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There was a time when hunter would visit the hardware store, pick up a bag of nails and some wood and head to their favorite spot to erect a stand. Treestands, when used correctly, are one of the whitetails hunter’s greatest advantages over their prey. In this day and age, hunters have a vast array of methods to get above a whitetail. The type of treestand you choose depends on the situation and surroundings you’re hunting in.

First and foremost, a hunter must read the manufactures instructions on the gear they are using. He or she must also remember to wear a safety harness while climbing into and using a stand. The majority of accidents and injuries sustained while hunting come during the climb into or out of a treestand.

The ladder stand is used simply by leaning it up against a tree and strapping it around. It is one of the easiest to climb into and out of, but limits the hunter’s mobility because of its bulkiness. One thing to look for when selecting a ladder stand, is finding one that uses nylon straps rather than a metal chain. Straps will allow the hunter to cinch the stand much tighter around the tree, creating a much more stable stand.

In instances where the tree is too large for a climbing stand or hang-on stand, a ladder is great to use. A hunter can elect to buy their own tie down straps that are longer than normal in order to secure the stand to the tree. A ladder stand is also great to use when tree is not perfectly straight.

A disadvantage of using a ladder stand is the fact that it is quite large and if not installed well before the season, the deer may be spooked by the ladder section rising from the ground. As I touched on earlier, it is also bulky and not easily moved.

Climbing stands offer hunters the advantage of the surprise attack over whitetails. A climbing stand allows the hunter to select a tree, and within minutes be 20 ft. with no sign left behind. This stand comes in two sections which allow the hunter the climb the tree while in the stand. There are two versions of these stands: a sit and climb style, or a hand climbing style. The sit style allows the hunter to sit while pulling up the bottom section with his or her feet. The hand style, which takes more strength to use, requires the hunter to brace themselves with their forearms while pulling up the bottom section.

This stand allows for the surprise attack. There is not ladder leaning against the tree, nor are there any steps or climbing sticks attach to the trunk. It can be backpacked in, installed around the tree by cable or belt and quietly used to reach as high as the tree allows. Many of them also have a bar across the front for added safety and a great gun rest. Most also have padded seats, backrests, and arm rest for added comfort which makes them hard to beat for an all day hunt.

Some climbers are a bit bulky to carry on your back for long periods of time. If you plan on hunting a deer section of woods that will require a long hike, you’ll want to look for a climber that is light weight and is compact while strapped to your back. Some climbers weight less than 20 pounds, while others are over 30 pounds and extend a few feet off the hunter back while in transport. You will also want to think about the area you hunt in. A climber requires a tree that is virtually straight and has little or no limbs to allow the hunter a quick and quiet climb. In some woods this is hard to come by, while in others, such as the pine forests of the south, they are easily found. Climbers are also limited to the size of tree they can be used on. The majority of them are confined to a 6-24 in. diameter tree. The strap or cable will either not be long enough to go around the tree or be too loose to make the stand stable.

A hang-on stand is simply a stand that is hung to the tree and reached by using climbing sticks or screw in steps. The majority of them are lightweight and not too hard to install. They come in a variety of platform sizes. Some guys would rather a small platform which is easier to hide in the often time bare fall woods, while others would rather a large platform that allows them some movement. It is up to the hunter to decide which suits him better.

These stands can be hung well before the season and left alone until the hunter decides to sit in it. If a tree is crooked at the bottom then straightens out or too large to attach a climber, the hang-on will allow the hunter to bypass that and set it up at their desired height. Some hang-on’s have adjustment systems that allow the hunter use it in a crooked or leaning tree.

There are two forms of climbing sticks: those that piece together to form a ladder, and ones that are in individual sections. The individual ones allow the hunter to adapt to a somewhat crooked tree or tree that have limbs that you need to snake around. They also allow the hunter some mobility since they can be pieced to together, strapped up and carried in and out with the hunter. The ladder style requires a straight tree, but they give the hunter a continuous climb that is supported by the ground and multiple straps around the tree.

Screw-in steps are great to use on large based tree since there are no straps to go around the tree. They can also be spaced however the hunter wishes. For shorter hunters they can be spaced very short, while taller hunters can put them further apart. They are cheap for just a few of them, but in order to get twenty feet up in a tree requires a good number of them. In the long run, to get up to the hunters desired height, screw in steps and a good set of ladder style climbing sticks will cost virtually the same.

The type of stand that you will use greatly depends on the area you are hunting. The types of trees will either limit you or allow you to use whatever stand you choose. One thing to remember is, you get what you pay for. Don’t try to save a few bucks when purchasing your next stand and get one that isn’t safe. The stand is the only thing between you and the ground, so choose a quality made, safe stand and always wear your safety harness.

Posted by B. Hagemeier at 12:00 PM | Permalink

In much of North America late summer and early fall is the start of the pre- rut and/or rubbing phase for white-tailed deer. As their testosterone levels begin to rise the bucks start rubbing trees and shrubs to remove the dried velvet from their antlers. While many hunters know that bucks begin rubbing at this time, they may not realize that bucks may also begin making scrapes at this time. These early season scrapes often go undetected by hunters, because they are either not looking for them, or they don't recognize them as scrapes.

Scientific research has shown that bucks may mark overhead branches at scrapes with their foreheads - and chew or lick the tips of these branches - all year long. If these year-round licking branches are in an area that the deer use in late summer or early fall, the bucks may also scrape the ground beneath them. However, they are often fairly recognizable as scrapes, because they are lightly used.

When a buck first opens up a scrape it may only paw the ground 3-5 times with first one hoof, then with the other hoof. As a result of this, a small amount of ground vegetation may be torn up and pushed toward the back of the scrape. There may be very little of the ground torn up, and very little vegetation at the back of the scrape, until one or more bucks paws the ground two or three more times. I often find these early season scrapes at the edges of clearings or near agricultural fields, where the deer may be feeding from late afternoon until early morning, before they return to their daytime core areas.

During my 10 years of whitetail research I found that these scrapes are often irregularly used between early September and mid October, and that they may not be used at all after mid October, because the bucks have moved from their summer home ranges (which they may use up until mid October in the Midwest) - to their fall home ranges (which they may use from mid October to late November or later). I also found that while many of the bucks in the area may use some of these scrapes, not all of the scrapes were used by the same bucks, nor where they used by all of the bucks. Some bucks (often 1.5 year olds, and older non-breeding bucks), may not paw scrapes at all - and some bucks may not scrape until peak breeding begins (often early to mid November) or later.

The good news is that even if they are infrequently used in September, these scrapes tell you where bucks are traveling; and because bucks are becoming more secretive at this time, they can tell you approximately when they are traveling (between late afternoon until early morning). Once you locate these scrapes you are better prepared to determine when they are being used, by either watching the trails and scrapes in the area, or by using a trail timer or game camera. Watching the area yourself (during scouting and observation sessions), or using a game camera, can also tell you the size of the racks of the bucks in the area.

If you determine when and where the bucks are traveling, and if there is a buck using the area that you want to hunt, you can set up to hunt. But, you should remember two things: 1. These scrapes may be infrequently used (due to food source and/or weather changes, or the amount of human related activity in the area), which means you may have to hunt several days in order to see a buck. 2. Some of the bucks may move to their fall home ranges anytime between late summer and early fall, which means you may only have a few days to hunt them before they move.

My research in the upper Midwest has shows that some bucks may begin using different feeding areas at this time (while still using the same daytime core areas), and some buck may move to a completely new seasonal home range (with a completely different core area). I refer to this as the fall home range shift. Bucks may move as little a 14 of a mile, or as much as several miles during this fall home range shift. No matter if it has moved to a different home range, or how far it has moved, if you are hunting a buck older than two years old, it is probably using the same travel corridors and trails it used the year before. Either way, if the buck has begun using different travel corridors and trails, you need begin scouting again, possibly in a new area, to locate them. Wherever a buck has moved you should be able to find evidence of old rubs and scrapes (from previous years), and some new rubs and scrapes. If you find fresh rubs or scrapes, where there weren't any fresh ones earlier in the year, it tells you that a buck has moved into that area. To determine which buck it is (and at what time of the day it uses particular areas, trails or rub routes) you can either watch the area, or use a trail camera.

So, how do you hunt early season bucks?

After years of researching and hunting these bucks I've found that the best way to hunt them is to locate the areas they use, by looking for early season rubs and scrapes, and then either watching the area or using a timer or camera, and then, get into the area as soon as I can - to locate the exact trails the bucks are using - by looking for fresh tracks, and especially fresh rubs, or at least those rubs that have been made that year.

Once I locate the trails/rub routes the bucks are using (in the evening) I walk them back toward the direction the buck came from, until I'm fairly confident I'm in an area where I will see the buck during daylight hours, and then look for a good place for a stand, whether it be a ground stand/blind or a tree stand. If I've been seeing a particular buck in the morning, I walk the trail in the direction the bucks was going, until I find spot where I think the buck will be moving, and again choose a stand site. In either case what I don't want to do is get too close to the buck's daytime core area, where it beds during the day, because I don't want to alarm it and/or run it out of the area.

Although you can use scents (including estrus urine, because bucks are interested in does at this time), calls and decoys at this time, you may not want to use rattling (because it may alarm some bucks, especially younger ones), or any other method to attract bucks. I've found that if Im in an are the bucks are using, and I've set up in the right location (usually along a buck trail/rub route, near a semi-regularly used scrape, or near a feeding/staging area), and if I've spent enough days in the area (at the time when the bucks are using it), and nothing causes the bucks to change their travel patterns and the time they travel (including me hunting them), that they may walk right by me; just like they normally would.

I've also found that this technique will work the very first time I see a buck for several reasons: because they are often less wary early in the season than they are later, because they are often going to the same food and water sources each night, and because most of the does are not in estrus (which means that they will not change their daily routes and travel times to follow an estrus doe).

However, you do have to be careful not to leave too much scent while you look for trails, rub routes and stand location, or while you hunt. You should get to your stand site well before you expect the buck to get there, just in case it (or some other deer) gets there before you do. Be sure to use odor control products like Scent Killer or Scent Shield, and possibly an odor control suit (Contain, X-scent or other clothing using silver threads). I don't recommend you use Scent Lok, because it appears there is not enough activated carbon in the newer suits to control perspiration odors, especially if it has been worn and reactivated more than a couple of times.

Scout hard, hunt harder and enjoy the great outdoors that God gave us.

This article is based on The Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual ($49.95 + $5.00 S&H), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog.

T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases, the Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2006 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2006 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual.

If you are interested in more deer hunting tips, or more deer biology and behavior, click on Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about deer, elk, turkey or waterfowl log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board. To find out when the rut begins, peaks and ends in your area click on Whitetail Rut Dates Chart. For a catalog of books and other hunting products; or for information on a wide variety of Natural History Eco-Tours, viewing and photographing regional and national scenic areas, birding, big game animal, elk bugling, wolf howling, sandhill crane, swan, prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, wildflower or other tours contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com.

Posted by T.R. Michels at 08:00 AM | Permalink

In many areas mid-September to mid-October is a time of transition, for both the deer and the habitat. As summer rains decrease some food sources become dry and unpalatable to deer, and other food sources (such as nuts berries and agricultural crops) start to ripen, making them more palatable. October is also when temperatures may begin to drop and the wind speed increases, which means the deer may begin to look for core areas more suitable to colder, windier weather.

The result of these seasonal forage availability and weather pattern changes is that the deer may have from one to four seasonal home ranges; spring summer, fall, and winter. In many areas the deer begin to shift from their summer home ranges to their fall home ranges from early September and late October. Sometimes the deer (both bucks and does) will use the same core areas for different seasonal home ranges, but they use different portions of their home ranges for different seasons.
To be successful as a deer hunter you need to find out where the core areas of the deer are during the time frame you are hunting them, what the deer are eating at that time, and determine when and where the preferred foods become available. Since the weather affects both the suitability of daytime core/bedding areas and the availability of preferred forage, you need to scout regularly to determine where the deer spend the day, where they forage at night, and which travel routes they use between those two areas, in both the morning, and in the evening. Then setup accordingly.

The Dispersal Phase
October is also the time when the deer are preparing for the rut. During late August and early September bucks often hang out in bachelor groups. Shortly before and after the bucks shed their velvet you may see them traveling or feeding together, and participating in sparring matches in preparation for the rut. But, within weeks of shedding their velvet the buck's testosterone levels rise to the point where they will no longer put up with each other.
Once this occurs the older bucks will start to become solitary, and begin moving to and/or establishing their fall breeding ranges. Depending on forage availability, whether or not deer use the same core areas in late summer as they use in the fall, and the distance between summer home ranges and fall home ranges, it may take a week or more for the bucks to move onto and establish their fall breeding ranges. When the bucks do move to different areas, be prepared to go looking for them.
If the deer in your area regularly breed from early to late November, the buck groups often begin to breakup between mid-September and mid-October. In many areas above the 40th parallel the bucks will be on their fall breeding ranges two to three weeks before the peak of the rut. If you want to know when peak breeding occurs in the area you hunt check the Rut Dates Chart on my web site at www.TRMichels.com.
You can usually tell when the bucks have moved onto their fall breeding ranges by the appearance of new or fresh rubs and scrapes, in areas where they have not previously occurred that year. Once you start seeing new rubs and scrapes after mid-October you can begin watching the area to see which bucks have moved into the area, which bucks are traveling near the rubs and scrapes you've found, and what time of day they are near them.

Pre-Primary Breeding / Scraping Phase
In the northern and mid-latitude states the first does may come into estrous as early as the middle of October, and scraping may peak from late October to early November, depending on the latitude and the age structure of the bucks in the herd. All of the deer should be on their Fall Home Ranges by this time, and the bucks should be on their Breeding Ranges. During the Pre-Primary Breeding / Scraping Phase the bucks may semi-regularly travel their rub routes and visit rubs and scrapes, and doe use, feeding, and staging areas.

Pre-Primary Breeding / Scraping Phase Hunting Techniques
This is when you should setup along a rub route or near a scrape in a wooded area that the bucks use during the day. When I am hunting a previously patterned buck during this phase of the rut, near a rub or scrape, I am confident of the trail the deer uses and I don't need numerous scent dispensers. Because I have patterned the buck, and I am hunting before the breeding period, I'm fairly sure the buck will come by me sometime within a 3-5 day period, unless it meets an estrous doe first, or is spooked by another hunter.
I am basically using the scent to position the buck for a clear shot. The scent also gives me a chance to bring in any other bucks in the area. I hang up one or two felt pads with buck urine or doe estrous scent, but I don't leave them out when I'm not there. If a buck comes to doe scent and doesn't find a doe it probably won't fall for it again. By taking the scent out every day you don't educate the buck.

This article is based on The Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual ($30 for computer readable CD) and Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases ($9.95), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog.

T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases, the Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2006 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2006 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual.

If you are interested in more deer hunting tips, or more deer biology and behavior, log on to Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about deer, elk, turkey or waterfowl log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board. To find out when the rut begins, peaks and ends in your area click on Whitetail Rut Dates Chart. For a catalog of books and other hunting products; or for information on a wide variety of Natural History Eco-Tours, viewing and photographing regional and national scenic areas, birding, big game animal, elk bugling, wolf howling, sandhill crane, swan, prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, wildflower or other tours contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com.

You can also hunt near a scrape, or make your own scrape. I make a mock a scrape with the heel of my boot, rattling racks, or a stick, under an overhanging branch. I pour forehead scent on the branch and tarsal scent in the scrape. Then I hang an Ultimate Scrape Dripper with Golden Estrus or Active Scrape from Wildlife Research Center over the scrape, or near my stand in a shooting lane. This combination of buck infringement scents and doe in heat attract the buck out of the urge to exert dominance or to breed.
If you don't know exactly where the buck's bedding area is you can setup on the rub route at the first scrape the buck makes as it comes out of its core bedding area by using this same techniques. If you don't know where the core area is you can setup near a staging area or food source that the does are using. When I am not setup along on a rub route or near a scrape I use several film canisters spread about 10 yard apart to attract the buck over a wider area. If you know the buck is traveling after sunrise in the morning you can use this same technique on the rub route back to his bedding area.

Bucks may be traveling, scraping and looking for does during this time; so long loud rattling may attract these wide-ranging bucks.

Posted by T.R. Michels at 08:00 AM | Permalink

When you are hunting early season geese you should scout to determine which areas the birds like to rest in, and which areas have the proper food sources in them before the season begins, especially if you are leasing land. If you are hunting on water check to see which of the nearby wet areas have water in them, and which wet areas the birds are using as resting areas. If you are hunting on land check nearby fields to determine what crops are growing in them. Farmers often rotate their crops; what may have been corn one year may be beans, wheat, rice, barley or alfalfa the next year. It pays to know well in advance which fields have the right crops in them.

One of the best waterfowl hunting techniques my Dad taught me was to scout several areas before I hunted. He used to take me out the week before the opener to watch one of our favorite areas. We would sit on a hill about a quarter mile from the water, where we could watch the entire area with a pair of 7x35 binoculars. In the evening we could see the geese moving from the water to the feeding fields, and then we would follow them to determine exactly which field they were feeding in. It usually got me so pumped up I couldn’t wait until the opener.
Dad would also take the family on “Sunday Drives” after church on Sunday mornings. The drives were supposedly for "quality family time", and we always had fun driving around the country, following any dirt road that we came across. But, I realize now that a lot of that driving was so that Dad could check out every pot hole, pond, slough, lake and field in the area. He wanted to know which areas had produced geese that year, which areas still had water in them, and where the geese were feeding, so he knew where to hunt when the season opened up.

Flight Patterns
Geese (and ducks) often have preferred corridors they like to fly in as they move back and forth to feeding and resting areas. When you are scouting you should try to locate these corridors, so you can set up in or near them during the hunting season. Geese often fly out into the wind and keep going until they find a field to eat in. Local geese establish patterns, and often fly out the same way each day and feed in the field until the food is gone. Then they find the nearest available field and feed in it. This pattern continues until the food sources are exhausted, or until a major wind shift causes the birds to fly out in a different direction. Migrating geese (that are new to the area) often follow local flocks to feeding fields, but they may go off on their own.
The best way to determine where ducks and geese are feeding is by scouting the night before you plan to hunt. Follow a flock as they leave the roost and note the field where they land. If they are not hunted that night, and if the food is not gone and there is no major weather change, the birds often return to the same field or near it the following day.

Hunting Sites
When you are hunting geese you often want to hunt in agricultural areas the geese are using as feeding areas. Once you locate the feeding areas you need to ask permission to hunt from the landowner. If the feeding area is leased, someone else got there first, or the owner doesn’t allow hunting, try to get the nearest available field. When I hunt ducks and geese on land, and I can't get access to the field the birds ae using, I try to get a field that is closer to the resting area, and shortstop the geese before they get to the area I can’t hunt.
When you are choosing a feeding area, take into account what I call the “angle of dispersal.” Even though the ducks and geese all come from the same resting area they tend to fan out as they leave, spreading the flocks out. The farther they get from the resting area or refuge, the greater the angle of dispersal, the less birds you see and the less birds you have a chance to decoy.
Try to stay close to the resting area/refuge if the birds are willing to come in. In areas with a shooting line around a refuge the birds often fly high to avoid the hunters. In this case they may not want to come down until they are well away from the roost or refuge line. It may be better to get farther away, in an area where the birds are willing to come down.

Hunting Rights
With duck and goose hunting becoming more popular, it's getting harder to find places to hunt, especially for geese. If you know of a traditional goose feeding area, or a duck resting area, try to secure hunting rights to it well in advance of the season. By offering to help the owner with some work around the place you may get exclusive rights to it, or at least permission to hunt it. Dropping off a few birds every time you leave is a nice gesture.
Sometimes the only way to get access is to lease the land. If the price is high you may want to get a group of friends and secure a lease with an option for the following year. With more hunters every year a long-term lease may be the best option. If you don’t secure hunting rights well in advance, someone may outbid you and you may lose the property. I’ve found that a combination of a written lease, the present of a few birds, or a gift certificate for dinner for the landowner and his wife, and the offer to help out with some of the work goes a long way.
Be sure to find out if you can post “No Hunting” signs, dig pits if you agree to fill them in; which fields to stay out of; if you can drive on the fields; and where the buildings and livestock are. Be considerate. Driving on wet or muddy fields and crops can ruin them, and relations with the landowner. Be sure to close all gates, pick up all trash and shotgun shells, and don’t leave decoys or blinds in the field where they may get wrecked by farm equipment, or wreck farm equipment, after the season.

This article is based on the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual ($14.95), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog. T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases, the Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2006 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2006 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual.

If you are interested in more deer hunting tips, or more deer biology and behavior, log on to Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about deer, elk, turkey or waterfowl log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board. To find out when the rut begins, peaks and ends in your area click on Whitetail Rut Dates Chart. For a catalog of books and other hunting products; or for information on a wide variety of Natural History Eco-Tours, viewing and photographing regional and national scenic areas, birding, big game animal, elk bugling, wolf howling, sandhill crane, swan, prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, wildflower or other tours contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com.

Posted by T.R. Michels at 08:00 AM | Permalink

During September all of the deer are bulking up for the rut and winter; feeding on alfalfa, clover, green forbes, ripening soybeans and corn in some areas, and mast (acorns, beechnuts). You can put out mineral licks and deer attractants in areas where you want deer to come during the hunting season. Early in the month the bucks should be shedding velvet, and creating rubs and scrapes near late summer nighttime food sources. They may be still traveling together, and may begin sparring at this time. Later in the month both the bucks and does may move to fall home ranges.

With their testosterone levels rising the bucks are less tolerant of each other, fighting may begin, and the buck groups break up as the bucks begin to establish breeding ranges. Scout to find out where the deer currently are; watch food sources for feeding deer and sparring bucks to determine what the bucks look like. Continue clearing deer trails, and shooting lanes. Hang portable stands for the archery season and build permanent stands for the gun season.

Age and Antler Size
If you want to see more large racked bucks in your area the first thing you have to do is use a little restraint. You must let the young bucks go so they can grow. I often hear hunters complain that they see nothing but small racked bucks in their area. These hunters often wait patiently through the season for a big racked buck to appear. Then, instead of going home empty handed they end up taking a small racked buck. If this pattern continues year after year those hunters will see nothing but young, small racked bucks, because the young deer never live long enough to grow large racks.
Deer experts used to believe it took 4 1/2 years for a whitetail buck to develop a trophy rack. It is now believed that a whitetail doesn't achieve full body size until it is about 7 1/2 years old. Until then much of the food and mineral a buck takes in is used to develop bone and muscle mass. Once the buck is fully mature excess food and mineral can be used to develop antler mass, and many hunters equate antler mass with a high score. A close look at any scoring chart will reveal that it is the number and length of tines that makes up the majority of inches needed for the rack to score high enough to enter the record books. The difference between a massive rack and a thin rack might only add 10 inches, which is 1/14 of a 140 class buck, not enough to really matter.
Milo Hanson's world record whitetail has several tines with extremely long points and main beams, with a good spread, but it is not massive. The length of the tines is what made it the new world record. Game officials aged the buck at 4 1/2. Obviously it had superior genetics, and it lived until it was 4 1/2 years old. It is conceivable that a 3 1/2 year old buck could make the archery record book but most trophy bucks are over 4 1/2 years of age. In many areas bucks don't make it past their first year, and the chances of a 2 1/2 year old buck making the book are slim. If you want to see more trophy bucks you have to let the 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 year old bucks go, so they can grow. By letting the young bucks grow, and taking does, you not only keep the herd below carrying capacity, you increase the buck to doe ratio in favor of bucks. Eventually you will have more older-class bucks, which may translate into more trophy deer.

This article is adapted from Deer Managers Manual ($9.95), and The Complete Deer Addicts Manual ($21.95), by T.R. Michels.

T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases, the Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2006 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2006 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual.

If you are interested in more deer hunting tips, or more deer biology and behavior, log on to Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about deer, elk, turkey or waterfowl log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board. To find out when the rut begins, peaks and ends in your area click on Whitetail Rut Dates Chart. For a catalog of books and other hunting products; or for information on a wide variety of Natural History Eco-Tours, viewing and photographing regional and national scenic areas, birding, big game animal, elk bugling, wolf howling, sandhill crane, swan, prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, wildflower or other tours contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com.

Posted by T.R. Michels at 08:00 AM | Permalink