Huge Whitetail Deer Harvest Predicted

The 2006 Whitetail Deer hunting season should provide hunters with a bountiful harvest. Dry summer conditions and warmer winters have dramatically increased the size of the Whitetail deer herds across the upper Midwest. With favorable conditions, a lot of hunters should be shooting a lot of deer this season. Not only should the harvest be excellent, but the amount of Trophy Bucks taken should also increase.

With these thoughts in mind, I headed into the woods of northern Minnesota this weekend to scout, check the stands and make sure my arrows were still flying true. It was a dismal weekend for Bow Hunting. As I made my way through the fields, I was greeted with rain, wind and DEER. I have never seen so many deer out in the fields as I did this weekend. At one point, I stopped and just counted the Bucks. Six Bucks were engaged in different stages of grazing and bedding down right out in the open and I didn't even bother trying to count the does. All I could think about was how quickly I would have filled my intensive harvest tags had it been rifle season.

Upon reaching my stand, the rain and wind picked up considerably. I sat for about 2 hours before a big 8pt buck crossed in front of my stand. It was moving quickly and as I drew back my bow, the deer stopped then immediately bolted toward the fields. Disappointed and with night approaching, I decided to leave the stand and see if I could get a clear shot at one of the feeding giants. I made my way through the trail and finally reached the clearing with a clear view of the pastures.

I was greeted by the site of 3 deer feeding within 50 yards of my position. I notched an arrow and slowly crept towards them, walking along side the field as to not draw their attention towards me. I was within 35 yards when the 8pt noticed me, I drew back my bow and decided to try my luck. I let the arrow fly and wham...A direct hit.....into the ground.

The deer, being alerted to my intentions, bolted for the safety of the deep woods. Wet, cold and thoroughly dejected I decided to call it a night and try my luck in the morning. Though my hunting didn't produce any spoils, the scouting information regarding the size of the herd was extremely uplifting. I can't remember the last time I saw as many deer on the back 80 as I did this weekend. I predict a great harvest and one of the best chances for a trophy in as long as this hunter can remember. Good Hunting!

DeerBeards are nearly Famous

The DeerBeards would like to thank David Dirk and the Time-Herald Record for his kind reference to the Deerbeards Hunting News blog" in his recent article

Blogs create dialogue on outdoors life

"Another blogging gem for hunters is http://deerbeards.blogspot.com. These guys have a sense of humor in addition to the gift of gab. Well worth the time to keep on your blog reading list."

The Hunting News is dedicated to reporting "All the News that's fit to Hunt."

Please visit DeerBeards.com as we have just added Hunting Pictures, Videos, The Sportsmans Hunting and Outdoor Recreation Directory and much, much more.

Thanks Dave

Ole Grey and the Big Swede!!

David Dirks' outdoors column appears weekly in the Times Herald-Record. Contact him at P.O. Box 80, Westtown, NY 10988, or dirksoutdoors@hotmail.com

Warning: Extremely Funny Safety Videos

Attention Hunters: Please read The Deerbeards.com Golden Rules of Guns!

1. Know your target and what is beyond ( or behind the shooter)

Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. Equally important, be aware of the area behind the shooter and make sure it's secure. Place foam, a matress or any soft material directly behind the shooter. Remember Think first. Shoot second.

A complete list of Targets


2. Know how to use the gun safely.

Before handling a gun, learn how it operates. Know its basic parts, how to hold on to it after firing and how to safely open and close the action and remove any ammunition from the gun or magazine.


DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME


3. Take the Family Shooting! ( Great for Kids)

Tired of the Baseball games and Friday night movies? Try something new and take the whole family shooting.

Good Old Family Fun...Yeee Haaa


4. Use only the correct ammunition for your gun.

Only cartridges or shells designed for a particular gun can be fired safely in that gun. Never use replacement ammo such as dynamite, tnt, gas, or C4 explosives. Most guns have the ammunition type stamped on the barrel. If the label reads " DAMN BIG SHELLS" perhaps choose not to fire.

5. Always use protection.

Guns are not only dangerous, but also loud and shooting them indoors is even louder. If you haven't heard, and in this case maybe you haven't, noise can cause hearing damage. Guns can also emit debris,such as bullets, and hot gas that could cause eye injury. For these reasons, shooting glasses, torso protectors, suits of armour, a helmet or bubble wrap should be worn by all shooters and prespective targets.

6. Shoot Sober

Never use alcohol, pot, crack, crank, meth, horse, coke, shrooms or acid before or while shooting.Alcohol, as well as any other substance likely to impair normal mental or physical bodily functions, rendering the shoot unable to successful operate the weapon.

Warning: Swearing adverse don't Play this video!



Lastly, if the gun you are about to fire weighs more than you do....

DON'T SHOOT IT!! Put it down and walk the heck away!

Ole Grey

Praire Dog Hunters go shopping

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Why hunt Deer when Praire dogs will do. Watch as our favorite hunters try to find the perfect gun for their next big ADVENTURE

Ode To The Treestand Thief

By: Michael Willand

I would like to propose a toast. A toast to the man with no name. The man who walks through my woods without any care, searching for my treestand, my trail cameras, and my fragile piece of mind.

You're so clever! Able to creep in the darkness, wandering from tree to tree, in search of my favorite stand. You're so brave. Able to walk through miles of spider webs strung from tree to tree, without one girlish scream or thought of turning back now. I cannot even fathom the pain you must have endured by the onslaught of mosquitoes that swarmed your cold blood. You must be full of so much pride as you carry away my treestand hung way back in the raspberry thicket. I know I felt great pride when I hung it in 95 degree heat, while ticks crawled up my pants and bees dove around my face.

What of safety!? Did you come alone!? Is it not a general treestand safety rule that one should have another with him/her when he/she are installing or uninstalling a treestand!? After all, I would hate to think that you where careless when in my woods! Did you take the time to put on your safety belt? I really would not wish for harm on you. I mean, I can't speak for others, but I wouldn't want to head into my woods one morning only to find you laying helplessly underneath my stand!

However, I will assume that you are safety conscious because I know that upon hanging that particular stand I also took the time to hang on an extra safety harness tree strap. This way I wouldn't have to do it on opening morning and make so much noise. And since you also took this strap, you must be incredibly safety conscious!

I wonder what sort of man you are, physically? I am guessing you are not of a heavier set. I know this because the tree you took my stand from leaned at a good angle, putting all the weight on your back as you climbed up. A really heavy man would have had much trouble with this. And clearly you were not discouraged by the lack of screw in steps that were in the tree. They were spaced kind of far apart, because I just ran out. I apologize for that! So my guess is, you are at least 6 feet tall and with good upper body strength.

What sort of man are you emotionally? What does it take, inside of you, to be the great thief that you obviously have become!? Are you an only child, raised by the parents who gave you everything you ever wanted, but still you wanted more? Do you just have social or intimacy problems with the opposite sex? Perhaps you're just angry at life, for dealing you such a tough hand. Whatever it is, I guess with you taking Mike Willand's treestand it should help you to better succeed in life. Good job!

Whomever you are, you have now earned my respect. You, treestand thief, needed that one more treestand so bad that you came in the night! In the dark! You took on the heat, the thorns, the insects, and the sweat! You walked up the rolling hills, over water soaked creeks, and through a small swamp to achieve your goal! And tomorrow when you set that stand you so rightfully stole from me, it will all be worth it for you!

Just remember to cross off my name that is etched into the stand 3 TIMES! I wouldn't want the game warden, whom I contacted, to see you with that stand. Then he may feel the need to arrest you, and I just don't want that to be on MY conscience. Then I'll have to help file paper work, press charges, and maybe even have to pick you out in a line-up. Although I have never seen your face, I think the physical description I have in my head should be pretty darn near accurate.

With this, I solute you, oh Treestand Thief.

Deer Hunting Tips part 1 Estrus

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Deer Hunting can be a challenging sport to partake in. Our resident experts offer their best Deer Hunting Tips. This first part covers the various scents available on the market today.

Good Hunting

Humor is in the Eye of the Beard Grower

Humor: How does one define Humor?

wit: Humor is "the mental faculty of discovering, expressing, or appreciating ludicrous or absurdly incongruous elements in ideas, situations, happenings, or acts," with the added information that Humor is distinguished from wit as "less purely intellectual and having more kindly sympathy with human nature, and as often blended with pathos."

Hmm, that was helpful!

Let's try again,

Humor: "a facetious turn of thought," or more specifically in literature, as "a sportive exercise of the imagination that is apparent in the choice and treatment of an idea or theme."

Isn't there something about that word "sportive," on the lips of so learned an authority, that tickles the fancy and appeals to the sense of humor?

This is F&^%$ insane, forget Webster, let me peruse the handy dandy Deer Beard Hunting for Hillman Guide Book. I will look in the Humor and Funny Pictures section.....O.K. This might help.

Humor: Hearing 6 shots ring out in under 3 seconds 10 minutes into Deer Hunting opener. Learning that not only did the hunter need all 6 shots, but that he had also been try to get signal on his cell phone when that hapless whitetail deer made its early morning appearance. Now there's a funny picture.

also see the follow:

2. Humor:
Another Deer Hunting funny picture that comes to mind is walking across the field, near dusk, and seeing a blaze orange blob sitting in my deer stand. Was it a mirage? Did I have hypothermia? Had I fallen off the wagon, gotten tanked down at Lucky's last night and now I was hallucinating that a gigantic, sun like hunter was sitting upon the Prized Throne of Beard Pride? If I were bow hunting or elk hunting I might have let it go, but the prize for this hunter was a Whitetail deer.....Whitetail deer, the most coveted creature to ever grace the wooded lands of the USA.

White Tail Deer, now this is a prize worth fighting for. Hearing the music from deliverance in my head, I had to quickly decide if I was going to confront this intruder...

Humor:
humor is seeing that Bow hunting video when the deer gets pissed and just beats the bow hunting guy senseless. Whitetail deer are nothing to mess with when there mad or rutting. Now imagine what would happen if you crossed bow hunting with elk hunting and the animal got all irate about your trying to shoot it in the back with a friggin arrow....Neither Bow hunting nor Elk Hunting is for wimps.

I have never tried bow hunting or elk hunting, but I bet both would be challenging and fun. Actually, I just bought a bow last week, as the whitetail deer bow hunting season starts in like 5 days. I am going to go practice a bit and then try my luck. I also have some friends that are going to be Elk hunting in Colorado this October. We will have funny pictures and great stories to share upon their return.

Oh yeah,
I think when Frank the Tank chugs beer bongs in "Old School " after talking about another sweet weekend at Bed Bath and Beyond ( funny picture)that's Humor.

The Beard Hierarchy

What determines the quality and status of a Beard? Is it the length, girth or density? Who is the judge and how does one come to a conclusion? There have been many great beards throughout the course of history, all unique in their own way. I believe there are many ways to reach the levels of greatness in the Beard Caste System. The beauty is that no two beards are the same and an individual is only a small thread in the fabric of facial hair fashion.

Take my brother Chuck for example, he has been recognized in the movie industry for over three decades; Return of the Dragon -1973 (feature film debut). Do you think it is all attributed to his Ass-kicking abilities (which I taught him, of course) or his undeniable good looks (we’re identical twins)? No, it is the collaboration of those and many more physical features. For example, who else could last in Hollywood for thirty-three years and not be admired and known for the raising of the proverbial beard growing bar? With grace and power he has taken the world by storm and now has even managed to enter your house every night via Total Gym infomercials. How ingenious is that? He never ceases to amaze me, and has managed to do all of this without a clean-shaven face.

I may sound a little biased towards Chuck but I love him, he’s my brother. However, enough about Chuck, I want to talk about all of the other famous bearded wonders of the world. We had the great Abe Lincoln, who fashioned the stacheless, Amish beard and Dan Hagerty (aka. Grizzly Adams) the keeper of glorious, golden brown thatch. Great men like Zeus, Jesus Christ, Vincent Van Gogh, Sigmond Freud, Ulysses S. Grant, Frederick Douglass, John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Jerry Garcia, and Uncle Jesse to pretty much any noble man of the Nineteenth Century and before. These men lived a life of passion, accomplishment and a face full of fur. They were not ashamed of how pretty they looked, but how gloriously they wore the features that God had bestowed upon them.

In today’s age of technology and fear of hair, the bearded man is a scarce breed. He is alone and sometimes stared at as if he were part beast. I say bring the beard back, let it soar trough the wind like the majestic eagle and grow as wild as the dandelions on your freshly cut lawn. To be a bearded man in this day and age is something to be admired and celebrated. So I say…”Go Forth…Be Strong…and Grow Long!”

Venison The Choice of Champions

What's more natural than going out into the wild to scout, stalk, and kill your own food to survive? Would you rather have it processed in a commercial factory or raised on one of those modern animal farms? Grocery stores are filled nowadays with rows of chemically and hormonally injected meats that probably have a shelf life of six months. Personally, I like to know that my meat will rot and turn green if I don’t freeze it, or better yet, eat it ASAP. Besides what is better then taking the kill off the field and into the shop where you can instantly extract the loins and fry them up for evening supper. Knowing that my meat was just running through the woods earlier that day gives me great comfort in its purity and freshness.

Venison is considered the healthiest of the red meats because it is low in fat and high in iron and protein. It's also high in essential omega-3 fatty acids. The food facts on venison are impressive: a 4oz (110g) cut of venison is packed with B vitamins and contains 20 percent of the daily requirement of selenium and zinc; and venison contains only about 6 percent saturated fat, compared with 13 percent in lean beef and 27 percent in streaky bacon. Venison is also a good source of iron, important for pregnant and menstruating women, and growing children.

This is why I plan on filling my freezer full of venison steaks, chops, roasts, and jerky for the upcoming long, cold winter. Something about chewing on some tasty dried meat really gets my mouth salivating. The more I think about it, I am happy that there are all sorts of vegetarians and vegans out there...All the more for US!

To me it’s a “no brainer” and not everybody can handle the dedication and determination it takes to actually execute a successful hunting season. There are many advantages to hunting deer, not to mention the obvious. Besides, what could be better with an ice cold High Life "The Champagne of Beers" than a plate full of venison? Both of them “taste so good once they touch your lips”!

Avian Bird Flu not a factor

Good News from the CDC, the feared Avian Bird Flu does not appear to be a threat to this year Deer Hunting Season.

"It's just a stroke of good luck", say local hunterEarl Bilkowski, "Me and Mah have been scouting the swamps since May looking for signs of that darn bird Flu, I guess it's now official ( tearful pause) we missed the big one." Several other area residents showed visible signs of relief as they read the announcement.

" We've been preparing for the worst; diggin bunkers, gathering supplies." Earl continued. " I have over 400 cases of High Life stored out in my stand."

AVIAN BIRD FLU

A highly pathogenic form of avian influenza (bird flu), also known as H5N1, is killing both wild birds and domestic poultry in southeast Asia. Thankfully, this type of bird flu has not been found in any deer in North America, including the beloved Whitetails. While some people in southeast Asia have developed avian influenza after close contact with domestic poultry, there are no known cases of humans contracting avian flu from contact with Whitetail Deer anywhere in the world.

Given the latest information, there is there is no reason for Whitetail Deer hunters to be overly concerned about avian influenza when handling their kills. Basic hygiene, primarily hand-washing and use of latex gloves when handling any wild animals or carcasses is always recommended, and venison should be cooked thoroughly (165F) to kill disease organisms and parasites that might be present.

Similarly, stand side deer feeding is not currently a concern, however, routine care and cleaning of deer feeders and deer baths are recommended for preventing the spread of other diseases among the herd.

Ole

Hunting for Hillman

Over the past few years, several people have asked me" Where do you hunt for Deer?" Where do I hunt? They might as well have asked, where do you keep your extra stash of $100, do you leave your fish house unlocked, or if they could borrow my toothbrush. I mean seriously, how could I possibly sell out my bearded brethren by revealing our secret location? Deer Hunting is a sport that requires 100's of hours of scouting and years of dedication.

A man doesn't so much hunt for deer, but he lives as a deer, follows the sacred deer customs, slowly earns their trust and is finally accepted into the mighty herd as a friend, not a foe. It is only after this ancient process happens do we brain them for jerky.

After much consideration, the Holy Order of the DeerBeards has decided to share their secret location in the spirit of true sportsmanship.

HUNTING for HILLMAN

Hillman is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States.

Hillman is in the middle of Minnesota, right off the road to the left. You go down about 5 miles and take a right on the dirt road. If you go past the green pole barn, you've gone to far. Trust me, you can't miss it.

Hillman, Minnesota

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 29 people, 14 households, and 11 families residing in the city. The population density was 20.7/km² (53.8/mi²). There were 20 housing units at an average density of 14.3/km² (37.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White.

There were 14 households out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 21.4% of all households are made up of individuals; none have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.36.

In the city the population was spread out with 13.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 13.8% from 25 to 44, 48.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $26,250. Males had a median income of $0 versus $15,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,126. There were no families and 7.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

The amount of land area in Hillman is 1.394 Kilometers.Amountount of surface water is 0kilometers.The distance from Hillman to Washington DC is 1017 miles. The distance to the Minnesota state capital is 78 miles. (as the crow flies) Hillman is positioned 46.00 degrees north of the equator and 93.88 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Happy Hunting. I hope this helps.

Ole

Hunting Rules

Summer's officially over even though you can't tell because it's still so hot and sticky outside. Most of us have finished pre-season scouting, and have hung our tree stands along well-traveled deer trails, hopefully next to a mature white oak that will begin dropping acorns soon. Finally, the time of year we've been waiting for is here, the beginning of football and better yet, Archery and rifle deer hunting season.

If hunters held a popularity contest for wild animals, the white-tailed deer would probably win. Admired for its speed and jumping ability, a deer can run 40 miles per hour and leap over a fence 8 feet tall. Even from a standstill, a deer could jump straight up and over your orange covered heads. People like the beauty and graceful movements of the white-tailed deer. The buck's antlers look like an ivory crown. When it walks, a deer seems almost to float. It moves silently into the woods, sometimes disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Whitetails also make a fine dinner entree, are good for you and taste great.

(Personally, I like Jerky, but any of these cuts wil do)

Archery season provides a great opportunity to take a trophy whitetail and hunting the rut is arguably one of the best times to do so. If you're stealthy enough and have done your homework, you've got a good chance of having a nice one walk out in front of you.

As a matter of fact, a lot of the rutting goes on until right before the start of rifle season. During rut doe scent works great. Post rut, these guys are beat, smelling like dirt might be better than trying to sex up your stand. Remember, those little buggers have been rutting for weeks so come November, they are tired and could go for some acorns and a nap.

After rifle season starts and the pressure to rut has passed, a lot of your mature bucks go nocturnal. Since their not chasing ruting mates, you might not see that big buck again for the rest of the season, except for maybe a picture taken from your game-cam sometime during the middle of the night.

Note: Only bows may be used during archery season. No bows, crossbows, spears, daggers, Medieval pole arms, battle axes, tomahawks, Pikes, Lances, fauchard, Glavie, Guisarme, Wu Jian or Shuriken Daggers, may be used to harvest deer during rifle season. Other things you can't use during rifle season include explosives or drug-injecting arrows, a machete or bows equipped with electronic computational or laser sights.

This behavior is not allowed!

You also can't use dogs to hunt deer, but you can use bird-dogs if you are hunting birds. Otherwise, the only time you can have a dog in the woods while hunting is if you have one on a leash, or if you are trying to make it look like an accident.

Towards the end of rifle season, if you still haven't seen anything and you're quite the marksman, rabbits and gray squirrels make good substitutes to shooting the real thing. In a pinch, Raccoons, opossums, coyotes, nutrias, skunks and beavers also may be used to satisfy your craving for hunting glory.

As far as legal shooting hours are concerned, you're allowed to let your bullets fly one half-hour before sunrise and one half-hour after sunset

Well, I hope I've helped answer any questions you might have had regarding the rules and regulations of deer hunting as some of these rules can be a bit confusing. ( See Note:)

Here's hoping all your preparation and persistence pays off and wishing you luck on taking that monster buck.

As always, have fun, hunt safely and we'll see you soon!
Ole Grey

Hey Ole!

What's the difference between beer nuts and deer nuts?
Beer Nuts are around a dollar seventy-nine, and deer nuts are just under a buck!

Hunting Warm-up Tips

Deer season is my favorite time of year, Period!

As November approaches and you prepare for the challenges of the upcoming hunt, here are some important tips to remember.

First of all, there are a lot of people (mom, wife, girlfriend) who simply can't understand what makes an otherwise perfectly sane guy dress up like a pumpkin, sit in a tree in the middle of the woods, and try to shoot a cute, little deer. My best advice for dealing with these people, ignore them. Anything less would be un American

Secondly, you must forget about all the bad parts of last year's hunt. For example, you must forget the fact that it was so cold you froze your fingers and toes off. You don't really need them and at least you won't be driving this fall.

Lastly, you must remember that even though you were surrounded by rifle shots, the 2 camp rookies both shot deer, and the only action around your stand was a squirrel and that darn rooster, your time will come.

You see, deer hunting is an art, a skill perfected by years of experience, patience and dedication. The worst case scenario is we go home empty handed, unlike the guys of other sports who go home without parts of their hands.
LINK

More tips coming soon....

61 days til Glory

September is here and I'm 10 days into my DeerBeard.

I wanted to get a head start this year as beards are a must have for Deer Hunters. What is a DeerBeard? They are the beards grown by otherwise clean shaven men, solely for the Deer Hunting Season. It's main purpose is warmth and protection from the elements. Secondly, it offers in-stand entertainment for its owners as there's not a whole lot to do in a tree stand, so playing the " get that darn whisker away from the corner of my mouth" game can kill lots of time.

DeerBeards offer a conneciton to something bigger, something instinctual, for its owners. For example, I can now enter any suburban outfitters and feel right at home with the other ruggeds; I can shop for blaze orange, confidently discuss various types of doe urine, and refer to everyone of my bearded compadres as Buddy. A Deerbeards is a membership card into the club of men. It says, "I take my coffee black, change my own oil and can a drop a deer from 200 yards". If only that bumper sticker would fit on the back of my Honda, I would be set.

My beard is here and I am ready for action. 61 days til Glory, but who's counting?

Ode to Beard!

Grow fast young beard with haste and fury
May the spirit of the Beard Gods bless and hurry
Let every hair know it's noble purpose
To thrive and grow with bountiful surplus
May you keep us warm in times of freeze
And shield us from the glacial breeze
Oh, be bold young beard in all your glory
Thou time hast come to hear your story
Your rugged plight
Your regal sight
Which guards us from the frigid night

Where's the Beard?

Who's the greasy beardless dude in the lower right quadrant? That is just not an acceptable photo (yet funny) for this blog. A wise man once told me "Keep your beard like you love your women...wild and woolly, and out of your soup!"