Derrick | Whitetail Hunting

Deer Hunting in Stephens County

The only thing I enjoy more than whitetail deer hunting is hearing stories from other deer hunters. No matter how many years someone has been whitetail hunting or many deer they have harvested, it’s still exciting to hear about the details of a successful hunt. Although all truly successful hunts end the same, it still gets my blood pumping to re-live another hunters deer hunt through their eyes. I received this Stephens County, Texas, deer hunting story in an email:

“I got in the deer stand this morning shortly after the sun started coming up I made a few grunts right into the hunt. Not 5 minutes later I heard something walking close by and I look out to my left. There he was, a mature buck, only 30 yards from my stand. The big buck started walking away just cruising around and wouldn’t stop for me, so I had to shoot on the walk.

I am not going to lie and say this shot was the best shot ever, but it might be my luckiest. The heavy whitetail dropped in his tracks and it was my first kill with my T/C Encore Endeavor — and my first true trophy, at least in my eyes. I couldn’t be happier with this solid buck and I can’t wait to get him on the wall. Continue reading Deer Hunting in Stephens County

Bowhunter Stops Big Ohio Buck

Every deer hunter dreams of a big Ohio buck, but when Jason McClintic bought his Ross County farm for whitetail deer hunting he never thought he’d stick an arrow into a true-to-life brute. Ohio has produced its share of monster bucks over the years, but knowing where to hunt always helps when it comes to putting a deer on the ground. McClintic’s land really is typical southern Ohio deer country. Prime deer country.

The landscape consists of rolling croplands of corn and beans surrounded by hillsides of maple, pin oak, chestnut oak and thick second-growth timber. Deer hunting property does not get any better than that. The hunter had used game cameras to document several good deer on his property — some good 140-class 8 point deer as well as a 170-class 10 point buck. — but had a hard time getting on those deer. One evening, he finally saw the big 10 point buck, but he missed the deer — just like he did in 2009. Continue reading Bowhunter Stops Big Ohio Buck

Big East Texas Whitetail Buck

It may not always get the attention that it deserves in the whitetail hunting world, but there are some big bucks in East Texas. This region is usually blessed with high amounts of rain and a whole lot of high quality food. Sure, many areas of East Texas are hunted hard, but the areas that are managed for deer make for whitetail hunting dreams. I received this lucky hunter’s story in an email:

“I have been trying to get this whitetail buck since 2007. I have never had a daylight picture of this deer until this year. Yesterday morning, I saw some good activity, but only smaller bucks. At 1:00 pm, I climbed out of my tree to get some lunch and check my game camera. From the photos, I saw that this big buck had been working the scrape behind me 2 days earlier, at 7:15 am. Continue reading Big East Texas Whitetail Buck

Wood County Produces Big Whitetail Buck!

Texas is known for great whitetail hunting and big bucks. Although much of the attention gets focused on South Texas, any part of the state has the potential to deliver big deer. And it happens every year with big bucks seemingly popping up out of nowhere. This year it looks like a Wood County hunter will get his day in the sun. Check out the story by the hunter who harvested this big Wood County buck.

“I harvested this buck on the early morning of October 31, 2010 in Wood County, Texas. The deer was taken by bow on a private low-fence farm from about 16 to 17 yards out. I was hunting in a stand that my dad and I hung in an oak tree at the edge of a small meadow. I had seen almost every decent buck I had on my game camera walk by that particular tree the year before, so I gave it a shot. Continue reading Wood County Produces Big Whitetail Buck!

Milam County Buck Found Road-Killed!

One of the biggest things that haunts those serious about whitetail hunting is finding a big, road-killed buck. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened down in Milam County near Alcoa. This big non-typical white-tailed buck was found on the side of the road, but it’s not the first. There was another respectable non-typical buck found in Milam County in 2008.

It seems that big bucks in this area are making a habit out of getting hit by vehicles. Or it’s probably that there are simply a good number of high quality bucks running around out there. Whatever is going on, the area is obviously producing some big bucks and would be a great area to go hunting, I just wish we would see more photos with hunters behind those deer!

Scent Control While Whitetail Deer Hunting

Question: I went whitetail deer hunting the opening weekend of bow season and although I thought I was set up well, almost every deer that I saw was acting spooky. The only thing I can think of that would be bothering them is human scent. That got me wondering about scent absorption clothing. Do you think this would be a good investment and would it help my whitetail hunting?

Answer: Scent absorption clothing has become all the rage in the bowhunting community, but it does not typically work as well as it says. It does work, to some degree, but it is not foolproof by any means. All of the scent absorption hunting cloths use carbon, which is what is supposed to absorb human scent and other odors. However, the carbon does not work forever and must be maintained. The manufacturers claim the carbon can be reactivated in your dryer, but most dryers do not get hot enough to do that. Continue reading Scent Control While Whitetail Deer Hunting

Hunting the Rut: Bucks Trailing Does

Question: When out whitetail deer hunting, whenever I think the rut is close or on, when a doe steps out I don’t even think of shooting her… hoping that a nice buck may be trailing her. I always keep and eye out for that rutting buck, even 45 minutes after first seeing the doe. In your hunting experience, what is the furthest (time wise) you’ve seen a buck trailing behind a doe? Just curious because I’d like to get some meat in the freezer, but I’ve also seen some rutting activity.

Answer: In all my years of whitetail deer hunting, most rutting bucks will be right the doe, or at least within one minute of her. Only on a few occasions have I seen bucks come much later that I thought were on the doe’s trail. Of course, these bucks could have simply been walking the same trail, but I don’t think so. Continue reading Hunting the Rut: Bucks Trailing Does

14 Point Coleman County Buck Shot!

This is what each and every whitetail hunter heading into the woods each season hopes to bag. You guessed it — a big ole brute of a Texas sized buck! All I have to say is that Chad Dodson of Abilene is one lucky dude because he shot a monster 14 point Coleman County buck on October 29, 2010. I doubt he will give up whitetail hunting, but let’s fact it, he is going to be hard pressed to find another buck this big. Here come the stats.

This 14 point monster scored 192 1/8 Boone and Crockett. The buck was harvested in Coleman County near the town of Burkett. It appears the ranch this deer was shot had been involved in a deer management program for quite some time and is the Pecan Bayou Wildlife Management Association. It looks like the management has definitely improved the whitetail hunting. Congrats to Pecan Bayou WMA landowners and to Mr. Dodson!