Let us introduce you to our new and original comic Rut’n Around. Get your whitetail laughs once a month only at whitetailroundup.com™.

(This original comic, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, Wes O’Brien was just about to end an evening hunt when he stumbled onto a buck of a lifetime. O’Brien spotted a large buck standing on a field edge a couple hundred yards away. A few minutes later he dropped the 38pt non-typical giant at 100 yards with his rifle. It wasn’t until O’Brien took the deer to the Schramm Park State Recreation Area check station that discussion of a state record started.

To date, the largest ever whitetail taken by a firearm in Nebraska scored 242.5 points and was taken by Robert Snyder in 1961 in Genoa, located in Nance County. O’Brien’s buck which has been said to be in the 281 range would easily surpass Snyder’s in the firearm category. But there has also been talk that the O’Brien buck might top Nebraska’s all time state record, the infamous Del Austin buck, also known as “Old Mossy Horns.” Austin’s buck was taken in 1962 in Hall County and scored 279.7 points.

It is great to hear of a hunter like O’Brien taking a record book buck, but after you read an account of the story, something feels like it’s missing. Does O’Brien’s buck have the makings of a legend? Does this buck have an incredible story line that will stand the test of time? O’Brien, a native of Texas, joined a friend to hunt a private farm in Nebraska for the opening day of firearm season. They were hunting the property for the first time. By the end of the first day, O’Brien had stumbled onto a trophy buck standing on a field edge. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, O’Brien said he got lucky and that’s why he was naming the buck “Too Easy.” Compare O’Brien’s account of Too Easy to the years of exhaustive hunting, missed shots, encounters, and characters that made the legend of Old Mossy Horns. If O’Brien’s buck goes on to topple Old Mossy Horns, it will be reflected in the record books, but will it become a legend?

Read the story that made Old Mossy Horns a legend: Click Here

View pictures of Wes O’Brien’s 38pt non-typical Nebraska buck: Click Here

Side Note: One can’t help but wonder if somewhere in Nebraska there is modern day Al Dawson who picked up the newspaper to read the story of O’Brien’s buck. Bittersweet, maybe he sat back and smiling he remembered some incredible encounters he had with a buck he never had a chance to harvest. Memories like that are what legends are made of.

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

This picture found its way into my email inbox this past week. It was forwarded to me by a friend in Central Pennsylvania. While not many details are available and many pictures like this come with a tall tale, everything sounds legit. Apparently this buck was struck and killed by a car near a high school in the Pittsburgh area. The picture was taken with a cell phone by a passing motorist. It’s a shame to think that this split brow tine trophy won’t be cruising the woods of Western Pennsylvania anymore.

If you have more information about this buck, whitetailroundup.com™ would like to hear from you. Please email us at info@whitetailroundup.com.

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

Of all the great Pennsylvania hunting stories I’ve heard over the past decade, the story of John Shirk’s Pennsylvania State Record Elk tops them all. You may be reading the title of this post saying “I thought this was a web site about whitetail deer.” Well, it is, and it was a whitetail deer that ended up bringing an unbelievable twist of bad-luck to the story.

I first heard the name John Shirk while talking with a fellow hunter during the third week of November 2006. While sipping on a cup of coffee, he starts telling me this outrageous story… “there’s this guy named John Shirk from Goodville, Lancaster County who pulled an elk tag and then hired a guide to go up to Clinton County for the opening day of Pennsylvania’s 2006 controlled elk hunt. After being in the woods for less than a few hours, this guy shoots a state record bull elk and then he and his buddies drag this 800LB beast out of the woods and put it on a trailer. On the way home the trailer axle breaks, so they have to load the elk onto a new trailer to get back on the road. No sooner are they on the road and out runs a monster buck that smacks into the front of their van. The van flips into a ditch pinning Shirk under the wreckage. Fire crews had to come cut him out, he was eventually air lifted out of the area on a helicopter… talk about a crazy day, can you believe that?”

The answer was ‘no’ I couldn’t, and I did not believe his story, but I was intrigued. Over the next several days I started to do some searching around on the web to see if I could find anything about a guy named John Shirk shooting a state record elk in Pennsylvania. I was unsuccessful, and I ended up writing off the John Shirk story as another well told hunting story.

About a week later I picked up the Thursday morning newspaper. I always zipped straight to the sports section because a local writer did an outdoors column on Thursdays that I liked to read. My mouth dropped open as I turned the page and read the tag line “Goodville hunter bags the big one, then crushes his wrist in crash.” I read on, and sure enough, it was the story of John Shirk. I immediately jumped over to my laptop and Googled ‘John Shirk’, and this time I found what I was looking for.

While the story I first heard turned out to be a bit embellished, it was for the most part, true.

Read the original story that made the front page of North Central Pennsylvania’s ‘Endeavor News’ on November 11th, 2006 (many thanks to Endeavor News for keeping this link alive).

In 2007, John Shirk’s elk was scored by the Boone & Crockett club. Not only was the bull elk a Pennsylvania state record, it was also the seventh largest non-typical elk ever shot in North America.

John Shirk’s record elk, was put on display at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s exhibit at the Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on February 3-11, 2007.

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

Delivering a killing shot is the goal of every hunter.  Sometimes, though, shot alternatives are not optimal. This post provides useful information that will help in making the decision to shoot or not to shoot by describing the anatomy of the whitetail and recommending when and where to shoot depending on the angle and approach of the deer.  Being aware of these things will help all of us to make better shooting decisions.

Trophy Deer Shot Placement – THE DEER HUNTING GUIDE.COM

Shot Placement – ABOUT.COM

Firearm Hunting and Bowhunting Shot Placment – SHOTPLACEMENT.COM

Deer Anatomy – DEER HUNTING.WS

Bow Hunting Shot Placement – TRAIL CAMERA REVIEWS & INFO

Shot Placement on Whitetail Deer – BOWHUNTING.NET

Shot Placement – WHITETAIL DEER HUNTING

Shot Placement on a Whitetail Deer – SKINNYMOOSE.COM

How & Where to Shoot a Whitetail Deer – WHITETAIL HEAVEN

Hunter Eduation: Shot Placement (VIDEO) – MYOUTDOORTV.COM

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

Here are some short, to the point, very good and timely articles on hunting the rut.  We’ll add these to the Hunting the Rut section of the Roundup Library.

Whitetail Rut: November 1-7 – AMERICAN HUNTER

Whitetail Rut: November 8-14 – AMERICAN HUNTER

Whitetail Rut: November 15-21 – AMERICAN HUNTER

Whitetail Rut: November 22-30 – AMERICAN HUNTER

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

Many of our readers have a lot of experience under their belts when it comes to this topic.  But if it’s been some time since your last successful hunt or if you’ve never had the opportunity to bag a whitetail, we’re providing a handful of articles that do a really nice job of reminding or showing you for the first time how to field dress a whitetail deer.

In addition to some great photos, there’s also an informative and well done video.  Finally, there are two pamphlet type products you can print and take into the field as a reference.

Enjoy your hunting.

Field Dressing Deer Instructions – SURVIVE OUTDOORS INC

Field Dressing Deer Pocket Guide – PENN STATE

How to Field Dress a Whitetail Deer – MICHIGAN DNR

Field Dressing Big Game – ANGELFIRE.COM

Field Dressing a Whitetail Deer (VIDEO) – TOBYSPEOPLE.COM

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

This week’s post examines the various types of broadheads, provides information about choosing the best broadhead and looks at factors that influence shooting accuracy when using broadheads.

Have a safe and successful hunt.

How to Choose a Broadhead – FIELD & STREAM

Choosing a Broadhead: Mechanical vs. Fixed – BOWHUNTING.COM

Broadhead Buyer’s Guide – BASSPRO

The Truth About Broadhead Effectiveness – RUSSELL THORNBERRY OUTDOORS

Penetration Factors… Bows, Broadheads and Arrows – FISHINGBUDDY.COM

A Fresh Look At Mechanical Broadheads – BOWHUNTING WORLD

The New Technology in Broadheads – ARTICLESBASE

Rage 2 Blade Broadheads For Bowhunting – ABOUT.COM

Broadheads – What’s The Point – BESTDEERHUNTOHIO

Tune Your Broadheads – BUCKS OF THE BLUEGRASS.COM

Tune Your Bow For Broadheads – NORTH AMERICAN WHITETAIL

4 Steps To Perfect Broadhead Flight – PETERSON’S BOWHUNTING

Perfect Broadhead Flight – THEBOWSITE

Broadhead Shooting Tips (VIDEO) – BOWTUBE.COM

How to Use an Archery Broadhead (VIDEO) – EHOW.COM

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

Deer hunting from a blind presents certain challenges.  On the other hand, it offers some advantages.  Among other things, blinds can offer more placement options, prove to be more portable than a tree stand and when the weather is really cold, provide a warmer spot for the hunt.

This post examines the use of blinds and blind choices.  Whether you’ve experienced hunting from a blind or have never tried it, we think you’ll find these articles informative and useful for advancing your knowledge of the whitetail hunting experience.

Hunting From a Ground Blind – BOWHUNTING.NET

All About Bowhunting From a Ground Blind – FIELD-N-WATER

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Choosing and Using Blinds and Stands – BIGGAMEHUNT.NET

Ground Blinds For Deer – WARRIORCRITIC.COM

Blinding A Buck – HUNTINGNET.COM

Grounded – BUCKMASTERS

Blind-Sided – PETERSON’S HUNTING

Blinds, Blaze Orange and Big Game Hunting – ND.GOV

Hunting Blind – DEERHUNTING SUCCESS

Getting On The Ground To Hunt – GAME & FISH

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)

The PA Game Commission has created a way for successful deer hunters to report their harvests online.  According to the Game Commission’s recent press release, those participating in the state’s archery deer seasons will be the first to be able to file their harvest reports through the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s new online system.

Click the following link and scroll down about halfway to access the details: click here.

(This original article, found only at whitetailroundup.com™)