Doug Howlett

Deer In Flood

KristenKeys — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:32:04 -0500

Black Water Rising

KristenKeys — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:28:40 -0500

I’ve been running a number of trail cameras on my property this pre-season trying to do an extended test on battery performance, trigger speed and overall image quality as an off-shoot of a story I worked on earlier in the year. Some of the models I’ve been checking out include Bushnell’s compact Trophy Cam, the Cuddeback Capture IR, the Moultrie GameSpyi60, the Stealth Cam Prowler, the Reconyx Rapidfire and the high-end SmartScouter.

Rut Washout

GerryBethge — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:44:10 -0500

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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.

How Big Is Big Enough?

GerryBethge — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:48:21 -0500

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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.

Two Grannies, Two Trophy Bucks

GerryBethge — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:58:49 -0500

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Proving that you’re never too old to hunt, 90-year-old Delores Wilhelms got her buck for the second straight year. The Wisconsin granny connected on a 9-point buck earlier this month using a crossbow. Last year, after sitting out hunting for years after her husband passed away, Wilhelms’ neighbor, Ron Haessly, helped the woman return to the woods. She was successful in her initial return to the woods taking a buck with her crossbow then as well. The feat earned Wilhelms a write-up in the pages of Outdoor Life.

Carnivorous Deer

KristenKeys — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:12:38 -0400

Everyone knows that the most deadly animal in North America is the whitetail deer, accounting for more human deaths than any other creature. Of course, those deaths are, except in very rare exceptions, the result of deer/vehicle collisions and not actual attacks on people. Deer, after all, eat plants, forbs and grasses. They are herbivores in scientific vernacular. Everyone knows that.

Enter researchers Pete Squibb, a retired state biologist in Michigan who know runs Wildlife Solutions LLC, and his research partner, Brad Thurston, M.D.

Another Minnesota Giant!

GerryBethge — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:11:25 -0400

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A cool story from former OL contributor Chris Niskanen on the Pioneer Press’ twincities.com, but after finding a set of huge shed antlers early in 2007, Minnesota hunter Michael Versland became obsessed with hunting the deer.

The high school biology teacher set out to take the buck with bow and arrow, spotting it twice in 07 and then again the following year. Unfortunately, none of those encounters panned out. In that time, he managed to find the buck’s increasingly large sheds and even captured the monster a few times on his trail camera.

Okie Bound

GerryBethge — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:31:06 -0400

I’m in the Sooner State this week going after a big Oklahoma whitetail with a Thompson/Center muzzleloader and so far while I’ve had some close calls, I’ve yet to seal the deal. It’s my first muzzleloader hunt in a couple of years and I have to admit to being excited about getting to trade out my bow for a few days here in October.

What Deer Are Doing Now

KristenKeys — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:20:57 -0400

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Four days in the stand last week in northern Missouri turned out to be more of a clinic on how to manage land, control human scent and grow amazingly big deer than on how to actually kill one of those big deer. Though that was no fault of my host, David Forbes, of Hunter’s Specialties.

He sprayed me down with bottles of Scent-Away and delivered me via silent-running golf cart to a number of well-placed stands on his Show-Me-State property. In those four days of hunting, I saw no less than five bucks that were clearly the biggest I had ever seen from a stand and well over a dozen, any of which had I been lucky enough to tag, would have been counted among my best deer with a bow or a gun! And in the spirit of full disclosure, I had at least a half dozen bucks that I could have arrowed (and one that I should have), all of which would have definitely been my biggest with a bow. But as impressive as a 135- to 140-inch racked whitetail remains, after watching a bruising 170-class 12-point from just 46 yards away (to far for this boy to comfortably fling an arrow) my first evening, I admittedly got a little greedy and wanted nothing less.

What's A Buck Worth

GerryBethge — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:51:15 -0400

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When an armed 21-year-old Dustin Cole Jernigan broke into a central Florida game farm to kill a trophy-size buck he knew what he was doing illegal. What he probably didn’t realize is exactly how much it was going to cost him. Besides four years’ probation and a fine of $500 plus court costs, a judge recently ordered the poacher to pay a whopping $68,000 in restitution.