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Published: 29 November 2024

Willis Buck

Brandon Willis harvested this 10 pointer on an Indiana evening hunt early in November. He said it came in chasing two does, and after some grunting and doe bleats, he scored a double lung shot. It was his biggest Indiana buck and dressed out at 202 pounds.

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Published: 27 November 2024

by Jay Anglin

Trophy Deer

The deed is done. You assume you’ve hit the target, but instead of dropping quickly, the deer has trotted or walked off into cover. The wait begins and it’s agonizing. Buddies are texting you, “wait at least an hour” and asking you to replay what happened over and over. Some may say “he’s smoked” and laying right inside the thicket, while others are doing the mental forensics and aren’t buying it.

Any experienced whitetail deer hunter has experienced some version of this scenario and the anxiety that goes along with it. Sometimes, there is a happy ending, and other times, deer hunters carry the disappointment forever – wondering what happened to that deer. It may even take weeks before a full night’s sleep is possible or stop thinking about it every waking hour. In a nutshell, it really sucks losing a deer.

While there is no secret to tracking deer, for some reason, many hunters grow impatient and do exactly what they shouldn’t, and that is go charging in too soon and consequently messing up the “evidence”. Some hunters are just better at tracking and the first thing they may say when summoned goes something like “don’t move…don’t go look. I’ll be there as fast as I can” because they know how critical a clean scene is to put the pieces together.

The situation really isn’t much different than a crime scene investigation that is hindered by a local deputy who tromps around touching things before the trained investigators get there. Think of it that way.

With cooperation from adjacent landowners and acceptable weather conditions, some hunters do manage to pull off miraculous recoveries. Sometimes, it happens a day or two after the broadhead or bullet broke skin. But, even with today’s amazing technology and the help of a modern version of ancient canine utility, many hunters still manage to lose their deer. Regardless of how the situation evolved, nearly every time a deer is lost, impatience is the cause.

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Details

Published: 22 November 2024

MDNR Report

Young Deer Hunter

The numbers through opening weekend are in! As of Tuesday morning, there have been a total of 168,755 deer reported for all seasons. For the latest overall numbers, or more specific numbers by county, check out the deer harvest report summary page.

Some of the Michiana numbers are Berrien, 974 bucks, 548 does; Branch, 1683 bucks, 1071 does; Cass 705 bucks, 449 does; and St. Joseph, 609 bucks, 515 does;
Remember, if you were successful over the opening weekend, deer hunters are required to report their harvest within 72 hours or before transferring possession of the deer (to another person, a processer or taxidermist).

Hunters must continue to attach a paper kill tag to a harvested deer. The kill tag should remain with the head if the head and body of the deer are separated. Anyone in possession of a deer after the harvest reporting timeframe expires should be able to present the confirmation number.

Reporting your harvest is easy through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app, which you can find on the Apple and Google Play stores. You can also report a harvest online at eLicense. If you need assistance reporting your harvest, you can call 517-284-9453.