Nikon's Hunting Pro Staff - Mike Hanback

Mike Hanback

Author, Television Host, Blogger - BigDeer.com

I was born and raised in Virginia and started hunting and fishing with my dad when I was 6 years old. My first bow was a recurve. I shot my first deer with a .243.

I graduated with honors in English from Carson-Newman College in Tennessee. My first real job was an Assistant Editor for the NRA’s American Hunter magazine in downtown Washington, D.C. I worked my way up to Executive Editor and stayed there for 10 years. During that time, I traveled North America, hunted 15 species of big game and wrote columns and articles about my adventures. I am a Life Member of NRA and continue to write for American Hunter magazine today.

For many years I was deer-hunting editor for Outdoor Life magazine. During that time, I hunted for white-tail bucks in 20 states and 3 Canadian provinces. I wrote hundreds of columns and feature articles on all aspects of deer hunting for the magazine.

I have written 7 hunting books, 3 of them dedicated to deer hunting: Modern Whitetail Hunting, Bowhunting Mega Bucks and Giant Whitetails (co-written with Mark and Terry Drury).

In 2005 I shot my biggest buck ever, a 22-point Saskatchewan giant, that scored 181.

These days I blog. Mike Hanback’s “Big Deer” (www.bigdeerblog.com) is widely regarded as the premier deer-hunting blog, with daily opinions and perspectives on a wide variety of topics. I also host TV shows and vignettes on the VERSUS network.

I still live in Virginia with my beautiful wife and 2 sons. I hunt for monster bucks in 6 or 7 states and a couple of Canadian provinces each year and will continue to do so, Good Lord willing. I film most of those hunts for TV, and blog daily about my experiences. After I shoot a buck, you can see it on the blog less than an hour later!

After all these years I have arrived as a hunter and my creed is: “I am finally at that point in life where the killing of a deer is secondary to the challenge of hunting it. But still I long to shoot a buck with a big drop tine someday. I have never gotten one of those and I am obsessed.”

Founder, Babe Winkelman Productions

Founder & CEO, REALTREE

Executive Director, North American Hunting Club; Executive Producer/Host, North American Hunter Television on Versus; VP, Media Development & Production, North American Media Group, Inc.

Publisher, Deer & Deer Hunting

Artist/Owner, Wildlife Studio

Behavior Editor, Deer & Deer Hunting

Editor, Deer & Deer Hunting

Co-Host, Realtree Outdoors

Co-Hosts, Whitetail Freaks/Whitetail Extreme

Co-Host, A-Way Outdoors Television

Host, Bullseye Outdoors

Co-Host, Jon Brunson Outdoors

Host, A-Way Outdoors Television

Host, Thompson/Center’s Game Trails

Co-Host, Huntin' the World TV

Co-Host, Jon Brunson Outdoors

Co-Host, Huntin' the World TV

Co-Owner, McCrea Outdoors Productions, LLC

Co-Owner, Los Cazadores

Hosts, Scent-Lok’s Gettin Close with Lee & Tiffany

Co-Owner, Drury Outdoors - Founder, MAD Calls - Co-Host, Dream Season, Bow Madness, Wildlife Obsession

Co-Owner, McCrea Outdoors Productions, LLC

Author, Television Host, Blogger - BigDeer.com

President, Babe Winkelman Productions

Co-Host, Driven 24/7 - VERSUS and the Pursuit Network

Co-Host, Driven 24/7 - VERSUS and the Pursuit Network

Co-Host, Sportsmen’s Outdoor Strategies

Co-Host, ARCHER’S CHOICE® and THE CHOICE

Co-Owner, Drury Outdoors - Co-Host, Dream Season, Bow Madness, Wildlife Obsession

Host, Realtree’s Whitetail Country, Strategies in the Wild and Territories Wild

Host, American Archer TV

Host, Best and Worst of Tred Barta

Co-Host, ARCHER’S CHOICE® and THE CHOICE

Host, Fishing & Hunting Texas, Co-Host, Americana Outdoors

Mike Hanback

Author, Television Host, Blogger - BigDeer.com