Potential Illinois State Record Non-Typical Taken

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It looks like Illinois could have a new state record non-typical whitetail!

The buck was taken by Chris Kiernan in Kendall County Illinois on November 1, 2009 with archery gear.

The story is pretty unusual as you will see and just goes to show you can never know just what a deer is going to do!

The hunter had several encounters with the buck before finally killing him in a woodlot. He had been hunting him from around the edges of the woodlot not wanting to take a chance on bumping him by jumping right in the middle of the woods. On Nov. 1 st. the hunter received numerous reports that bucks were on the move and he decided to step up the pressure and move into the woods.

He entered the wood lot from the down wind side and picked out a tree 30 yds into the woods. Just after getting into the tree he spotted the big non-typical step out of the corn and into the woods. The buck bedded down for an hour and a half at less than 70yds. Eventually, a small buck chasing a fawn caused the buck to stand up. The hunter grunted several times and the deer moved his way stopping broadside at 44yds.

The hunter took the shot but hit the deer a little bit far back. He was shooting a striker broadhead. The buck hunched up and moved off into a thicket.

It was 3:00 pm and the hunter decided to stay put until dark. This turned out to be a crucial decision as he eventually spotted the buck with his binoculars, standing at 80yds. He eventually moved off out of sight.

As dark approached the hunter was about to get down when several deer moved thru the woods towards the cornfield. Shortly afterwards he heard the sound of another deer moving his way and it turned out to be the big non-typical! Still on his feet! He passed by at 35yds and the hunter put a second shaft into him and the brute was down!

The Trophy has 37 scorable points and measures 268 1/8". The current state record is 267 1/8". The most notable dimensions is his 22" inside spread and nearly 90" of  non-typical bone.

The deer will have to be panel scored to be officially recognized as the new record and that should happen in March of 2011.

You have to keep an open mind when considering what a crippled deer is going to do and don't fool yourself in thinking you have one all figured out. Obviously, the arrow zipped thru soft tissue without hitting and bone and the deer didn't know what had happened. Who would have guessed he would have come back to the same spot he was shot just a couple hours earlier.

 Amazing!

Bow season is just around the corner.

Good luck,
Larry S.





Update: 12-20-11

As with all internet stories, the facts are up in the air on this but Kiernan has been charged with taking this deer illegally. The following are the details of the arrest. Hopefully, the true facts of the harvest will be learned in the near future.

"IDNR Conservation Police Make Arrests in Deer Poaching Case



Giant buck valued at $35,000


SPRINGFIELD, IL - Charges have been filed against three individuals after an 11-month investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Law Enforcement in a deer poaching case. The three men were cited for numerous Wildlife Code violations including the illegal take of a potential state-record whitetail deer, and now face charges through the Grundy County State's Attorney's Office and the Sangamon County State's Attorneys Office.


"Our Conservation Police Officers are tasked with the mission of protecting the public and our natural resources and they do it effectively and vigilantly," said IDNR Director Marc Miller. "I am proud of the hard work of the IDNR law enforcement staff and have a warning to those who choose to hunt illegally: We are watching."


"The IDNR Office of Law Enforcement has zero tolerance when it comes to poaching matters," said IDNR Conservation Police Chief Rafael Gutierrez. "Our Conservation Police will continue to protect our natural resources so that legal sportsmen get every opportunity they deserve."


The investigation focused on the unlawful harvest of a 36-point non-typical deer scoring 261 5/8 and valued at $35,000. Charges were filed after a thorough investigation with assistance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Alberta Sustainable Resources Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.


The following individuals were cited on charges related to unlawfully taking a total of 24 deer in Illinois and Canada over a 10-year period. Specific charges were filed as follows:


Christopher Kiernan (age 45, of Minooka, IL)
11 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
19 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
5 counts of hunting with invalidated permit
5 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
2 counts of falsifying harvest records
1 count each of: Failure to report harvest on the same day as killed, Fail to tag deer as required


Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY)
9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit
4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required,
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record


Larry Smith (age 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario, Canada)
1 count each of the following:
Hunting without permission of landowner
Hunting with invalidated permit
Failure to tag deer as required
Unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
Unlawfully taking of deer
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record"

SOURCE: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Potential Idaho State Record Mule Deer

This is another bit of information from the internet. I received this in an email from my buddy Brady out there. Accutate or not he's a Seed!

"Here's what's coming out of unit 45

Idaho State Record Muzzy buck Harvest Dallas Smith is no stranger when it comes to large mule deer. Over the last few years, Dallas has added three awesome mule deer to his collection each scoring over the magical 200 inch mark. However, none of them come close to the accomplishment he achieved this past week. Dallas harvested the pending new # 4 in the world mule deer with a muzzleloader and it is also the new State Record in Idaho. The unfortunate part of this story is that the buck will never be recorded in the books. Dallas has to date decided that he doesn't want to strip the velvet off the buck to have it officially scored. I can't say that I blame him. It's a once in a lifetime buck and keeping it the way it was when it was harvested is important to Dallas.

Dallas Smith with his latest monster in his collection

Dallas has watched this buck for the past five years and even tried to harvest it a time or two only to fall short in his quest. This is ok if you look at the end result which is a 265 inch gross monster. His Buck has a 204 inch frame with approximately 60 inches of trash. It has only been unofficial scored, but when I held this monster in my hands, score went completely out the window. This buck is dense, heavy, wide, nasty,and just plain old incredible. When I lifted it off the ground, I was amazed at the weight of the antlers. As shown in the picture above, these antlers felt like they would tip the scales at over 15 pounds which is a true monster in anyone's eyes.Comparing this buck to his sheds from the last few years shows this buck has grown into a true giant. Two years ago his sheds scored in at just over 207 gross inches. Last year his sheds grossed at just over the 228 inch mark. Now he has grown into the mega 265 inch giant the Dallas harvested earlier this week.

Dallas With his 265 inch giant

I'm sure you are asking yourself why is this buck in velvet in October? Well, the truth is still somewhat of a mystery to all. He did grow a fresh set of horns every year, however this buck held his velvet well into October every year. Like I said, Dallas knew this buck well. He watched the buck two years ago shed its velvet at the end of October and last year it shed it in the middle of October. At the time of harvest, the testicles of this deer were only one-fourth the size of a normal mule deer. So obviously this buck had some sort of testicular issues whether it be lack of testicles from a birth defect, some sort of trauma, or a genetic defect. This buck grew his antlers a month and half longer then normal mule deer.Is he a cactus buck? In my opinion, yes.

Anytime there is testicular malfunction that allows antlers to grow at an abnormal rate, it should be considered a cactus buck. Some cactus bucks never shed their antlers and some shed them ever few years. In the case of this buck, his deficiency was slight enough that he shed them and grew a new set every year. He had some sort of testosterone deficiency to allow him to grow his antlers for a longer time period than that of a normal mule deer which would fit the definition of a cactus buck.Dallas, my hat is off to you and your brother for keeping this buck such a secret. I don't blame you one bit! As far as I know, the only people that new this buck was alive were Dallas, his wife, his three sons, his brother Ryan and a good friend, Tony. They all kept this buck under wraps until it was on the ground. Congrats to all of you that were mentioned as you all played a part in Dallas harvesting this spectacular trophy. We can't wait for the story and field pictures!

Photo Courtesy of Ryan Smith

Congratulations Dallas on such a fine trophy and a spectacular last few years of hunting these awesome animals. You brothers have done it again, I'm jealous...Steve Alderman "

How to Find the Best Stand Locations for Taking Trophy Whitetails!

So you’ve finally gained access to piece of deer hunting heaven! A piece of ground that has been un-hunted for years. How do you go about deciding how to hunt it? Here’s a some answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions.

Where do you start?
How do you narrow down hundreds of acres into a handful of top stand locations?
How do you find that perfect spot to ambush a trophy whitetail?
How do you pick the right tree?
How will you access the stand?

You Found a Piece Great Piece of Property, Now, Where do You Start?

Once you have secured access to some ground, the next step, if you have not already done so, is to get a good aerial photo of the property. This will be one of the most valuable tools for getting started and can save a great deal of time and effort. I keep a small, laminated version in the truck to refer to all the time. You will be surprised just how off your perception of the lay of the land can be. A good detailed aerial will reveal more about how to begin your scouting and how to hunt a piece of land than you can imagine. This works extremely well for northern areas but a little less so in the south. However, a great deal of useful information can still be gained from an aerial even if you’re a southern hunter, such as a change in the vegetation or edge in the woods where an upland hammock changes to a marsh or planted pines change to a cypress strand or pond. Creek drainages, island, hammocks and other terrain features that are keys to deer movement can be derived from the aerial. In the northern part of the country such as the Midwest you can literally plan your entire strategy from an aerial before you ever set foot on the property. Even bedding areas can be easily determined once you learn how to interpret them. They are typically going to be the thick steep draws, especially if they have been select cut. After that, you are going to need to scout some of the areas you found on the map to verify whatyou have learned from them.

How do you Narrow Down Hundreds of Acres into a Handful of Top Stand Locations?

With your aerials in hand you will be able to identify the most likely stand locations.
I like to start with the fields. Look for inside and outside corners and points that project out into the field. Next, look at the general lay of the land for obvious travel routs for any buck looking to cross from one side of the property to another. Bottle necks or any features that funnel the deer travel will be a key spot. Also try to identify possible saddles that tie two ridges together, this is another great ambush site for all deer and especially Trophy Bucks.

How do you Find the Perfect Spot to Ambush a Trophy Whitetail?

Now that you have some potential key locations identified, its time to put on your hiking boots and get a first hand look at each spot. Any outside points are no brainers, they cut down the width across the field and increase your shooting range. You can have an 80 ac field and if it has a point that projects out into it, more often than not a buck is going to be drawn to walk by it.
If I had to pick one kind of stand location, it would be bottle neck or some kind of funnel that helps force the deer to move thru a narrowed area. This can be formed by fields on each side of a narrow strip of woods. Fences or some natural thick barrier.

You can even create your own funnel if you are hunting on private land. I have a favorite stand overlooking a strip of crp and a lot of the deer I was seeing were passing out of bow range, so I spent half a day cutting 2-3” maple saplings to create a big “v” to force the deer closer to my stand. It was a lot of work but it worked great!

Another spot to always keep an eye open for is a location where multiple types of edge all come together. The more the better. An example of this would be the stand that I killed the doe in the picture here. It’s an inside field corner that butts up to an open wooded bottom to the north and a thick cutover bedding area to the east. This can be a deer magnet. Another good example would be different age or type, stands of timber abutting a cutover or head, etc.

How do you pick the right tree?

Once you have zeroed in on the perfect spot, now comes the delima, picking the right tree. This is often a difficult choice, especially for a bow hunter. One of my favorite hunting buddies Cpt. Rick and I often debate over the right tree for 30-45 minutes before we come to an agreement. There never seems to be a good tree right where you need it and you usually end up in something with a dog leg or crook and it usually takes some head scratching to get the stand on the tree. Personally, I want to be as close as possible to as much sign as I can cover. In an ideal situation you would want to set up so deer don’t come from behind you but sometimes this can’t be helped. It’s a lot easier if you are a gun hunter but when bow hunting, you want to cover as much ground as possible. If you are gun hunting, get back off the sign a little to avoid spooking deer. If you are bow hunting, don’t get to close to a trail you expect deer to travel. Try to stay back 12-15 yds. If you can. You will have less deer busting you and have a better shot angle. On calm mornings it is nearly impossible to draw on a deer that is under 10 yds.

How will you access the stand?

How you access the stand can be extremely important. Always avoid walking in front of your stand and approach from the rear or side. There are hundreds of different scenarios you could consider but in general try to avoid approaching where you expect the deer to be. Use any possible cover to hide your approach. If you are hunting in thick woods like in the south, make a chop trail to your stand so you can avoid contact with the vegetation. This will help you avoid contaminating your walk trail with scent. Many times deer will start using your trail but it’s a trade off you have to live with.

If you will follow some of these tips and apply them they will get you that much closer to your goal of putting a Trophy Buck in the back of your truck!

Good hunting!
Larry Stephens

Less Scouting Just Might Help you Harvest a Buck of a Lifetime! Here's How!

Less scouting can equal more trophy bucks! I’ll bet you have never heard that before! Let me tell you how you can be more successful with less scouting and harvest the buck of a life time!

• Over scouting can push a resident buck out of the area!
• Over scouting can cause bucks to go nocturnal!
• Do part of your scouting on the way in and out of your stand.
• Stay out of thick areas lay-up!
• In open country scout deer movement patterns with optics from a distance!

Watch any hunting show or read any magazine articles related to hunting Deer and when you get to the section discussing scouting you will probably get the sense that you have to spend every spare minute scouting, leaving no rock unturned. Well, not exactly so. Over scouting can be even more detrimental to taking a trophy than under scouting.

Once you are Really Familiar with your property and how Deer use it
under various conditions you will know which stand to hunt without scouting.

Minimal scouting can be a major key to talking a trophy buck. To accomplish this you have to really know the property you are hunting. Obviously, the first few years you are on a new property you are going to need to do a lot of scouting to familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and how the deer use the property. In farm country such as in the mid-west, how the deer use the property will change from year to year ,depending on crop rotation, acorn crop, if the farmer has turned under the field , snow, etc.. You will need to determine where the bedding areas, feeding areas and any travel corridors that guide deer into confined movement areas. A lot of this knowledge can be learned during the off season, either turkey hunting or shed horn hunting, etc. Once you are really familiar with your piece of property you won’t need to stomp every inch of it just before you start hunting.

If you are hunting during the rut there is a revolving door of bucks entering and leaving your property so you can get away with a little more stomping around but you do still run the risk of educating a buck that might be on the hit list. If you do have the misfortune to spook the buck your hunting off the property there will be a new one there the next day, so all is not lost. If you are hunting pre or post rut you don’t have Bucks moving from property to property as much so take more care not to let this happen.

In the above photo i'm using a frozen creek between an alfalfa fieldand corn field to hide my access to a prime stand!

A Field Stand will Take a lot more Pressure than a Woods Stand!

Crossing an open crop field is far less impact on the deer than if he smells where you have walked in the woods. Field stands can be hunted much more than your woods stands. I have noticed that deer pay little to no attention when they cut your trail crossing a field. There is usually no vegetation to swipe against your legs and pick up scent and fibers from your cloths. Leave some scent in the woods and it’s a different story.

It should not take you to long to figure out where the prime stand locations are on your property. We like to take care of all of our stand work during spring gobbler season. Sometimes we are forced to move a stand or hang a new stand during the season based on a new movement pattern but keeping this to a minimum will help keep the disturbance down. This is really important, especially when hunting small properties. Keep in mind that does are much more tolerant of human intrusion than are bucks, A Big Bucks with 3 or 4 hunting seasons behind him will not stand for being jumped out of his bed. He won’t use that spot again for a long time, maybe never.

The Buck above was taken from a travel corridor stand in the woodsthat is adjacent to a field access. No Scouting required!

Our lease in Illinois is approx. 420 acres and about half is woods. We have over 20 stand locations that cover all the key spots on the farm. A few of these stands will be cold each year as the conditions are always different from year to year but the rest will all be productive spots that you could see a Trophy in, at any time. The balance of land is field and big draws. You really have to stay away from the draws as this is prime bedding and you can’t hunt it without blowing them out of there trying to get in. With this situation we can go to a stand cold and do a little scouting on the way in, hunt and get out. There is no need to stomp the place flat just to look at the sign. If he is there he’s going to end up at one of our stands, it’s just a matter of time. This is the best low pressure method of hunting small property.

If your Stands are Located Properly you really don’t need to Scout!

If you learn your property and get your stands located in all the prime movement spots ahead of the hunting season so you are not forced to be walking all over the woods when your supposed to be hunting, you’ll be able to hunt effectively with almost no scouting. That Trophy Whitetail your after will never know what hit him!

Good Hunting,
Larry Stephens

Monster 2007 Iowa Whitetail

Well, If you like Big Monster Bucks.....here he is. I don't know much about the story behind the harvest but reports indicate he was harvested in 2007 in Iowa.

There is always hope!

Good Hunting

Larry

Monster Illinois Buck Found Dead!

Reports have surfaced about another Monster Buck found dead in the state of Illinois.

The Monster's remains were found dead by a pair of bird hunters near Petersburg, Illinois. The pair were pushing a high grass drainage when they stumbled upon the Massive Antlers and skeletol remains. Apparantly coyote's had worked the carcuss over pretty well at that point.

State Game Officials were summoned to investigate and verify the find and no wounds could be found among the remains that could be attributed to the death.

Apparantly the existance of the Trophy Whitetail was know to local hunters but know one was able to harvest the Monarch. Such is the case with many Trophy's of this magnitude. They get this big for a reason and most have some small out of the way niche where people just don't bother to explore or a piece of ground where hunting is not allowed.

The ellusive Buck was caught by a camera trap at night but that appears to be the only record of his existance.

Reports state the the massive rack has an unofficial non-typical score of 246" Boone & Crocket.

Hunting Northern Idaho for Big Trophy Whitetails!

Hunting Northern Idaho for Big Trophy Whitetails!

Hunting Northern Idaho can be one of the most rewarding and greatest adventures you can undertake. You will see and experience some of the most beautiful country you can imagine. If you enjoy the outdoors you’ll find Idaho is pretty much heaven on earth.

Reasons to consider Hunting Idaho!

1. Variety of game species to hunt and view, including Trophy Whitetail.
2. The natural scenic Beauty.
3. The adventure.
4. Amount of access to Quality hunting ground.
5. The history of the area.
6. The overall variety of outdoor activity’s to experience .

Each year my good friend Cpt. Rick and I would journey from Central Florida to Northern Idaho to hunt with our good friends Jim and Brady Jones. We had some tremendous adventures hunting this rugged country and saw a variety of other big game species including, elk, mule deer, moose and bear. We never got to see a cougar but we did cut a few tracks here and there.

What is the Best Method for seeing the Most Trophy Deer?

When hunting these big woods the name of the game is to cover as much ground as possible. There are no mast crops and the deer are basically limited to browse. This presents a difficult problem to overcome as there is little to nothing to concentrate the deer. On the plus side, the deer can be a little more visible as they have to spend more time on their feet feeding. We would hunt all day, daylight to dark and we found the deer would move throughout the day especially when it was overcast. However, clear, sunny sky’s will slow deer movement to a trickle and you will be in for a tough hunt.

This is really big country and a typical canyon is so wide you can’t shoot across it. It can be a little difficult to find places with good visibility that you

can actually shoot. I fell into a pattern of still hunting and walking, jump shooting the deer like quail. You will see plenty of deer at long range but using the technique, most will be inside 100 yds.

Other Places to find Big Trophy Bucks!

There were a number of other situations and patterns we found that could be exploited. There are a lot of meadows to be found in this country and this can be a great place to take up a stand and spend some time. They tend to be long and not so wide but you can really stretch your barrel on many of them. Others include areas that were being actively logged that made the freshly cut tops with moss and other plants available to the deer. Young clear cuts were another deer magnet and can be hunted by still hunting from the road system. Many times a small spot of flat ground can be a magnet for deer in steep country.

The Ever Present Danger Factor!

One of the most exciting and intriguing aspects of hunting in Idaho was the danger factor. It was always in the back of your mind that in the blink of an eye, any given situation could rapidly deteriorate into a life threatening situation and I can tell you we had our share of close calls, and then some. Every day was an adventure and you never knew what you were going to get yourself into. We found ourselves in several situations that we wondered if we were going to make it out of in one piece.

We had situations were we were lost, overturned 4 wheelers on steep slopes, mechanical breakdowns, black ice, white outs, slid the truck off the road into ditches, nearly got our boat trapped in a frozen reservoir, almost rolled the truck off a skidder road with a 1500’ drop, etc, etc.. When I think of the tights we got our self into I just shake my head.

We have been in the back country with 15-20” of snow on the ground in places so remote no one else had even dared to break trail. You had to have chains on the truck and the 4wheelers! Talk about fun….get your truck stuck in 16” of mud and snow in the hairpin of a narrow logging road that is pitched to the down hill slope and you have to lift your rig with a farm jack to put on the chains….and it 26 deg.!

Items you need to Include in your Pack!

Your day pack needs to include all the standard emergency items including, communications, emergency food, compass (with backup), lighter & fire starter kit, emergency space blanket, saw, rope, map, etc.. You have to be prepared in this country.

Is Idaho for the Do-It-Yourselfer?

You can hunt Idaho, do-it-yourself style but I would recommend going with an outfitter to get familiar with what you are in for, at least for your first trip, if you are not experienced with this type of hunting. If you are looking for an adventure you will never forget, unbelievable scenery and some great hunting then Idaho might be just what you are looking for.

Good hunting!
Larry Stephens

Youth Takes Monster Buck!

I received the following information on this buck in an email.

I would take the following with a grain of salt until it is verified but if it is not a doctored photo, it an incredible buck!

Larry S.

"From a guy who hunts in the general area that the buck was taken.

Deer Hunters:

Here are some early photos of a great deer taken during the youth hunt this> year. This buck was shot at a property only eight miles from where I hunt> on my brother-in-law's property in Grant County. We saw a buck with 16 inch tines two years ago. It could have been him or a relative. Anyway, Grant County produces some great bucks every year.

This buck green scores 203 Typical, NET, not gross. If so, this would place this buck in the top> three typicals all time in Wisconsin, and that includes the great Jordan Buck at 207 that was world record for decades. These pictures were taken in front of the Cabela's store in Prairie du Chien.

The hunter shown in the picture a 15 year old Williams boy from Millville, WI. The deer was shot between Millville and Woodman. The buck was shot with a rifle during the youth hunt in early October. This deer has 16 inch tines.

The manager at Cabelas offered him $25,000 on the spot the day the pictures were taken. Cabela's offer included making a replica set of antlers that look identical> to the originals and the hunter would be able to keep the cape. The boy and his father turned down that offer. The manager then called the Cabelas headquarters in Nebraska and immediately got permission to offer the boy $61,000 for the rack. He still said no.

Writers and photographers from various deer magazines descended on Wisconsin to see the deer so I'm sure> you will see more about this buck in the upcoming days. "

How to Stay Ahead of the Curve and Take More Trophy Whitetails!

If your going to be consistently successful on bagging big bucks you have to know how to adjust your strategy to what the deer are doing! Here are some tips and tricks that will keep you in the hunt when others are still trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
Deer can change their pattern like flipping a switch!

If you haven’t already noticed, deer have an uncanny way of keeping most hunters in a fog. Many hunters stay consistently behind the curve and typically it takes most at least three days to figure out the deer have changed their pattern. What are they doing, and why? More importantly, how can you capitalize on the current pattern. Many hunters will continue to go back to the same stand time and again because they have always seen deer there in the past or maybe its an easy walk to a stand that has a nice view out of the wind. It might be a field that he has been seeing deer feeding in regularly but all of a sudden he has not seen a deer in three sittings. Deer can change to a new pattern at a moments notice, like flipping a light switch. All hunters are going to get behind the curve from time to time but the best of them learn to quickly recognize a change has happened and adjust their hunting strategy accordingly.

If you are hunting close to home, being a few steps behind may not be a big deal but if you have taken time off of work to hunt or you are hunting a 3 day firearms hunt, you cannot afford to be out of tune with what the deer are currently doing.

A good example of a feeding pattern change happened this year here on my lease in central Florida. Bow season opens here around the third week of September. Baiting is legal here on private land and most hunters typically run a feeder with whole corn. Before the season opened the deer were hitting the feeders hard but just as the opening weekend arrived the deer abandoned the feeders all together. What had happened? The feed had changed! Live Oak acorns had begun to fall and the deer changed their feeding pattern overnight. Deer love corn but will walk right over it to get to an oak tree that’s dropping green-n-whites!

On a hunt in Illinois a couple years ago I was hunting my favorite stand on a point of some planted pines, overlooking a picked corn field. I had been seeing a pile of deer and some really nice bucks, when over night a front blew in and dumped 12” of fresh snow on the fields. The next day, you literally could not find a track on that field, or any other. Overnight, the deer had switched to browsing in the woods. You could walk across a 60 acre field and maybe cut a couple tracks, get to the fence and look over, more deer tracks than you could shake a stick at. The deer were stripping anything with a leaf in reach, even the dead one that had fallen on the snow. That was a 4 day gun hunt and by the time we figured out the change it was to late and we went home empty handed.

If you find some hot sign, hunt it immediately! Don't try to save if for later!

One of the most important tips I can give you is, do not try to save some smoking hot sign for a latter hunt. This almost never works! Typically, you will return a week later only to find the sign dried up and the deer have moved on. How many times have you found yourself hunting something you felt was pretty good only to run across feeding sign that just had the ground pulverized or a line of smoking scrapes and rubs along some ridge and think to yourself, “I’ll come back here in a few days and hunt this”. If you are lucky enough to stumble onto something hot, jump on it immediately! You can bet the farm its going to change and most likely sooner than later.

In the Midwest the scrapes you find in late October freshly pawed on a daily bases will be abandoned by the first week of November as bucks begin a frenzied search for the first does to come into heat. Deer will typically quit a soy bean field as soon as the corn is combined in favor of the easy picking’s and preferred feed.

Many changes in deer behavior can be timed with the season, the harvest of a crop, a weather change, etc.

Always be on the lookout for the next change and learn to recognize a shift in the pattern at the earliest possible time and you will be a more successful hunter, guaranteed!

Good hunting,
Larry Stephens

The Kill Zone for Trophy Bucks!

So you want to kill a trophy buck! There are a few secrets you need to know to increase your odds!

Well, first you have to establish what a trophy buck really is. There are many ways to define a trophy whitetail but as a rule were talking about bucks that score north of 150” gross B&C. Very few hunters would ever consider passing on a shot at such an animal unless he had some actionable intel that something much larger was in the area. Then again that info. may be useless. Depending on the timing of the rut that deer could be 5 miles away on another farm. Regardless of what may be known to be in the area, passing on a 150 probably means your going home with your tag in your pocket.

Of course, the area of the country your hunting has to also be taken into consideration. If you apply this same 150 rule to the south east or even many eastern and western states your probably not going to be eating much deer meat.

The next question is where? A discussion on where to consistently see big trophy bucks leads you to one location…..the Midwest. The Midwest states are going to give you the best odds for putting a trophy in your cross hairs. I would recommend you spend some time looking at the record books, particularly the Pope & Young book. Again, any of the top 10 states are obviously great places to hunt but pay attention to the top 2 or 3 unless you have some specific reliable recommendation on some of the others. On a well managed property in the Midwest it is not unreasonable to expect to see a 150 class or larger deer. Our 420 ac lease consistently produces opportunities at 150 class deer every year. Getting them in bow range and killing them can be another story.

The last question is specifically where? You have a property to hunt but where on that property is going to give you your best chances at a big buck? I have spent all my life hunting Florida. A more difficulty place to hunt there is not! For this reason I find hunting the Midwest states relatively easy. There is a limited amount of cover, the food sources are obvious and the limited cover produces a lot of bottle necks and travel corridors.

Much of the discussion of where depends on two factors, what phase of the rut your dealing with and the weather. If it is unseasonably warm the does are not going to be coming to the fields to feed much in the daylight. Therefore, your not going to see many bucks there. You might catch one first thing, just cracking daylight crossing a field the does are using at night but after that you better be in the woods. For me that means a bottle neck or funnel that connects multiple wood lots or bedding areas. Better yet, a bottle neck next to a section of woods that has been select cut. In the Midwest that’s a prime bedding area if there ever was one.

If you are hunting with a firearm that might effect your decision a little due to the increased range. Obviously, you are going to see more overall deer where you have the greatest visibility, that’s a crop field but the deer have to be feeding on it.

If there is any deer movement at all you can bet some of it is going to be thru a bottleneck. Day in and day out a bottle neck is going to produce the most big buck opportunities. It works anytime deer are moving.

The Bottleneck is the Ultimate Kill Zone for Big Trophy Bucks!

Most bottle necks can be discovered from studying a good aerial photograph. Others, might require a little leg work. Never overlook the opportunities provided by a good bottle neck! Next time your hunting, find yourself one of these kill zones, harvest yourself a “seed” and remember to send me a picture and a thank you.


Good hunting,
Larry Stephens