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PA shed hunter finds MASSIVE deadhead!
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> Ryan McCarthy found one of the most incredible dead heads we’ve seen this year on some public ground in PA. This 219 5/8″ giant of a buck would make anyone’s emotions go through the roof.
> This is an absolute monster buck, especially for PA. And of course, many rumors and accusations have already started flying, claiming the deer was a high-fence find. We don’t know whether or not that’s the case at this time.
Not jumping into the high fence debate, but it definitely looks like that buck’s left beam has been out in the weather awhile. Thanks to WideOpenSpaces for the heads up…
…and to Mike Hanback for the heads on this massive OH one:
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Recipe: forget boots, go back home, get to the woods late, bag trophy buck.
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Sometimes I’m luckier than good — some days everything just falls into place, ya know? Bowhunter Lee Heise told North American Whitetail about one such day:
> He discovered some areas with good bucks in southern IL, but…”The hunting pressure is extreme. The farther I would walk into public land, it seemed like the more the hunting pressure would ramp up.”
> Lee had just concluded the 70-min drive to his chosen hunting location when he realized…he had forgotten…his hunting boots. Not willing to hunt all day in his sneakers, he decided he had no choice but to drive all the way home…. It wasn’t exactly a great start to a day in the rut.
> When the bowhunter finally arrived back at his hunting site it was full daylight, and he felt he needed to make a change in plans. “I decided to go to another spot only 80 yards from the road and put up my Lone Wolf stand.”
> Lee had been on stand for about 2 hours when he heard a loud, deep grunt that sounded almost like a growl…and saw a doe walking his way with a big buck following her. He made the most [of the shot].
> “I waited 30 mins before getting down, and then I decided to go to my truck before following the blood trail. When I got to the road, as I stood by my truck I looked back toward the stand — and there he was, lying dead only 30 yards from me.”
Love those short drags!! Congrats to Lee for an awesome public land P&Y 143 5/8!!
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CWD: MN hunters want to put the hammer to deer farms.
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The MN Deer Hunters Association wants to knock out CWD and…high fence deer farms, they’re lookin’ at you. Here’s what they’re asking the state to do:
> Mandatory killing of all deer on any deer farm where one [deer] tests positive for CWD….
> Banning captive deer — and even blood and semen — from being transported in and out of the state….
> Banning any new deer or elk farms from starting in MN….
> Ending antler-point restrictions….
> Doubling a 50-cent fee tacked onto every deer hunting license to help fund wild deer health.
> [Tim Spreck, deer farm lobbyist:] “There’s been too much finger pointing at deer farms, while there are other things that need attention as well.”
> “We’ve been asking for more debate on this for years, and it’s finally happening,” said John Zanmiller, a volunteer advocate for Bluffland Whitetails. “I think the more people hear about this, the more they’ll insist on acting on it. This is the year to do something about it.”
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Loved this because we all (most of us) think we need to have our trailcams at ground level…right? From another good Buckmasters.com tip — read more here:
> Once I started hunting public land, losing a camera became too big a fear to risk…. I began to take a climbing stand with me on public land scouting trips, along with my cameras. When I found a promising remote location, I attached my stand to a tree and climbed until I could strap my camera at least 10′ above the ground.
> I was shocked at how many big-buck pictures I was getting, and through the years I hunted public land, I never had a camera stolen.
> We weren’t getting many monster buck photos from ground level, even though sign was all around. When we did capture a shooter, it was often staring straight into the lens or smelling the camera as if something wasn’t right. I was thrilled when my hang ’em high setup revealed numerous mature bucks we never knew were there.
Huh. One day we might all be like:
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Somewhere in UT — Mirror Lake Highway near Kamas. Not one but TWO healthy-looking mountain-type kitty cats getting a mouthful of fresh roadkill whitetail!
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News
[Here’s the article URL — we can’t link it: wqow.com/news/top-stories/2019/02/21/bloomer-police-chief-chippewa-co-chair-admits-to-shooting-deer-with-city-issued-patrol-gun/]
From the article:
> …DNR wardens went to Zwiefelhofer’s cabin where he told them he shot the deer with a crossbow, but not with the gun he was carrying….
> …an AR-style .223 caliber gun that he uses on patrol as chief of police.
> Two days later, DNR wardens found the deer dead in the woods. They skinned the hide and found a wound from an arrow and a hole from a .223-caliber rifle.
> Zwiefelhofer also admitted to using bait near his stand and using a UTV with a loaded gun. Zweifelhofer had more than the allocated amount of bait near his blind.
5. WA: When wolves move in, deer move out.
> When wolves are present, mule deer will move to higher elevations and steeper slopes to avoid the predators. Deer biologist Aaron Wirsing: “When you put [mule deer] on uneven ground that bounding, or stotting, tactic is actually a very effective technique because it allows them to negotiate obstacles.”
> Whitetail deer are more comfortable running from wolves and sometimes moved to even flatter ground, where they could better see wolves coming from all directions.
6. ME has some interesting GPS deer data.
This part stood out:
> …many of the deer exhibited significant seasonal movements between summer and winter, with their movements sometimes exceeding 30 miles (although more common are movements of 5 to 15 miles).
Had no idea deer would travel that far….
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Gear of the Week
New Badlands Vario Modular Hunting Pack System.
I already have 3 Badlands packs — bino, fanny and a larger backpack…and I may have to add this bad boy to my collection. One reason: I’m digging the integrated bino loops, so you don’t have to wear even more straps.
> At the core of the Vario system is the frame…right up against your body, with a heavy-duty meatshelf between your gear and your back. This lets you access whatever you may need from your pack, while keeping the heaviest load close to the body and giving you the optimal center of gravity for effective load bearing.
> The Vario Frame comes with the meatshelf accessory and Ultralight (UL) Batwing accessory…or you can purchase the Vario 33 Kit with the mid-sized Vario 33 Pack already attached. From there, you can add and remove packs and accessories as needed.
> 4 pack options allow you to hit that Goldilocks zone for every hunting need…the day pack, 3,300 cu in…5,000 cu in…or 6,500 cu in.
Heres a good vid on it from the DIY Sportsman.
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Tip of the Week
Why you should use satellite images for scouting.
Still amazed at the number of deer hunters — whether hunting public or private land — who don’t take advantage of satellite/aerial imagery. Pre-scouting on a phone, tablet or laptop shaves a TON of time off of finding prime hunting spots.This info’s from a good Bowhunter.com post:
> Without ever having been anywhere near a spot, we can figure out food sources, access points, travel routes and a host of other deer-friendly features on a property.
> When you’re researching a new property, especially a chunk of public land, it’s always prudent to mark every access possible. Some states have nice parking areas every quarter of a mile, and that means just about anyone can get just about anywhere.
> My strategy is to figure out every which way hunters might enter a property. If it’s too easy, I’m not going.
> Pick apart your chosen property and mark every place worth taking a firsthand look at this spring. I try to plan the most efficient routes for my spring scouting, which means looking at as much as I can in some sort of circuitous route.
> I also like to add in my notes what wind direction would be best for the spot, and when it’s most likely to be productive. This might seem like overkill because in the scouting moment you’ll think you’ll remember everything, but by summer you’ll start forgetting.
^ That image is from a good legendarywhitetails.com post on the same subject.
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Quote of the Week
“My advice to any guy who dates someone who doesn’t hunt — take them.”
– Nice! And not just to get them to hunt. Here’s the full quote, then the rest of the story:
> “My advice to any guy who dates someone who doesn’t hunt — take them. It may bring something out in them they didn’t know about. It changed my life. It saved my life. It really did.
> “I just remember sitting at the kitchen table and my husband said, ‘I don’t remember the last time I saw you smile, much less laugh.’ He said, ‘I’m going to take you deer hunting this afternoon.’ I said, ‘Oh, yes’ — just agreeing with him.”
> …a woman who had never hunted before and a big buck was standing 10′ away. She fired. She missed. And she was alive again.
> “I knew I had to make it my mission to successfully kill a trophy buck. Once that thought entered my mind I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.”
> Jones got her buck and more followed. She hunted an average of 8 hunts a week…she started hunting alligators and hogs to fuel the passion that had been missing in her life.
> She even became a fan of the television series “Swamp People.” When LA’s alligator season opened in Sep 2018, Jones [was part of] the “Swamp People” cast. “Actually, it’s still surreal to me,” Jones said. “I’ve watched 3 episodes with me on it and it still doesn’t seem real.”
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Shot of the Week
Ooooooooooooo…kay? Guess St. Patrick’s Day is in a couple weeks so…??
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What’s the DB and who does it??
The Deer Blaster is a year-round weekly roundup of the best, worst and funniest stuff in deer hunting — put together by a couple diehard deer nuts. Let us know what we can do better and thanks for readin’!
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