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Big Game

Moosehaps

Car/deer accidents are on the rise, but so are car/moose collisions where your chances of walking away unscathed are somewhere between slim and none.

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Maine Moosing

One of the most coveted tags in the big-game-hunting world is a Maine moose permit. Check out the monster moose that Barbara Stuart bagged in Maine this fall.

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Big Game Articles

Albino Bear

Amazing photos of an albino black bear found in Montana!

DIY Moose Call

Even if you never call in a 60-inch bull, you’ll be able to impress your hunting...

Big Pig World Records

Boars are ranked by their tusk size, with measurements made for length and...

Busting Canada Bears

Springtime means one thing to most hunters and that is turkey season, pure and simple....

Monster Caribou

Few animals stir the wilderness yearning for North American hunters like caribou. Big,...

5 Minutes with Karl Malone

The former NBA All Star talks about his other great passions- hunting and giving back.

  • November 20, 2009

    Zero Hour - 1

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    Thursday, November 19 [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 19, 2009

    Hoosier Daddy - 1

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    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. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 18, 2009

    Sportsmen Beware! - 7

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    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.  [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 17, 2009

    BBZ LIVE! Day 3—Score! - 4

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    It’s 1:24 and I am writing this from camp. I shot a buck this morning in the pouring rain and made a less than perfect shot and we decided to back out of the area and go back to get him this afternoon. The waiting is driving me insane. I keep re-creating the moment in my head….

     

     

     

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 17, 2009

    Deer Hunters On The Front Line - 1

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    Hunting takes patience, mental focus and drive. 

    Small wonder then that the soldiers who excel at one of the toughest jobs in the military—the guys who sweep for roadside bombs and other IEDs—also happen to be hunters. 

    From a CBS report that features Specialist Christopher Parsons, a member of the Michigan National Guard who is tasked with “Route Clearance Patrol”: [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 16, 2009

    "World Record" Update - 6

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    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.....

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 15, 2009

    The Lucky 13th - 5

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    Fifty-three hours. That’s how long I sat on a plastic deck chair inside a 4-by-4-foot ground blind, looking over the same 40 acres of Saskatchewan woods before I finally killed a buck on Friday.

    This hunt for a big Canadian buck was the toughest hunting challenge of my life, and I hardly moved a muscle. Mentally straining, psychologically crushing, I sat in the same seat—actually two, since I moved blinds after the first two days in the field—for 12 hours a day straining to see a bruiser buck step out of the poplar forest. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 15, 2009

    Fall Turkey Dog Questions - 16

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    Regular Strut Zone commentator “charlie elk” sent along some questions after our “Finding a Turkey Dog” post. My answers follow here:

    Q. When you pick out a pup are there any indicators one should look for? Or is it the luck of the draw? [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 15, 2009

    Timber Rifle For A Timber Deer - 5

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    Just got out of the woods in Northern Saskatchewan after a week of stand hunting during the rut. Friday the 13th was my lucky day as this buck strolled by me at about 11:30 on the second to last day of the hunt. Like every mature buck my fellow hunters and I saw in camp this week, he was cruising. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 13, 2009

    World Record—Poached - 8

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    A Minnesota man with a criminal history is suspected of illegally killing a massive-racked whitetail buck that could be the largest 8-point ever recorded.

    Last week, Minnesota conservation officers seized the antlers involved in the case and on Thursday, Nov. 12 filed charges against Troy Reinke, 32, of Cannon Falls, Minn. Reinke was charged by the Goodhue County Attorney’s Office with 13 counts, including exceeding his limit and failure to register a deer. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 12, 2009

    Rut Washout - 9

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    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.  [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 12, 2009

    Saskatchewan Giant Down - 6

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    Finally, we've broken the seal on Saskatchewan bucks. After two days of all-day sits on stand, the four of us hunting together return to camp each evening a little dejected.

    We've seen some decent bucks, but no clear-and-present shooters. Until tonight. Check out the photo of the bruiser that Jon LaCorte put down just as legal light faded this evening.

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 10, 2009

    World Record? Hmmmmm..... - 17

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    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.

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 10, 2009

    Buck Wins Battle—Lose War - 9

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    Here’s a story to file under the Newshound’s heading of “be careful who you pick a fight with.”

    It’s also a great indicator that the whitetail rut is well underway in the state of Wisconsin.

    A 7-point buck point obviously chose the wrong adversary in his testosterone-induced attempt to exhibit male dominance when it challenged a 640-pound concrete elk statue in the yard of Mark Brye in rural Viroqua, Wisc. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 10, 2009

    Rooting Out Poachers - 8

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    Investigators in Ohio believe rising unemployment and a tough economy is driving some ginseng diggers in the state to illegally harvest the root on private land and out of season. 

    For the past month, State Wildlife Officers from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife have been contacting many Ohio ginseng dealers and diggers as part of an ongoing investigation. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 10, 2009

    Hard Work=Consistency - 8

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    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. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 9, 2009

    Finding A Turkey Dog - 10

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    English setters and pointers (especially those that won’t hold point), Labrador retrievers, hounds such as hard-running beagles, Brittany spaniels, and even mixed breeds are capable of becoming decent turkey dogs, assuming you take the time to hunt that dog where it’ll find flocks. Boykin spaniels were bred historically in the Carolinas for turkey dogging, though ironically South Carolina offers no modern fall season, and North Carolina provides only a winter option. Still, this breed is used in other parts of the country where the tactic is legal, and is particularly effective in smaller woodlots where this short-legged canine can find and flush flocks. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 8, 2009

    Long Odds in the Land of Lincoln - 2

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    I climbed down from my stand this morning after a 3-hour sit, my tag still intact and still in my pocket.

    I had a pretty good buck—a heavy 3x4 with a bladed brow tine—come screaming to my rattling at first light. He ran, then walked directly beneath my stand on the timbered edge of a picked cornfield. I drew my bow, but I just couldn’t let an arrow go.

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 8, 2009

    Nash Hits The Big Time - 1

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    I'm proud to say I knew the guy on my left before he became a celebrity.

    In case you've been living in a cave in the Swat Valley, he is Jason Nash, the PR manager for Federal/ATK. And his 15 minutes of fame just kicked off in a major way in this week's edition of The New York Times Magazine. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 7, 2009

    Game On in the Northeast - 5

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    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! 

    [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 7, 2009

    Hunter, Shooter, Hero - 7

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    The police officer who shot the suspected shooter in the rampage at Ft. Hood was an avid hunter and shooter, according to this (www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/us/07police.html?hp). She sounds like a remarkable woman. I hope she recovers quickly from her wounds.


  • November 7, 2009

    Bruiser In Sight...And Still Going - 6

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    I am not a patient hunter. I'm successful largely because I cover lots of ground and prepare to hike longer and farther and higher than the other guy. Make me mobile and '‚m going to get game.

    So it's a special kind of torture for me to spend all day in a treestand, unable to get on the ground and make my own luck. We were told in our orientation here in Illinois that "walk-abouters" weren't tolerated here. And I understand it. We have so many folks on stand that if someone started meandering around the woods would screw everyone up.

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  • November 4, 2009

    Idaho Record Muley? - 5

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    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 4, 2009

    Confidence - 8

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    I’m heading off to Canada next week for a Saskatchewan whitetail hunt and pretty quickly settled on bringing a lever gun with me. Took my Marlin 336C in .35 Remington out yesterday to get my new scope dialed in (and an interesting little scope it is too…more on that later) and after I got it on paper I cranked off this 5-shot group. [ Read Full Post ]


  • November 4, 2009

    Fall Longbeard Double - 16

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    New York turkey camp was pretty much history. Handshakes, photos, and good wishes all around; many of the guys were heading off to hunt Ohio turkeys; problem is, we still had a little gas left in our tanks, Daryl and I did. And a couple New York tags to spare. A plan was hatched. [ Read Full Post ]