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Doe hunts lead to monster bucks, Skunting is a new thing, Fire by Fritos

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Real tough question: Would you rather win the biggest doe contest at your hunt camp or shoot a ginormous Booner you’d been tracking for years?? 🤔 Field & Stream says Kyle Dulek went out one afternoon with a muzzleloader he’d won and had never shot a deer with to hopefully bag the biggest doe. Instead he saw that monster, which he’d been after for years but had never put eyes on him in the field:

> “I had one pic of that buck in 2018 and he looked huge even then. The next fall, the 2019 season, I had a lot of pics of him in the summer and early fall. I went after him pretty hard, and it seemed he was hanging near a thick bedding point on our property. I hung a stand in that spot, and sat it several times…never saw him.

> “[In 2020]I didn’t have as many pics of him. I knew the buck was still around, but I felt like I might have sat that one stand a little much the year before.

> “On Dec 6 I decided to head out to that bedding-point stand where I’d hunted the big non-typ the season before. I left about 2:30 in the afternoon so I could take my time getting to the stand. I busted some deer on the walk in, but just decided I was going to get to the stand and hunt it.”

Kyle saw a doe that afternoon but passed her up:

> “I knew she wasn’t going to win the big-doe contest, so I decided to just hang in there.” Before long, he heard a deer coming in from behind and turned slowly to look. “Finally I could see him at about 80 yards, where he started to work a scrape.

> “I could only see one side, but that was enough to tell me he was a great deer. When the buck gave me a good shot, I took it.”

The buck was at least 7.5 yrs old and was a little skinny after a month of rutting…but who cares what a deer!

On Feb 8 AL’s Walter Chaney shot one of the biggest deer in the history of that state! He shot it hunting on post, at Redstone Army Airfield – 21 points! Here’s the story – which just like the above started with a hunt for a doe:

> Chaney and [Taz] Phoenix, his hunting partner for 3 seasons, met up about 12:30 pm to go into area 37 to try to kill a doe. They split off from each other and they were probably hunting within 150 yards of each other.

> “We had sat there from probably about 1:00 till 3:00 until I saw a deer moving through the thick brush and realized that it was a buck. After realizing that it was a legal shootable deer, I looked for an area through which the deer was going to pass to take a shot.”

> He fired his CVA muzzleloader from about 60 yards away. “After the smoke cleared I saw the deer running back into the direction from where he came….fell down within 40 yards….

> “A…out of the previous 6 bucks I’ve killed on Redstone, all of them put together may score as high as this 1 deer. I’m ecstatic, pure ecstatic…still in a little bit of shock, but at the same time thrilled to have killed an animal that most hunters dream of. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime animal.”

> Ed Jones of Athens, master scorer for AL whitetail records…said this 21-point deer measured out at probably #4 in the non-typical muzzleloader category. It was 171 6/8″ for 4th-largest in that category. “It makes the books in the typical and the non-typical.”

Wow what a hammer deer, congrats Walter!

Yep you guessed it – deer hunting on skis. That’s a 5×6 muley taken thataway by MT hunters Michael Reavis (left) and Zach Rutt (how ’bout that last name!) in the Great Bear Wilderness:

> “On my last trip out of Schafer Meadows, coming through Whitcomb Pass, I thought of hunting on skis. They’re both things I love to do, so why not?”

> They skied through the powder at about 7,000′ and arrived at a long ridge line on south-facing slopes. Their plan was to ski and glass the avalanche chutes.

> “The skiing was great. Zach was about 100′ behind and above me. We glided away and Zach soon jumped a deer. There were other tracks and he decided to go after it. He put his skins on his skis and took off, but I just stayed put and scanned the area. I looked downhill and saw a doe bedded. I adjusted my position and she stood up.”

> Reavis watched the deer for about five minutes and then a big mulie buck stepped into his view. “I pulled the trigger, he goes down and slides downhill about 500′,. Zach came over, we skied to the deer and it was dead. It was about 2 pm, and we were still about 7 miles from the truck.”

> …they took off with the big buck, letting the terrain and gravity do much of the work as they dragged it through the snow. Once the terrain began to level out, they quartered the deer and packed it out on their backs, arriving at their vehicle at dusk.

> Now the 2 friends are trying to get other friends to try their method of hunting. “Hunting this way means you must bring your avalanche gear and take the necessary precautions. Hunting in the chutes is the biggest danger, but if you are used to it and know what you are doing, it can be done.”

Pretty darn cool, love to see the deer envelope gettin’ pushed!

Rejoice lever-action folks! Big Deer guy Mike Hanback says that Ruger, who bought the Marlin brand in last summer’s liquidation of Remington, intends to build those iconic western rifles and make ’em available by the end of the year. Few key points:

> …their biggest challenge was relocating “100 tractor-trailer loads of inventory, parts, and manufacturing equipment” to Ruger’s gun-building facilities.

> Right now, Ruger is evaluating the equipment, looking at “every part for every Marlin rifle” and integrating everything into the Ruger manufacturing model.

> Initial plans include building Marlin 1984, 1985 and 336 models, with the Model 50 .22 semi-auto coming…presumably in 2022.

Gross! 🤢 In TN – deets from here:

> The deer was discovered on a busy street seemingly completely unaware that it was surrounded by humans. When officers caught and brought it in for an examination to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study unit of the U of GA vet school, it was found that it suffered from epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD).

> This likely explained why the deer was walking in circles and lacked any fear…but it did not explain the hairy eyes.

> …the hairy eyes were actually “corneal dermoids. Dermoids are a type of choristoma, which is defined as normal tissue in an abnormal location. Corneal dermoids, as in the case of this deer, often contain elements of normal skin, including hair follicles, sweat glands, collagen and fat. The masses generally are benign (noninvasive) and are congenital, likely resulting from an embryonal developmental defect.”

> …the deer was probably not born with the extremely rare condition but rather developed it over time.

1. KS proposal would allow landowner permits to nonresidents.

Similar bill introduced before, Wildlife & Parks still against it.

2. OH wants a lot more anterless deer taken this season.

3. NY extends southern zone “holiday hunt.”

Bow and muzzleloader, Dec 26-Jan 1.

4. ME might let hunters take does without permits.

Another ME proposal would allow deer baiting. But Fish & Wildlife is opposed, as is Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine:

> “Some states have millions of deer, and they have to use baiting to reduce the population. We don’t have that problem here in ME.”

And another ME initiative: Out-of-state hunters might have to hire guides.

5. WV 2021 deer regs will be mostly the same.

Looks like just decreases in antlerless permits in some areas.

6. NM: Politically correct push to change DNR stalls.

> Sen. Jeff Steinborn and Rep. Nathan Small, the 2 Democrats pushing the bill, told the committee it’s time to modernize the Game and Fish Dept and shift the focus to broader conservation efforts beyond big game species given the threats of drought and climate change.

> The NM Wildlife Federation, environmentalists and animal welfare advocates all voiced support for the legislation. …sportsmen groups and the NM Chamber of Commerce were among those in opposition.

Bet those 2 don’t even hunt – keep fighting for common sense, NM folks! 👊🇺🇸

7. TX: How will the arctic blast affect wildlife?

Still too early to tell, but looks like deer should be fine…but maybe what they feed on will be affected? We heard 12″ of snow in Del Rio – whoa!

8. NJ farmers want more deer taken.

Says up to 112 deer per sq mile?? They sound like bugs!! 🤣

9. CA going to electronic reg books.

Costs $ to produce paper ones, and will cut down on waste.

10. LA no longer issuing waterproof licenses.

Print it out on paper or carry a digital copy.

11. MN: Now both spouses need to be present for combo license.

Didn’t even know that was a thing….

12. Ruger reports record sales up $160m over last year.

> “Our tremendous sales growth and profitability in 2020 was driven by the historic surge in consumer demand that began late in the 1st quarter and continued throughout the year. But that is only part of the story. Our ability to capitalize on this opportunity was only possible through the efforts of our remarkable workforce of 1,800 dedicated employees.”

13. Springfield Waypoint is 2020 reader’s choice for best boltie.

At Ballistic Mag.

14. WI: Animal rights groups are called “conservation groups.”

Article is about the wolf hunt there. Watch out for media doublespeak, like when “global warming” all of a sudden became “climate change”…which is inevitable….

15. OH officers taze a deer??

Never heard of it before, sounds like all good:

> A Taser was deployed to incapacitate the deer long enough for it to be cut free from the ropes. It quickly fled the area after being freed.

16. 2A stuff.

IN House votes to nix carry license requirement.

MT expanding areas where guns can be carried.

DC: Biden attorney general nominee says “repealing lawsuit protections for gun makers does not raise a Second Amendment issue.”

Here’s Biden singing a song about buying a shotgun (YT video). APOLITICAL, just funny! 😁

Deer Disease News

1. IA says 21 deer tested poz for CWD.

> The new positive deer were all from either an existing chronic wasting disease zone or adjacent to an existing zone. Two new counties were added to list where deer have tested positive.

2. MN: Covid skewing CWD-poz deer numbers lower?

> Fewer hunters in areas with documented cases of the disease submitted deer heads for testing in areas targeted for voluntary surveillance, which in turn meant wildlife managers may not have gotten an accurate picture of what’s happening with the disease.

Makes us wonder if they are trying to make CWD sound worse than it is?? On the other hand, 9 more deer tested CWD-poz on a MN deer farm.

3. WI: New gov’nor budget includes $1 mil for CWD.

Proposed budget:

> …$1 million in one-time funding for the DNR to issue grants for the purchase of deer carcass disposal sites.

Sounds like this new Hawke spotter might strike a nice balance between clarity and portability, which often don’t go together even with good glass. Bowhunting took a look:

> It’s a great new option for those hunts where size matters and space and weight are an issue.

> To handle the clarity aspect of the scope, Hawke uses fully multi-coated optics with a BAK-4 Porro Prism to give you better contrast and color transmission. This helps to cut down on your eye strain since you can see the image clearly.

> The field of view is 234-108′ at 1000 yards, and there is a dual-focus knob to let you truly fine-tune the image you see.

> It is digi-scope compatible so you can use it as a zoom lens for your camera for recording images or video along the way.

> You’ll find a solid design built to handle the backcountry abuse it receives. It’s nitrogen-purged and is water- and fog-proof. There is a stay-on lens cover, slide-out sun shade and a twist-up eye cup.

> The scope weighs in at a just 20.3 oz, or just over a pound and is only 7.6″ long.

And MSRP is only $219 – sounds like a sweet little unit.

The recent polar plunge had us thinkin’ about what if we needed to start an emergency fire, but the sticks and leaves weren’t available? Well, Outdoor Life had 4 household items that can help:

> Duct tape – Pull off a few feet, crumple it up into a ball, light it with an open flame. The tape will begin to melt and burn.

> Snack chips – The greasier the better. Snack chips are high in fat which equals a high fuel value. Fritos we’re lookin’ at you!

> Chapstick – Insert a string wick into the stick to make a candle, or smear it onto paper, cotton cloth or some other burnable surface to make that item burn much longer. (This makes us wonder whether we should be putting that stuff on our faces??)

> Tampons – Not sure how many hunters will have these on hand, but…they’re made from packed cotton fibers. Pick them apart and you’ll have a great tinder source. Worth throwing a few into a survival kit….

Very cool post – we recommend trying them all out in the yard (the back yard lol) before getting stuck in a tight spot. Other than that, all we can say is we’d have to be pretty desperate to torch our last bag of Cheetos lol!

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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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