The rut was just starting to pick up in New York and on my walk to the stand I could hear deer crunching through the leaves. There was going to be no easy way to get from where I was walking to my stand without spooking deer and that's exactly what happened.

As I climbed up the tree I was half disgusted at all the deer I had spooked on the way in and wondered if it was even worth hunting this area. I hunted it anyway in hopes of something walking by that wasn't aware of my presence.

Four hours later I had seen no deer, the weather was warming up and the light drizzle wasn't helping me stay motivated to stay on the stand - that's the time when I looked down the side of the ridge and saw an 9 pointer chasing a doe on the bench below me. The rut was on.

I wasn't prepared for an all day sit and prior obligations forced me to leave the woods around noon. I called up my hunting buddy Joe who was unable to hunt the morning and told him what I saw. He suggested I hunt the afternoon and urged me to stay on the stand, but I didn't take his advice. I told him the section of the property where I saw the deer and that afternoon he was sitting in a ground blind about 75 yards away from my stand.

Right around dark I got a call from Joe - he had two big bucks come chasing a doe just 20 yards in front of his ground blind and was able to put a good shot on the deer. He looked for his arrow and some blood, but only found a few drops so he backed out.

That night rain moved in and greatly diminished our hopes of finding the buck. The next morning I hunted the ground blind where Joe had shot his buck the night before. Joe met me at the ground blind around 8:00 a.m. and we began our search. For hours we walked through the hills in search of the buck, but nothing materialized.

Joe called Deer Search in hopes one of their tracking dogs would be able to find the buck, but they never came and said the rain was too heavy for their dogs to be able to find the deer.

After days of searching, Joe finally came to terms with the fact that this one got away. Maybe the shot was non-fatal, maybe the buck died a few days later on a different property or maybe we walked by the deer a few times during our search and just never saw it.


Well fast forward four months later and Joe is out doing a quick loop of the property looking for sheds when he comes across this cool looking stick in the ground - just so happens that it's not a stick, but a main beam of the buck he shot in November and we never found.


The old warrior was a heavy mainframe 8 pointer with a 20.5" spread and 6" bases - a true beast in New York and a buck that would make any archer proud. I was very excited for Joe when I heard he found his buck and it finally brought closure to the story of the lost monarch.

Every now and then you get lucky and even though we'll really never know if the deer died there that first night or if he circled back the next day and died, we do know that the shot was fatal and finding that deer brings a close to the "what ever happened to that big buck" story.

Bear Harvest numbers were strong again this year in New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. In 2010, bear hunters took more than 1,060 bears in the state.

“New York has excellent bear habitat and vast, accessible public lands that offer exciting opportunities for bear hunting,” said Commissioner Martens. “Black bears are thriving in New York, and they represent a great resource for all New Yorkers.”

Statewide, hunters took 1,064 black bears this past fall, similar to harvest levels of 2005-2007. While overall population size plays a large role in harvest totals, annual variations in take are also strongly influenced by environmental factors that affect bear activity and hunting pressure such as natural food availability and snow fall.

In the Southeastern bear hunting area, hunters took 401 bears, with roughly half of the harvest occurring during the bowhunting season and half during the regular firearms hunting season. In the Central-Western bear hunting area, hunters took 142 bears, with bowhunters responsible for about 65% of the harvest. Harvest in both areas was down approximately 20% from 2009.

In the Adirondack bear hunting area, the take of 521 bears was down approximately 35% from 2009, but is consistent with the long-term average for that area. Bear harvest in the Adirondacks seems heavily influenced by variations in key food resources, and this year’s harvest follows those trends. In years when soft mast (apple, cherry, raspberry) is abundant, bear harvest during the early season tends to decrease. Cherry and raspberry were widely available in September and October, and bear take during the 2010 early season dropped approximately 40% from 2009, which was a year with a poor soft mast crop and high early season bear harvest. Conversely, in years when beech nuts are abundant, bear take tends to increase during the regular season. This past fall was lacking for beechnut production, and bear take during the regular season dropped about 25% from 2009.

Hunters play a pivotal role in bear management through reporting their bear harvests. Hunters also are asked to submit a tooth sample from their bear for DEC to determine the age of harvested bears. To encourage participation, DEC issues a New York State Black Bear Cooperator Patch to all hunters who reported their harvest and submitted a tooth. More than 550 patches will be distributed for the 2010 hunting season. Eligible hunters will receive their patch in late summer 2011 when all the age data has been processed. The average age of bears harvested is typically 3-4 years old in the Southeastern and Central-Western areas, while bears harvested in the Adirondacks average about 5 years old.

In addition to harvest totals, DEC uses a variety of indices to measure bear populations. Taxidermists and DEC wildlife personnel collect age and sex information from harvested bears, as well as movement data from tagged bears. This information is used to help DEC biologists manage bear populations and establish future hunting regulations to assure the management of black bears in New York State is at a level that is compatible with human interests.

A complete summary of the 2010 bear harvest with breakdown by county, town, and Wildlife Management Unit is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html on the DEC website.

Hunters harvested just over 230,000 deer in the 2010 hunting season, up about 3% from 2009, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The Junior Big-Game License was popular once again, with over 16,000 junior hunters taking advantage of the opportunity to hunt big game, harvesting approximately 4,900 deer.

“Deer hunters play a crucial role, benefitting all New Yorkers, by helping to maintain deer numbers at levels that are ecologically and socially appropriate, and we appreciate their participation,” Commissioner Martens said.

The 2010 deer take included approximately 123,100 antlerless deer (adult females and fawns) and just under 107,000 adult bucks. Deer harvests in the Northern Zone were very comparable to 2009, with adult buck take (approx. 16,100) essentially unchanged and antlerless take (approx. 12,500) only increasing about 3%. In the Southern Zone, excluding Long Island, adult buck take (approx. 89,900) increased nearly 6% while antlerless take (approx. 108,600) increased only about 2%.

Western New York continues to lead the state in total deer-harvest densities, but Orange County in southeastern New York remains a strong contender. The top five counties for 2010 were Yates (14.3 total deer per square mile), Wyoming (12.2), Genesee (11.0), Cayuga (10.0), and Orange County (10.0). Importantly, total harvest is strongly impacted by the number of Deer Management Permits (DMPs) available in an area, which directly affects the harvest of antlerless deer. A more accurate picture of relative deer population densities is revealed by the density of buck harvest. By this figure, the top counties for buck harvest density were: Wyoming (4.9 bucks per square mile), Yates (4.9 bucks per square mile), Allegany (4.0), Schuyler (3.8), and Cayuga County (3.8).

Across the state, hunters took a slightly higher proportion of 2.5 year old and older bucks than in previous years, continuing a trend that has developed over the past decade. This past year, about 45% of harvested bucks were 2.5 years or older, compared to only 33% in 2000.

Deer harvest data are gathered from two main sources: harvest reports required by all successful hunters, and DEC staff’s examination of harvested deer at check stations and meat processors. Statewide harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources. Though an average of only 45% of successful hunters have reported their harvest each year since 2005, statewide harvest estimates remain statistically accurate to within ±2%.

During the 2010 deer season, DEC tested 1,780 hunter-harvested deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and found no CWD infected deer. With no CWD detections since 2005, last summer, DEC decommissioned the CWD containment area and no longer required mandatory checking of harvested deer in that area.

Additionally, DEC continues to develop a deer management plan based on input collected during a series of public meetings held in 2009; information from a recent statewide survey of deer hunters; and assessments from a deer biologists and regional wildlife managers. This plan will provide a blueprint for deer management for the next five years, including a number of reforms to strengthen the program. DEC anticipates that the plan will be available for public review and comment later this spring.

Deer populations and harvest vary widely across the state. The 2010 and previous year’s deer harvest by county, town, and Wildlife Management Unit are available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html on the DEC website

Albany - Legislation that would lower the minimum age for archery hunting from 14 to 12 has passed the Senate and been forwarded to the Assembly.

The Senate passed S177A late last month, surprisingly early in the legislative session and less than two months after it was introduced by western New York Sen. George Maziarz.

Maziarz, R-Newfane, has long been a supporter of hunting, fishing and trapping, and has in the past pushed for loosened restrictions on youth hunting and crossbow use.

Currently, the junior archery license allows young hunters ages 14-16 to hunt deer and bear during archery season. The Maziarz proposal would lower that minimum age to 12.

It's a seemingly small step in loosening youth hunting regulations. But in New York, and facing the state Assembly, it may be a monumental task.

Just three years ago, state lawmakers approved a long-awaited youth hunting bill that lowered the minimum age for hunting big game with a firearm from 16 to 14.

Hailed as perhaps the biggest legislative victory for sportsmen in decades, the 14-year-old age minimum remains the most stringent in the U.S., since more than 40 states allow youths age 12 - and sometimes under 12 - to hunt big game with a firearm.

S177A would allow 12-year-olds to obtain a junior archery license, making it consistent with age requirements for a junior hunting license. Junior license holders would have to abide by several regulations, including being accompanied at all times by an experienced parent, guardian or adult.

"We've been pursuing a reduction in the junior bowhunting age requirements for almost 20 years now," New York Bowhunters President Gary Socola said. "We're excited about S177A finally passing through the Senate and on to the Assembly and would like to thank Sen. Maziarz for sitting down with NYB to craft this bill and for submitting it annually ever since. It's about time New York quit penalizing our youth by making them wait longer to bowhunt than any other state in the country."

The bill - an Assembly companion bill (A2021A) was sponsored by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, a Sullivan County Democrat - has been referred to the Assembly codes committee.

DEC continues to refine strategies and recommendations in development of a 5-year deer management plan for New York State. We anticipate that the plan will be available for public review and comment by late May or early June. This time frame will also allow us to conclude a summary assessment of the pilot antler restriction program in the southern Catskills and address the future of mandatory antler restrictions in the pilot area and elsewhere in the deer management plan.

Recently, several erroneous claims have circulated in some New York hunting blogs, online forums and news articles, implying that DEC intends to shut down the pilot antler restriction program regardless of hunter interests. These claims have no base. DEC does not have pre-determined intentions for the pilot antler restriction program but will use results of the summary assessment to help determine the future of the program.

Preliminary information about the deer management plan is available at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7211.html, and a description of the antler restriction issue in New York is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27663.html.

Shed hunting continues to grow in popularity in places like New York where it takes a lot more miles of walking through hardwoods to find sheds than it does in some of the flat ground of the Midwest states.


NYB reader Mike was out shed hunting with his dad on March 12th. The two walked for over five hours in search of sheds and ended up finding 11 of them, three of which were matched sets!


Some sheds, like the one pictured above, you just have to have an eye for. Finding sheds that have been covered in brush and leaves are especially hard to find. Look how well that antler blends in!


Some people don't find 11 sheds in a single season - I'm currently at 2 - and finding a matched set is even hard, forget about three! Congrats to Mike and his dad on some great finds. Hopefully we see a few more of success photos before the woods green up and the sheds really disappear.

The new Cuddeback Attack series scouting cameras have been over three years in development and are the result of twenty-five years of scouting camera experience! Technologically a quantum leap over previous generations, Attack and Attack IR feature Ultra Hair Trigger - they will snap an image within ¼ second. That's faster than any Cuddeback ever and fast enough to catch a deer running over 20 feet per second! This means you're far more likely to get an image of the animal that triggered the camera. And, thanks to Cuddeback's Centered Subject Technology, that animal is more likely to appear in the center of the image.

But that's not all - not even close! Both Attack models also feature Full Season Battery Life. Operating on 4 "D" cell batteries, Attack will take 10,000 images on a single set of batteries. Attack IR will take 50,000 images on a single set of batteries. That's easily a full season without changing batteries! This also dramatically reduces battery cost. And, it means you'll pay for your Attack in short order just with battery cost savings compared to some cameras.

Attack also takes video! This feature is called Video Plus because it gives you premium quality, 24-frames-per-second clips that are 30 seconds long, plus a still image! So, you don't have to give up your still image when you select video (and, with Attack's exceptional battery life, you can shoot a lot of video).

Image quality with the 5 megapixel Attack and Attack IR is outstanding. Cuddeback's Smart Color Image Technology is state-of-the-art image processing that results in vibrant colors. And, with Attack IR, you'll get 5 megapixel infrared images that are not only remarkably clear, but virtually void of the motion blur and exposure problems you get with other infrared cameras.

Both Attack and Attack IR have a brand new time lapse mode called Guard Duty where the camera will automatically take an image every 12 seconds. This lets you monitor a food plot, stand site or field, any larger area you wish to watch, all day every day! Guard Duty gives you an entire day's worth of high resolution 1.3 megapixel images that you can view in rapid fashion in just 10 minutes with Fast Watch, a feature on Cuddeback's Trophy Room software which is available for free download at cuddeback.com. With Guard Duty, you'll be able to determine if and when there was any daytime (only) activity in a larger general area well outside the reach of scouting cameras. Guard Duty creates images, not video. This way you can save the images you want and delete the rest.

Attack and Attack IR also have a built-in USB port. Plug in a flash drive and copy images on the spot from the camera's SD card to the flash drive. This eliminates the need for card swapping, lets you download images from multiple cameras to a single flash drive and makes transferring images to a computer easier than ever!

Another clever innovation you'll find on Cuddeback Attack and Attack IR is the new Genius Mount System. Every camera comes with a Genius mounting bracket that either straps or screws into the tree onto which the camera itself slides. With Genius, you'll be able to attach additional brackets to favorite camera locations and simply slide the camera in place when you get there. It also allows you to readily check your camera or
change batteries.

Attack features a 1.5" strobe flash that assures a real 60 foot flash range. Attack IR uses 36 high-power infrared LEDs for a comparable 60 foot IR flash range. Both models operate on four "D" cell batteries, use either SD or SDHC media (1 GB to 32 GB), feature Cuddeback's famous Super Simple Setup and a 60 MB internal memory so if you forget or lose you SD card you can still get approximately 60 images.

Funding from Whitetails Unlimited chapters has provided more than $2.25 million in local projects in the Deer Belt states of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania; and despite the economic downturn, attendance at local WTU events remains strong.

" After looking at our numbers at the end of FY 2010, local chapters in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have raised $2,284,895 for conservation and education projects in their local areas," said Whitetails Unlimited Executive Director Pete Gerl. " Our membership remains strong and we expect to continue funding projects in the same manner as in the past."

Whitetails Unlimited conducts fundraising events to raise resources for conservation, education, and the preservation of the hunting tradition. Unique among conservation organizations, WTU returns 50 percent of net event proceeds back to local chapters, to use on local projects.

" By working with WTU, local chapters in Ohio have funded projects including the National Archery in the Schools Program, range improvements, handicapped and wounded warrior hunts, scholarships, youth outdoor education events, hunter safety classes, and a number of habitat acquisition projects," said Ohio Field Director Denny Malloy. " Ohio started with $7,339 in projects in 1994, and last year over $186,000 was spent on local Ohio projects. In total, WTU has spent more than $1.7 million for local projects in Ohio." These totals do not include funds provided from Whitetails Unlimited national headquarters.

The first Whitetails Unlimited banquet in Pennsylvania was held in 1989, which returned $3,104 for local projects. Since that time more than $315,000 has been returned through WTU' s Grassroots program for a wide range of projects. " Local chapters in Pennsylvania have been able to educate youngsters on gun and hunting safety, improve habitat, fund scholarships, improve shooting ranges, and provide equipment and training to schools for NASP," said Malloy, who also covers Pennsylvania.

In Indiana, Whitetails Unlimited chapters have spent $239,232 on Grassroots projects since the first banquet in 1986. WTU Field Director Tim Schlater organizes banquets in Indiana, along with southwest Ohio and Kentucky. " People who live in Indiana have a great tradition for deer hunting, and are enthusiastic about the outdoors. Whitetails Unlimited provides a vehicle for them to raise money for projects that enhance their outdoor pursuits," Schlater said. " Indiana funds have helped bring archery activities into schools, improve many ranges that provide the public a safe place to shoot, and educate young hunters."

Both field directors note that groups who have local projects in need of funding should call them to discuss the possibility of hosting a WTU event. " Many people want to accomplish conservation and outdoor education projects, but raising funds is a big job. Whitetails Unlimited can make that much, much easier," said Malloy. Schlater agreed, noting, " WTU field directors conduct banquets full time, year-round, and whenever we can find local people who are motivated, the hard part is over."

Schlater said that his best tool for expanding the number of events he organizes is an existing event. " Word of mouth is the best advertising. When someone comes to a WTU event and has a great time, and then sees how much can be raised for local projects, they make the connection to fundraising for a project they are interested in."

Anyone wanting more information about a WTU event can visit the Whitetails Unlimited website at www.whitetailsunlimited.com, or call the WTU national headquarters at 920- 743-6777. Denny Malloy can be reached at 330-507-9489; Tim Schlater can be reached at 937-393-2955.

While most people are following their favorite basketball teams during March Madness, a select few dedicated whitetail hunters are out roaming the woods in search of shed antlers.

One of our readers, Damien, consistently is able to find big sheds on his walks through the whitetail woods and he was nice enough to share some of his finds with us. Take a look at these great sheds and take a moment to look at where they fell - a buck can drop its antlers anywhere.


Finding sheds isn't an easy task and I've literally walked right over some without even seeing them! On a recent shed hunting trip my buddy Paul had to stop me to show me the antler I had just walked by.

At the end of the day, successful shed hunters share have three things in common - patience, persistence and dedication. It takes hours of walking and searching to find sheds. Sometimes you will find a shed in the first 10 minutes, sometimes you walk for four hours and you go home empty handed.


I don't really think there's one spot that's better than another because there's no telling when or where a buck will drop its antlers. The best thing to do is pay close attention to where the deer are congregating during the winter months and thoroughly search the area.

I like to find heavy deer runs and just walk them and scan along the trail. If I come to a place with lots of food I'll spend some more time walking back and forth in a grid pattern until I've searched the entire area.


Some spots produce and some spots don't. The places that end up producing the most sheds for some people are places that don't allow hunting. These areas tend to hold greater numbers of deer and they're not pressured to move around as much so it becomes a bit easier to figure out how they move through the area and where they spend most of their time.

If you still haven't found any sheds, don't give up! They're out there and you've probably walked by more than you'd like to admit. Keep searching and keep trying because you just never know when you'll find that antler you've been searching for.

Henderson, Tennessee - If you're interested in shooting a traditional bow and arrow without having to use sights, this is the event you've been waiting for. Mike Goodman invites you to join legendary archer BYRON FERGUSON to be your personal instructor for 3 days at the amazing Goodman Ranch located in the beautiful rolling hills of West Tennessee. Archers around the world have been asking Byron to teach them to shoot and now it is your chance to participate. From beginners to the most advanced archers will benefit from Byron's great instruction. Byron will lead you through every aspect of shooting traditional archery beginning with the basics culminating in each student being able to shoot a flying target. Limited space is available for spring and fall Schools. Spring School, May 27-29, 2011 and Fall School will be November 4-6, 2011.

Visit www.GoodmanRanch.com For more information or to reserve your class today contact Mike Goodman, 901-734-7818 mike@goodmanranch.com Byron Ferguson, 256-773-2467 byronferguson@msn.com.

It's been a long time waiting for the snow to melt, but it's finally gone and with the rain we had over the last few days the leaves were matted down making it easier to find sheds. As I headed out with Paul today we had high hopes of finding sheds. We got off to a really slow start, but then they just started showing up!


This was the first shed of the day. Paul and I had come to a clearing and he took the left side while I took the right. After noticing a large rub and walking to check it out he found a four point side lying right behind it.

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) in partnership with Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Penn State School of Forest Resources Web Seminar Center (http://rnrext.cas.psu.edu/PAForestWeb) announces the White-tailed Deer Management Webinar Mini-Series. A series of three webinars will be provided "live" at noon and 7:00 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month beginning in March and running through May. Each will last approximately one hour.

March 15, 2011 - Implementing a Successful Deer Management Program

April 19 - White-tailed Deer Breeding Biology and Communication

May 17 - Providing Quality Habitat for White-tailed Deer

Participation in the web seminar does not require any special software. To view live and previously recorded seminars all you need is a high-speed Internet connection and sound.

To register and take part in the live seminars or to view previously recorded webinars visit http://rnrext.cas.psu.edu/PAForestWeb.

Bill 2021A was introduced to the NYS Senate in January 2011. The bill reduces the required minimum age for obtaining a junior archery license from 14 to 12 years old.

This is a huge step in the right direction for the sportsmen and women of New York. Recruiting young hunters into our sport is one of the hardest things for us to do mainly because of the restrictive laws New York has when it comes to the minimum age requirement for hunting.

On July 24, 2008 Governor Paterson signed a bill into law lowering the minimum age for junior big game firearm hunters from 16 to 14 years old (http://www.nybowhunter.com/2008/07/junior-hunting-bill-passes.html). This instantly brought younger hunters into our sport and helped introduce children to the outdoors.

While we're moving in the right direction, there are still over 40 states that allow junior hunters to begin hunting at the age of 12. New York is now on track to catch up to the rest of the country with this bill, but it needs your help!

Please contact your local senators and ask them to support bill 2021A so we can preserve our hunting heritage for future generations and bring youth into our sport.

Nick recently sent me this picture of his 14 year old stepson, Andrew, with a big eight pointer he shot on opening day of the 2010 rifle season in Pennsylvania. It's not a New York buck and it's not archery equipment, but anytime you can bring a child hunting or fishing is something that's needed to preserve the future of the outdoors for us sportsmen and women.

Congrats to Andrew on his big 8 pointer! I'm sure it's a day he'll never forget.

Dave Smith makes the most lifelike, realistic looking decoys that you've ever seen. No need to worry about the rain, snow or whatever conditions mother nature throws at you with DSD decoys.

My first Dave Smith Decoy was a hard plastic hen. This was before they came out with their A.C.E. material that is a rubber like material with unmatched durability and paint adhesion.


The Strutter decoy is 18" tall, 15" wide and 15" beak to tail representing a medium framed gobbler. This is sure to bring the big boys running straight in as they'll be wondering who the new kid on the block is and why he's trying to steal away the ladies.

Just add your own tail fan, wings and beard to the decoy and you're ready to go. Attachment is simple with the use of slip on washers that hold the winds and tail in place.

Production begins on March 1st for the DSD Strutter decoy and they will retail for $199.

New Berlin, WI (Feb. 24, 2011) – Sportsman Channel, the leader in outdoor TV for the American Sportsman, announced today it is now available on Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC)’s iO Sports & Entertainment Pak, channel 462, in the New York metropolitan area including Long Island, Westchester, The Bronx and Brooklyn in New York City and portions of New Jersey and Connecticut.
The addition brings the total number of networks available through the iO Sports & Entertainment Pak to 22. Serving outdoor enthusiasts, Sportsman Channel delivers the most entertaining and educational programming with renowned sportsmen and conservationists.

“We are pleased to continue expanding our iO Sports & Entertainment Pak with the addition of Sportsman Channel,” said Gary Schanman, Cablevision’s senior vice president of video product management. “Cablevision is committed to delivering programming that meets our customers’ diverse interests.”

“We bring a fresh and innovative approach to delivering on the interests of American Sportsmen with an original slate of hunting, shooting and fishing programming. We are focused on providing Cablevision’s customers with the most entertaining outdoors lifestyle content available,” said Gavin Harvey, CEO for Sportsman Channel.

Sportsman Channel recently announced new programming debuting this fall on the network, including shows targeting the outdoors lifestyle on public lands titled On Your Own Adventures, and an original production with Beau Turner, son of media mogul Ted Turner, called Beau Knows Outdoors.
Cablevision’s award-winning digital cable service, iO TV, offers customers access to more than 400 channels, including 53 premium movie channels, 46 channels of commercial-free digital music, thousands of titles available on demand at all times, an interactive programming guide, more than 100 free high-definition programming services and uniquely valuable and relevant local content through News 12, MSG Varsity and their companion interactive television applications.

Official measurers at the Duluth Boat, Sports and Travel Show measured a set of shed antlers that took over first place among all Minnesota shed antlers. The two antlers of the typical 12-point buck were found Feb. 9 and 10 near Excelsior, Minn., by Jay Miller of Excelsior. Miller is a vendor at the boat show and brought the antlers along to be measured.

The right antler scored 91 3/8 and the left scored 89 5/8, according to the panel of official measurers. The net score of the set is 175 0/8, and that, of course, is without an inside-spread measurement.

Tom Miller of the North American Shed Hunters Club in Lyndon Station, Wis., confirmed that the set of sheds is now the top-ranked set in Minnesota and is also the sixth-ranked set in the world. The North American Shed Hunters Club is the official record-keeping body for shed antlers.

The antler points are nearly symmetrical, and the tines are exceptionally long. Miller said he had seen the buck on his trail camera throughout January. Miller saw the buck in person on Feb. 7 and noticed that it had dropped its right antler. He began searching for it on Feb. 8. He found the right antler on Feb. 9 and the left a day later within a quarter-mile of where he found the first antler.

Dennis Petrick of the Minnesota Official Measurers signed the score-sheet for the measurement of Jay Miller’s antlers, but Petrick said it was also panel-scored, meaning that several measurers conferred during the measuring process.

Field & Stream magazine has announced the launch of the Field & Stream Online iPhone and iPod touch application on the Zumobi Network. The Field & Stream Online App, which will soon be available to Android users as well, brings content from the world's leading outdoor magazine to the mobile platform. The app is sponsored by Ford Motor Company.

The Field & Stream app is available free at http://itunes.apple.com/app/id421042070.

"Our readers are passionate about their outdoor pursuits and we are passionate in our pursuit to get them the information they need," said Eric Zinczenko, Vice President, Group Publisher of Field & Stream.

The Field & Stream Online App brings the latest news, tips and advice from the magazine to readers wherever they are, whenever they want. The interface allows users to easily navigate between categories, accessing feature stories, blogs, slideshows and videos on topics ranging from hunting and fishing to survival, gear and guns. Users can also share content through Facebook and Twitter.

The Field & Stream Online App is available for free as a part of The Zumobi Network, a premium mobile app network. The Zumobi Network offers a variety of mobile media applications to enjoy on next-generation smartphones.