Whitetail Journal

Most often it's injury that causes weird deer antlers. These injuries can range from leg wounds to tears in the antler velvet.

9 steps to help new hunters decide where to set-up a hunting blind or treestand. Too advanced for this beginner stuff? We have some resources for you too.

Some hunters believe antler thefts are being carried out by low-level criminals trying to make a fast buck by unloading sheds that are eventually sold to larger pet-supply companies.

Shed hunting isn’t just a hobby. Those bones can come in handy while preparing for your next bowhunting adventure.

We've narrowed down 10 top destinations for a DIY whitetail hunt. Some of these are well-known destinations, others are not. Each offers varying scenery and experiences.

Start now and you've got all spring and summer to plan your road trip. To help out, we've narrowed a long list of options down to 10 of the best deer-hunting ground in the U.S.

Need a great deer rifle that can withstand harsh weather and demanding backcountry conditions? Read on. We've found eight great options for 2018.

Grizzly bear numbers have recovered enough after years of federal protection to consider future hunting seasons, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. That was part of the proposal and request WGFD officials made recently to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. If a hunting season is set, it would be the first one in more than four decades. Grizzlies were listed for protection in 1975 by the USFWS. From the Jackson Hole News & Guide: Meeting in Douglas, Wyoming Game and Fish Department staffers asked their governing board for permission to draft hunting regulations. The request was granted, which means that in the coming weeks biologists and wardens will pore over maps to devise grizzly hunting boundaries and come up with proposals for how many bears could be killed. Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park, such as this one, have recovered enough after decades of protection that their range has expanded well outside park boundaries. Wyoming officials are making plans for a future hunting season. (Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service) It’s a development Game and Fish Chief Warden Brian Nesvik sees as “part of the success story” of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s grizzly population. “There certainly is the opportunity biologically for there to be a grizzly bear season,” Nesvik said. “Grizzly bears have recovered to a point that they can be managed similar to other large carnivores in the ecosystem.” The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2017 said the bears had recovered enough after years of endangered or threatened protections to allow Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to manage them. Wyoming immediately began making plans then for a possible hunting season for boars by setting license fees: $600 for residents and $6,000 for nonresidents. WGFD officials began trapping and monitoring grizzly bears in 2017. The department has a wealth of information including a map showing the recovery range of the bears. Featured photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Get step-by-step instructions and watch the short video to learn how to remove a deer's backstraps.

A study covering the latest deer hunting trends was recently released by the Quality Deer Management Association. It's 68 pages of data and whitetail harvest information. Here's what stood out at first glance.

When you stumble upon the shed of a mature buck, take note. this could very well be the same place you can bag him.

Small pockets of excellent whitetail habitat are found in nearly every community. Finding these little gems can provide excellent hunting for unpressured bucks.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will host the annual gathering of the top deer researchers and managers in the Southeast and beyond, Feb. 19-21 in Nashville. The 41st Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group at the Millenium Maxwell House Hotel will bring to Music City biologists, managers, and researchers who oversee the management of the country’s most popular game animal. “We are excited and looking forward to hosting this gathering of our friends and professional peers,” said Ed Carter, executive director of the TWRA. “Deer are important to our entire country for many reasons and this group is vital in helping share knowledge and expertise that helps properly manage them.” The SEDSG  meets annually to share the latest information on white-tailed deer research and management.  Meetings provide a forum to share research results, management strategies, and foster discussions. The theme of this year’s meeting will focus on the management of white-tailed deer at the statewide scale and what a responsible, defendable state agency deer management program entails. Hosting the meeting is a responsibility that rotates annually among each of the SEDSG’s 17 member states which include: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, the meeting regularly has presenters and/or attendees from states outside the Southeast including Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Also featured at the meeting will be an exhibit of many of the largest bucks ever harvested in Tennessee. More than 60 deer mounts have been loaned to TWRA. “To the best of our knowledge this is the largest and most geographically comprehensive exhibit of top-ranking bucks ever assembled in the state of Tennessee,” said Dale Grandstaff, TWRA District 21 Law Enforcement captain. Although there is a registration fee to attend the SEDSG meeting, the event is open to all deer enthusiasts. More information about this year’s meeting may be found by visiting the event website at regonline.com/sedeerstudygroup2018.

Use this delicious taco recipe to free up freezer space for your upcoming fall hunting season.

If you've ever watched press conferences from sporting or political events you know they're usually pretty dry, boring and lacking of any important substance. Occasionally we'll see one that has some fireworks, but usually they're not too exciting. Politicians aren't going to say much that would come back to haunt them later. Athletes often are tired, mad or upset after losses, or if they win they'll "give them credit, they worked hard" in reference to the other team and otherwise not be too illuminating about strategy. Catchin' Deers has some pretty funny videos that make light of our hunting community. It's all in good fun, of course, and it's good to laugh at ourselves now and then. Hunting is supposed to be fun, even if we're serious about whatever we're pursuing, and Catchin' Deers has tapped into that. Check out this post-hunt press conference video and take a moment to chuckle. You might even lose focus and not connect. Hahaha.

The chairman of the Kentucky Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Commission is under fire after being charged with obstructing legal hunting and the head of the KDFW law enforcement division has resigned amid an ethics investigation into his involvement. Commission Chairman Jimmy Bevins of Georgetown was charged with obstructing legal hunting after putting out corn as illegal bait near his property and contacting KDFW officials to investigate. According to LEX18.com News, the situation arose because Bevins reportedly was upset in January 2016 that hunters were near his property on Elkhorn Creek. From LEX18.com: According to court records, the controversy began last January when Bevins contacted Fish and Wildlife about people shooting guns and hunting ducks near his house. Jimmy Bevins A wildlife officer suspected Bevins knowingly put corn out to bait the property so no one else could hunt there, which is illegal. Two other fish and wildlife employees face ethics charges for allegedly discouraging one of their own from pursuing a charge against Bevins because of his role with the department. Colonel Rodney Coffey, who was director of the KDFWR Law Enforcement section but has resigned, and Capt. Richard Skaggs, who still is with KDFWR, were identified in a separate, more detailed Lexington Herald-Leader story about their involvement. According to the Herald-Leader, Coffey resigned in mid-January after the state's Executive Branch Ethics Commission began an investigation. Bevins was appointed to the commission in 2016. His term ends in August 2020. Commission appointments are made for by the governor four-year terms. According to the KDFWR website, Bevins has Life Memberships with the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society and National Sporting Clays Association. He also is a member of Ducks Unlimited and Quality Deer Management Association. He is the owner and president of Bevins Motor Company in Georgetown and has John Deere dealerships in Paris, Richmond and Mt. Sterling. The commission Bevins chairs hears public input about KDFWR policies, regulations and laws, and is an advisory board to the department and state legislature about such matters. Wildlife Officers Vote 'No Confidence' in Agency Commissioner In a separate situation that points to deeper issues with the KDFWR, Bevins' situation was included as part of a "no confidence" vote by the Kentucky Conservation Officers Association about the state agency's commissioner. Greg Johnson Rodney Milburn, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 100 and KCOA, said the vote was approved at the association's board of directors meeting in February. It was specific to KDFWR commissioner, Greg Johnson, who is in charge of the state agency. Johnson is the eighth commissioner in the agency's 70-year history. From LEX18.com: The (KCOA) letter stated that the KCOA has declared that they have no confidence in Commissioner Gregory Johnson’s ability to guide the agency ethically and with resolve to provide employees with fair and impartial treatment. They have asked commissioners to remove Gregory Johnson immediately as Commissioner of the Department. Also among complaints in the officers' association resoluation are those about inadequate compensation and promotion opportunities for wildlife officers, and failing to be added to the agenda at commission meetings.

A whitetail collected on Jan. 25, 2018, in Issaquena County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease. To date, CWD has been confirmed in 24 states, three Canadian provinces and two foreign countries.