Overall activity status: Deer activity in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and eastern Louisiana is kicking into overdrive as the colder weather and onset of the rut stimulates rampant movement. The rut is here or very close in these states, and bucks are on the move looking for does and engaging in rutting behavior. The does are a week or two away at the most for these regions. The recent rain front followed by colder temperatures is also contributing to more movement.

Mature bucks are moving as many trophies are being seen and taken. Jerry Webb took a 160-class buck in Alabama that was trailing three does. A 242-inch toad was taken on Giles Island, Mississippi by Joshua Bruce (no relation) last week.
 
Fighting: A hunter in Clarke County, Alabama reported seeing two bucks fighting in the middle of a dirt road near his hunting area. In Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and eastern Louisiana, bucks are between pre-rut and rut, which is prime time for fighting. Using rattling antlers may very well bring in an eager buck now.
 
Rub making: Rubbing is ongoing for pre-rut bucks. Inspect each rub to determine its freshness as bucks have been scraping up saplings for several months. The freshest ones, with dripping sap, damp bark, and shavings on top of the leaves on the ground, are the ones to hunt near. Bucks will begin spending more time searching for does instead of rubbing as the weeks go on.
 
Scrape making: Scraping continues in rut states, but is waning as bucks are looking for does, chasing does, and competing with other bucks. Many scrapes will be made in passing, but one that is regularly freshened may be worth hunting near.
 
Chasing: Spotty chasing is being observed by hunters in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and eastern Louisiana. Younger bucks are first to start harassing does, but the older boys are not far behind. Hunters in Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, and western Louisiana may see some late second-rut action if they put in the time.

Daytime movement: As the rut progresses in Alabama, Florida, eastern Louisiana, and Mississippi, deer movement will soar night and day. Alabama’s Ryan Himmel capitalized on that movement to score his first buck this season. Himmel is a deer processor, and has a hard time finding the opportunity to get out in the woods. He was able to get out last Friday, December 21, to his Smith County property to hunt over a food plot.
He saw some does early on, then the double-beamed 16-pointer in the photo above stepped out. Himmel quickly processed the antlered venison with his rifle. “He was back-trailing the does that had been in the field,” said Himmel, shown at left with his trophy. “His neck was swollen, and he stunk.”
 
Estrous signs: The peak rut is a week or two away in most areas, but some early does are already coming into estrus in late rut states. Himmel said that another hunter noted seeing a buck chasing a doe in their Mississippi area. “I think the rut is a week or two away,” Himmel said. “It usually kicks in around Christmas. It may be late because it’s been so warm.” It’s not warm anymore—it’s cold and the rut is here.
 
X Factor: Pre-rut and early rut bucks are eager and aggressive. This is a good time to try calling with rattling, grunting, and scents. Anytime you see a buck out of range, some enticing grunts or rattling may bring him in.

Source: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/south-rut-report/2012/12/big-bucks-moving-deep-south-%C2%A0

Deluxe version of our Std System adds an Extra Coarse and an Ultra Fine hone

List price: $49.99

Our light-weight stretch-fit gloves are cool and breathable with a 5-Inch extended cuff. They are great for spring turkey season or early bow season. One size fits most.

List price: $13.37

By Mark Kenyon As I mentioned in a post last week about my concerns regarding the recent gun control hysteria, there are serious threats to our second amendment rights coming up in the new year. And now we’ve got concrete proof of that, in the form of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s proposed…

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wiredtohuntfeed/~3/bHHdJsEStYk/

Ameristep Gunner Blind

List price: $80.49

This week’s reader submissions for Food Fight Friday have given me the fishing bug, which can be a bit hard to cure at the turn of year. Luckily, a recent cold snap has put a fishable layer of ice on the local lakes and the auger is tuned up and ready to go. Now if I can just pull myself away from this toasty warm fire, I might have my own fishy food fight photo next week. Until then, here are a couple of great pics from loyal Wild Chef readers Steve P. and Koldkut.
 
Steve P.’s Surf and Turf

This is fresh perch given to my wife from some local fisherman as she walked the dog by the bridge, and fresh venison backstrap which I happened to shoot and prepare. My wife Ashlee sauteed the perch, which is small and delicate, in lemon, white wine and butter. I seared the venison in a cast iron skillet using olive oil and finished it in the oven. It is lightly coated in my own dry-rub, careful not to mask the natural flavor of the meat. So good. Ashlee did the veggies and sides as well.
 
Koldkut’s Coriander Rubbed Trout

So I took a trip out to visit my brother in Missouri prior to Christmas and took some fresh trout I had caught a few days earlier.  They don’t eat much fish, but they liked the idea and came up with the recipe for this fish they wanted to try. We rubbed the fish down with salt and coriander and baked it in the oven, then topped it with a citrus salad made by cutting up some neat orange slices, red onion slivers with cilantro and jalapeno. The rice was cooked in chicken stock and we added dried apricots and cranberries to it. Throw it all together and you have the plate in the picture.
 
Thanks to all the Wild Chef readers that made this past year’s Food Fight Fridays a success. If you want to get in on the action in 2013, send in your fish or wild game photos to fswild@gmail.com.

Source: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/wild-chef/2012/12/food-fight-friday-surf-and-turf-vs-coriander-rubbed-trout

The mayor of a Detroit suburb jumped on his high horse and blasted two men arrested for shooting a deer within the city limits, calling the deer a “domesticated animal” and publicly urging a judge to apply the maximum punishment.

The mayor, Jim Fouts of Warren, Mich., also called the two men “predators” and said in a press release he would “be sitting in the courtroom to be certain they pay for their crimes.”

Sounds like a bit of government intrusion between the executive and judicial branches, but that’s for someone else to take up should Fouts continue his animal rights circus act through the media.

According to the Detroit Free Press, 19-year old Myles Ehret of Royal Oak and 27-year old William Francis of Riverview have been charged with cruelty to animals for using a bow and arrow to kill a deer in with city limits. The newspaper described that charge as “a four-year felony,” whatever that means, and were released on $10,000 bond each. The newspaper said police are investigating further.

The newspaper said the mayor was outraged an wants the judge to “inflict the maximum fine,” adding that probation is “not satisfactory.” Is this guy as tough on drug dealers and other criminals in his area? Hunting is prohibited within the city limits, so being aggravated is one thing. Acting like these guys ran drugs through a children’s orphanage with automatic weapons and a Mexican cartel for protection is another.

Neither Francis nor Ehret provided comment to the newspaper. When law enforcement officials found their vehicle and talked with the two, they discovered a bow, blood-stained clothes, corn and other hunting items. Police said Francis had an archery hunting license from the state but had failed to record the deer with the tagging requirement.

Read the full story here.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DeerDeerHunting/~3/HtrykUl5_S0/mayor-calls-deer-domesticated-animals-after-men-charged

The blade has a thumb rest and dual thumb studs for ambidextrous one hand opening. The stainless steel handle with black G10 inset, 4.32″ closed, has a liner lock and lanyard hole. A removable stainless steel pocket clip is included.

List price: $16.76

As I say in this video, Bestul, being the model Midwesterner, would never be so immodest as to tell you how damn slick his rattling-antler rig is. So I’m left to do it. In a nutshell, he tethers the two antlers together using eyehooks and a bungee cord, like this:

1. Start with a full rack that has at least three fighting tines on each side or similar antlers from the same side of different deer. Brace one antler in a vise. Then, using a 1/4-inch bit, drill a hole about 11/2-inch deep into the bottom of the main beam.

2. With the antler still in the vise, screw a 1/4×2-inch eye screw into the hole. Take a sturdy pair of pliers and bend the eye of the screw open slightly to create a gap. Then repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other antler.

3. Lay both antlers down on a bench or table. Slide the elastic section of a 24-inch bungee cord into the gap you made in the eye of each screw. Use the pliers to bend the eye closed again. Boom, done.

What’s so ingenious about this rig is that you can carry the antlers by wrapping the bungee cord around your waist like a belt, or wrap the bungee tightly around your pack or climber to both carry the horns and secure extra clothes to on the walk in. (For safety’s sake, do either of the above only during bow season.) The eyehooks allow you to position the antlers anywhere along the cord, which makes it easier to carry them comfortably and avoid making noise. And of course, the rig gives you a simple way to hang the antlers once you’re in the stand.

Source: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/whitetail-365/2012/12/deer-hunting-tip-rattling-antler-rig

When you spend as much time in our ground blinds as we do, you eventually create the “best seat in the house” instead of trying to “make do” with some chair from a discount store. Standard chairs are apt to cut off blood flow on the back of your legs, leading to discomfort and cold feet. They also restrict mobility and don’t allow the range of motion that our QS3 Tri-Stool provides. Of course, we designed this tri-stool at the perfect height to see through all of our blind window openings.

List price: $59.99