Category: Hunting Blog

Raccoon are notorious nest predators and populations are high in many areas. As wildlife managers, we wish to see healthy prey and predator numbers. Trapping is a great management tool for balancing high predator numbers so prey species like turkeys, quail, song birds and other critters can thrive.

When selecting bait to target raccoons, we often use a combination of “sweets” and “meats”. Raccoons have a sweet tooth and during cold nights they will seek energy rich food/protein like meat. Having a combination of sweets and meats at a trap site can be an effective baiting strategy. Will you be balancing nest predator numbers this winter where you turkey hunt?

As we check the RECONYX for deer we also make notes of where raccoons and opossums are active. This information helps us place Duke Traps exactly where critters are moving!

While trapping in the early part of the trapping season may not yield the best for fur prices, it can be a good time to start trapping nest predators.  Concerns over the impact on deer movement need to be considered.  However, deer certainly become conditioned to vehicles that deliver feed, while avoiding all other vehicles on the same property. If you check the trap line at the same time daily, the deer probably know the noise of a truck or ATV, and the smells associated with the trapping gear. If there is a long pattern of people passing through the property without threatening the deer herd, it’s likely the deer are not bothered by trappers — they are conditioned to his presence.

Team member Cody Kraut tagged a nice buck during Illinois’ shotgun season. The following morning, Cody grabbed his Prime Archery and tagged a big doe! We’re proud of Cody for filling the freezer and working toward his doe management goal, even after tagging a buck

Shooting sports and hunting have had a positive influence in our lives and many of our family members. This is why we are excited to share Shoot United! Shoot United is designed to promote all that’s exciting and fun about the shooting sports and hunting activities, as well as responsible firearm ownership. It’s time spent outdoors with family and friends. It’s competition and relaxing days at the range or in the field. It’s one of the safest recreational activities in the country and the fastest-growing sport at the high-school level. The mission of Shoot United is to introduce millions of people with engaging content and grassroots events, and get more people to participate! To learn more and make the shooting sports a part of your life visit – http://www.shootunited.com and watch this video:

When selecting a trap site, consider the direction thermals/air will carry scent during the night (when predators are most active). Traps/bait up wind of a critter’s travel path is best to ensure they smell the bait.

Chase and Rylan White have another Ozark Mountain buck on the ground!

Much of the land around their hunting lease is hardwood timber. Quality cover and food is limited. They have done a lot of habitat improvement work during the past year, including timber stand improvement and creating quality food plots. By improving the habitat for whitetails, Chases’ property has become very attractive to critters – especially deer! See THIS hunt were Rylan tagged a bruiser of a buck during the early youth portion of the Missouri 2021 deer season.

Chase knew that during the rut, bucks can lose up to 30% of their body weight and need calories to continue seeking receptive does. During this time of the year, a food source can be a great hunting location for bucks.

Their strategy worked – he tagged a mature buck on this hunting lease! Rylan did a great job behind the camera! We’ll be sharing the entire hunt in an episode coming soon.

For all the hunters headed to the woods this weekend, here’s a quick review for where to aim based on the deer’s body position!  Hunting with a firearm is usually at longer distances.  A quick, easy retrieval is  all about shot placement, the efficiency of the firearm and the ammunition.  In this short video, Grant shares very specific and detailed tips for shot placement when deer hunting: broadside standing still, quartering-to or quartering-away, and why you should avoid neck/ head shots, full frontal shots and the “Texas heart shot”.

(Apologies for the video not being immediately available.  Please go to our Facebook page to see the video until we have this technical issue worked out.)

Share this page with your friends by copying the link in the browser!  If you use FaceBook or Instagram, click through and leave a comment on the video! We hope this helps you fill your freezer this deer season.

Grant and the GrowingDeerTV team

We’re using HuntStand to create a strategy for tomorrow’s hunt! Daniel shares a step by step on how we use the HuntStand App to decide where and when to hunt: weather conditions in the area and in the hunt zone. The hunt zone will show where the scent is going based on the wind and current conditions.  It’s a great way to get a plan for a specific blind or stand!

We will be sharing more updates of the weekend hunts on social media!  We are always glad to hear updates from our viewers as well – tag us in your social media posts!

We sincerely honor and appreciate the USA’s great veterans!

Grant shares an update/morning observations from the woods! He’s seen some deer and has thoughts on what this indicates about the stage of the rut and how to hunt tomorrow!