Dad and I spent a little time hanging stands and filling feeders on the family farm in Kentucky last weekend. I always forget how much fun these chores are in sweltering summer heat. Wasps, which love to make nests under the seats of old stands that need to be moved and on the undersides of feeder lids, add to the appeal. Such is the life of a bowhunter in the Southeast.

While I use climbing stands for most of my hunting, a few permanent, portable stands are nice to have in proven areas on the farm. One such spot is pictured above. It's on the side of a white oak ridge overlooking a natural mineral spring. These springs, common in the area, were believed to have health benefits years ago, and Dawson Springs, where I'm originally from, had a thriving tourism industry built around them years ago. That's beside the point now. Deer use the fire out of them, particularly in the early season.

Hanging that stand while Dad was on the ground giving proper instruction reminded me of several tricks we've picked up over the years for hanging stands. This task will put a man in an array of uncomfortable contortions, especially when trying to balance on a screw-in step. So we throw a climbing stand into the mix, which gives us a nice working platform. We then pull the portable stand up with a rope, and secure it to the trunk of the tree with a slip knot. This gives us a chance to have both arms free for fastening the chain, or v-bar, or whatever is in place for that particular stand. Finally, we add the steps as we're descending the tree.

I've put up a lot of stands without a climbing stand, and while it is extra weight to pack in, it certainly makes the chore much more comfortable and safe.

One last thing, guys, before my wife interrupts me to finish watching Sweet Home Alabama with her yet again (I have to admit; it's a chick flick I can tolerate): Wear those safety belts, especially when climbing up, down, and doing work like hanging stands. Falls happen fast, and they can happen to anyone. A good buddy of mine found that out the hard way while sitting in a stand last winter. He broke a few vertebrae, but fortunately, he'll be able to hunt again this fall.

Will Brantley

Let's face it, when most whitetail hunting enthusiasts picture themselves making autumn trips into the woods, thoughts turn to the Mid-West and Great Plains, and rightly so. These two regions of Middle America spit out more than their share of gagger-sized bucks. It's where I cut my whitetail hunting teeth and also where I've arrowed a handful of Pope & Young candidates to boot. In fact, every season I load up my ol' beat-up truck and point it east in hopes of releasing an arrow at one of the heavy-beamed brutes these regions are known for.

But any serious whitetail hunter should not overlook the western whitetail opportunities found in the rugged hills and tree-torn creek bottoms found there. After all, it was the boys at Realtree who brought western whitetail hunting into our living rooms season after season, causing many of us to add these non-traditional whitetail regions to our own hunting wish list. When you consider the overall whitetail numbers and trophy potential states like Montana, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming and Colorado consistently produce, you might want to trade that small Mid-Western wood lot for the elbow room these western hangouts provide.

Montana is king when it comes to overall B&C and P&Y entries with 597 making the lofty record book cut. Colorado comes in a distance second with 235 book bucks, and the often overlooked state of Washington rounds out the top three with 178 bucks etched in the pages of these esteemed record keeping accounts. Don't count out Idaho with 158 toads or Wyoming with 143 brutes making the cut either.

As the numbers add up--1,311 to be exact--one can see a trip to any of these western hangouts should be on your wish list too. Here are a handful of bucks my buddies Keith Miller of Montana Whitetails (www.montanawhitetails.com) and Mike Schmid of Solitude Ranch in Wyoming (www.huntsro.com) guided hunters to the last couple of seasons. And if this doesn't get you wanting a western whitetail fix, then nothing else will!

Late last week, I flew in a cool helicopter over some prime Northwest Texas ranchland. As always, i had my camera in hand and was furiously shooting pictures. The reason for the flight was to take some aerial landscapes. After a few minutes, though, it became like a game of Where's Waldo as I stared down into the brush looking for deer.

I saw lots of deer and a few decent bucks in the scrub. This area of Texas is so remote, chances are the deer have never seen an aircraft and most just started as we flew past.

Russell Graves
-Texian

Labels: Texas

After a little research for the article, "Best Archers of All Time," that I wrote last year, I quickly realized that today's archery has changed a bit. Duh. If you're not an archery historian, and I'm not claiming to be, then you'll find the feats of Ishi, Saxton Temple Pope, and the likes incredible. And then you have my personal favorite, Howard Hill (pictured above).

Courtesy of http://www.huntsro.com/

Courtesy of www.huntsro.com

From the Wild West
-Brian Strickland

Alright Rack Readers, I've got a question for you.

What would you think if your state decided to open a gun season before your archery season begins? I'm assuming here that most states hold their bow seasons before the gun season -- I realize there may be a few exceptions.

Well, my home state of Michigan is about to do just that. Recently, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission approved an early firearms season for antlerless deer in the southern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

This region is primarily farm country with ideal habitat for producing huge numbers of deer -- too many deer in fact. For a number of years, the southern reaches of the state have been well above the DNR's population goals. We're talking about densities of 50-plus deer per square mile.

In an attempt to cut the population back, the NRC and Department of Natural Resources are adding a gun season for antlerless deer which will be held in mid-September, about two weeks before the start of the state's archery season which opens on October 1.

I admit that, personally, I have mixed feelings over the hunt. I certainly understand the need for population control and I don't think the season will have any negative biological impact on the local deer herd. In fact, in the long run I think it could have a positive impact. We do, indeed, have too many deer. And, based on my personal observations, our sex ratios are way out of whack and the age structure leaves plenty to be desired.

We certainly need to kill more does. But, as a diehard bowhunter, I'll also admit that I'm not wild about the idea of having a gun season held before the start of the bow season. The opportunity to observe and hunt deer in a natural and relaxed state is one of the primary reasons that I enjoy bow season so much. Believe me, when you have 750,000 gun hunters in the woods, deer behave very, very differently.

Now, I don't think we'll see the type of participation in the September hunt that we see in our traditional November 15-30 gun season. But there will be some participation and I suspect it will have an impact on how deer behave in the archery season.

That said, I think the season could also provide some additional hunting opportunities at a time of year when the weather is decent (in fact, it will likely be too warm rather than too cold) and it will allow hunters to jumpstart their pursuit of whitetails.

As I said, we have too many does and we need to knock them back. This hunt is a way to do that.
Will I participate in the season?

Yes I will. I love being a deer hunter and I take pride in being a "deer manager." Our state biologists are asking for the help of hunters in reducing deer numbers. I want to do my part -- plus the thought of firing up the grill and sizzling up an ultra-fresh hunk of backstrap before a Michigan State football game sounds pretty good.

However, I'll probably stick with the archery tackle. I have nothing whatsoever against guns or gun hunting -- I'll spend a big chunk of time in the woods this year with a firearm. But I love to target a doe or two early in the year with my bow. It's tremendous preparation for the shot I hope to have at a good buck later in the year and there's just something special about taking a deer with a bow that I love. The September season seems like a great time to do just that.

So, put yourself in my shoes, what would you think about your state holding a gun season before your state's archery season? Would you support it? Would you participate?

Tony Hansen, Michigan Man

 went to my local farm store here in C-town and picked up a couple of sacks of deer corn today. Although I expected the price to be high, I swallowed hard when my buddy Matt told me that the price is now $9.60 for a 50-pound sack.

Labels: Texas

The Southeast and city limits. The Midwest and cornfields. Mentioning these things together doesn't seem to jive when you're talking about massive whitetails. But, deer are unpredictable creatures, and giants have a way of thriving where we don't expect to find them. Take this 213 4/8-inch non-typical bowkill, for example, taken in 2007 by Jay Maxwell in an Atlanta suburb.

To make a long story short, Maxwell is an accomplished and well-traveled bowhunter who has hunted whitetails and various other critters across the United States. But prior to last season, he spent much of his hunting effort knocking on suburban doors, trying to gain permission to tiny woodlots. He focused his asking efforts in cul-de-sacs, as he said houses in those areas typically adjoined the largest plots of timber. "I've always had the good fortune of hunting big farms, sometimes thousands of acres at a time," Maxwell says. "But I've also been aware of the success some of these 'metro' hunters have by funneling deer down to them in tiny blocks of woods. By the time season opened, I had permission to hunt several tracts, from 1 to 10 acres in size."

When Maxwell pulled into the driveway of one particular house around October 1st, a couple does were casually feeding in the yard. The homeowner granted him permission to hunt, and Maxwell decided to take a quick look around behind the house. The area was torn up with rubs and scrapes.

Despite the promising sign, Maxwell found himself hunting various other areas once the season opened, at least until the homeowner called him early one morning to say he'd just seen a big buck in his yard. Maxwell had taken care of his pertinent work chores for the day, so he slipped into his hunting clothes, grabbed his bow, and was walking into the tract of woods by 11:30 a.m. With a stiff breeze in his face, he elected to stillhunt, and almost immediately spotted a small 6-pointer standing with a doe.

The two deer seemed to be eyeing something, and with the entire afternoon at his disposal, Maxwell began a careful stalk to get closer. That's when he bumped an unseen doe and several other deer. As they fled, the hunter got a good look at the south end of a giant buck.

Worried that he'd just blown his chances, Maxwell barely had time to contemplate his next move before he heard the deer returning. Sure enough, the big buck stepped within sight, along with several does, and began to settle down. With the wind still in his favor, Maxwell again went into stalking mode. This time, he was able to breach the 50-yard mark, within his comfortable shooting range. When the buck stepped into a small clearing, Maxwell drew his 86-pound Hoyt, settled his pin and released. The buck, hit solidly through the shoulder, actually ran toward him at the shot, and collapsed only a few yards away.

Will Brantley

Brian Strickland

-From the Wild West

So this is what it feels like to be a winner.

Exactly five minutes ago, I finally brought myself to check the status of my Iowa nonresident deer application. The results have been available for two days but I just couldn't bring myself to check -- you know the old theory of no news is good news.
Well, I finally had to know so I pulled up the Iowa DNR site, typed in my name and there it was that one glorious word of whitetail promise: Awarded.

I had two points going into the lottery and I've never chased whitetails in Iowa before. I've heard plenty of stories and, of course, drooled over the footage captured by the Realtree cameras and others.

I'll be hunting during the archery season in famed Zone 6. Now I just need to find a place to hunt. Details, details.

Even if I end up hunting on public land, I'll be happy. Why? Becuase I know I'm hunting in a state that produces more that its fair share of mature bucks. And that's all that matters.

I was surprised that Iowa's system allows you to check on the status of your tag simply by typing in your last name. So, of course, I had to have a little fun and go through and see who else entered their name in the Iowa lottery.

I see that Michael Waddell will be road-trippin' to Iowa in the fall. He also drew a Zone 6 archery tag. Bill Jordan and David Blanton, unfortunately, will have to get their fill of whitetail bone elsewhere -- and I have no doubt that they will.


Travis Turner from Georgia will also be hunting in Zone 6 during bow season. Could that be Realtree's own T-Bone?

While I was having my fun, I thought I'd see if Ronald McDonald happened to apply for a tag (Kris Kringle did not) and, of course, there was no one with that name in the system. I did notice, however, that two guys named James T McDonald entered the lottery. One drew a tag, the other did not. I'd hate to be the guy who didn't draw. Imagine his disappointment when he checks his name, and sees that he was awarded a tag. Then he does a double-check on the hometown and realizes it wasn't him. Ouch.

So I'm headed to Iowa. Someone please wipe this grin off my face. Anyone want to let me know what I'm in for?

Tony Hansen, Michigan Man

I saw on the news the other day that Old Spice ranks Memphis, Tennessee, (Cordova, where I'm living now, is a Memphis suburb) among the nation's sweatiest cities. I've found reason to agree with that nearly every afternoon this month. Consequently, even though I love early-season bowhunting, I've found it a little difficult to turn my thoughts from fishing to sitting in a treestand. But, several public-land opportunities around here may give me the chance to combine the two.

Rivers, some big (like a little trickle called the Lower Mississippi River), and some small abound in and around many of the WMAs and National Wildlife Refuges in West Tennessee. I've quickly learned a few things after several fishing trips to these places this summer. One, once you're a mile or two away from the boat launch, things are pretty remote. Two, I'm seeing quite a few deer, and a ton of sign, along the banks of these rivers. Some of the dry sandbars are loaded with tracks.

So, it seems to me that replacing the tackle boxes and rods-and-reels in my boat with my climbing stand and bowcase, or maybe even just my bow and a daypack for stillhunting, would be pretty easy, and might be a good way to get away from the masses in these areas. Plus, throwing a dead deer on the bow of the boat and motoring back to the truck with a cool breeze in my face is much more appealing than, say, dragging that same dead deer through a cottonmouth-guarded riverbottom at midnight.

So, have any of you guys ever used a boat to access a public area? It's a great idea in theory, but honestly--is it worth the trouble?

Will Brantley

Back in June, I traveled to a place that has to be on every whitetail enthusiasts "must-see" list - The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum in San Antonio Texas.

The museum's newest incarnation is just a few blocks from The Alamo but the first time I was there(back when I was about 12), it was a few miles from downtown at the old Lone Star Beer Brewery. At either location, the museum is still a whitetail fanatics' dream as it is filled with all kinds of cool mounts and whitetail memorabilia from Texas. In fact, an entire room is dedicated to Texas' favorite game animal.

The antler collection began back when the bar opened in 1881. Bar owner Albert Friedrich began this immense antler collection by trading a glass of beer or a shot of whiskey for deer antlers. The collection grew and today sports thousands of sets of antlers. As you roam the space, you'll see freakish whitetail racks, piebald whitetail mounts, and huge deer from all over Texas. Hanging as a centerpiece over the bar is the massive, 286-inch, 78 scorable points Brady Buck which the bar acquired for $100 back in the 1920s.

If you are western movie enthusiast and have seen Lonesome Dove, you may recognize the museum's bar as it was in an early scene of the epic mini-series. Aside from the whitetail collection, the museum also has an impressive collection of African and North American game, fish, and Texas related memorabilia.

Take it from me, you have to go...

In the Texas Panhandle,

Russell A. Graves

Labels: Texas

This video shows one of 2007's greatest bucks. This monster was taken in Canada by Helgie Eymundson. Check out the video just after Helgie took this magnificent buck.

Hunting whitetails for me is a year around affair. In fact, if you were to ask my wife if I've ever had a love affair outside of our 13 years of matrimony, she would nod and say unequivocally, "bowhunting whitetails!" Like many of you, I eat, sleep, breath and dream whitetails. Regardless of whether it's during the heat of summer, when just thinking about going outside makes you sweat, or the peak of winter when the mercury has bottomed-out and snow is measured in feet instead of inches, I'm thinking about bowhunting whitetails. On more than one occasion my wife has given me a quick nudge because my eyes were glazed over only to find out that I was thinking about a morning on stand last November. I guess you could say it's a crazy love affair, and I'm sure many of you guys have also been bitten by the same bug.

You would think for a guy living in Colorado bugling bull elk, fuzzy-horned mulies and eye-catching pronghorns would be my passion. Although each one of these critters get my undivided attention for a few weeks every fall, my season really begins and ends with whitetails.

It would be cool to hear from some of you guys about this too. Let us know if you're as passionate about chasing whitetail bucks as we on the Realtree Rack Report are, and why. Is it the spectacular racks they carry, their wise and weary ways, or just sitting in a stand on an early November morning taking everything in? I can tell you one thing--if you're driving by a wood lot and bring your truck to a crawl so you can rubber neck to see if a whitetail is skirting its edge, then I would say you've been bitten by the love bug too, the "crazy love" bug!

-Brian Strickland
From the Wild West

And so it begins.

The official start of the 2008 deer season is a few months distant but, make no mistake, the season is upon us. And what better way to officially kick off the season than with my first blog on The Rack Report? It seems only fitting that we start this deal with a proper introduction.

My name is Tony Hansen and I am a bow-carrying member of the League of Whitetail Fanatics.

I hail from the whitetail-crazed state of Michigan and the Great Lakes State is home to more than 2 million deer and 1 million deer hunters. Hunter Orange is the state's official color. Our deer hunting tradition spans more than a century and this state's love of deer hunting is something I take great pride in being a part of. But it does also present its challenges.

Throughout the course of the season, we'll share plenty of stories of the hunt and I think you'll quickly realize that much of my hunting effort will be focused on maintaining as low a profile as I possibly can in my pursuit of one of the big boys that call my region of southern Michigan home. There are some gagger bucks here. Big, massive long-tined brutes that are masters of escape. Michigan has some of the highest hunter-densities in the nation. Kill a mature buck here and you've accomplished something incredible. I have no doubt that there are plenty of League members out there who can relate.

But killing a mature buck, no matter how steep the odds, is our goal. It's a journey we look forward to taking every year.

And that's what I hope to bring to The Rack Report - a dose of real-deal hunting reality. Like many of you, I'll be hunting on property near my home that local farmers and landowners were gracious enough to grant me permission to hunt. I will be sharing the property with several other hunters and that, as you all know, adds a challenging twist.

I'm not a big-name, buck-whacking celebrity. I'm not the most talented or gifted hunter in the woods. I will screw up this year. I will have hunts messed up. I can promise you that. But I can also promise this: I'll work my tail off this season and try to use every ounce of brain power I have. Hunt hard, hunt smart. That's all I can do. And that's enough.
I'm a Yankee by region but a hard-huntin' redneck by choice.

Amen to that. Now, let's talk whitetails.

Tony Hansen, Michigan Man

There's something cool about finding a new place to hunt. I spent many of my college days driving western Kentucky back roads, knocking on farmers' doors, and asking permission to hunt. Usually, I'd initially ask about squirrel hunting. A few squirrel trips would lead to more conversations with the farmers, and on more than one occasion, the topic of deer hunting arose. I found some great bowhunting spots like that, and still hunt a few of them to this day.

Scouting those new spots, often while squirrel hunting (squirrels were a great source of protein to a strapped-for-cash college student), was an adventure. Each worn path near a bedding area, or late-evening deer sighting in a crop field reassured me that the hunting techniques I'd learned at home as a budding bowhunter would serve me away from home as well. Arrowing that first big doe before (or maybe during) biology class one morning was a definite confirmation.

Having moved to Cordova, Tennessee, late last fall, I again find myself in a new place in the weeks ahead of another bow season. There's a ton of public land around here; three or four places within an hour's drive, so I've got a lot of options. I'm a little intimidated by these big West Tennessee river bottoms, as they don't look like the Kentucky hills where I grew up. But man, there are a bunch of deer in this part of the world. I intend to learn them, and maybe earn a shot or two before the season ends. Having the opportunity to share what happens here, in real time, sort of reminds me of going back to the dormitory and sharing hunt reports with my roommates in college. They were all hunters too.

Will Brantley

I was out scouting for bucks with my two little kids last week and I realized that since I'd been out to my hunting place four times in the past five days, I guess my season has started already.

I'm blessed to live just five miles from where I hunt so I am out exploring all year long. However, each July, my thoughts towards the new season become more focused. Over the next few days, I'll be hanging some stands and setting out a blind or two - you know - fluffing the ol' whitetail nest in hopes of seeing and harvesting a buck this year.

I am especially excited to get all of my stuff in order because after three seasons of tagging along, I think this is the one where my daughter will harvest her first deer so stay tuned for that.

Oh, back to scouting... I've been seeing some nice immature bucks around the place like this dandy nine-point. While I'll make sure he lives another year, I hope he makes through the gauntlet as he goes on other people's land.



So, I'd like to hear some feedback. When does your season unofficially start?

-Russell Graves
From the Lone Star State

Labels: Texas

Over the past several months we've been working on a whitetail site that caters to what you, the hunter, want. We've included hunting podcasts, an IQ game that will really test your knowledge (and could give you the chance to win a new iPod), hardcore tips on land management in our Whitetailology section and many more great features, including this blog, The Rack Report.

The Rack Report is a place for you to send photos, stories, questions, comments or whatever you want on the subject of whitetails. We want to make sure everyone knows about the monster bucks being taken each fall, and we also want you to know about the rumors as well. And if you have a question on management, we'll get it answered through one of the QDMA biologists.

In order to optimize this blog in each region, we've enlisted some hardcore hunters from around the country to get involved. The bloggers include: Will Brantley from Tennessee, Tony Hansen from Michigan, Russell Graves from Texas, Brian Strickland from Colorado, and I'll be reporting from the Realtree headquarters in Columbus, Georgia. And we'll likely add one or two more as reports stream in.

We look forward to hearing your comments and posting your stories about your deer.

Email all material to: whitetail@realtree.com

-Jake