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Huge buck FLOATED away? Fast auto-recock x-bow?? Vampire whitetail???

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Amazing deer! Taken by Johnny Ferrell, a beautiful typ 9-point with a 172 2/8 green net including a 14″ G3! Doesn’t it look bigger than that??

He told Realtree.com he was out hunting with his brother Tommy, targeting this buck, which is why he passed up a 150-class buck that came into his stand that morning, at just 12 yards. Turned out to be a good decision because that afternoon they found the big boy was coming right at ’em:

> “I’ve killed some good bucks, including a 193-inch 16-pointer a couple years ago, but this one had me shook. My right leg was shaking so hard that I had to lift my foot off the stand with just my toe touching for balance.”

> [at 18 yards] Ferrell watched his Lumenok pass through the deer and immediately knew the shot was low. The buck bolted about 60 yards into the bean field, stopped for a minute, then ran another 100 yards before stopping again, this time a bit longer.

> “There was a deep, swift river just beyond the field and I was hoping the buck wouldn’t make it to the water. We reviewed the footage of the shot and decided to back out and give him plenty of time to die before looking.

> “We found his bed right next to the river, just inside the treeline. From there, we followed the trail until Tommy looked up and saw the buck. We had started to celebrate when I noticed his head was up.”

Johnny put another arrow into the deer – the buck slid down the bank and into the water:

> “I immediately ran downstream about 125 yards to a wide spot with less current. After 15 minutes of frantic searching, the buck’s tail bobbed up in front of me.”

They were able to snag the buck using a safety harness and rope. Smart! With that deer we’d be like:

🤯 Easton T went out with his dad Brandon on the WV archery season opener, and Brandon was hoping Easton would get a chance to shoot a big 10-point they’d been seeing on camera. He knew Easton could make the shot. That morning they saw some deer, but nothing big:

> Easton: “We went home to eat and rest up. In the afternoon Dad asked me if I wanted to go back out and hunt some more. I said, ‘Nah.’ Then just as he was getting ready to go, I changed my mind. I had to get my clothes on in a hurry.

> “We were seeing deer…we saw 7 before he came in. I had sat down maybe 5 seconds before Dad said [the buck] was there. I got really nervous then. I was shaking.

> “I got my scope on the buck, but then an 8-pointer came in and got in the way. The 8-pointer left and I was just getting ready to pull the trigger when he came back again. I waited, and when the 8-pointer finally stepped away, I pulled the trigger.”

The deer turned out to be a 10-point mainframe with 4 1″-long stickers on the brow tines. Unofficial green score of 158 5/8″. Congrats guys! 👊

Anything stick out to ya in that pic? Thought so – fangs! And look at that derped-up snout…WT Heck?? Welllllll, Tom Lounsbury of the Midland, MI Daily News checked it out:

> …something about the head-shape…especially the very distinct “Roman” nose, which can be indicative of older bucks. I asked Ken [the hunter] to be sure to have the taxidermist save the lower jaw for accurate aging (which is typically discarded per a European mount) because I was real curious about this buck’s actual age.

> A couple weeks later, Ken stopped by to show me his new European mount, and…let me know I was in for a surprise because the 9-point had “fangs.”

> The buck’s nose had clearly been broken and healed in the past, but in my opinion…the “deformity” was most likely due to…genetics or even a birth defect. The lower jaw, which had been saved, would be officially aged at 3.5 years old. However…was also quite undersized….

> The skull structure/profile of Ken Martin’s vampire buck sort of reminds me of the skull structure/profile found on a muntjac buck….

Here’s a muntjac buck, native to southeast Asia:

👀 The x-bow arms race is real! This Ravin R500E sets a new bar at a jaw-dropping 500 fps!! Think about that – a .45 ACP shot out of a 1911 moves at 830 fps, so not that far away from a conventional firearm. And ALSO like a 1911, the Ravin R500E can cycle itself after firing! Archery Business had the deets:

> It has an axle-to-axle width of only 3.6″ when cocked (not a misprint) and 7.6″ when uncocked. The bow is 28″ long and weighs 9.9 lbs.

> The R500E also features the new Ravin Electric Drive system, that allows users to simply press a button to cock and decock this crossbow, with the option of manually cocking the crossbow with the included R500 draw handle.

> The Ravin Electric Drive consists of a 12-volt battery and motor unit that simply attach and detach to the stock. Both the battery and the motor unit can be easily detached for storage or to recharge on the charging dock.

> The field-ready kit comes fully assembled and pre-tuned, and includes 6 Ravin arrows with field points, a removeable draw handle, quiver with mounting bracket, 100-yard illuminated 550 FPS scope, anti-dry fire/auto safety, and built-in sling mounts. It is finished in Slate Gray and will be available spring 2021.

BUT…the MSRPis: $3,349.99. 🙀 Be interesting to see what the price ceiling is for these new “super x-bows.”

Here’s a good YT vid on it from Lancaster Archery Supply.

1. MO: 300K deer taken during the 2020-21 season.

4% increase over the previous year.

2. PA Game Commission greenlights more Sunday hunting.

Also a bill was intro’d to allow getting antlerless licenses online instead of the county permit system.

3. NY proposes hunting age and x-bow changes.

> …would lower the minimum hunting age for big game (deer, bear) with a firearm from 14 to 12, and expand the use of x-bows “in all big game seasons” including the full length of the regular bowhunting season.

> “If sportsmen want to see these changes go into effect, they should contact their local state lawmakers right now.”

4. UT wants regular folks on its Wildlife Board.

Good! Should be the case in EVERY STATE. 2 slots open.

5. TN deer harvest way up.

> …159,935 harvests, a 20% increase compared to the last season and a 6% increase over the 5-year average.

6. AR considering giving class credit for hunter ed.

For 5th-12th grades. Great!

7. MO hunter reports alleged poachers, cabin burned.

8. MN biologists adjusting “winter severity index.”

> …measures the duration of snow depth combined with the duration of cold, and the result will be more winters falling into the severe category.

> …the winter severity index…is not the only critical factor used to determine winter’s impact on deer…. “There are other factors, such as deer density and habitat quality, that can mitigate the impacts of winter that don’t show up in a WSI index.”

9. Hunters took 2.9m bucks in 2019-20.

39% of them were 3.5 yrs old or more, only 28% were yearlings. Data lags by a year….

10. CA hunting licenses were up 11%.

11. IL man gets fined for alleged after shooting hours kill.

> The hunter, who isn’t being identified, illegally harvested a 12-point buck whitetail deer 42 minutes after legal shooting time, according to officials.

> Officials say this is the 4th time this hunter has been cited for similar wildlife and trespassing violations by the IDNR Conservation Police.

Nice deer:

12. SCI adds airgun category to its record book.

> Previously hunters could only submit airgun entries under the rifle category. With the legalization of airguns for hunting in many US states, their predominant use in Europe, and the interest expressed by SCI members and non-members alike, the SCI Record Book Committee unanimously voted to approve the creation of a separate category for these weapons.

13. Brownells hires new chief customer officer: Eddie Andrus.

14. AK: Biden exec order pauses Arctic Refuge development.

15. HI: Lots of Axis deer dying on Moloka i.

> …a “perfect storm” of growing herds, one of the worst droughts to hit the island in years and poor pasture management by private landowners.

16. China: Here’s the rare Hainan Eld’s deer.

Looks pretty familiar? 🤔

17. 2A stuff.

UT committee passes permitless concealed carry, VA bill intro’d for it but also a bunch of anti-gun ones.

18. Ammo shortage updates.

Hornady perspective:

> “Now there’s a shortage in corrugated cardboard nationwide. Explosive certified cardboard is in even shorter supply. We’re starting to see issues with some of the other stuff, primers in particular.”

> Their raw material cushion has largely evaporated amidst insane levels of demand prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, a presidential election, and an incoming Democratic administration.

> “Normally, a guy would buy 1 or 2 boxes. Instead, they’re buying cases.”

NRA says shortage could last way into this year.

5. New Swarovski heads-up display optics.

> dS GEN II scope: …shows not only the correct aiming point, but also the key ballistic data in the heads-up display…in real time. Now with the option to select the G7 Ballistic Coefficient or the G1 Ballistic Coefficient providing added precision. As well as optional trajectory correction by means of impact point deviation….

> The windage mark intervals are calculated based on the distance measured, the wind speeds set, and the ballistic data. Featuring 5 different wind speeds which can be switched via the App.

Lots of new broadhead designs this year, both fixed and mechanical. The way I (Ted) do it is look for a proven design that shoots well for my setup and stick with it. But new designs are always worth a look! Here’s some cool ones from Bowhunting.com:

> OzCut Hurricane – The Hurricane is designed to continue to rotate through flesh, providing bigger blood trails and quicker kills in comparison to standard single- and double-bevel Broadheads.

> Slick Trick Assailant – The Assailant is a first in class hybrid-style broadhead with a massive 2 5/8″ total cutting surface.

> Innerloc Devastation – Features a patent-pending cushioned blade stop that is inserted into the slots behind the blades. When the blades open they contact the cushions, lessening the stresses on the assembly.

> Crimson Talon Battleaxe (pictured) – The curved sickle-blade technology conserves kinetic energy to penetrate deep, then internally deploys a 2″ cutting path for fast and humane big-game knockdown power.

> RMS Gear Cutthroat – Precision CNC-machined from 1 piece of solid high-carbon tool steel for the ultimate in durability and consistency. This means no ferrules built from inferior materials prone to bending, no screws, and no failed braze lines or welds.

3 good reasons to do POST-SEASON scouting.

Solid, from deerlab.com:

> First, you don’t have to worry about spooking deer because whatever disturbances you make will be forgotten long before the season starts.

> Second, you can scout to your heart’s content and still go undetected by other bowhunters in the area….

> Unlike misleading pre-season sign, I routinely find that post-season rubs and scrapes, bedding and feeding areas, transition routes and security zones will likely be used again the following year. Therefore, I build my fall hunting strategies around this reliable “game time” information.

Okay one more:

> …if you’re a public-land deer hunter…study your map carefully, as if you were the buck you’re trying to kill. Do your best to get inside his head. Now you’ve got to move safely from Point A to Point B…avoiding human contact at all costs.

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!

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