And so it begins.

The official start of the 2008 deer season is a few months distant but, make no mistake, the season is upon us. And what better way to officially kick off the season than with my first blog on The Rack Report? It seems only fitting that we start this deal with a proper introduction.

My name is Tony Hansen and I am a bow-carrying member of the League of Whitetail Fanatics.

I hail from the whitetail-crazed state of Michigan and the Great Lakes State is home to more than 2 million deer and 1 million deer hunters. Hunter Orange is the state's official color. Our deer hunting tradition spans more than a century and this state's love of deer hunting is something I take great pride in being a part of. But it does also present its challenges.

Throughout the course of the season, we'll share plenty of stories of the hunt and I think you'll quickly realize that much of my hunting effort will be focused on maintaining as low a profile as I possibly can in my pursuit of one of the big boys that call my region of southern Michigan home. There are some gagger bucks here. Big, massive long-tined brutes that are masters of escape. Michigan has some of the highest hunter-densities in the nation. Kill a mature buck here and you've accomplished something incredible. I have no doubt that there are plenty of League members out there who can relate.

But killing a mature buck, no matter how steep the odds, is our goal. It's a journey we look forward to taking every year.

And that's what I hope to bring to The Rack Report - a dose of real-deal hunting reality. Like many of you, I'll be hunting on property near my home that local farmers and landowners were gracious enough to grant me permission to hunt. I will be sharing the property with several other hunters and that, as you all know, adds a challenging twist.

I'm not a big-name, buck-whacking celebrity. I'm not the most talented or gifted hunter in the woods. I will screw up this year. I will have hunts messed up. I can promise you that. But I can also promise this: I'll work my tail off this season and try to use every ounce of brain power I have. Hunt hard, hunt smart. That's all I can do. And that's enough.
I'm a Yankee by region but a hard-huntin' redneck by choice.

Amen to that. Now, let's talk whitetails.

Tony Hansen, Michigan Man

There's something cool about finding a new place to hunt. I spent many of my college days driving western Kentucky back roads, knocking on farmers' doors, and asking permission to hunt. Usually, I'd initially ask about squirrel hunting. A few squirrel trips would lead to more conversations with the farmers, and on more than one occasion, the topic of deer hunting arose. I found some great bowhunting spots like that, and still hunt a few of them to this day.

Scouting those new spots, often while squirrel hunting (squirrels were a great source of protein to a strapped-for-cash college student), was an adventure. Each worn path near a bedding area, or late-evening deer sighting in a crop field reassured me that the hunting techniques I'd learned at home as a budding bowhunter would serve me away from home as well. Arrowing that first big doe before (or maybe during) biology class one morning was a definite confirmation.

Having moved to Cordova, Tennessee, late last fall, I again find myself in a new place in the weeks ahead of another bow season. There's a ton of public land around here; three or four places within an hour's drive, so I've got a lot of options. I'm a little intimidated by these big West Tennessee river bottoms, as they don't look like the Kentucky hills where I grew up. But man, there are a bunch of deer in this part of the world. I intend to learn them, and maybe earn a shot or two before the season ends. Having the opportunity to share what happens here, in real time, sort of reminds me of going back to the dormitory and sharing hunt reports with my roommates in college. They were all hunters too.

Will Brantley

I was out scouting for bucks with my two little kids last week and I realized that since I'd been out to my hunting place four times in the past five days, I guess my season has started already.

I'm blessed to live just five miles from where I hunt so I am out exploring all year long. However, each July, my thoughts towards the new season become more focused. Over the next few days, I'll be hanging some stands and setting out a blind or two - you know - fluffing the ol' whitetail nest in hopes of seeing and harvesting a buck this year.

I am especially excited to get all of my stuff in order because after three seasons of tagging along, I think this is the one where my daughter will harvest her first deer so stay tuned for that.

Oh, back to scouting... I've been seeing some nice immature bucks around the place like this dandy nine-point. While I'll make sure he lives another year, I hope he makes through the gaunlet as he goes on other people's land. Check out the thickness between his right G-3 and G-4. The bases aren't so bad either.




So, I'd like to hear some feedback. When does your season unofficially start?

-Russell Graves
From the Lone Star State

Over the past several months we've been working on a whitetail site that caters to what you, the hunter, want. We've included hunting podcasts, an IQ game that will really test your knowledge (and could give you the chance to win a new iPod), hardcore tips on land management in our Whitetailology section and many more great features, including this blog, The Rack Report.

The Rack Report is a place for you to send photos, stories, questions, comments or whatever you want on the subject of whitetails. We want to make sure everyone knows about the monster bucks being taken each fall, and we also want you to know about the rumors as well. And if you have a question on management, we'll get it answered through one of the QDMA biologists.

In order to optimize this blog in each region, we've enlisted some hardcore hunters from around the country to get involved. The bloggers include: Will Brantley from Tennessee, Tony Hansen from Michigan, Russell Graves from Texas, Brian Strickland from Colorado, and I'll be reporting from the Realtree headquarters in Columbus, Georgia. And we'll likely add one or two more as reports stream in.

We look forward to hearing your comments and posting your stories about your deer.

Email all material to: whitetail@realtree.com

-Jake