For Grouse, It Starts with Habitat
Something happened in southeast Ohio in the early 1980s, something that will likely never happen again in this generation or the next....
top of page
Welcome to
THE BIG WOODS BLOG
Search
Ralph Scherder
- Jan 13, 2021
- 4 min
Boom and Bust: Turkeys in the Winter
There’s little doubt that whitetails are number one in the hunting world, but it could be argued that wild turkeys are a close second....
297 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Jan 9, 2021
- 2 min
Encounter with an Old Hunter
Last fall, as I was getting ready to walk in to hunt, a truck pulled up beside me in the parking lot and a guy rolled down the...
73 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Jan 7, 2021
- 9 min
Chad Grove's West Virginia Mountain Monarch
Date Killed: September 26, 2020 Public or Private: Public Land P&Y Gross Score: 152 6/8 inches Recently I had the opportunity to talk...
271 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Jan 6, 2021
- 1 min
The First Fork e-Newsletter
If you already subscribe to the FREE First Fork Publications e-Newsletter, thank you! If you're interested in subscribing, all you have...
36 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Jan 5, 2021
- 4 min
Semi-Hibernation and Survival: Whitetails in Winter
Following the rut, most bucks find that their fat reserves have evaporated to almost nothing and they’re just plain worn out from chasing...
1,571 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Jan 5, 2021
- 1 min
Fur Prices then and Now
I have this framed and hanging on the wall at camp. Last week I was looking at it and it dawned on me...this price list is 100 years old....
25 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Jan 4, 2021
- 1 min
Old Hunting Photographs
I love old hunting photographs. I found this one in a gunsmith's shop near Oil City, PA. He had a bunch of old photos tacked to the...
39 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Dec 30, 2020
- 5 min
Deer Yards and Migration
After hunting season, a deer’s primary focus shifts from evading hunters to simply surviving Mother Nature. One of the ways they do this...
138 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Dec 15, 2020
- 2 min
3 Recipes for Your Ground Venison
Grandma's Camp Chili Yep, this one's straight from my grandma's cookbook. It was always delicious when I was growing up, and it's just as...
365 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Dec 4, 2020
- 7 min
The Hunt for the Big 12: Deer Hunting Failures and What I've Learned So Far
Nothing lifts your spirits like getting daytime trail camera photos of the number one buck on your hit list. I’m not talking one or two...
152 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Dec 2, 2020
- 7 min
Big Woods Bobcats
The late legendary trapper Johnny Thorpe probably described bobcats best when he wrote: "He's a lazy, worthless, weed-smokin' sort, who...
312 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Nov 30, 2020
- 1 min
Just A Log
I often complain about black bears toying with my trail cameras. Many times, I find cameras tilted, twisted, dangling, or hanging where I...
38 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Nov 25, 2020
- 4 min
Gun Season in the Big Woods
If hunting a highly-pressured parcel of public land, instinct tells us to walk farther than the competition. That can put you into fresh...
224 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Nov 18, 2020
- 5 min
It's Okay if the Deer Wins
Shortly after daylight on opening day of archery season, I glimpsed an antler moving through the brush behind me. The buck was on me...
106 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Nov 15, 2020
- 5 min
Big Rubs and Big Bucks in the Big Woods
Few things get me more excited than finding huge buck rubs. The rub at the top of this post is a prime example. Not only is the main tree...
105 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Nov 8, 2020
- 4 min
12 Days of “Rut-mas” — How to get a gift-wrapped buck with a bow
– By Tyler Frantz “On the twelfth day of Rut-mas, my true love gave to me, a broadside buck 10-yards from my tree...” While this musical...
131 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Nov 4, 2020
- 9 min
Hunting Big Woods Bucks with Steve Sherk
When it comes to hunting, Steve Sherk couldn’t give a hoot about those corn-fed Midwestern whitetails. What gets his adrenaline pumping...
1,143 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Oct 31, 2020
- 3 min
Review: Hazmore Silent Seat
by Greg Wickline “That’s it! I‘ve had it with this awful treestand!” As I sat there, twenty feet up in my XOP Ambush, I swore that as...
224 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
- Oct 28, 2020
- 3 min
The Missouri Experiment #4
The farm that I hunted on Day 5 was one that I hunted on last year and absolutely loved. This farm is set up perfectly for both morning...
20 views0 comments
bottom of page