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Hope you’re gettin’ after ’em! Send us any great racks or stories!
The DeerBlaster culls the best of the whitetail interwebz every week for DIEHARD whitetail nerds…cuz it’s fun! And important…and educational…. Then it “blasts” into your inbox.
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!
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T-Bone’s got 667+ inches of bone this season!!!
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T-Bone Turner’s a heck of a deer slayer! Whitetails Unlimited MS took the time to list out each of his 4 deer this season, and they add up to more than 667 inches:
> KY: 141 2/8 bow
> KS: 180 7/8 bow
> GA: 160 5/8 bow
> GA: 186 0/8 muzzleloader (deer in photo ^)
Wow! This ever even been done before?? Yep T-Bone has a bunch of sponsors and it’s his full-time job but still amazing!
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OH 168″ buck still in partial velvet!
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A 168″ 10-pointer is a big deal no matter what, but this deer was still sportin’ some velvet when he was downed in late Sept = even cooler. Local news talked with Marco Colombo about his hunt. Sounds like Marco had to work from home this summer, which meant a lotta prep for deer season:
> “We were able to get our food plots in and I did a lot of scouting. I knew that deer was there but I never expected to shoot him on opening day.
> “We’ve had pictures of that deer the last 3 years. I saw him 4 or 5 times last year but didn’t want to shoot him. He was probably a 135″ or 140” deer last year, but he really blew up into a much higher-caliber deer this year.
> “The first thing I noticed when he stepped out was he had all this stuff hanging off his antlers. It’s really unusual for a big deer to still be holding velvet at that time of year. I will probably never shoot another deer in velvet like that.
> “He stepped out into the field at about 6:40. I waited until he got to about 25 yards and shot. He didn’t go far.”
Very cool. Here’s how Marco and his bud manage their land to get deer like that:
> “We plant beans and corn and make sure the deer have minerals around all year long. We try not to shoot a deer unless it’s 4.5 or older. We have good genetics in our area and we know if a deer makes it to 4.5 it will probably be a 160-inch deer.
> “It’s tough to let a 140-inch deer go because a lot of them get shot by other people or hit by cars, but you have to if you want to have big deer around.”
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“Covid Buck” is one weird lookin’ deer.
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Covid quarantines made life more dangerous for nice bucks, including this weird one. Shot by Trent Pace in MS. The post says most of his family tested positive for Covid, all made a good recovery — and instead of spending the quarantine time at home, Trent spent it in the woods:
> “Once I found out, I knew now I had time to go hunting. This gave me time to get in a tree every day as long as I felt good enough to go. Being outdoors is the best social distancing practice you can do, in my opinion.
> “About 6:20 I heard an awful noise, kind of like a cough. I slowly turned over my left shoulder and I saw a body. He started moving out of that thick stuff and I knew immediately…there’s no mistaking that deer.”
After a short wait, Trent made the shot:
> “It was honestly a relief. I’ve put so much time in the last few months trying to figure that deer out. I knew when gun season started, the chances of me or my dad getting this deer were going to go way down and I wanted this deer on my wall.
> “It looks like something made in a lab. Maybe I should name it the Covid Buck or the Corona Buck.”
Is it just us or does the deer’s rack sorta kinda look like the biohazard symbol??
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Check out the spread on this KY monster!
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Christian Cummins got this 13-point last week, scored 188 6/8″ gross! KYoutdoorstv.com with the deets:
> …didn’t see the first pictures of the deer until 2 days before he killed him. “Me and some buddies picked that farm up during the spring.”
> “I never saw any deer up until 7 pm when he and a smaller buck and a couple does came down the creek line to me.” He shot him at 62 yards with a Ravin x-bow. He said after his second shot, the deer went 25-30 yards and piled up.
2nd-biggest KY x-bow buck this year (first we covered here) and a NICE one!
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Ever think about serrated broadheads?
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My (Ted) wife has 1 go-to kichen knife — uses it to slice everything from tomatoes to meat. Since she won’t hone a blade, that knife is serrated and is always sharp enough. What if that’s kinda what you get with serrated broadheads? Here’s Dave Maas of Bowhunting World on it:
> As a broadhead passes through the chest of a whitetail or other big game animal, it impacts some or all of the following: hide, muscle, bones and soft tissue (internal organs, arteries, etc.).
> Let’s assume you’re shooting a fixed-blade head that doesn’t have serrated blades. Let’s say the broadhead strikes the edge of a rib before entering the chest cavity. When the blade hits the rib, it begins to dull — immediately. It would be no different than you taking a fresh broadhead and running one edge of it on something hard….
> As this broadhead continues into the chest cavity, it will impact the animal’s lungs and other soft tissue, and while it will cut to some degree, it won’t do the same amount of damage as it would had it not impacted bone first.
> As a serrated blade strikes the edge of a rib upon entering the buck, it also becomes dull, just like the non-serrated blade. However — and this is the key — with a serrated blade, only the outer edge of the blade touches bone. The small valleys or recesses in the serration section do not.
> The recesses stay wicked sharp, which means as the broadhead enters the chest cavity, the recesses continue to cut soft tissue (lungs, etc.) extremely well, causing the maximum amount of damage and blood loss.
Makes sense. If you’ve got experience with serrated broadheads, give us a shout — love to hear it.
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News
1. NY: Snowmobilers want no hunting over Christmas break.
Between Christmas and New Year’s:
> …would shorten the snowmobile season by a week and would have “a direct negative impact on rural areas” that depend on revenues from the popular winter sport.
Gotta think hunting brings in similar $$ to small towns?
2. ID offers new “Hunting Passport.”
> Allows any first-time hunter, resident or nonresident, age 8 and older to try hunting for one year with an adult mentor without first having to complete an Idaho hunter education course.
3. PA: Donated venison needed big-time.
Families are hurting due to shutdowns this year.
4. Canada border shutdown = mo’ bigger bucks next year.
> If you want to plan a Canadian hunt for a dream buck, 2021 or 2022 will be the year to do it.
5. DC: E-bikes allowed on most (not all) federal land.
Okay in Natl Park Service, BLM and US Fish & Wildlife lands, but not Wilderness Areas.
6. Mark Demko new assoc editor at Petersen’s Bowhunting.
7. IN: Purdue U has an online course on hunting.
> Explores the cultural, biological, economic and policy aspects of hunting.
8. New Bowhunters United group gets HuntStand app.
First sponsor. Sounds like BU just launched this month.
9. Buck Knives supports “The Harvest” movie.
> Buck is eager to assist Harvest Home Films spread the positive message about the hunting lifestyle and educate the world about the importance of the outdoors.
10. NH: Sig Sauer is expanding.
11. Smith & Wesson looking for 1 rifle and 1 pistol person.
12. MN: Treestand company has job openings.
Win a Taurus Ranging Hunter with scope.
Win $1,200 of Eberlestock gear.
14. MS hunter bags a sika…free range?
Apparently escaped from a high-fence operation.
15. NE encourages deer hunters to buy a turkey tag.
They always seem to walk by blinds and stands so…and if there’s no whitetail action, why not?
16. Get your Halloween 3D targets on sale.
Undead Fred, the Goblin — no license needed lol!
17. CA: Blowguns are illegal?
Not just for hunting but to even possess. #Cali
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New Stuff
1. Federal’s new HammerDown ammo for lever-actions.
> The geometry of each round’s case, bullet and cartridge ensures flawless cycling through tubular magazine and typical lever-action feeding systems.
> Available in the most popular lever-action cartridges, including 30-30 Win, 357 Magnum, 327 Federal and 44 Rem Mag. Additional cartridges will be added to the lineup in 2021.
A lot more interesting info here.
2. Bloodsport releases 2 new mechanical broadheads.
> The Night Fury and Night Fury Extreme are different than most mechanical broadheads because they utilize a patented cross-opening build that contains the blades for a true flight path. The blades are tucked in tightly, reducing the exposed surface area to a minute amount.
3. Ameristep has super-sized pop-up blind.
> With a 59 x 59″ footprint, an interior height of 66″ and a shooting width of 66″, the Care Taker Magnum is big enough for two bowhunters to both draw and shoot accurately.
4. Next-gen Irish Setter VaprTrek hunting boots.
> Addition of higher insulation levels, an all leather option using proprietary Irish Setter Earth Field Camo camo-dyed leather and easy on/off options – one with a side zipper and one with the BOA Fit System.
5. Cool lookin’ Grizzly Double Vital steel target.
Can apparently handle rimfire or centerfire bullets – red bullseye flips between deer and hog on impact.
6. Flextone rolls out Buck Collector Plus call.
> With its Tru-Touch buttons, you will get the right call, and the perfect call every time. The True-Touch buttons allow you to transition through buck growls, fawn and doe bleats seamlessly.
7. Don’t see this every day: B&C whiskeys.
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Gear of the Week
Trijicon Huron = lower-priced premium glass?
Trijicon makes awesome glass — known for rugged reliability, but they can be a bit pricey. Now it’s intro’d the non-illuminated and less-costly Huron line. American Hunter took a look:
> The range of magnification and 30mm tube provides an excellent field of view and quick target acquisition. The same rugged and durable construction in existing Trijicon optics is shared in the Huron line, including premium anti-scratch glass.
> The Huron is a second-focal-plane riflescope and needs to be set on the maximum power for the holds on the reticle to align downrange.
> Sighting in at 100 yards for accuracy testing and to “shoot the square,” I was able to keep groups tight and found the .25-MOA adjustments were precise and showed accurate and reliable tracking.
> Trijicon temperature-tests its optics in extreme highs and lows, testing I duplicated by placing the Huron in a snowbank overnight in late winter then in the freezer for a day. When the frost and moisture cleared, the scope, including glass, showed no sign of fogging or mistreatment.
> To test its waterproofing, I submerged the optic in a sink for 5 minutes. The components moved naturally, water did not hinder manipulation or purge the scope.
> To check durability, the rifle and attached scope were dropped from 3′ and 4′ onto a blanket placed on the ground (to prevent scratches or dents), and the riflescope held its zero.
> To test the riflescope for brightness, clarity and resolution, I put it to work from sunset to a full hour after, covering the low-light conditions hunters often experience. Even after shooting light faded, targets and objects remained clear and identifiable.
> …the company dropped the price, but nothing else.
Sounds good — prices starts at $650.
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Tip of the Week
How to work a blood trail.
Deer & Deer Hunting with a few tips:
> A simple compass reading just after the shot can point you in a straight line toward your dead deer. Most smartphones have a built-in compass. Use it.
> Some hunters claim wounded deer won’t climb hills, cross open fields or wade streams. Nonsense. Deer do not possess rational thought. Rule out nothing, and literally leave no stone unturned when searching for blood.
> Many hunters assume a deer isn’t fatally wounded when they’ve trailed it a few hundred yards and only found sporadic droplets. Deer have thick layers of tallow along their backstraps, as well as around their organs. Fat can easily plug a wound, making the resulting blood trail seem like it came from a superficial wound.
> If you’re finding consistent blood smears 30″ high or higher on saplings and such, chances are the arrow or bullet entered high through the lungs or possibly missed them altogether.
> …women are better than men at seeing blood on the ground. If you don’t believe me, take your wife, daughter or girlfriend on your next blood trail and test this hypothesis for yourself. An AZ State U study concludes that women possess a gene that allows them to see varying shades of red much better than men.
Who knew that!!
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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!
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