Bunch of rifle-hunting accidents, including deaths of children, over the last week. Heartbreaking. Hope you all are safe out there….
Thx for reading! If you’re getting the DeerBlaster for the first time it’s probably because a deer-crazed bud signed you up!
|
|
Didn’t hunt the opener hoping this buck would come to him – worked!
|
|
Good strategy if you have the willpower! 😁 “Come to him” means OH’s Hayden Billing hoped that the huge drop-tine buck he and a bunch more hunters knew was in the area would hunker down on the farm where he hunted after the opening of rifle season. Outdoor Life with the story:
> “I wanted any deer that were pressured from drives or anything else to congregate in the timber that bordered the big cut cornfield. I wanted this tract to be a sanctuary.”
> On Tuesday, Nov 30, Billing decided to hunt from the ground. The spot he chose offered a larger view of the field and it was also a great place for recon. At 2 pm, Billing settled in a prone position inside the woods with his feet hanging over a creek bank.
> …8 does and a 140-class 10-pointer entered the field 500 yards away. The big 10-pointer kept looking back into the timber, and eventually the drop-tine buck stepped out. The 2 bucks momentarily sparred, then all the deer started moving in Billing’s direction.
> “The drop-tine buck was grunting so loudly I could hear him from 300 yards away. I calmed myself down and watched as he trotted to within 100 yards of me.”
> “Thank you Lord for allowing me to get this buck, Billing said aloud when the buck was down.
> “Getting this buck meant a lot to me because people didn’t think I would ever get such a trophy in Shelby County.”
12-pointer, 12 scorable points, 3 drop-tines, inside spread 21 4/8″, main beams 21 4/8″.
|
|
“Then I looked up and all I could see were horns walking in!”
|
|
That’s WI hunter Bessie Schommer talkin’ about this buck, a monster that green grossed 187-4/8, had a 16 4/8″ inside spread, main beams 24+” and mass measurements over 40:
|
|
> The Schommer family knew there was a great buck on their Pierce County property, but the giant had largely remained a ghost. …the buck would make his first daylight appearance on camera just minutes before Schommer shot him on Nov 3.
> …she’d only taken 1 buck before. “We were sitting on a food plot and had watched a little nubbin buck walk in and feed. Then I looked up, and all I could see were horns walking in!”
> The buck walked along a trail that led into the food plot and within crossbow range. “I shot and we knew I’d hit him. I’m just so happy. I know it’s a buck of a lifetime!”
Her dad was there too so congrats to ’em both!
|
|
New Buckmasters longbow record!
|
|
Shoulda been dead buck just missed hunter’s artery. 😳
|
|
> “About 200 yards away this big 10-point, the biggest buck I have ever seen, came out. I got a good prop and made a good shot. I sat there for probably 30 to 45 minutes. I got down and reloaded the gun. I trailed good blood for 40 to 50 yards. That’s when I decided to go to the house and get my 4×4 and my wife to help me load him up.”
> When Jonathan and his wife returned, they found the buck laying still in some vines. “I’ve retrieved deer many times before. He looked dead, but as soon as I touched him, he came back to life. He stood up and it was on. He attacked me.
> “I was trying to hold onto his antlers, but his antlers had caught in my pants leg and I couldn’t get away from him. The fight probably lasted 30 seconds, but it seemed like an hour. My wife was screaming and hollering. I weigh 230 lbs and he was flinging me around like a balloon. He finally tore my pants off and ran off.”
> That’s when Jonathan realized he was hurt…. “I looked down and blood was pouring – I mean pouring – out of the inside of my thigh. My boots were filled with blood. My leg was going numb and getting cold. The hole was no bigger than my thumb, but the muscle from inside my leg was hanging out of the puncture wound that the antler had made.”
> Relatives rushed Jonathan to a local hospital, but he was quickly transferred by ambulance to the trauma center in Augusta. Meanwhile, his sister and brother-in-law went looking for the buck. It had run about 160 yards after the attack and died.
> …the antler had penetrated a full 6 inches into the inside of Jonathan’s thigh. It hit bone. “The doctors said that if the antler had gone in me a half-inch off to the side, it would have hit an artery, and I would have bled to death right there.”
He’s doing okay – hope you get back to 100% soon brother! The 6-yr-old 10 point was the biggest he’s killed yet: 👊
|
|
Time to set up around a red oak?
|
|
> …many people don’t have access to standing crop fields to hunt in Dec and Jan…this is the time to return to the oaks you abandoned in mid-Oct.
> Red oaks often get a bad rap from hunters who feel they are inferior to white oaks simply because they have higher tannin content levels on average than most white oaks. What most hunters fail to realize is tannins are found in much of the forage deer eat, and their bodies are adapted to consuming foods containing tannins.
> There is ample evidence that red oaks are an important winter food for whitetails…my master’s thesis research in northern MS, I found deer use of red oak trees peaked in late Jan and then tapered off afterward.
> I stress the importance of finding the right tree because this can change weekly and sometimes daily as acorn availability changes. By late Nov I am keeping tabs on which of these trees still have acorns, and late in the season I am narrowing my efforts down to THE tree where I can kill a buck.
> …my favorite late-season red oaks are northern red and scarlet oaks in upland forests, and Shumard and cherrybark oaks in bottomland forests.
> For instance, in south-central IN I most commonly find northern red oaks on easterly or northerly facing slopes. They most often are not on the ridge top but rather on the sides of slopes. Using these behaviors, I look at aerial imagery to find stands of deciduous trees in these types of areas to identify spots that I should scout.
> …without boots on the ground, you do not know when individual trees are dropping acorns! I particularly like to find red oaks that drop super late in the year, because deer seem to be attracted to the only oak in the woods still dropping acorns.
|
|
> So excited to shoot big Zeus. Hunted this deer hard this year…. The first trailcam pic of him was last year. One year really makes a difference. He put on some big mass. Nothing like putting in some time in a deer stand. I love the outdoors and thankful for one of God’s greatest gifts.
|
|
> Aaron Steppe of Williamsport…on Sunday, Nov 28, on public property in Lycoming County. “I’ve been after him for 2 years but I knew about him for 3 years,” he said about his 10-point with an 18 5/8″ spread. The antlers produced a score of 143 2/8 inches.
> He shot the deer with a 6.5 Creedmoor caliber rifle from about 130 yards…almost sealed the deal on this deer earlier in the year…the deer was too far away for archery gear and was in thick brush.
|
|
> …harvested a preliminary total of 50,300 deer during the first weekend of the IL firearm deer season between Nov 19-21. Comparatively, hunters took 47,147 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2020.
> OH hunters harvested 70,413 deer during the 2021 deer gun week that concluded on Sunday, Dec 5…. Over the past 3 years, hunters checked an average of 65,280 deer during the same weeklong period, which marks an 8% increase in 2021.
> During the deer gun week, hunters harvested 25,263 bucks (36% of deer taken), 36,096 does (51%), and 8,021 button bucks (11%). Bucks with shed antlers and bucks with antlers less than 3″ long accounted for 1,033 deer, or 1% of the harvest.
Amazing. Says bluetongue in 2013 is one reason.
5. AZ posted draft hunting regs through 2027-28! 👀
Can’t link it but it’s at: azgfd com/Hunting/Guidelines/
Need more like her!
> Agents went to the area they heard the shots and found a vehicle spotlighting for deer in an open field on private property. Agents got closer to the vehicle and identified it as a Coushatta Police Dept patrol unit. Agents then made contact with the 4 men inside the vehicle including Pouncy, whom agents identified as an off duty Coushatta Police Dept officer.
> Agents found the men in possession of 2 antlered deer and 3 rifles with 1 of them having night-vision capabilities. After further questioning, agents learned that Anthony Caldwell harvested an 8-point buck and is a convicted felon. Agents also found that Thomas harvested a spike buck.
> The Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office (RRSO) also charged all 4 men with trespassing for not having permission to be on the private property.
…rather than a tag. WY must have some pretty amazing roadkill….
> The Trust Fund board recommends funding to both state and local agencies for development projects and land acquisitions that will further access to public outdoor recreation.
13. 2A stuff.
14. Keep an eye on…
Who knew a town was named that!
|
|
Deer Disease News
> …it is more than 120 miles from the nearest previous positive case (Issaquena County, MS) and more than 200 miles from the nearest known positive case of CWD in AR.
Makes us wonder: Is the test 100% reliable?
Because AR found CWD in that deer near the border.
> The positive deer was harvested between Dresden and the Henry County line. Weakley County had been classified as a high-risk county since early Sept when a deer was confirmed CWD-positive in Henry County near the border….
Archery Trade Assn. Sounds good but have to ask again: Who is going to pay for all of this stuff?
|
|
> …it doesn’t take much prodding for [Leupold] to tell you that the VX-3 has long been the “hero” of the lineup…the scopes have always rugged, dependable and affordable….
> The newest model, the VX-3HD, represents the ultimate evolution of the line and is, in my opinion, the best version made to date – especially if you’re looking for an affordable scope that delivers superior low-light performance.
> …the factors that matter most to me…are brightness and clarity of glass, ruggedness, anti-fog properties, consistent tracking and return to zero, low-light performance and value for the money. I also like hunting scopes to weigh [as little as possible] because it’s not entirely helpful to park a heavy scope atop a lightweight backcountry rifle. …the VX-3HD delivers in all categories.
> Leupold currently lists more than a dozen different VX-3HD models ranging from a 1.5-5×20 scope to a 6.5-20×50 scope, with suggested retail prices ranging from $499.99 to $999.99, which places street prices roughly in the mid-priced range of the market. The 3.5-10X40 model I tested has an MSRP of just $499.99.
> In range testing, the scope handled a standard box-tracking test handily, returning to zero nicely, thanks in part to cryogenically treated dual springs in the adjusters. Adjustments are in 1/4 MOA increments, and the elevation adjuster uses Leupold’s ZeroLock system to lock dials in place and keep the controls from being accidentally bumped off their zeroed settings.
> The 3.5-10X40, one-inch-tube model I tested weighs just 13.5 oz….
> Another nice touch on this scope is the inclusion of a knurled throw lever to quickly zoom in on your target or zoom back out for close shots. Leupold had the good sense to make the throw lever removable if you don’t want to use it.
> I shot five 5-shot groups through a Winchester Model 70 that I know handles a variety of loads well. Of those groups, the Core-Lokt Tipped averaged a 1.39″ group. Through that rifle, my smallest group was 0.96″ and the largest was 1.49″.
…for a reason!
|
|
> In my decades of testing black-powder rifles…I have fallen in love with only one: Thompson/Center’s Encore .50-cal…many different versions of this gun, but the Pro Hunter is my favorite. It shoots great, cleans easily and is as dependable as any centerfire rifle. I have never had a misfire from any of my Encores. While I feel the overall design of the Pro Hunter is second-to-none, the T/C Omega would be my runner up.
> Regardless of the gun you choose, I recommend using No. 209 shotshell primers for your ignition choice. Some inline muzzleloaders still use percussion caps, but these can be temperamental in hunting scenarios. I have had percussion caps fail me in bad weather conditions – not so with No. 209 primers, though I do suggest you replace your primers each season.
> For many years I shot loose powder and did pretty well with it. The convenience of powder pellets, however, cannot be beat. Again after years of testing, I discovered Pyrodex to be the best. I shoot the .50-50 pellets, which means each pellet is equivalent to 50 grains of loose powder and fits into a .50-caliber barrel.
> I shoot Hornady’s unique 250-grain .50-cal FlexTip (FTX) bullet. This bullet comes in a sabot sleeve designed for rapid loading…. A pretty slick system, the sabot actually has a tail that allows you to slide your Pyrodex pellets onto it for a really fast reload. It’s a great way to go, regardless of your gun.
|
|
“The majority think women are more patient than their male counterparts and have better eye-hand coordination, allowing for them to be more accurate shooters.”
|
|
A little gnarly but still a great buck – not sure where it was taken but it was 189 4/8″ and Austin Chandler’s biggest! The yotes owe you dude but great buck congrats!
|
|
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!
|
|
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 on 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!
|
|
PO Box 133
Lebanon, NJ 08833
(908) 268 2258
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
