: Are Predators Eating Your Fawns?-1

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    Researchers in whitetail country have begun looking at the impact of coyotes and other predators on whitetail deer and the results are pretty grim. Coyotes are gobbling up fawns at an alarming rate and so are black bears.

    In one such study, researchers in South Carolina captured and monitored 60 newborn fawns. Coyotes killed over 50% before fall. Fawns are particularly vulnerable immediately after birth as 66% of the kills occurred within the first 3 weeks of life.

    A study in Georgia amazingly found that it took 78 does to recruit 2 fawns in a predator rich area! Once the predators were removed, it took only 3 does to recruit 2 fawns into the fall herd. Research in Pennsylvania found that in certain mature forest, areas bears are as effective as coyotes as fawn predators.

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  • May 9, 2013

    Battle of the Bucks: Final 4-0

    by

    Each year, we round up photos of the country's biggest bucks and most thrilling hunting stories for the Outdoor Life Deer of the Year contest. Now, we're calling on you to help us pick America's best buck. We started off with 24 finalists, and we're now down to eight. The overall winner will be awarded a Cabela's gift card and a Weaver range finder in addition to eternal bragging rights. Select your favorite buck from each match-up and then hit the submit button at the bottom to enter your votes.

    Today's Matchups...

    * Required

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • May 6, 2013

    Deer Hunting: What Fawn-Drop Dates Can Teach You About the Rut -2

    by

    In case you haven’t noticed, newborn fawns are beginning to show up in the woods. Turkey hunters are beginning to report them and before long the woods and fields will be covered with them.

    We anxiously await the fawn drop each year, it reminds us of the cycle of nature, lifts our spirits, and allows us to look in the rear view mirror and take another look at last year’s rut. Anytime we come across a newborn fawn we head to the calendar and start counting backward. Last year our rut report called for most of the breeding to occur sometime around Nov. 15, and sure enough, they are appearing on schedule.

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  • May 2, 2013

    Battle of the Bucks Contest: The Elite 8-0

    by

    Each year, we round up photos of the country's biggest bucks and most thrilling hunting stories for the Outdoor Life Deer of the Year contest. Now, we're calling on you to help us pick America's best buck. We started off with 24 finalists, and we're now down to eight. The overall winner will be awarded a Cabela's gift card and a Weaver range finder in addition to eternal bragging rights. Select your favorite buck from each match-up and then hit the submit button at the bottom to enter your votes.

    Today's Matchups:

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  • May 2, 2013

    Food Plots: How to Tell if Your Left Over Seed is Still Good-0

    by

    Its time for planting food plots and one of the most common questions I hear is: “Can I use my left over seed from last year?”

    It seems like just about every foodplotter out there has a half bag or so of last year’s seed and is wondering if he can plant it. Nobody wants to plant “dead” seed; you waste hours of valuable time and can get a poor stand or no stand at all. On the other hand, just because it’s old doesn’t mean it won’t grow. Some seeds will germinate and grow for up to 5 years after the date they came from the field. And, at the price of quality food plot seed, it’s worth a second look.

    It depends upon what kind of seed it is, how it was cared for, and how it was stored. Seed  should be kept cool, dry, and clean and protected from pests and insects in some sort of protective container.

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  • April 29, 2013

    Deer Breeding: Are Whitetails Wildlife or Livestock? -4

    by

    The whitetail deer breeding industry has been getting more than its share of headlines lately. It seems deer breeders and captive whitetail hunting operations are working hard at loosening restrictions on deer breeding operations. They want state wildlife agencies to hand regulation responsibilities over to state agriculture departments. They believe that state agricultural departments will be better for business and will be more willing to ease “excessive” restrictions like curtailing deer transport, identifying and monitoring unique deer for disease, and double fencing to prevent wild deer from contacting captive deer.

    Case in point---deer breeders in Missouri recently attempted to have the classification of captive whitetails changed from “wildlife” to “livestock.” They lost, but the battles continue elsewhere.
     

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  • April 25, 2013

    Planting Clover for Deer-0

    by

    We have been planting food plots for almost 25 years and have learned a thing or two about what works with whitetails and what doesn’t. And, when it comes to planting food plots you can’t beat clover.

    Clover is relatively easy to grow, is loaded with nutrition, and whitetails simply love it. A good clover plot will produce 2 to 4 tons (per acre) of easily digestible plant matter and give your whitetails a shot in the arm when it comes to nutrition.

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  • April 23, 2013

    NY Youth Hunt Controversy Finally Laid to Rest-2

    by

    With overwhelming support from most of the state’s sportsmen, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation held the state’s first youth deer hunt last fall. The results are in and the three-day Columbus Day weekend hunt was a great success. The DEC estimates that 7,800 junior hunters (along with non-hunting mentors) took 1,411 whitetail deer. 

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  • April 19, 2013

    New Record Whitetail: Michigan's Biggest Archery Buck -0

    by

    At the risk of offering cockamamie advice that’ll get readers in trouble with their spouse or ruin a perfectly good friendship, I propose one piece of sage counsel: Never resist the urge to go deer hunting.

    Before you brusquely throw me out of the fickle court of public opinion, I submit to you exhibit number 182 1/8, which is the Boone and Crockett score of Michigan’s new archery state whitetail typical record. The exhibit is presented by Robert Sopsich of Milford, Mich., who illustrates another oft-repeated hunting adage: Always be prepared.

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