Our friend Paul Korn from Tombstone Creek Outfitters recently sent over some awesome trail camera photos we can't help but share with you. Antlers are starting to take shape on whitetails across the country. These Missouri bucks are going to be monsters in just a few short months. It's fun to see what deer look like in early summer before the full potential is realized. Antlers will continue to grow for another 30 to 45 days before they begin to harden and the velvet is shed. It's amazing what great genetics, quality food sources, and age will yield in a buck. Should be a great season!

While taking a look at some of last season's deer hunting video, I noticed something I had not paid attention too before. Foremost Outdoor TV ProStaffer Jason Oswald was hunting in an improvised ground blind on the west ridge of a large gully. The wind was blowing straight out of the east. A group of deer move up the ridge right in front of his location. They are practically looking right at him. This is gun season so Jason and his camera operator are both wearing blaze orange hats and jackets. The deer have no problems with him until they catch his scent. You will see the doe take in a big breath and then.... watch what happens next!

Foremost Hunting Jr. Pro Staff Member Mike takes a look at Cabella's Big Game Hunter Video Game For Wii:

Cabela's Big Game Hunter For Wii Entertainment System.

3.5 out of 5 Stars
Cabela's Big Game Hunter is a fun game that you can buy for $20 or less. The first time you load the game, you will have to create a new profile and start a career. You can set the difficulty at easy medium or hard. Easy provides you with a map, tips and “easy animals”, making animals abundant and not spooked easily, highly attracted to calls etc.. Medium Takes the Animals up a notch, making them sparser, and spooked much more easily. Hard truly is hard, taking away your map, making animals virtually non-existent, and much harder to call-in. When you first start the game, you are provided with a .270 caliber bolt-action rifle, a simple rattle call, a 3-9X40 Scope, and a 20ga Over Under Shotgun.
As your loading into a game, the screen will display useful tips. On the Nintendo Wii, getting oriented is a little tricky, pointing your remote at the screen and moving it to the side turns your body, your aiming point is where you point the remote. The Nunchuck is required, and adds some useful features, such as Hunters Instinct. Hunters Instinct makes your screen very dark, and highlights wildlife in yellow making animals easy to spot.
As you go throughout the game, you will unlock little mini-hunts, such as shooting ducks or geese. When you are walking around in the woods or sahara, any small game or waterfowl wildlife are unlimited take. For certain animals (such as Geese) you have to use a shotgun. You can equip certain items in the equipment screen (see picture).


Once you are almost done with each level, you will “stumble” across a trophy animal, Such as a 20 point mule deer, a lion, or a warthog. Sometimes you will be attacked by other animals such as a bear. After completion of a level, you will unlock certain items, such as a new rifle, scope, or handgun. When you finish all the Hunts, you will have 7 rifles in calibers from 22-250, to 416, and a 50 cal Muzzleloader. You will also have 3 shotguns, a crossbow, 3 pistols, and a host of calls. Your First Hunt is in Montana, hunting for Mule Deer. Later you go to places like Ethiopia in the summer and in fall, and back to Montana in the winter. When you put your crosshairs of your scope over an animal, the animal's information will be displayed in the lower left corner (see Picture). During the game, hitting the Minus button on the remote, accesses your PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), Showing what tags you have, the map and your objectives. There are also blinds and tree stands that you can enter and hunt from.
One criticism I have is that the animals that attack you and also some trophy animals like the lion, require 7 or more shots from your highest powered rifle, 8 shots to kill a warthog with a 416 Rigby, I don't think so! The other problem I find with the game is that most other big game animals only require one shot anywhere on their body to kill, with only a few exceptions such as using a very low caliber rifle. The Game is a great deal of fun, with a good selection of gear and good graphics. Sometimes Hard is a little too challenging, but overall, I Give this game 3.5 out of 5 Stars.




There are also blinds and treestands that you can enter and hunt from.


The Map Screen


  Trophy Elk Fighting

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It’s hard to believe but turkey season here in Wisconsin is just a few days from coming to a close. We’re less than 120 days from opening day of archery deer season. Our turkey season was certainly less than what we would have liked. We put a few birds on the ground but we ate more tags than in years past. I’m sure when the final statistics are released, we’ll realize we were not alone. All of the harvest reports I’ve seen so far this spring indicate a decrease in harvest. A combination of winter kill and rough conditions during spring are the leading causes.

Speaking of winter kill, it’s been an interesting spring on our hunting property in Southwest Wisconsin. My dad found this buck back in March. The nine pointer had a 18” spread. We have no idea what killed this big guy. His carcass was found in thick brush on the edge of a meadow. There is also a major trail 10 yards from where he was found. I can imagine him running that trail and collapsing in the brush due to some unknown ailment. His body was no doubt ravaged by coyotes. The bones are strewn about and will no doubt be completely reclaimed by the land in the coming months.

There are several areas within the property we have never walked in, but this was the first carcass we have ever found on the property. There may be deer carcasses in our refuge areas. But fortunately, this guy was the first dead buck discovered in a few years of hunting the property.

During a late April turkey hunt, I found another buck. It’s amazing how they disappear. I walked within 25 yards of this animal a half dozen times before spotting him. This one is probably a year younger than my dad’s discovery. The interesting thing about these two bucks is they were found within 75 yards of each other. That tells me bucks feel comfortable in the area. I haven’t hunted this spot before, but I think it has to warrant a stand site this fall.

It's like Christmas morning for trail camera aficionados in Wisconsin. This photo captured a few days ago by foremosthunting.com’s Justin Davis shows three bucks with new antler growth emerging. It’s impossible to tell the potential of these deer at this point but in the next few months, we’ll get much more information from our photos.

By early June, Wisconsin deer will show about half of their main beams as well as visible G2s. From June through the end of August we’ll see their fastest antler growth spurt. If it is legal to place mineral blocks in your area, early summer is the time to do it if you would like to see immediate results. In August, antlers begin hardening and by early autumn velvet will begin peeling off as bucks prepare for breeding season. If you’re trail cameras are not out, now is the time to start placing them. Keep in mind, travel routes will change before hunting season begins. This coincides with bachelor groups breaking up in September. But summertime is a great opportunity to get an idea of the bucks in your area.

Some call it "The nice version of earn a buck", some hunters love it and others are deeply opposed to this new deer management too.  Our roving reporter Chris Larson had a chance to interview Minnesota law maker Steve Drazkowski and Marrett Grund from the Minnesota DNR and got two completely different takes on this hot topic: Minnesota Antler Point Restrictions Spark Debate

Tell us what you think of Antler Point Restrictions!