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The DeerBlaster culls the best of the whitetail interwebz every week for DIEHARD whitetail nerds…cuz it’s fun! And important…and educational…. Then it “blasts” into your inbox.
Thx for reading and please let us know how we’re doing! If you’re getting the DeerBlaster for the first time it’s probably because a deer-crazed buddy signed you up!
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OK x-bow hunter tags 2 nice bucks in 30 minutes!!
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OK gives 2 buck tags each season, and Brad Homer just might have the record for filling ’em the fastest! On opening morning of archery season, Brad shot those 2 good-lookin’ bucks just 35 minutes apart. Daily Oklahoman (can’t link it — oklahoman.com) with the deets:
> “I didn’t plan it that way, but it was too hard to pass either one of them up.”
> Homer was hunting on family land in Roger Mills County, a place he has been able to take several nice bucks over the past decade, but Thursday morning’s whitetails were the 2 biggest.
> Homer was in his ground blind at 6:20 am…with legal shooting light just after 7 am. Homer had a feeling the cool weather and north wind was going to get the deer moving. “Man did it ever.”
> The 1st buck that showed up was a nice 9-pointer. Homer shot him and then planned to wait at least 45 minutes…before searching….
> “It wasn’t 5 minutes after I shot him another buck shows up, an 8-point. All of a sudden, he started getting nervous and looking up kind of back the way he came. Deer will kind of tell you something is coming every time. I knew something was coming.”
> The 8-pointer scooted away and less than a minute later a bigger 8-point buck arrived. “…no doubt he was a big-bodied deer…was a buck we had on camera since early Aug.” …said he didn’t think twice about filling both his buck tags in the first hour of the deer season. “When you are at ground level with a buck of that caliber, I wasn’t waiting.”
We wouldn’t either, congrats Brad! Brad’s like:
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New KY record x-bow buck!
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That BTR-scored 200 3/8″ buck was shot by Jeremy Huffman on his farm on Sept 24. BEAST!!! It’s the new KY record for a typical buck with an x-bow — congrats Jeremy! Previous record was a 190 2/8 buck taken last Sept 28. KY Outdoors Media with the story:
> Going into the 2020 deer season Huffman was determined to end his 4-year long quest for the buck he named “Moose.” During that time, the buck was only seen a few times…confirmed mostly by trail camera….
> “I first got pictures of him in 2017 and he was probably 145-inch deer…never saw him while hunting.”
> As the 2018 season approached, Huffman decided to purchase some Cherry Bomb attractant…”Moose” started to show up regularly at the mineral site and his growth had exploded from the previous year. He had added significant mass, tine length and width.
> Huffman’s father later missed the buck during the 2018 gun season. Huffman hunted hard during the 2019 deer season and never saw “Moose” in person. He continued to get trail camera pictures….
> 2020: “I actually had him come under me 3 times and I had to let him walk because it was right at dark each time,. He would come out of the field in the daylight and he would come straight to me, but then he would hold up in the thickets. He would stay in there long enough for it to get dark and then he would come up to the Apple Bomb.”
> On Sept 24…Huffman sat in his stand that was tucked into a walnut tree along a few small creeks that come together. The creeks are natural transition points that separate a hay field, hemp field and brushy thickets. He had seen the buck in each of the places before.
> This time, instead of holding up in the brush, the buck decided to walk in front of Huffman’s stand. …had his Ravin crossbow ready in hand…the buck worked his way to 25 yards…he let the arrow fly…monster buck dropped straight to the ground….
GREAT job on that hunt story! More:
> “The bases of his antlers are like pop cans.” The big buck had a 22″ spread and weighed 236 lbs on the hoof. A typical 7×6 [with] 13 scorable points.
> “It’s kind of bittersweet. I finally got the deer I was after. It’s like, What am I going to do now?”
Put out some more Bombs and see what else shows up on that farm dude! |
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Lookit all that sweet-lookin’ head trash! Not much info on the deer — from @ohiotrophybucks — but appears to be a 12-pointer with a BUNCH of kickers and stickers. Apparently Ross County?
Just a couple weeks into the OH season and looks like that state’s on fire!
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Hannah Barron tags velvet “Spanky.”
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Apparently AL’s Hannah Barron is known for her catfish noodlin’ skills? Okay but she’s a hardcore hunter too, and went to KY for an early-season velvet buck — told her story to Realtree:
> On opening afternoon, the buck walked all the way in to 45 yards but never turned broadside. He left the way he came.
> As the deer departed, Hannah noticed he was missing part of his tail. That, paired with the fact the buck had just gotten away, gave Hannah an idea for a nickname. She dubbed the deer “Spanky” and the name stuck.
> Hannah was back in the same spot where she’d sat 3 days before. The good news? Spanky still walked the area in daylight. The bad: the wind was light and variable.
> “Sure enough, from across the field (my left), Spanky stepped out of the woods and headed our way.”
> The giant was almost in range when [an] 8-pointer [there with 2 smaller bucks] spooked and ran. “I thought it was over. But they all ran a few steps, stood for a while, then finally came back in.”
Hannah made the shot at 31 yards, and the deer dropped. Big boy grossed 161″, Hannah’s biggest buck so far. He’s a beaut Hannah congrats! Man KY has some STUD bucks….
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That’s crazy! @pabuckmafia says some lucky dude put this deer down with another trophy deadhead hanging off it! Anyone ever see such a thing before??
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News
1. IL: Will archery harvest beat rifle deer this season?
> “Last year the difference between archery harvest and firearm harvest was 7,674 deer, and it’s important to note archery hunters set a new record in the 2019-2020….”
2. MI legislature approves air bow use.
> All hunters could use the weapons during the firearm deer hunting seasons while hunters with certain disabilities could also use them during the bowhunting seasons.
3. AL court says hybrid deer are protected.
Whitetail-muley hybrids:
> Justices didn’t address the ultimate question of whether or not the hybrids could be scientifically proven to be whitetails, only that having been born to whitetail does is insufficient to make them game animals under AL law.
4. LA hunters might have new species to shoot.
Captive animals got out in the storms:
> Hunters who possess a LA Big Game Hunting License may take these free-ranging, escaped alternative livestock animals, which include fallow, axis, sika and whitetail deer, elk, red deer and other exotic hoof stock.
5. MT National Guard does Purple Heart hunts.
Outstanding. Thank YOU vets!
6. MO: Big Spring will host youth and disabled vet hunts.
Great:
> “We are pleased to once again offer these recreational opportunities for our youth and in honor of individuals who have sacrificed so greatly for our country.”
7. MN will test deer for PFAS chemicals.
> The DNR plans to collect liver and muscle tissues from 60 deer killed by hunters in Duluth and the east Twin Cities metro, areas known to have PFAS contamination.
8. VT wardens teaching deer processing.
Clinic is Oct 17 at the Fish and Wildlife Office in Rutland City, 10:00-4:00.
9. Roundhill Group buys Remington.
Sounds like Roundhill is a new company? Not sure where it’s $$$ is coming from:
> “The Roundhill Group is comprised of a group of individuals all of whom have years of experience in engineering, manufacturing and marketing both in and outside of the firearms space. They are all lifelong hunting advocates and staunch Remington brand loyalists. They will work tirelessly to ensure that this company takes its rightful place as the iconic American brand….”
10. Ruger is buying Marlin.
> The Company will pay the $30 mil purchase price from cash on hand at the time of closing, which is expected to occur in Oct.
11. UT: Sierra Bullets bought Barnes Bullets.
More details here.
12. NYC venture company buys Field & Stream, Outdoor Life.
13. Phil Rabb is new territory mgr for Pure Archery.
Pure = Bowtech, Diamon, Excalibur.
14. FL: 1791 Gunleather is expanding, hiring.
15. UT: US Forest Service says beware of fire dangers.
When camping especially.
16. DC: Congress passes another big-time conservation act.
Among a bunch of things it establishes a USFWS-led CWD task force, and conserves waters and wetlands.
17. GA study wants hunters to help collect ticks.
For studying Lyme:
> The study will help to understand how Lyme disease has been spreading and will give a better understanding of Lyme disease risk in different regions.
18. AK: Hunter field-dressing moose killed by grizzly.
Hate to hear it…bless his family.
19. Wild hogs are a growing problem in Canada.
#ShootEmAll
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Gear of the Week
Ron Spomer’s 1 gun for all game.
Gun genius Ron Spomer likes the concept of a multi-purpose rifle. So if you had one centerfire to shoot whatever game presented itself, what would you choose? 7mm Rem Mag is a little more gun than you need for whitetail, but it will drop pretty much anything. That’s why Ron likes Jim Borden’s version of it.
If you’re not familiar with Borden, it’s a small family-run shop in PA. They make some real nice shooters and actions. Like REEEEEAL nice — for $5,000 and up, they better be nice! Here’s some of Ron’s rundown or watch the YT vid here:
> This Borden Timberline weighs 8 lbs 2 oz with the Talley rings and Swarovski 3.5-18x44mm Z5 scope. It recoils like a light 270 Win load in an 8-lb rifle [with muzzle break].
> Accuracy is a Borden hallmark, as you’d expect from a benchrest shooter who set some 10 world records [and] Borden rifles have been used to set more than 100 records.
> Precision tolerances, high-quality barrels, stocks, pillar bedding and “blueprinted” action all go into a Borden. But there’s an additional ingredient: Borden Bumps. As I understand it, these are a slight widening of the bolt body (0.02″) behind the recoil lugs….
> These bumps permit a “sloppy” bolt tolerance for slick travel along the raceway, yet align and snug it up precisely when the bolt is turned into battery. This is useful in a field rifle that could pick up dust, mud and debris to hinder bolt cycling.
> I’ve used the 7mm Rem Mag to cleanly take everything from coyotes to elk, moose and eland, so I’m convinced of its universal application. You, however, may disagree. And that’s fine.
Gonna say that for what I (Ted) normally shoot at, a 7-mag is a bit hot — but too much gun’s better than not enough!
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Tip of the Week
Quicker stand-hanging on public land.
Be portable, be mobile, for multiple reasons. Whitetail Journal has some tips for doing it:
> Swap your 1,500 cu in pack out for a more spacious tote in the 2,000 to 3,000 cu in range. You will need extra space for your gear, and additional straps to secure your treestand and climbing sticks to the outside of your pack.
> You’ll also want a lightweight and adjustable hang-on treestand in the 8-14 lb range, as well as climbing sticks. Lone Wolf and Millennium make some great stands and sticks.
> Most of the time, when you find that tree located in the perfect spot, it will be small, crooked and not stand-friendly [so] a treestand with diminutive dimensions, paired with seat and platform adjustability, is paramount.
> In the days before your hunt, take time to practice loading and unloading your pack. Develop a system for attaching your treestand and climbing sticks. I love small bungee cords for this.
> …do a few quick practice hangs in your backyard or on the perimeter of your hunting grounds.
> Also, you will want to dedicate a spot inside the pack for all your other necessary gear.
Love this one:
> …take Gorilla Tape and cover all of the metal contact points on your treestand and climbing sticks. This will eliminate banging and clanging during transport.
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Shot of the Week
What a crazy weird rack! Kinda almost doesn’t look like a whitetail?? Arrowed by Jeremy Johnson in Terrell County, GA, 25″ spread — posted by GA Outdoor News:
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What’s the DB and who does it??
The DeerBlaster is a weekly roundup of the best, worst and funniest stuff about whitetail deer hunting culled from around the interwebz. We were kinda doing it already, just not the blastin’ it into your inbox part….
It’s put together by some deer nerds — Ted, Jay, Wade, couple more — from around the country. We excerpt content (and credit EVERYONE!), comment on content, do some original content — it’s an internet thing…. We do it because we can’t get enough deer hunting, hopefully you’re wired the same.
The DeerBlaster’s a work in progress, just like we are. Let us know what we can do better and thanks for readin’! Any issues, suggestions, whatever, just hit Reply to this email and we’ll get it. Thank you!
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