 |
|
Hope y’all have a great and SAFE weekend! May God bless America!
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!
|
|
Huge IA typical with a traditional bow!
|
|
“Gaw-jus” buck! Even prettier in a way cuz it was taken with a plain ol’ recurve. Just like his dad and granddad, Jacob Miner uses a primitive stick and string to hunt whitetails, and last summer bought 35 acres of IA land for it. He told NA Whitetail:
> Nestled in the middle of big section of prime whitetail habitat, the farm had open fields of warm-season grasses on the north and south sides with a big timber system running NW to SE. I knew the combination of ridges, funnels and 3 sides of access would prove a deadly setup for whitetail hunting.
That season Jacob spent a lot of time in the woods before seeing that deer — in the late rut while hunting with his girlfriend, Nicholette, who was there to video the hunt (she’s a keeper Jacob!):
> After the final grunt, that same young buck came charging back at us on the same line he’d entered from earlier. Nicholette was videoing the small buck when I heard that unmistakable deep grunt only an old buck can make.
> The big buck was on his way and coming quickly. I reached for the recurve hanging beside me as he was breaking branches while walking toward us on a mission. The fight I’d portrayed to him was on his turf, and he wanted to know who was uninvited.
> Stopping after coming out from behind the hanging canopy, the bruiser began to survey the situation for what seemed to be an eternity. I remember thinking: Just commit to the ridge and keep walking buddy!
> Those 15 seconds seemed like forever. But then he resumed his mission. As he walked behind the last tree before entering my shooting lane, I drew my recurve to anchor. Then, as he cleared the brush at just 10 yards, I let out a grunt to stop him.
> Seconds later, and before the buck’s head turned to see what had interrupted his mission, my Victory-powered Zwickey broadhead entered the boiler room and hit the offside shoulder. Wheeling around, the buck bounded up the ridge, pumping blood the entire way. I knew he was mine!
Heck yeah, thanks for sharing that Jacob!
|
|
|
|
Lookit the wingspan on this GA stud!
|
|
|
Not much info about this deer, but the pic from @georgiaoutdoornews pretty much speaks for itself:
> Marion County. What a spread on this buck killed by Capt. Adam J. McKeon, of Glen St. Mary, FL.
Looks like that ol’ guy did some fightin’! Broken and chipped tines everywhere…. |
|
|
Check out this 14-point king of KS!
|
|
Big shout-out to @truebuckhunters for sharing this GIANT, arrowed by Cody Smith:
> 2020 KS bow buck had 14 points and he hunted him 13 days straight, switching from blinds to stand because of a change of wind. Finally got him, gross-scored 181….
|
|
|
AL record-book bucks that weren’t records.
|
|
Fascinatin’ post from AL Outdoor News — both James Spidle and his son John, both now passed on, killed bucks that at the time were the biggest ever taken in AL. Unfortunately neither of the deer were scored before the gentlemen passed:
> James Spidle’s incredible 239 3/8″ non-typical [left] was taken in either 1942 or 1943, long before the AL Whitetail Records book, the Buckmasters scoring system and even the B&C measuring system.
> By the time it was finally measured in 1984, several AL deer had surpassed it. Still, James Spidle’s buck is the #8 all-time non-typical in AL, the oldest AL record-book buck, and it’s the #2 shotgun-taken irregular buck in AL in the Buckmasters record book.
> Several years later…the year is unknown — a non-typical taken by John…also became legendary in west AL. Those who saw both bucks said John’s deer was considerably larger than his father’s. The only existing photo of that buck seems to back up those claims.
> Oddly, John Spidle’s massive non-typical was seen by thousands of people, but the rack was never scored. It was on public display for years in a steakhouse restaurant in York, but that steak house burned, taking John Spidle’s buck with it.
Very cool story. Hate to hear that about John’s deer….
|
|
|
|
How CJ Buck lost some hunting knife history.
|
|
Guessin’ pretty much everybody can relate to this — from the kid’s perspective, the parent’s or both. You know the story — boy “borrows” a piece of gear from a parent, loses it, finds out after the fact it was a family heirloom. BUT when your last name’s “Buck” — let’s let CJ tell it:
> …I had just graduated from the 6th grade. I had taken up skin-diving and a group of us was hitching a ride to the beach with one of the moms.
> I knew “divers” were supposed to have a knife, and I remembered a knife in the kitchen junk drawer and slipped it into my bathing-suit pocket. The pocket had a button on the top so I thought the knife would be safe enough.
> My only memory of that day was realizing at one point that the brass ended folder, an old Buck model #112, was no longer in my pocket. Oh well…easy come easy go.
> A couple months later I was watching TV when my father called me into the kitchen from the living room. Mom was at the sink with her back to me as I entered, and to her far left stood Dad with the “junk” drawer open. He asked me if I had seen a folding knife that used to be in that drawer. I said sure, I had taken it on a skin diving trip to the beach and lost it in the water.
> He took a deep breath and said, “Chuckie, what you lost was the prototype for the 112 Ranger. What were you thinking?”
> He started ramping up on how valuable and meaningful and…and…and…. That is when my mother stepped in and said, “Chuck, why was the knife in the kitchen junk drawer?”
> He just deflated. Kids have no sense of history, and at the time, even now knowing the knife was important, I had no idea how much it might mean to him. Looking back now, he might even have hand-built it. I said I was sorry, he accepted that, and it was never spoke of again.
|
|
News
1. ME opens up bow season to x-bows.
Little late to the party but:
> Previously, hunters could only use them in the firearm deer season in Nov.
2. OR wants input on eastern state hunt season changes.
Can’t link it but it’s on the DNR website:
> …looking for feedback on the latest concepts for changes, which would take effect in the 2021 hunting seasons. Those concepts are to change general season deer and elk archery seasons in eastern OR to controlled seasons, move general Cascade elk season to early Nov or allow deer hunting to continue during general Cascade elk season.
3. SC: Smaller deer population is a better deer herd.
From increased doe harvest:
> “I think we’re in a really good place now. If you look at our antler record program the last 4 years, it’s as good as it’s ever been. I think that’ s an artifact of having a few less deer in the state.”
4. TX: Big Time TX Hunts raffle underway.
Lots of hunts — here’s one:
> One fortunate outdoorsman or woman and a guest can claim a guided saltwater fishing trip in tandem with a new big game hunting package at Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area, the TX Parks and Wildlife Dept’s newest WMA on Matagorda Bay.
Here’s the raffle website.
5. IA: Gov’nor signed pro-hunting, pro-gun bills.
How ’bout some good news! Gov. Kim Reynolds, a female (only mentioning because Kim can go either way) Republican:
> To protect shooting ranges from being shut down by unreasonable local ordinances and ensure that Second Amendment rights remain protected across the state.
> To improve hunting opportunities in IA by defining the types of cartridges that may be used for deer hunting, and expanding opportunities for youth hunters to hunt under the supervision of an adult.
#strong
6. CO: More hunt applications for this fall.
> “What we’re seeing is an increase in residents and a static level in non-residents, which is what we would kind of expect with all of this that’s going on.”
7. WI restarts hunter ed due to lawsuit.
Good!
8. Covid has hit conservation groups pretty hard.
> They’re all scrambling to replace revenue lost in the mass cancellations of spring membership banquets. For charities devoted to outdoor causes, those gatherings provide a mother-lode of revenue.
9. MO has a women-only hunt.
State is now accepting applications — Oct 24-25 at the Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area in Blue Springs.
10. AK gives tribe permission to take deer out of season.
11. Backcountry Hunters opposes BLM director nominee.
> “William Perry Pendley has built a career on attempting to dismantle our public lands and waters, and take down agencies like the BLM. His views and actions should repulse anyone who cares about our shared landscapes.”
12. CO hikers now need hunting/fishing license to visit wildlife areas.
> Starting July 1, anyone 18 and older must have a sporting license to visit Dome Rock and all of CPW’s 350-plus state wildlife areas, covering about 900,000 acres.
13. ON: 5 weird cases of drowned deer tied to rope.
14. Europe: Bowhunting being opposed in Estonia.
Roe deer.
15. WI tick population is rising.
Back when more trees were cut, fewer ticks were around.
16. Sako rifle giveaway.
Chance to win 1 of 4 new Sako S20 Rifles with a Leupold VX-6HD or Mark 5HD scope.
Line of the Week
A 72-yr-old CA woman was gored and injured multiple times by a wild bison at Yellowstone National Park after repeatedly approaching the animal to take its photograph, park administrators said Monday.
Believe these animals weigh around a ton and are WILD! Hope she’s okay.
The happy-happy nature stuff sold by the environmental/animal rights folks might not be doin’ some folks any favors….
|
Gear of the Week
Mossberg Patriot Predator now offered in 6.5 PRC.
For years Mossberg’s been known as an inexpensive but mostly reliable maker of scatterguns, and even though they’re pretty new to the centerfire bolt-action game, word is their line of Patriot bolties are worth a look. Petersen’s Hunting recently checked out one chambered in 6.5 PRC:
> The Patriot Predator utilizes a push-feed, dual-lug action with a spiral-fluted bolt and plunger-type ejector. It features a polymer stock with Strata camo which pairs nicely with the Patriot Brown Cerakote finish on the metalwork.
> The 24″ fluted button rifled sporter barrel comes with a 5/8″ x 24 threaded muzzle so it’s simple to add a suppressor to this rifle. There’s a polymer bedding block in the stock and the barrel is free-floated…the barrel nut feature allows for very exact headspacing and, in turn, superb accuracy.
> The 6.5 PRC shoots the same 143-grain ELD-X and 147-grain ELD Match bullets as the popular 6.5 Creedmoor, but it pushes those bullets 200 fps faster from the muzzle than its Creedmoor cousin.
> The Patriot Predator 6.5 PRC performed extremely well on the bench. Hornady’s ELD-X Precision Hunter 143-grain 6.5 PRC load and the company’s 147-grain ELD Match loads both produced 3-shot groups under an inch at 100 yards. In fact, 2 of the 3 groups with the ELD Match load went under 0.75″.
> A key component to the Mossberg’s impressive accuracy is the LBA trigger which came from the factory set just above 3 lbs (although it can be easily adjusted from 2 to 7 lbs).
All of that for $540! Didn’t realize I needed a new rifle, but at that price…why not?
|
Tip of the Week
What’s better for an x-bow: fixed or mechanical?
Fixed or mechanical broadheads? Used to be a debate just for vertical-bow guys, but with the popularity of x-bows, now horizontal arrow-flingers have the same options. TenPoint gave their 2c on the pros and cons of each:
> Since there are no moving parts…many hunters like fixed-blade broadheads because they feel that there is less that can go wrong while the broadhead is in flight that would cause it to veer off course and miss the intended target.
> …while choosing a simpler, fixed design…seems to be a sound theory for achieving the best accuracy, this theory does not often hold up…when shooting a x-bow.
> As compared to a mechanical broadhead, the blades on a fixed-blade broadhead often have a higher profile and display a greater amount of surface area over which air must travel when the arrow is in flight.
> ….hence a reduction in aerodynamics [so] fixed-blade broadheads tend to plane, or veer off-course…. On high-performance x-bows, you will see the planning worsen as shooting at faster speeds magnifies the effect.
> Front-deploy broadheads…will typically fly without the planing problem associated with fixed blades — as long as the blades stay retained.
> Rear-deploying mechanical broadheads…also utilize a hinged-blade design, however the blades fold backward in the ferrule such that the rear portion of the blade sits closest to the front tip. This is an advantage over the fixed and front-deploying styles because eliminating a blade further reduces the exposed blade surface area, thereby making this type of broadhead the most aerodynamic and accurate….
Yep TenPoint sells their own rear-deploying broadheads — the Evo-X CenterPunch (pictured) — but either way that analysis makes sense.
|
|
|
Quote of the Week
“Their activity is what really funds conservation.”
– US Interior Secretary David Bernhardt talkin’ TRUTH about hunters and fishermen. Full quote:
> “The North American Wildlife Conservation Model, the most successful model on the planet, demands two things. It requires that hunters and anglers are participating. Their activity is what really funds conservation.”
Post also says:
> One of the ways the Secretary started the quest to open new public lands to hunting and fishing was to utilize the hunt and fish chiefs in the 10 regions of the US Fish and Wildlife Service….
> “We directed those chiefs to work within their region to identify opportunities to expand hunting and fishing or find new opportunities to allow hunting and fishing. For example, you may have the opportunity to hunt only squirrels. I asked them to look at the possibility of deer hunting.”
Yes!!
|
Random
The newest camping craze — in some places anyhow — is “bubble camping.” Not real sure how you breathe in that deal?
|
|
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!
|
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…. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @deerblaster.official
|
Advertising info
If you’re interested in learning more about the DeerBlaster and how we do things, just respond to this email and we’ll get in touch — thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
