DeerBlaster blasts

2 velvets for 1 guy, Culling does not help genetics, Hang your late stand now

Today’s Top 5

Hunter tags TWO early season velvet bucks!

 
Some guys have all the luck…or somehow make their own crazy-good luck. Tom Gordy was fortunate enough to dial up 2 velvet bucks in the first 3 days of the SC season. The first day he shot a 9-point “cull buck” with a 19.75″ spread with short tines that weighed 195 lbs. But Carolina Sportsman says Tom wasn’t done there:
> …decided…he probably wouldn’t take another buck. His son wanted to tag along, so he decided to sit in a stand he knew had some pig activity.
> “Then around 8:30 p.m., a bachelor group of bucks came into the clearing. I raised my binoculars and saw right away that one of the bucks was a shooter. The rack was impressive. It had mass, it was wide. It had everything you look for.”
> …his Jarrett 7mm rifle, peered through the Leupold scope, and saw that the buck was staring straight at him from 220 yards away. Finally the deer looked away…. Gordy pulled the trigger, and the buck fell on the spot.

“You cannot influence genetics through selective culling in wild deer populations.”
Say what?? That quote’s Auburn U deer researcher Steve Ditchkoff talkin’ stuff that’s the opposite of what most of us whitetail hunters believe. Almost every property we’ve been to has some sort of culling program. But does it make a difference? Here’s what Steve and others say in a super-interesting Deer and Deer Hunting post:
> …there is nothing precise surrounding the methodology behind selective culling to improve genetically-driven antler potential…. More is unknown than there is absolute….
> Not only does the mother influence her son’s antlers environmentally, but she contributes to them genetically as well. Believe it or not, a doe can have an even greater genetic impact on her son’s antlers than the sire.
> While genetic distribution is a combined input from both parents, when it comes to environmental persuasions, the doe bears most, if not all, the responsibility.
> Proper nutrition for all deer is by far the most basic, yet crucial environmental additive. With it, a buck’s antler potential can soar. Without it, antler quality will suffer.
> “While some spikes had smaller antlers than forked antlered yearlings through 3 years of age, by 4 years there were no apparent differences, and the buck ending up with the most impressive antlers was a spike as a yearling.”
> The truth is that culling for anything other than to keep herd numbers in check (…otherwise known as hunting) will only adversely affect herd balance and structure.

Drone spies dancing deer.

 
WTHeck is going on here? Cool @chaos__adventures drone video of a buck feeding in clover, and then this crazed, antlerless deer comes streaking into the shot. Is it a playful fawn or a gal wanting to get noticed??
Full video is here (Insta). Seen young deer play but never that crazy.

Shoot a “trophy doe,” maybe win stuff.
If you think whitetail hunting focuses too much on antlers, then Bowhunting.com has a contest for you. Pretty simple — shoot and field dress a fat doe (archery only) between now and the end of the year, and follow these rules :
> Be honest – Don’t cheat by using weights, rocks, or anything else to add weight to the doe. [Do they polygraph like in fishing tourneys?]
> Must send a video – Show entire body of the doe, as well as inside the chest cavity.
> Doe must be completely field-dressed – Remove all internal organs from the doe and show video proof that they are removed.
> Must show zeroing scale before hanging doe – Please zero the scale with the gambrel on it before pulling the doe up. [And you must use an HME Digital Scale, which Bowhunting sells at a discount.]
Love it — anybody can have fun with that. Good luck!

Finally a realistic target for goblin hunters.

 
Don’t know ’bout you, but the goblins in our neck of the woods are getting outta control. Startin’ our own culling program. Problem: How to practice hitting ’em in the vitals?
Luckily Delta McKenzie has a new Goblin Backyard Archery Target…guess goblins are a problem in UT too:
> Capturing the realistic likeness of old-world goblins, this grotesque, mischievous looking full-scale archery target features outstanding detail. The Delta life-sized 3D goblin is highly-detailed, and cast with high-quality durable target foam, and features a hand-painted finish.
> …ideal addition to your backyard target range and doubles for use on the front porch at Halloween to scare the kiddies. [Or scare your wife when she learns you dropped $200 on a foam monster hahaha!]
Love the sense of humor DM!
[We can’t link the pic — it’s at dmtargets.com.]

News

1. 16 mil acres of western public lands is off-limits??

Found by onX Maps and the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership — public land that’s “landlocked” by private land:
> 6.35 mil acres of landlocked state lands in 11 Western states, which joined their 2018 report on 9.52 mil acres of similarly landlocked federal lands in the same region.
Crazy.

2. KY: EHD now in the state.

Last week was IN, guess it’s spreading south?
> A deceased, female whitetail deer recovered from Graves County tested positive for hemorrhagic disease. Hemorrhagic disease is sometimes referred to as “blue tongue” or EHD. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is investigating other possible cases involving 22 deer in 11 counties and expects the number could grow in the coming weeks.

3. WV has a new EHD outbreak too.

> “The disease disappears with the first frost, because the spread of the virus is dependent on small midges…that are killed by cold temperatures.”

4. WY: Black Hills have tons of whitetails.

> …are at “extraordinarily high densities,” with the largest concentration of whitetail deer on public land in the state.

5. MO: Great hunt for disabled vets.

At Big Springs:
> ….Exceptional Warrior Managed Deer Hunt, in partnership with the Foundation for Exceptional Warriors,  will be held Nov 9 and 10.
How cool is that? HUGE thank you to all vets.

6. NY: 10-pointer killed by DEC after walking in circles for hours.

Doesn’t sound good — carcass was sent to the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab for testing.

7. Lyme disease news.

 

MA: Guy wants to bring back wolves to help control ticks — His logic: wolves = less deer = less ticks.

WV: Lyme disease spreading.

New pesticides might target tick saliva — Because that’s how they spread disease.

8. AZ DNR getting $$ from beer sales.

Just one brand of beer, governor loves it:
> The agency is partnering with a Flagstaff craft brewery to get some money every time someone buys a can of its summer Kolsch style ale, to the tune of a dollar a case. So far Mother Road Brewing Co. has written out a check for $10,000.

9. Busch teams up with the Big Buck Hunter game…

…to donate $$ for wildlife conservation:
> …gives [people] a variety of ways to help support wildlife conservation efforts, the most prominent being the new Busch Big Buck Hunter Permit. Hunters and non-hunters alike can purchase the permits…for $5, with all proceeds benefiting the National Forest Foundation.
> Permits can be swiped at any Big Buck Hunter machine nationwide to unlock a brand-new “Great White Buck.” Every player that successfully hits the White Buck will be entered for a chance to win a Big Buck Hunter arcade game of their own.

10. Inside the Winchester 350 Legend cartridge.

LOT of good details in that American Rifleman post.

11. Sig’s got a new spotty.
> The OSCAR8 is a premium, angled eyepiece 27-55×80 mm spotting scope. Featuring Sig Sauers’s…HDX optical design combining extra-low dispersion glass with high light transmittance glass…to provide unmatched resolution, image contrast, color clarity, and image brightness.

12. Jamaica okays year-round whitetail hunting.

> “There is no restriction on them. There is no deer-shooting season.”
But:
> Game bird hunters have been given the green light to shoot the whitetail deer….
Not sure how big the birds are down there but hope the hunters are carrying deer-sized shells with ’em….

CWD News

1. Urine lure companies sponsor CWD tests.

Been a lot of attention on deer urine attractants and their alleged potential for spreading CWD. Couple of the biggest brands are teaming up to develop a CWD test for their products: #smart
> Tink’s spokesman Phil Robertson: “We sought out the most recognized authorities regarding CWD transmission via urine to get their opinion. These scientists also happen to be the lead authors of the most commonly misinterpreted studies cited when a urine ban has been put in effect. We are 100% confident that our products pose no risk of spreading CWD. This test is just a confirmation of that fact.”

2. AZ wants your deer heads.
CWD hasn’t hit AZ (yet), and the state credits its testing program:
> …all successful deer and elk hunters are encouraged to bring the head of their harvested animal — especially bucks and bulls — to any department office….
> …officials did not find any cases of CWD in the 1,200-plus deer (mule and whitetail) and elk that were harvested by hunters and voluntarily submitted for testing in 2018. Game and Fish has been testing…since 1998.
[Can’t link it — at azgfd.com.]

3. TN/AL: Keep out-of-state deer carcasses out of our states.

Sounds like processed deer are okay:
> …no person may import, transport, or possess a carcass or body part from any species of deer harvested anywhere outside of either state without properly processing it before bringing it home.

Gear of the Week

 
Looks like Savage has a new big-bore lead-slinger, just in time for the season. Why would you ever hunt with a 450 Bushmaster, you ask? Good question: Several states (mostly in the Midwest) limit the type of firearm used to take deer. Usually, that means a slug gun, or a straight-walled centerfire gun, like the 450 (or the 350 Legend).
No reviews yet since this gun is so new — here’s info from the announcement:
> The cartridge is legal in many previously shotgun slug-only areas and offers improved range, accuracy and power over other straight-walled rifle cartridges and sabots.
> Both of the new package rifles offer a tough, synthetic stock with enhanced ergonomics and adjustable length-of-pull, as well as the user-adjustable AccuTrigger and a 22″ carbon steel barrel with a ported muzzle brake.
> The Apex Hunter XP comes with a Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40mm scope and a 1-piece rail, while the Engage Hunter XP features a Bushnell Engage 3-9x40mm. Both scopes are mounted, bore-sighted and ready to shoot.

Tip of the Week

 

Most of us haven’t sat in our stands yet, but Buckmasters has a friendly reminder that NOW — believe it or not — is the time to plot out your late-season deer strategy:
> As the season progresses and hunters have shot several deer from these structures [stands and blinds], whitetails become wise to what is going on.
> You’ve probably noticed deer begin to watch your hideaways, often holding back and observing shooting houses from just inside the woods before entering the field. They are checking first to see if anyone is in the blind before emerging onto the field.
> This is when you can take advantage of their routine and curiosity, and their focus on the permanent stands.
> My trick is to set up a secondary, portable stand across the field, strategically located to ambush deer that are used to watching for human movement they normally catch inside the shooting houses.
> It’s best to set up your secondary stand before the season starts and save it until later in the season, but NOT using it is hard to do.
> Another great reason to put a secondary stand on your greenfields is to have another option for those days when you arrive to the field and the wind is coming from the wrong direction.

Quote of the Week

“It was a matter of self-driven satisfaction to kill these animals.”
– WY game warden Neil Hymas talkin’ at a convicted poacher’s sentencing. From the article:
> Thayne resident Stetson Long, who was 19 at the time of the crime last Nov, was sentenced to 6 months of jail time…after pleading guilty last week. He was ordered to pay the WY Game and Fish Dept $16,000 in restitution, was stripped of his hunting privileges for 20 years and lost his fishing privileges for 10 years.
If that sounds harsh, the article says the man’s “hunting privileges were already suspended” at the time.

Shot of the Week

 

Velvet ain’t just for whitetails! Here’s an Insta shot of @eric_chesser‘s impressive fuzzy muley that he recently tagged:

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….
the DB’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 and hopefully you’re wired the same.
The DeerBlaster is a work in progress, just like we are…. Let us know what we can do better — any issues, suggestions, whatever, just hit Reply to this email and we’ll get it. And thanks for readin’!
Sign up another deer nut!
 

If you’re forwarding the DeerBlaster to other deer crackheads, tx much! Or you can email us the addys and we’ll take care of it! We’ll never send spam, sell the list or anything else crazy….
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