Record deer after misfire! Monster state forest buck! Another trailcam ban??

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> Ragan and her dad, Felton Souter, climbed into their stands situated a few hundred yards apart at around 4:30. It wasn’t long after getting settled in when she could hear deer in a section of pines adjacent to the food plot.

> The giant 10-point appeared a mere 10 yards from Ragan’s stand. Ragan recognized the buck from nighttime trailcam photos….

> While the buck’s attention was locked on a doe, Ragan slowly raised her .243 [Savage Axis] and took aim. As she squeezed the trigger…click…the bullet had misfired.

> “It was so loud when the gun clicked, I don’t know how the buck didn’t hear it. He continued to walk directly in front of me, only about 35′ away.”

> Ragan quietly bolted another bullet into the chamber and took aim again…this time the bullet erupted as expected. Lying dead on the ground in front of her was the biggest buck she’d ever seen.

What do you think it’ll score?

> An employee at Willis Processing, along with Ragan’s boyfriend Quinn, were the ones who came up with a rough gross score of 190″ of antler bone. Measurements included 6″ bases, matching G3s of 12 4/8″ and a 20″ inside spread.

> Even though an official scorer hasn’t looked at the buck yet, Quinn believes the buck should net in the mid to upper 170s.

NICE ONE!!!

> “I was walking in the Pillsbury State Forest on my 2nd day of hunting there and hadn’t seen a deer the whole time. And this deer got up and ran about 100 yards from me and then looked back, just long enough for me to get a shot. A shot that resulted in it going down right on the spot.”

Jacob says the massive deer weighed 270 lbs and it took him 6 hours to drag it back to the truck:

> “I was just dragging it because it’s such rough terrain, but it was well worth it and, you know, a once in a lifetime deal.

> “When you see it — you just imagine seeing something like that in your dreams — but when you see it in real life, it’s like, it kind of throws you a little bit. So even when I walked up to it I wasn’t quite sure, you know, if this was real or not.”

We’d be that way too lol — congrats Jacob!

> “I usually kill a buck every year, but we don’t allow anyone to shoot the momma deer. The way I see it, if you leave the girls alone, the boys will come.

> “I do all my hunting from the house now. My kitchen is my deer stand. We take the screen off one of the windows every fall. I can see a pretty good ways from there.

> “It was a really big buck. We’d seen him on our game camera at a feeder a few weeks back, but that was the last deer I expected to show up right here behind the house.

> Her husband Myrl: “Right after the shot she hollered, ‘Well, that was the big one, Daddy.’ That’s when I put my boots on, got on the tractor and went to load him up. He didn’t go far. She doesn’t miss very often.

> Virginia: “When I saw all those horns I thought I was seeing things — I’d never seen anything like it. I got so excited about that deer that I can’t even remember what I was fixing for lunch.”

Guess we’ve been doing it wrong all this time?? Kinda reminds us of this:

> Been playing a game of chess with this big deer, bow-hunting him the last few years. Took the rifle out opening day evening and he slipped up and gave me a shot…I couldn’t be more thankful!

1. This started out a few years ago supposedly as an attempt to just ban them around water holes, which are game magnets in such a dry climate. But look what happened — it went beyond what they claimed initially (bait/switch).

2. If you don’t live or hunt in AZ, pay attention anyway because things we think are crazy that happen in one state mysteriously appear in other states, almost like it’s planned….🤔

Props to GuHunt.com for being on top of this — here’s some details from their post and others:

> Apparently the commission was voting on a total ban vs having a trailcam “season.”

> Most AZ hunters were big-time against even a partial ban back in 2018.

> Apparently, according to these AZ Fair Chase Commission meeting notes (pdf), the commission has been working to make trailcams “unlawful” since at least 2015. It’s not apparent whether any actual hunters are on that commission, nor whether the state’s hunters — who largely fund the AZ DNR — were ever polled about such a major change.

> NV banned trailcams in 2018: “Aug1 to Dec 31 of each year. OR if the camera is capable of transmitting the images or video, it shall not be used from Jul 1 to Dec 31.”

> Sounds like MT has had a full ban on ’em since 2010.

Doesn’t sound like any biological basis was given for the AZ ban, and it didn’t consider all the ways trailcams are used beyond just hunting (like wildlife watching/family enjoyment and even finding endangered species). Maybe the state’s hunters should get the state legislature involved, though right now they’re probably focusing on a bigger deal….

Anyone else know about bans or potential bans in other states please let us know. A lot more good info about this whole deal — “live action” vs not — in this post. Change.org petition about the AZ ban is here.

Sweet-lookin’ bow buck taken by Patrick Starnes. Congrats to you and your dad — great memory for you both!

2. OH hunter shoots antlered doe.

Dang how many of these weird deer are running around out there?

3. 350 Legend gets it done for OH hunter.

New caliber gittin’ ‘er done! Heavy and wide 8-pointer taken by Danny Camp @dmcamp918:

4. OH: Legally blind man takes 1st buck.

Amazing:

> “It was an incredible feeling to pull that trigger and get my first buck. It was a lot of hard work. A lot of challenges and a lot of getting on and off 4-wheelers to make it happen.”

> …his friend, Scott Elliott, who worked to outfit a .350 Legend rifle with an air-charged trigger that supplies an airline to the rifle itself to initiate the shot.

3-year avg is about 65K.

2. MI shortens muzzleloader season.

Says fewer people are doing it and success rate is low. Tags transfer to antlerless season.

3. ND deer hunting success rate is about 69%.

Sounds pretty good?

4. WI: Weigh in on deer regs TODAY and TOMORROW.

Virtual meetings about deer herd size goals.

5. MD: Firearms deer total up from last year.

> …11,054 deer taken on the opening weekend…19% higher than last year’s official first weekend harvest of 9,272 deer.

6. IL DNR providing opportunities for 1st-time deer hunters.

Good stuff:

> Each new hunter will be required to bring their own mentor, who must be at least 21 and have a current hunting license, and their own equipment. “We will be providing them with stationary ground blinds….”

7. OR offers night deer hunts at Astoria Regional Airport.

8. PA: Gov vetoes bill protecting hunting/shooting businesses.

No surprise — D governor is a piece of work:

> Gov. Tom Wolf recently vetoed legislation that would have deemed hunting clubs, shooting ranges, gun and ammunition distributors, and manufacturers as life-sustaining business under state emergency orders.

9. WY: Muley Fanatics hosted 18 hunts for kids with serious illness.

So great.

10. Bowmars ask judge to dismiss case.

From the post:

> The attorney for an OH bowhunting couple that’s popular for its YouTube hunting and fitness channels have asked the US District Court of NE to dismiss all criminal charges against them….

> The dismissal request is based mainly on the Bowmar’s assertion that Lacey Act charges are being incorrectly applied to the Bowmars. “This is a fight between ethical hunters, the Bowmars, and the federal government which is using the Lacey Act against them. The Lacey Act is an abusive piece of federal legislation that is used to excessively punish hunters for alleged minor infractions which are the equivalent of a speeding ticket under state law.”

11. Record Smith & Wesson quarterly revenues.

> Quarterly net sales were $248.7 mil compared with $113.7 mil for the comparable quarter last year, an increase of 118.7%.

12. KY bros okay after BOTH have heart attacks at deer camp.

Wow — real glad they’re okay. Details from the post:

> Chris: “I was really excited. I hadn’t been hunting for a few years because I had been sick. …I went ahead and got down, took my time and took a nice shot.

> “We harvested the deer and went back to the lake house. When I got to the lake house, I was hurting pretty bad. I didn’t want to come back home and go to the hospital because my son was supposed to be coming down the next day, so I didn’t say anything to Brian.”

> Brian: “I was in the side bedroom changing. And when I come out, he was in the living room sitting on the couch, and I was holding my chest. And when I looked at him, he was holding his chest, saying the same thing.”

> Chris: “He said, ‘Man, my chest is hurting, and I said, ‘My chest is hurting, too.’ And I said, ‘My chest is I-gotta-go-to-the-hospital hurting.’ And he said, ‘Me too.'”

13. Classic Buck knives are on sale!

Looks like it fits good in a stocking:

> These systems reduce total bow vibration by up to 24% resulting in a smooth and quiet shot.

> Innovative optical design, HD FL lenses with advanced coatings, central locking diopter, and upgraded rubber armoring for improved grip and ergonomics….

> Keeps a carcass suspended off the ground to ensure meat stays clean, and its heavy-duty electronic scale allows the user to measure live weight and dressed weight.

> Its mechanical design borrowed heavily from the Marlin X7, a bolt-action rifle Remington inherited when its parent corporation purchased Marlin in 2007.

> When they designed it, engineers cut corners wherever they could in order to cut costs to hit a value price point…. But they didn’t sacrifice performance. In fact, many riflemen would agree, a couple of key components in the 783 increase the chances for accuracy.

> The key to the rifle’s accuracy is stiffness. Make the receiver rigid, mate it to a rigid barrel, and seat it all firmly in a rigid stock….

> The crossfire trigger system is adjustable from 2.5-5 lb pull.

> The barrel features a magnum contour, throwing the weight forward just a bit, to the delight of many hunters who like the way that helps them set the sights on target.

> The 783 wears 3 stocks…walnut, synthetic black and…camo-wrapped synthetic.

> Most importantly for accuracy, a dual-pillar bedding system cradles the action and free-floats the barrel.

No frills but sounds like a solid choice for just $379 on the street.

If you’re getting nervous about not filling a tag, Field & Stream had a couple ideas on where to hunt out the season:

> If you’ve got standing beans or fresh-cut corn…or alfalfa or brassicas poking up above the snow, you’re going to have plenty of deer. And if you’ve got a south-facing timbered slope nearby (or other good bedding cover), the deer are going to bed in the sun and pour off that slope into your field or plot. There’s really no better winter deer-hunting setup.

> …can be a lot of activity in a hot bedding area throughout the morning now, as deer may get up to switch beds or nibble on some browse, and 2nd-rut bucks…sniffing around for late-cycling does.

> Look for hidden food sources — If a wary late-season buck doesn’t have to poke his nose into an open field or plot before dark, there’s a pretty good chance he won’t.

> Deer are going to move as little as possible this time of year. But they’re still going to move, and when they do, they’re apt to walk through the thickest, meanest places. Find the best sign and then set up close by.

> …fresh snow…wait a day or 2, and everything that the deer are up to will be written in the white stuff.

Get after ’em when you can!

– 15-yr-old IL hunter Gage B talkin’ who had a close encounter, kept it together and dropped it with his x-bow. Great job Gage!