Big Missouri Deer visits again!!!!! Goliath Buck is back!!

The one that got away. This monster buck taunted Jerry and I for several years in Missouri.  He appeared on camera at night for approximately two weeks each year in late October.  RIP Goliath.

Big 14 point buck in Missouri.

This buck teased me all summer near Eureka MO.  Then the new neighbors decided to trespass with four wheelers and even put up a camera next to mine.  The good news - next year he will be even better!!!

Cape Girardeau man shoots, kills albino deer

Great Job Jerry Kinnaman.  Great Hunt. Great Trophy.

Hunter becomes the hunted after shooting famous albino deer

Jerry Kinnaman was up early, hunting in southeast Missouri, when he saw it. It had been a chilly night — the ground was crunchy — but on Tuesday morning, Kinnaman spotted the albino buck about 85 yards in the distance.
Kinnaman bagged the buck — which was called “arguably Cape Girardeau’s most notorious deer” by the Southeast Missourian. It was a legal kill, but a controversial one.
“This is a buck of a lifetime,” he told the newspaper.
“Not my biggest buck but at 7 1/2 years old he might be the oldest,” Kinnaman wrote on Facebook. “Let the bashing begin!”
And it did. Kinnaman said in an interview with The Washington Post on Thursday that it has gotten so bad, he has received death threats over the deer.
“People are all tough on the computer,” he said, “but it’s easy for them to say that because they know they’re not going to get in trouble for it.”
The deer was something of a celebrity in Cape Girardeau. Kinnaman said that some locals felt a connection to it and would notice the animal on drives through the city.
“I was the same way as anybody else about this deer, so I understand the relationship some of these people have,” he said.
Here’s the thing, though: The deer wasn’t doing well, Kinnaman said. He said there was “not an ounce of fat on him,” and Kinnaman’s taxidermist noted that the deer’s teeth were in poor condition. The animal would have died this year, Kinnaman said, whether he harvested it or not.
“They never even thought about how hard it would be for this deer to survive once he got to a certain age,” he said.
For what it’s worth, Kinnaman contacted a local conservation department office and was told that he hadn’t broken any regulations. After his taxidermist is finished, Kinnaman said he might donate the mount to a local nature center, so Cape Girardeau residents can continue to see the deer.
“There’s a lot of rumors I shot this deer for a reward,” he said. “I’m, like, ‘no.’ ”
The kill — and subsequent backlash — follows a similar incident in Michigan, in which an 11-year-old boy bagged an albino buck. Gavin Dingman was crossbow hunting with his father, Mick Dingman, when he shot the deer in October.
“I’ve had people tell me, ‘You should have taken the shot. You don’t let an 11-year-old take a shot at a deer like that,’ ” Mick Dingman told the Daily Press & Argus. “To me, in my opinion, it doesn’t matter if it’s a spike or a doe or a trophy deer. If you have confidence in them, it shouldn’t matter what they are shooting at.”

Missouri Bow Hunter Takes Rare Albino Buck

It's rare to see a mature buck, much less a mature albino, while in the deerstand.  Legendary bow hunter, Jerry Kinnaman, has done just that. This amazing buck is approximately 7.5 years old.  This Southeast Missouri buck is known to some as Whitey, Casper, Ghost, and The Goat.



After years of practice, preparation, and patience, Jerry's plan finally came together on a cold December morning.  As he sat quietly 24 feet in the canopy the elusive buck crept underneath.  Jerry heard a small crunch as the buck stepped through the icy leaves. Without moving a muscle he slowly gazed to his left and spotted the buck creeping between the brush. Jerry's heart pounded. He could see his breath as it hit the bitter cold air. He slowly stood up as the buck passed behind a small tree, then as the buck passed a thick bush Jerry realized it would be his last chance to raise his trusty bow before this buck disappeared into the distance.  Jerry held his bow and focused on his target.  He said to himself, "Aim small, miss small" he quickly went through his shooting checklist.  Grip-check, anchor-check, pin-check.  He slowed his breathing and gently released the string.  The arrow was true and the shot deadly.  It pierced his heart and the great animal was down within 30 yards.

Jerry lowered his head.  He had finally been given this wonderful opportunity. All of his practice and patience was worth it.  He passed the test. He overcame the challenge.  He hung is bow and crossed his frozen fingers.  He said a prayer and thanked the Lord for blessing him with this hunt.  He looked up and smiled like a little kid.  He was filled with excitement and pride.

Shooting albino deer is somewhat controversial. Most hunters look at an albino as a rare opportunity and a trophy.  Some believe they should be left alone because they are rare, yet evolution says that this is not a favorable trait.

How rare is an albino deer?
In a December 2013 report published by USA TODAY, Wisconsin naturalist John Bates, co-author of "White Deer: Ghosts of the Forest," said albino deer are born once in about 20,000 births. Some biologists claim only one in 100,000 deer is born albino, the report said.   It is even more rare they they make it to this age. Truly amazing.

Food Plots and Honey Holes - Preparing for deer season

The idea of making big, elaborate food plots that require heavy equipment and hours of labor tends to intimidate landowners. But there's a much simpler and cheaper way to join the food plot craze. Grant Woods, one of America's top whitetail biologists and head of a deer management consulting firm, creates and hunts over what he calls hidey holes. "They're just small woods openings where I sweeten the deal in a place where deer already like to go--like putting ketchup and mustard on a hot dog."
These micro food plots require few tools: a small sprayer with Roundup herbicide, one bag each of lime and fertilizer, a rake or a leaf blower, and some seed. Building the plot is simple, and you can backpack in everything you need in a trip or two.
THE PERFECT SPOT Think small. A quarter acre is as big as you'll want to go. "An excellent place is around the trunk of a big, old tree that's been lightning-struck or killed by gypsy moths," Woods says. "Suddenly there's an opening in the canopy where sun hits the ground for a good part of the day." Log landings (cleared areas where loggers have piled timber), woods roads, and natural openings also work.
Woods preps the seedbed by spraying grass or weeds with Roundup. "Woody brush will have to be girdled [the bark scarred with a knife or hatchet] first," he says. "But don't go through the headache of clearing out dead trees--just work around them. You're not creating a field here."
If leaf litter is all that covers the ground, Woods uses a gas-powered blower to remove leaves and sticks for maximum soil-to-seed contact. "A leaf blower is one of the handiest tools a food-plotter can have. Not only does it do a beautiful job of clearing out the plot itself, but it's also great for creating an entry and exit trail to your stand." If you don't have one, use a steel-tined garden rake instead.
With the debris gone, Woods applies pelletized lime and fertilizer (which breaks down more quickly than the powdered variety) with a handheld spreader. "This is an essential step," he stresses. "Nearly all woodland soils are so acidic that even if plants grow, they'll taste bitter to deer. So I spread as much lime and fertilizer as I can haul in a couple of trips."
TASTY TREATS Finally, broadcast the seed on top of the lime and fertilizer. Deciding what--and when--to plant is critical. "You have a very specific mission: having that plot at peak palatability to deer when conditions are right for you," Woods says. "Seed it too early, and deer can wipe out a plot before you hunt it."
In most areas you'll be planting about three weeks before the opening of bow season, then hunting the site a limited number of times, depending on the crop. You need to consider both its attractiveness and its durability. Deer love peas, for example, but can eat an entire plot in about a week. Clover also draws whitetails and will buy you several more days, depending on the population density. Brassica blends are another favorite, but they mature at different times and give you maybe a month to six weeks.
It takes about four hours to establish a micro plot, according to Woods. "Some folks say that given the little time you can hunt one, you'd be better off just scouting more. That's true if you have exclusive access to a large tract. But if you're hunting only a small acreage or sharing land with other hunters, hidey holes provide an edge that's worth the time."

Trophy Tips for Deer

 

Trophy preparation

Deer hunting is indeed an exciting sport, and trophies are popular reminders of successful days afield. Head mounts, racks and hides are the most common deer-hunting trophies. However, deer legs are often used as gun racks, lamp bases and bookends. Hides also can be used to make items of clothing, wallets and purses. Whether you decide to make your own trophy or leave the job to a professional, the way you handle your deer from the moment it is downed will affect the quality of the product.
For instance, if you plan to mount your deer head, do not cut the animal’s throat. In fact, make no cuts in the head and neck region other than those indicated in the following diagram. This method of skinning will allow plenty of hide for a full head-neck-and-shoulder mount. After skinning, sever the head from the neck and take head, antlers and hide to your taxidermist. If you anticipate any trouble, you might let your taxidermist tackle the caping chore.
Another method of displaying antlers that is inexpensive, yet attractive, is to attach them directly to a backboard or wall. Simply saw off a good, solid section of skull with the antlers and fasten through a hole drilled in the middle. Deer hide or felt can be used to cover the skull-plate, if desired.
If you plan to have the hide processed, remove all the flesh and fat from the skin with a dull knife while the skin is fresh. If you cannot work on the skin when it is fresh, freeze it until you are ready and then allow it to thaw. Then rub salt onto the flesh side and roll it up, flesh side in and send it off to the processor.
A list of licensed taxidermists is available on request from the Conservation Department. There also are a number of reputable companies that will process your deer hides if you do not want to do it yourself.

Recognizing record antler points

The Missouri Show-Me Big Bucks Club is a statewide organization affiliated with the Boone and Crockett Club. The purposes of the club are to officially recognize Missouri trophy deer heads and to honor the successful hunter, to promote interest in and appreciation for Missouri deer hunting, to promote sportsmanship among deer hunters, to establish and maintain a permanent record of trophy deer heads taken in Missouri and to assist eligible members to receive national recognition from the Boone and Crockett Club.
Membership in the club is available to any hunter who has, during any legal hunting season, taken a trophy that meets the standards of the club. Scoring is based on the system of measurements developed by the Boone and Crockett Club. Official club scorers are located throughout the state. Membership in the Show-Me Big Bucks Club will be based on scores submitted by the official club scorers, verified if necessary by officials of the club. Minimum scores for membership are 140 points for typical and 155 points for non-typical deer taken statewide. Other organizations also keep records of antler points, such as Archery Big Bucks of Missouri and Pope and Young Club.
Many beautiful racks of antlers are taken in Missouri each fall. Larry Gibson (see page 19) took our best typical trophy head in 1971 in Randolph County. The antlers scored 205 points on the Boone and Crockett system and ranked third in the latest edition of the club’s records of North American Big Game. The world-record non-typical whitetail was found in St. Louis County in 1981. It scored 333 7/8.
Do you have a record set of antlers? A score of more than 140 is exceptional and should be entered in the record book. Go to the Boone and Crockett website and score your deer’s rack according to the instructions on the official score sheet