Welcome to kentuckydeerhunter.com. This site is for the enjoyment of all deer hunters. Our photo gallery is there for you to show off your deer whether it is a small four point or a monster fourteen point. Our forum is open for you to share your knowledge and tactics with other hunters. The only rule for it is to please keep it clean and family friendly. There is also a Deer story section for you to tell about those special hunts that you want to share. The land lease area is open for you to find areas to hunt or to offer land for lease. I have dreamed of starting a website for years and this is the culmination of that dream. Welcome, Have fun, and help me make this a great site for beginning and experienced hunters alike.

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Forum Hacked

Unfortunately the forum has been attacked by a hacker. I have no problem with someone expressing their views if they are anti-hunting or anti-gun, but I and others have the same right to be pro-hunting and/or pro-gun. I also have the right to express my opinions on a website that I paid for and built. If the only way that you can attempt to impose your views on other people is by hacking their website, then your methods are ineffective and flawed. I admit that my first response to the hacking of the forum was anger, but the God that I serve requires that I forgive those who trespass against me. I will eventually either get the forum back online or delete it, but my views remain the same and will still be reflected on my website through my articles and news.

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Chronic wasting disease is a prion disease that affects whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. So far as we know this disease has never been transmitted to humans eating deer and or elk meat. That does not mean that it can’t be transmitted. The centers for disease control recommends that hunters take precautions when hunting in heavily infected areas. See the article "Chronic Wasting Disease and Potential Transmission to Humans" on the Centers for Disease Control website.
For instance BSE, more commonly know as mad cow disease is also a prion disease in cattle and it can be transmitted to humans eating infected meat from cattle. Kuru is another prion disease that affected natives of New Guinnea who ate the brain tissue of deceased relatives in a religious ceremony honoring them. Scrapie is another prion disease that affects sheep and made its appearance in the mid 1700’s. It is suspected that mad cow disease may have got its start when sheep byproducts, infected with scrapie, were used in feeds for cattle. Prion is another name for a protein that basically is the infectious agent. Cooking will not destroy the prion that causes the disease. No infected deer have been found in Kentucky thus far. Symptoms of the disease in deer are a staggering walk, head and ears held low, lack of fear of humans, and emaciation.The incubation period can be from 1 to 5 years. As a precaution I suggest the avoidance of slaughter or eating of any deer that has any of these symptoms. Some of the states that this disease has been detected in are Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin, South Dakota, New Mexico, Utah, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, New York, and West Virginia. An informed hunter is a safe hunter.

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Well our federal government is at it again. In Rocky Mountain National park the Elk herd is out of control. Why? Because it is a national park and no hunting is allowed. The natural predators wolves and grizzlies were hunted out of this region long ago. So what do the geniuses in our federal Government propose? Night hunts with silencers by sharpshooters paid to kill off the excess Elk. Pay others to remove the carcasses and process the meat. Costs? Why only 18 to 20 million dollars over the next 20 years. Guess who foots that bill? You me and every other taxpayer. Why not sell permits and open up the park for a limited hunt at no taxpayer expense? No way that’s going to happen, Some anti-hunting organization might be offended and tourists who come see the elk would be horrified. They would much rather see the elk grow in population until they starve and devour all the aspen and grass down to the bare soil destroying the very habitat that supports all wildlife in the region. Some propose sending in wolves to do the job. It would take years for a wolf population to get large enough to do the job. Lets get real, If you were an elk would you rather die by gunshot or be torn apart by wolves. I say let hunters do the job at a profit for the government by selling them permits. Let the individual hunter take the meat home and process it for his family at no government cost. Let reason prevail. Whoops talking about the Government here, Reason is not an option. What will 20,000,000. buy? At 3.00 a gallon over 6,666,000 gallons of gasoline or at 10.00 a meal 2,000,000 meals for the hungry or enough to give 20,000 people 1000 dollars. Hopefully some one in charge will come to their senses and realize that the best predator for this job is the American hunter.

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Most of us have either seen pictures or actual specimens of atypical deer. The antlers branch out in unpredictable directions and shapes. What the heck causes this condition we wonder? It can be something as simple as an injury, maybe a disease, or as complex as genetics. It has been established that an injury to one side of a deer’s body can manifest itself in the antler on the opposite side. Strange but true. Also we need to look at what is atypical. For instance, a typical rack is four points on each side. So technically a nice evenly balanced 10 point buck (5 points on each side) is atypical. Back several years ago I got to see an atypical rack on a deer that a friend, Chris Martin, had killed. I will be posting the mount in the photo gallery soon.

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The rarest of all whitetail deer are melanistic deer. These deer have a genetic defect that gives them excessive melanin in their coats, eyes, and skin. Even very few wildlife biologists have been fortunate enough to see one of these. The largest concentration of melanistic deer are located in the eastern Texas region of the Edwards plateau and Blackland Prairie area. Rarely one turns up in other parts of the United States. Melanistic deer can have various shades from dark brown to some that are almost black. Most melanistic fawns don't have the typical whitetail spots. It is believed that recessive genes are responsible for melanism in deer. If you are ever see a melanistic deer, You are one of the fortunate few.

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