Thx for reading! If you’re getting the DeerBlaster for the first time it’s probably because a deer-crazed bud signed you up!
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This buck is now officially IL’s 2nd-biggest archery typ! 🤯
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> On May 19 Higgins met with…scorers Tim Walmsley and Jim Barry, who officially…gross-scored the antlers at 221 1/8″ of non-typical points and 213″ of typical points (197 3/8″ net).
> This makes the buck the 2nd-biggest typical archery buck ever taken in IL…2nd only to Mel Johnson’s world-record whitetail…also ranks as the #6 all-time typical archery whitetail.
> Higgins [actually] nicknamed [his] buck “Mel” because he thought the deer had potential to best Johnson’s massive world-record P&Y buck. [Lol love that!]
> On a cold Oct morning this past season, Higgins arrowed the now 4.5-yr-old buck at 7 yards. Higgins left and returned a couple hours later with his grandsons to find the buck, which had run only 50 yards.
Field-dressed weight = 234 lbs 🤯 that’s a big boy!
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MO monster falls on the last day of bow season. 👊
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Kolbe Straw, his dad and a coupla buddies hunt some small properties in northeast MO. The landowner told Kolbe that he saw a gigantic deer on one of ’em, but unseasonably warm Nov weather got in the way…almost! NA Whitetail with more:> We also took advantage of the heat by swapping out an old stand with a new one in our most-promising location. On our way in…we noticed some outrageously large rubs and scrapes on a dam breast of a small pond at the south end of the property. …a big deer frequenting the area and we just had to wait for the right conditions.
> [Later in the month] I pushed even further into the location where I spotted all the signs. At about 9:00 I heard a deer behind me trotting in my direction. I turned and saw an absolute stud of a 10-pointer.
> The deer made its way down into my hollow and I could see he was easily in the mid-160s…. As much as I tried to grunt and stop the deer, he just kept trotting by at 35 yards….
> And just like that, the last day of bow season in northeast MO was upon us. Early that last morning, I heard something over my right shoulder. Then I heard it again, but this time I knew what it was.
> Luckily the sun was at my back. I stared at the squinting deer just 20 yards away. After what seemed like an eternity, he started to move again. Quickly, I drew my bow and I took aim at the buck as he walked through my shadow at 15 yards.
> I heard my arrow hit hard and the buck made a 180! I could see blood rushing from the exit hole right behind his right shoulder. I watched him run up on top of the hill, stop and tip over.
He’s still waiting through the 60-day drying period, but the buck greened at 223 7/8. What a stud!
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Here’s some real interesting archery and x-bow info.
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> Wildlife managers might express concerns about archers’ focus on bucks, but none cite biological harm to deer herds as more hunters pick up archery gear, including crossbows. …overall hunter numbers keep declining across the US while whitetail deer herds keep growing.
> John McDonald, a wildlife professor at Westfield State U in MA, said most increases in U.S. archery harvests are by design. “MA isn’t the only state with growing suburbs, growing deer herds, and fewer places to gun-hunt. Our state responded to those challenges by opening archery season earlier and closing it later to increase bowhunters’ success rates.”
> [MD biologist] said crossbows typically plateau near 2/3 of the archery kill, but it’s often lower in states with longer, more-varied firearms seasons. “All Southern states allow crossbows during archery season, but on average they account for 46% of their bow-kills.”
> …compound and crossbow hunters typically shoot bucks at the same rates.
> “States are selling more archery licenses but most are still losing more hunters than they’re gaining. We’re killing as many deer as a decade ago, but we’re spreading it out over the fall. We’re no longer concentrating it around opening weekend of gun season. Those extra opportunities cause changes not everyone likes. Some die-hard archers scream about crossbow hunters crowding ‘their’ season, and some die-hard gun-hunters think gun season has lost its buzz, its electricity.”
> …the crossbow’s popularity is not shortening archery seasons. Crossbows, in fact, usually extend and protect long archery seasons.
> Adams and Forster said most license data show crossbows rising slowly or cresting in whitetail states.
> …they’re watching with curiosity as wildlife agencies review recent “limb-free crossbows” that don’t fit the ATA’s 2016 definitions for archery gear. “I worry when we go north of limb-driven technology. Where do we draw the line?”
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Freak alert! How ’bout TWO upper canines?? 😱
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> …what made this even more rare was the doe had both upper canines. Researchers believe upper canine teeth are an ancestral throwback from thousands of years ago that occasionally appears from time to time.
> Whatever the percentage of deer that possess upper canines, it’s well below 1%. Seeing one, let alone shooting one, is very rare.
Got that right! Congrats to her!
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Ever see a whitetail skeleton hoppin’ an imaginary fence??
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Don’t see this “mount” (is that what we call this?) every day:
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Part of the TX Skeleton Museum – who knew? Looks like they’ve got all kinda crazy stuff. Props to Big Buck Registry on FB for the find.
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Do it!
> You must submit your application no later than 11 pm on June 17 to be included in the drawing…..
Winter shelter habitat is huge for the northern part of the state, where deer have been declining. This might help.
To count spring populations.
Outstanding!
Yikes:
> The 3 men had covered about 500 yards from the horses when…they heard loud crashing noises above them to their front left. The lead hunter started to reach for an arrow, thinking it might be an elk. He saw the grizzly coming at them. He dropped the arrow and bow and drew his Taurus .45 1911 semi-auto. He yelled at the bear and started backing away.
> As the bear saw the two other hunters behind the lead, it momentarily paused, giving him time to rack the slide and chamber a round. The Taurus had 8 rounds in its magazine.
> The pause was momentary – not a full stop…. The lead hunter was able to start shooting from a range of 6′. As the bear closed with the lead hunter, the middle and last hunters had seen the bear, dropped their bows, and drew their pistols, a .44 magnum and a 9mm. They started shooting.
> The grizzly grabbed the lead hunter by the left thigh and the hunter went down with the bear on top of him. With the lead hunter down and the bear in his lap, he put the .45 against its head and shot his last rounds. The bear went limp. The lead hunter was able to crawl out from under the big bear.
> The merger will bring significant operational, commercial and R&D synergies for the combined business, which generated pro-forma aggregated annual sales in excess of $570 mil in 2020.
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14. 2A stuff.
Headline of the Day
BAHAHAHAHA good luck with that! 🤪
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Deer Disease News
Over time. Not clear from the post if the farmer – who was paid by the feds to kill his herd – knew they were possibly CWD deer.
State found 44 cases last year.
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> It’s the addition of the RF’s electronics that gives it a clear edge in terms of utility. Which in field conditions means lethality.
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> Made with D2 steel for greater toughness and wear resistance. The handles are a classic looking DymaLux Cocobolo with aluminum pommels and guards.
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😍
> The 400g PrimaLoft insulation keeps your feet warm and the exclusive ScentBan odor-control technology kills bacteria to eliminate odor.
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> Listen for faint noises and communicate with other walkie talkie users hands-free:
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> Any space that offers a 12v Power Receptacle (“cigarette lighter”) can now be cleansed of offensive and unwanted odors….
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> Designed to keep cleaning tools at the ready and easy to transport.
> Based on a 3-pole mesh tent and rainfly configuration…minimum weight of 2 lbs 14 oz or 3 lbs 12 oz for the 1- and 2-person models respectively.
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> I’ve coached a few kids in their first archery steps, and no matter how small they were, virtually all of them could pull 5 lbs on a 12″ draw. Those are the bottom-end specs on this bow. Thanks to a cool cam system that allows you to bump up settings incrementally, the Bear Cruzer G2 can “grow” with a young shooter as their arms strengthen and lengthen.
> But don’t be fooled into thinking this is some kid’s toy. With a max poundage of 70 and a dual-cam system that delivers plenty of speed…is more than enough bow for all but the most serious hunters.
> …package includes 6 quality Trophy Ridge accessories (sight, rest, stabilizer and sling, peep sight, quiver, and string loop), some of which I employ on my personal deer hunting bow.
> Advertised IBO on the Cruzer G2 is 315 fps. But I knew I would not get anywhere close to that with my 28.5″ draw and the bow set to 55 lbs. Still, my 400-grain arrows were plenty fast and penetrated well out to my max testing range of 35 yards.
> I did detect a little more noise than on other budget bows I’d recently tested, but again this is a dual-cam bow and a little zippier. Also, there is no vibration-damping material between the split limbs. I think noise could be tamed a bit with some after-market accessories.
> That Bear charges $420 for a bow that can take a beginner shooter into the world of serious bowhunting is remarkable.
Sounds like a great pre-season/birthday/Christmas gift!
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> I used to love hunting from treestands…I used to hate ground blinds. …that was years ago, several pounds ago, and one serious treestand fall ago (yes, I was wearing a harness or I wouldn’t be writing this today).
> Ground blinds are now my preferred setup, not only because they’re more comfortable and more safe, but also because they can be highly effective when used properly. Because you’re going eye-to-eye (and eye-to-nose) with the bucks, there’s a lot that can go wrong.
> …don’t wait until the season starts to become familiar with your blind. If you’re a bowhunter, practice shooting from your blind weeks before archery season opens.
> Create realistic hunting situations. It’s not as simple as sitting comfortably in your blind with fully open windows and shooting at a target. If you want to remain undetected in a ground blind while drawing a bow and shifting position to get a shot, you’ll need lots of cover around and over most of your windows.
> You need to be able to see and shoot through small openings, and you need to be able to do so from your knees, from one knee or even crouched. Having tried and failed to hunt with just one open window, I’ve since learned you need to be able to shoot through multiple sides of the blind. There’s a fine line between concealment and shootability.
> While you practice, keep in mind you’re also trying to move without being detected, so practice being stealthy as well.
> Don’t set up too close to trails. Set up your blind as far from them as you feel comfortable shooting.
> …brush in your blind to look like the surrounding foliage. Place the blind in a thick spot so your camouflage efforts are less noticeable.
> Clear the ground inside the blind perimeter. I prefer blinds with floors, but it’s best to clear the area to the dirt either way.
Interesting….
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“You don’t need a man to hold your hand to do it.”
> “Once you feel like you have the basic knowledge, that confidence is not going to come until you actually get out there.
> “I’m starting up a woman’s camo clothing line called Ridge Patrol. I’ve spent so many years hunting in a big sweaty fleece. Women want to feel good and when we feel good we perform better.
> “I suffered trauma when I was young. I was sexally abused as a child. Nature was always the place I went to.
> “There are so many people in the world that are sexually abused. There’s a lot of PTSD in general. What I have found is nature is the most healing place. I’ve been through several types of therapy, but nature has always been the biggest healer for me.”
Amen deer sister. 🙏 Tough to hear, thankful that the Lord is providing healing through His creation.
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What’s the DB and who does it?
The DeerBlaster is a weekly roundup of the best, funniest, newest and most important stuff about whitetail deer hunting – culled from around the interwebz for DIEHARD whitetail hunters and blasted into your inbox.
The DB is put together by some deer nerds 😁 – Ted, Jay, others – from around the country. We excerpt content (and credit EVERYONE!), comment on content, do some original content…because we can’t get enough deer hunting – bet you’re wired the same!
The DeerBlaster’s a work in progress, just like we are. 😂 Any issues, suggestions, whatever, just hit Reply to this email and we’ll get it. Thank you for reading!
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