MikeHanback.com

The BIG DEER Hunting Machine

Eric M. heard all our chatter about gas prices, greenie-weenie hybrids and Ian in Wisconsin’s Prius (he gets something crazy like 55 mpg) and so he decided to sketch us up a concept hunting rig. I think he is on to something. He ought to take his design to Toyota or Ford or GM before they go broke (God knows the Americans especially need new designer blood). I will cut a licensing deal with Eric and we’ll call it the BIG DEER hunting machine. With lifts, mud tires, AWD and cargo bed I’d bet that sucker would still get 35-40 mpg highway. The stickers are a nice touch. All we need now is a big drop-tine buck in the bed...Eric, hook us up? Don’t laugh, some big ideas have started this way :)   

Why are Hunters Chicken to Ask Permission?

Awhile back Eli from IN wrote that he had just landed a new spot: “only 25 acres, but smack dab where we have been seeing some of the bigger deer taken in the state.” The old lady that owns the property bought some Delta faucets from Eli’s father-in-law. Eli rode along to deliver the faucets and, being a buck hunter, he liked the look of the long drive surrounded by woods.

“I just flat out asked her if she ever let anyone hunt,” Eli said. She said, “Well no, no one has ever asked me, so sure.” She went on to say how many deer she sees all the time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Eli whacks one of those IN giants on the 25 this fall. I hope he does. He asked! Why are so many of us chicken to do it? Fear of rejection? Insecurity? Bashful? Stupidity? Combination thereof? One reason a lot of you don’t have as many places to hunt anymore is because you just won’t knock on doors and ask, isn't that right?

Tomorrow: Eli asked for some tactics for hunting his new honeyhole, I’ll blog what I told him.

Indiana Monster Buck: From Trail Camera to Carcass to Final Score (205 2/8" NT!)

History of this giant on the BIG DEER blog:

Conservation Officer John Deem with the IN DNR sent me this cam photo he got of the huge double-drop in the summer of 2007. I think he knew of my obsession with drop tines and figured I would really foam at the mounth over 2, and I did. John took off most of November to hunt the beast, but never saw him.

This March while shed hunting, John found him dead. The carcass was  gone, but the antlers were in tiptop shape without a tooth mark. John isn't sure how he died. They had a report of a person shooting with a spotlight in a field close to where John found him, but the COs got there fairly quick and waited for someone to return but nothing. John scored the rack at 208 gross.

Update from Dean Weimer 10 minutes ago (special thanks, man):

Mike: My Boone and Crockett and Hoosier Record Buck Program scoring buddy, Scott Werstler, measured John Deem's Found Non-Typical last evening. Due to John's busy schedule we finally got it finished last night. The final numbers didn't dissappoint:

IS= 22 3/8"
RMB= 26 2/8"
LMB= 24 6/8"
Gross Typ. (6x6) = 175 5/8"
Net Typ.= 169 7/8"
(13) N.T. tines = 35 3/8"
Net N.T.= 205 2/8"

The buck is the new Steuben County, IN N.T. record, and it ranks as the No. 2 N.T. all-time in the FOUND category in the Hoosier Record Buck Program.

Note: John and fellow Indiana CO, Jim Price, road their bikes up to meet up with Scott and me. I took this photo for kicks. John was decked out in biker gear, so I thought it would be cool. Officer Price bungee-strapped the rack to the back of his motorcycle Mad Max Style. It was quite a sight, the two of them with this big rack hanging on the rack of Jim's bike.

Could there be a more kick-ass end to the story??

Guest Blog: More on WI Earn-a-Buck

Thanks to Doug in WI for this excellent guest blog about Earn-A-Buck (EAB) and its origins in his home state.

EAB was first used in Wisconsin in 1996. According to Jason Fleener, asst. deer & elk biologist for the DNR, the idea was developed after previous attempts to bring the deer herd down to acceptable levels proved insufficient. 

EAB has been highly controversial since its inception, although it is not really a new way of managing deer. In its early years EAB was utilized through 4-day antlerless-only hunts (also called T-Zone Hunts) in October. Hunters had to shoot a doe (or a buck with antlers less than 1") in order to pre-qualify to shoot a buck in the regular November Gun Deer Season. There were also antlerless hunts in December, after the gun season had ended.

Due to the backlash by hunters, EAB was discontinued and not brought back until 2002, when the DNR made public their findings about Chronic Wasting Disease. This created something close to hysteria about CWD and its effect not only on deer populations, but its potential to be passed to humans who ate venison.  Many people quit hunting due to fear they could contract CWD. When CWD was "discovered" in 2002 the EAB program was brought back to eradicate herds in units where CWD was most widespread. 

In 2004 units that did not have CWD were made EAB for the first time. Hunters had to shoot an antlerless deer in October to qualify to shoot a buck during November gun season. Due to more hunter outcry the DNR stopped using EAB in non-CWD units in 2005 and in CWD units in 2006.  Hunters failed to bring the deer populations down to the desired goals in these years, however, and EAB was brought back yet again.

6-Legged Georgia Doe

From the Rome News-Tribune:

A six-legged fawn was recovered in the Everett Springs community this weekend after it sustained injuries from two dogs... “It is really an anomaly,” said West Rome Animal Clinic veterinarian Dan Pate. “It appears it had an identical twin that didn’t form all the way.” X-rays show the fawn has two distinct pelvises. To walk, the fawn uses one leg from each pelvis.

Amazing, freaky, sad. The little deer is recovering, but what will they do with it?

Minnesota Monster of Mass (197 1/8" Buck)

I saw this giant at the NRA’s Member’s Best 2007 photo gallery and was impressed. World-class mass my friends! Click here for more big-buck shots from American Hunter readers.

Craig Loehr shot the 197 1/8” titan in Crow Wing County, MN on Nov.11, the last day of the 2007 firearms season. The brute came along at 7:30 a.m., following a sweet-smelling doe. Man, the hotties get a lot of the big boys killed :)

This is interesting: A bear hunter had found one of the buck’s old sheds in September and tipped Craig off that a giant was lurking in the area. Like a good hunter does, Craig hunted hard and closed the deal.

BTW, notice how the antlers and hide blend with the marsh grass. Shooters dig into thickets like that in gun season. Hang a tree stand 20 feet high, where you can look down into the grass and cattails for deer. If you could lob some dynamite into the mess to make the bucks come out, that would work, lol.

Will Bud's $$$ for the Outdoors Go Flat?

The sale of Anheuser-Busch to Belgium brewer InBev for $52 billion not only seems un-American, it also has big implications for the sports community. Budweiser, Bud Light, etc. have been major TV advertisers--can you say Super Bowl, Spuds McKenzie, etc. --to the tune of $218,000,000 a year. The brands have also been strong sponsors of outdoor and conservation organizations--National Shooting Sports, Ducks Unlimited, Quality Deer Management Association to name a few.

Will Bud’s sponsor/ad dollars go flat? InBev’s marketing plans toward the outdoors and especially our blood sport is unknown, but everybody in the industry is watching and waiting and holding their breath. For some reason, I don't have a good feeling about it.

2008 Polaris Ranger XP Browning

Spent a few days down in Mississippi test-riding new Polaris off-road vehicles, including the Ranger XP Browning model. (You didn’t even miss me while I was gone, the BIG DEER Blog runs itself these days :)

This is one great-looking machine, with a Mossy Oak Breakup and matte-black finish. I jumped into the Ranger, cranked her up, shoved her in H and sped off. With a 700 Twin EFI engine, the Ranger’s raw power surprised and delighted me. The machine can do 50 mph on good roads; I had her up to 40 on gravel runs and loved the pep. Off road, it handled ditches, creeks and logs with ease (11” ground clearance). The Ranger has a 48” wheel base and independent rear suspension; the ride is improved over older models I’ve hunted with, and maneuverability and handling were good. It has seatbelts for 3 people across; a couple of buddies hopped in, and the ride was still smooth and comfortable. (MSRP $12,200)

The Ranger is a workhorse--26” tires, factory-installed Warn winch and 2,000 pounds of towing capacity. The 13-cubic-foot cargo box can handle lots of tree stands, steps, etc. The Lock & Ride cargo system is innovative and great, and lets you add custom accessories like a toolbox, chainsaw holder and gun-boot scabbard in seconds, no tools needed.

The highlight was the afternoon after some storms and showers when we went digging in the Mississippi muck and mud holes. It was good, dirty fun, and the Ranger’s on-demand AWD was killer.

If you have 10 acres or 100 or 1,000 and want to cut firewood, haul brush, mend fence and/or hunt deer you should check out this machine. I loved it.

How and Why Deer Jump the String

Hey Mike: Wondering if you could settle a friendly argument. A buddy and I were discussing deer jumping the string. I say it is all noise related and they instinctively react; he says it could also be visual—they see the arrow coming. Wondering your thoughts? Also, do you ever see a bow being fast enough that you don’t have to worry about them jumping the string or is that impossible? Thanks and keep up the great work! Jake in WI

You win, it’s an instinctive reaction. I heard a guy say one time, “It’s like when somebody sets off a firecracker, you jump.” Good way of illustrating it. I’ve heard people say that some deer might see the arrow and move, but I don’t buy it.

A few personal observations:

Jumping the string is a misnomer, it should be called “duck and roll.” A doe or buck hears your bow go off, drops its chest down and whirls to run in one motion. Can’t see it with the eye, but watch a slo-mo video, it’s amazing.

Some deer drop at the bow sound, others don’t. The unpredictability has to do with the distance to deer, quietness of bow, foliage that does/does not muffle sound, etc. You never know, so hold the correct sight pin on bottom third of vitals. Deer drops, you pierce mid-lungs; deer does not drop, you lance heart/low lungs. Either way, you kill deer.

I think deer duck and roll more in the East and South than in the Midwest or West. Do they duck arrows a lot or a little where you hunt?

I understand the speed of sound is 1,126 fps while a fast compound shoots an arrow at 300-plus fps. So I am reasonably sure there will never be a bow that propels an arrow that at least some deer will not jump (or rather duck :)

First Look: Eyedeal Camouflage

Mike: Didn't know if you have seen this camo pattern yet. It's definitely different and wondered what you thought. Thanks, Jim

I had not seen it, so I checked the Eyedeal website. One thing I read does have some truth and merit:

Most other camouflage patterns create a dark blob that deer can spot in a tree. Eyedeal Camo fools a deer’s eyesight with a vertical illusion, and you blend in perfectly with the tree and sky-line behind you.

I qualify that by saying the “dark blob” would only be a potential problem in mid- to late-season woods when leaves are down (like in the picture) and even then it is arguable that a blob (you up in the stand) would spook deer if you kept still. But I will say this is an interesting concept. By adding the vertical strip it further breaks your silhouette, and that is always good, so I am certain it would work OK in a tree stand.

What do you think, would you buy it?

The bigger question, can a specialty pattern like this go up against Mossy Oak and Realtree and survive, especially in this economic climate? Many have tried, few have suceeded.