ESPN Hunting

Deer blog archive: Opening Day | In the woods

Salzman puts things into perspective

We got word recently that J.R. Salzman, the former logrolling champion, made his first foray into the woods for deer season.

December marked the anniversary of his nearly getting killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq; he survived, but with the loss of his right hand and maiming of his left. (For a (much) longer description of those events, check out "The Recovery of J.R. Salzman," published on this site last September.) The three deer he shot this season were his first since the attack, and some of his first experience shooting with his reconfigured hands.

He attends the University of Wisconsin-Stout and maintains a fine weblog called Lumberjack in a Desert but for the most part, J.R.'s injuries have made typing a real chore for him. When we received from him a long e-mail about his hunts, then, it felt like something of an honor.

Read more

— Sam Eifling

Taking the computer outside

OK ... So, first of all, what was my editor Steve Bowman thinking when he gave me this assignment?

With all the talented people on his staff, why in the world would he send me, the tech/programming guy for ESPNOutdoors.com, to cover the topic of deer hunting in New England?

The woods are no place for a guy accustomed to spending his days coding away in front of a computer screen — and frankly, it's a miracle some dude in hunter orange and camo didn't just put me down for good.

In any case, here it goes … the hunting education of one Fred Lalande. Read story

— Fred Lalande

Text messaging for hunters

It's been said that when taking youngsters deer hunting, having a video game or some other technological gadgetry is recommended to help occupy their time in the stand.

That's blasphemy to some hunters, especially old-school folks, but it's good advice. Youngsters have the attention spans of puppies. Little fazes them, or seems to, but after 20 minutes (or less) of "being quiet watching for deer" their minds start to wander in (at least) 1,203 directions.

For adults, I guess you could say having a gizmo capable of sending text messages is similar. Many hunters leave their beepy thingy in the truck or at camp. Some must have it, conducting business from the tree while watching for a flicker of movement. Others merely are addicted to the things and have to have them, even while hunting, which I don't understand, but know it's a reality.

Last December I was hunting ducks up north while a buddy was out in Iowa on a deer hunt. Instead of calling and talking, we were sending text messages. I don't know how he was able to press the buttons since it was in the 30s in Iowa with the mercury plunging.

Me: Chilly today?

Him: Ice, everything frozen, 37 now but getting much colder today.

Me: When you kill Bambi, just cut it open and stick your hands inside like the old timers.

Him: 10-4 Saw the muy grande last evening, but couldn't get a clean shot. Will stay on him the rest of the week. Good luck with the ducks.

So now I'm hunting vicariously through by my jingly thingy for a big Iowa buck with my buddy, while he's keeping updated on my duck hunt and then a fishing trip.

A day later, he chimes in from a new stand.

Him: I'm on a new one the guy just bought. Small patch of woods with megarubs and scrapes surrounded by 270 acres of fresh picked corn!

Me: Damn. You are cheating and not suffering enough.

Him: 30s again but it's going to get a lot colder as the day goes on. Evening chances are much better for the buck but he's not coming out until dark.

Two days later my pal connected on a massive whitetail that scored about 165, downing it with a Barnes 50-caliber bullet from a Knight Rifles muzzleloader. I was glad for him, and the photo he sent was worth every little thumb-tap and buzzy beep from miles away.

— Alan Clemons

In fields alone

On a sunny February morning, a 12-year-old kid in blue jeans walks out the back door, grabs a single-shot 410 as he goes and heads for the back forty—a field of briar patches, broomsedge and brushy edges across the pasture from his home.

The boy doesn't notice his feet scuffing through the weeds, but he can taste the dust he stirs. The smells of earth and grass and leaves fill his nose. He hears crows cawing in the distance. A cool breeze brushes his cheek.

In the grass up ahead, he glimpses a movement. Suddenly, his chest feels wrapped in rubber bands. His heart slams in his ears. He puts a shell in his shotgun and inches forward.

There they go! A thousand of 'em in all directions! Everything's a flurry of sound and dust and motion, but the lad finds his mark and then … it's over.

He picks up the bobwhite he has killed, smoothes its feathers, then places the bird in the pocket of his hunting vest. He smiles, knowing his mother and grandmother will be proud. They'll have quail for tomorrow's breakfast. Read more.

— Keith "Catfish" Sutton

Deer in the headlights

TOWN & COUNTRY, Mo. — Like a deer in the headlights.

That's how most people react when seeing a deer in their headlights.

The deer always loses, but some take out a motorist in the process.

The results of these confrontations play out every day in places like St. Louis County, where deer have a stronghold in an area surrounded by major thoroughfares.

I ran face-to-face with one myself 20-some odd years ago at Missouri Baptist College, right off the outer road of Highway 40, and was a bit surprised sprawling suburbia hadn't sent them further down the country road.

Last month, when one of my buddies said state police are overloaded with these accidents locally, and when a recent family get-together turned into commiserating over a damaged Volvo after a deer ran across from my old high school and slammed into it, one wonders what's going on?

Auto accidents involving deer total 1.5 million a year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports  and they result in 150 deaths and $1.1 billion in vehicle damage. So what's a town supposed to do when the deer herd overflows its wooded areas and poses dangers on the streets?

Thin the herd, naturally. See Metro buck hunting story.

What not to do? See Town & Country in St. Louis County. Read more.

— Mike Suchan

Metro buck hunting myths

Like shooting fish in a barrel. That's how some rural hunters view metro deer hunting. One guy even told a hunter he'd simply put up a birdfeeder to attract big bucks.

"It doesn't work that way," suburban bowhunter Jay Maxwell said.

During 2007, the Bethlehem, Ga., native took a metro, or urban buck, not far from Atlanta. The 22-pointer is expected to be the new Georgia non-typical bow record.

Hunters like Maxwell said there's a lot of misinformation out there about urban and suburban deer hunting. They're glad to get this story out, and they hope the buck stops here. Read more.

— John Geiger

"Catfish" Sutton: 15 Things That Just Shouldn't Be Made In Camo

Virginia deer hunter Jim Crumley was unhappy with traditional military camouflage, so he started dabbing splotches of brown dye on some gray work clothes to match his surroundings. After two years of increased hunting success, he meticulously applied a bark pattern with magic marker. Soon, other hunters were pestering him for the new outfits.

Crumley's original printed Trebark was created in 1980, and modern camouflage was born. The introduction of Trebark planted seeds in the minds of Toxey Haas who created Mossy Oak, Bill Jordan who created Realtree, Leland Sikes of Natural Gear and a host of other farsighted individuals who later crafted their own camouflage patterns and subsequently produced specialized lines of camo clothing for hunters.

Nowadays, hunting clothes aren't the only things patterned with camouflage. No, indeed. In fact, it would be hard to name any product you can't buy somewhere in one camo pattern or another. There are camouflage sunglasses, bedclothes, eating utensils, padlocks, hammocks, notebooks, purses, bikinis, teddy bears, pencils, rugs, sofas, chairs, curtains, ceiling fans, seat covers, shoes, bottles, pillows and iPods. More unusual items available in camo include diaper bags, balloons, fishing lures, Bibles, gumballs, toilet paper, Christmas ornaments and refrigerators. If you so choose, you can even be buried in a camo casket. Read more.

— Keith

"Catfish" Sutton: Cooking up a cassarole

There's nothing like a hearty casserole to satisfy your hunger after a long day outdoors. These belly-filling, one-dish meals are quick and easy to prepare, and while it is cooking, the casserole requires little watching. Mix the ingredients in the cooking dish, place in the oven and go tend to whatever needs tending to. Your casserole will be ready when you are.

Casserole cookery may have originated with the ancient practice of slowly stewing meat in earthenware containers. Medieval pies also are related; the pastry was used as a receptacle for slowly cooking sweet and savory fillings.

One of the earliest published recipes, "To dres[s] Rabbits in Casserole," appeared in The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy in 1747:

"Divide the Rabbits into Quarters, you may lard them or let them alone just as you please, shake some Flour over them, and fry them with Lard or Butter, then put them into an earthen Pipkin with a Quart of good Broth, a Glass of White Wine, a little Pepper, and Salt if wanted, a Bunch of Sweet Herbs, and a Piece of Butter as big as a Walnut rolled in Flour; cover them close and let them stew Half an Hour, then dish them up and pour the Sauce over them. Garnish with Seville Orange cut into thin Slices and notched, the Peel that is cut out lay prettily between the Slices." Read more.

— Keith

"Catfish" Sutton: Blood satisfaction

A week ago, I accompanied my 23-year-old son Matt for a deer hunt on a friend's place in central Arkansas. Matt did the hunting. I went along to watch.

For years, our friend Alex Hinson has been kind enough to let my sons and me hunt as guests on his hunting club's lease in the Ouachita Mountains. This is a wonderful thing for us because it allows us to hunt for just a morning or afternoon when time permits. We can be at Alex's house in 45 minutes and in a stand 15 minutes later. Alex's kindness, and that of his father Lin, who often lets us use one of his stands, has enabled us to put venison in the freezer several years now. We are very grateful to them for inviting us each year to hunt on their lease.

My younger son, Zach, killed a buck each of the past two years while hunting with Alex, but Matt, because of work responsibilities, hasn't had an opportunity to go deer hunting the last two seasons.

Therefore Matt was very eager to go when Alex invited us a few weeks ago, and prior to our most recent hunt, we had sat in Lin's stand one morning already but had come home empty-handed. This was not because we didn't see deer. We did.

In fact, the deer we saw was a nice eight-point buck Matt could easily have killed. Matt could not take that buck, however, because Alex's hunting club has a rule: all guests must first kill a doe each season before killing a buck. Read more.

— Keith

"Catfish" Sutton: Delicious game stews

Throughout our history, an iron pot filled with stew simmering over a wood-burning fire or hot coals was the practical way to cook and share a meal. Today, one-pot dinners like stew—easy to prepare, simple to serve and perfect to make ahead—speak directly to our busy lives. Delicious, belly-warming stews never go out of style.

Stews are dishes made of vegetables, meat, poultry or seafood cooked in some sort of broth or sauce. The line between stew and soup is a fine one, but generally a stew's ingredients are cut in larger pieces and retain some of their individual flavors; a stew may have thicker broth, and a stew is more likely to be eaten as a main course than as a starter. Read more.

— Keith

"Catfish" Sutton: Give game a rub

Next time you're grilling a prime cut of venison, a brace of quail or other fresh game, take a hint from barbecue aficionados and give it a rub.

A rub is a mixture of dried spices and seasonings that's rubbed directly onto the meat's surface. This adds more intense flavor, and the coat of seasoning seals the meat to keep it juicy. Any type of game can be prepared with a variety of homemade rubs that add a special flavor that keeps family and guests coming back for more. Read more.

— Keith

James Overstreet visits the Macho Creek Lodge

Yesterday while at the firing range, gunsmith Jimmy Meyers told me about an oak flat about ten miles out of Pleasanton, Texas that might be a good place to photograph a few deer. Jimmy likes to take a few photographs himself, knows the area well, so this sounded like some sound advice that I appreciated.

Grabbing a cup of coffee around daylight, I made my way over to the oak flat early this morning and found a place to set up. I couldn't have been there 10 minutes when a "stud" (a typical 10-pointer) came wandering through the oak trees. He was the kind of deer that would have looked great through a rifle scope, but I felt fortunate he stood still long enough for me to shoot several photos of him with the camera.

After a couple hours, I decided to pop in a George Strait CD and listen to a little Texas swing while driving around, trying to get a feel for the countryside. Putting the camera in the passenger seat, ready to shoot whatever needed to be shot, and thought that since George Strait's ranch was only about 40 miles away, I'll just make my way over to his home town of Pearsall, Texas — and see if the "king of country music" wanted to hop in the truck with me and go grab a chicken-fried steak or some tacos for lunch.

I was saved the misery of getting run off of George Strait's ranch by a phone call from Justin Peeler.

Justin and his family own Macho Creek Lodge on the 25,000 acre Peeler Ranch. He invited me over to have a look at his operation, and I quickly pointed the truck north, taking my mind off eating lunch with George Strait.

The Peeler Ranch is a fifth generation ranch loaded with trophy deer. The lodge facilities date back to a circa 1876 cowboy bunkhouse, and it sits in one of those places where you just want to sit on the front porch and watch the world go by.

The ranch record was broken last year with a low-fence, free ranging, non-typical whitetail that gross scored 225 B & C.

(They've even seen a couple of bucks they believe will top that monster buck.)

Justin showed me around and treated me like kinfolk. I hadn't been there an hour when he asked me if I would like to go get on a stand to hunt a management buck they had patterned coming to a feeder on the east side of the ranch; I started gathering up my gear and got ready to roll. Justin had a few pictures of the deer he was talking about that had been taken with a motion-activated camera, and I examined them as we drove to the stand. The deer was an older 8-pointer that was declining with age, and it would be one of those judgment decisions if he walked out near the stand.

I had it in my head to look at a few more deer in Texas before I put one in the crosshairs, but it was nice to get on a stand and check out some wildlife. But man it was some kind of HOT! The stand was an all-metal box stand, and when I climbed inside it was like getting into a sauna. I had sweat running down both legs and filling up my Redwings, so off came the boots, then my socks.

My wife is going to kill me for admitting this, but it felt so good to get some air on my feet, I just went on and stood up and shed my trousers. That's right, I shamelessly admit to spending the rest of the afternoon sitting up there, deer hunting with nothing on but a pair of boxer shorts.

A couple of Rio Grande gobblers were pecking around on the ground in the shooting lane, when a corn feeder went off about 150 yards from the stand. I don't know which jumped higher: the turkeys, or me. A mere 30 seconds after the feeder went off, I was looking at that 8-pointer.

I'm thinking this deer has eating at this corn-feeder built into his everyday existence, and immediately chose the camera rather than the gun. I think about switching to the gun a couple of times, but end up taking photos of both the deer and button buck that came out a few minutes later.

Tomorrow I hope to spend some time with Shawn Griffin, the ranch manager at Macho Creek, and learn more about the biology of managing a deer herd in this part of the world.

I know the practice of culling bucks from the herd is a big part of the plan, but as for today, I chose to practice my own brand of "shoot-and-release" while continuing my "Quest for the Muy Grande."

— James