Taking the Wife Hunting
I’m secure enough to proclaim I’m not much of an expert at most things. Regardless of the topic or subject at hand, there’s always going to be someone who knows more or has done it better. That doesn’t bother me.
What is Hunting
State Century Code has defined hunting in North Dakota. Albeit for legal purposes, the definition is rather cumbersome, but NDCC20.1-01 and section 21 defines hunting as: “shooting, shooting at, pursuing, taking, attempting to take, or killing any game animals and game birds; searching for or attempting to locate or flush any game animals and game birds; luring, calling or attempting to attract game animals and game birds; hiding for the purpose of taking or attempting to take game animals and game birds; and walking, crawling or advancing toward wildlife while possessing implement or equipment useful in the taking of game animals or game birds.”
May Deer Management
Herd Health and Social Structure
More and more hunters are interested in hunting for trophy animals. But, because State game managers are often interested in providing a large, healthy, balanced herd, and not necessarily trophy animals, these hunters are taking it upon themselves to try to increase their chances of seeing a trophy by some type of deer management (sometimes with the emphasis on growing trophies) and improving the habitat. Hunters who are only interested in helping the animals grow bigger racks by providing food plots, minerals and limiting their hunting to larger racked animals often unwittingly improve the quality of the entire herd. Not only will the bucks use the food and minerals, but so will the does and fawns. If the hunter then passes up smaller animals he gives them a chance to mature, develop fully and contribute to the gene pool.
Deer Vocalizations
White-tailed Deer use different sounds to keep in contact with each other (Contact); to express alarm and distress (Alarm/Distress); to solicit attention from and respond to does (Maternal) and fawns (Neonatal); to express dominance/threaten other deer (Agonistic). Deer also make sounds associated with courtship and breeding behavior (Mating). The tone of the call usually depends on the deer; older and larger deer, especially bucks, tend to make deeper sounds.
April Deer Management
The deer should be on their spring home ranges, looking for new green growth to gain back the fat they lost during the winter. This is when bucks begin growing their antlers, so if there is not enough forage for the deer to eat, you may want to provide supplemental feed and minerals to help the bucks grow larger racks. If you can, now is a good time to do a soil test and enrich and fertilize the soil. It's a good thing there is not too much for the deer manager to do this month, because it's time to scout and hunt turkeys. You can do some spring deer scouting while your are at it; whitetail trails, tracks rubs, scrapes and shed antlers are very evident in early spring. The information you gain now may tell you where to find the deer this fall and winter.
April Deer Management
The deer should be on their spring home ranges, looking for new green growth to gain back the fat they lost during the winter. This is when bucks begin growing their antlers, so if there is not enough forage for the deer to eat, you may want to provide supplemental feed and minerals to help the bucks grow larger racks. If you can, now is a good time to do a soil test and enrich and fertilize the soil. It's a good thing there is not too much for the deer manager to do this month, because it's time to scout and hunt turkeys. You can do some spring deer scouting while your are at it; whitetail trails, tracks rubs, scrapes and shed antlers are very evident in early spring. The information you gain now may tell you where to find the deer this fall and winter.
Non-Game Animals
Hunting is an accepted and embraced heritage in North Dakota, and even those who don't hunt have a stake as they enjoy the matrix of critters that form the fabric of our outdoors wonderland.
TB Discovery also Wildlife Concern
Many parents with young children spend a fair amount of time at the doctor’s office, myself included. Often when I return home, my first stop is at the computer desk to check the Internet to find out a little bit more about the illness, treatment and generally become better educated on the issue.
Artificial Feeding
Nobody wants to see wildlife starve. It happens sometimes, but even in a winter such as this, not as much as most people think.
Even in mild winters, Game and Fish is asked about feeding animals, and over time the response to such questions has changed.
NWTF Banquet Southern Maryland
The Southern Maryland Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is holding the 17th Annual Hunting Heritage Banquet on Saturday March 28th 2009 from 6:00pm to 11:00pm at the elegant Middleton Hall in Waldorf, MD.
Deer Hunting Lessons
I had left the house a quarter of a mile away an hour earlier and approached my stand from downwind. I climbed into the stand in the darkness, knowing the does and fawns used the brushy area next to the golden rod patch in front of me as a nighttime bedding area. I hoped I could get into the stand without the deer seeing or hearing me. With a mild west wind and my charcoal scent elimination suit on I was confident they would not smell me.
I had been watching the buck that visited the area for several weeks, patterning his movements along the rub route I discovered in early October. I had seen him coming across the hayfield one evening but there was no place to set up for him. In early November I began to see him in the mornings on the rub route back to his bedding area. There were three different stands along the back route and I was confident I could get close to him once the rut was in full swing.
A half hour after I got into my stand the does and fawns came out of the brush, stopping for a last bite before they returned to their daytime bedding areas. The doe with one fawn might have seen my leg shaking with the cold and stood twenty yards to my right, stamping her foot, trying to get me to give myself away. I held still and she eventually joined the other deer to feed.
Whitetail Deer Antler Facts
The white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a medium-sized deer native to Canada, Central America, most of the United States and northern South America. Also known as the Virginia deer or simply the whitetail, it has been introduced to New Zealand and some European countries where its populations have expanded quickly thanks to its generalist nature and its ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats. Although white tail deer populations located in temperate climate and wooden areas seem to grow faster and bigger than others, the species has shown that it can adapt in harsher environments such as open prairies, savanna woodlands as well as mountain and desert areas.
Coon Hunting History
Organized coon hunting has been around for many years, and while no one can say for certain the turn of 20th century is as good of time as any to say it at least began to build in popularity. Coon hunting is usually done with specially trained dogs and seems to be a bigger part of traditions in the south, although there are coon hunters all over this great country.
Hunters Helping the Hungry
HuntOnly.com held the first annual “Hunter Palooza”!! The event featured raffles for items donated from a host of businesses including; Fred’s Sports of Waldorf, Creative Whitetails Taxidermy, along with a food and gift card donation by Outback Steakhouse of LaPlata, MD.
Sika Deer Hunting
For the past three years I have taken some time to travel to Maryland’s eastern shore to chase sika deer, Maryland’s little elk.
Over the past few years I have done some research on these little guys and what I found, I thought to be interesting and thought I would share this with others who may be interested in a challenging hunt for an elusive game.
Since most of us who like to hunt, jump at the opportunity to hunt different species or hunt in different environments, this can be a affordable and exciting adventure and a must in my book for any serious big game hunter.
The Elk Perch: Day Two
Written by: Old Pole: The second morning of the official elk hunt had as high of expectations as we did on day one. The first day I followed a trail I didn’t know I could find and walked farther and higher and spent more time in a Rocky Mountain Wind Tunnel than anybody else in the camp. And it was fun. I saw a ton of elk that first day, but during this late season cow hunt, I didn’t have any that were in the range of my comfort level. So the second day, I was determined I was going to find the best cow in the herd, let the air out of it, and put her flat out in the knee deep snow. That is until I got out of bed.
ATA Show 2009 Review
As a first year attendee I really didn't know what to expect of a show of this caliber. I knew quite a bit about who was going to be there and what the show was about, but what to really expect I was unsure. Overall impressions were very good right from the start. There were ATA Show signs everywhere we went from the Airport and hotel to St. Elmo’s Steak House where we had dinner the last evening.
We missed the first day so I won’t be able to comment on that, but first thing Friday morning we found ourselves center stage for the Largest Archery Only show in the country. As you can imagine every big name in the industry was in attendance, from RealTree and Primos to Bowtech and Hoyt. If they make archery equipment they were here, with only one exception. Mathews was nowhere to be found. Not sure why but they did not have a booth.
The ATA Show is a great platform for companies to come out and showcase their latest innovations for the 2009 Archery World and believe me there were a lot. We saw impressive new gear from many big name companies including Tru Ball, Cuddeback, NAP, BowTech, PSE, Primos, Ol Man Treestands, and Bad Boy Buggies. New products and ideas were somewhat expected from the big names, however they weren’t the only ones with big ideas for 2009. For every big name company that was in attendance there had to be five small companies working on making a name for themselves. So there was a good mix of big and small and everything in between.
Post Season Whitetail Scouting
Once the deer is in the freezer and the hunting equipment is put away many deer hunters lose interest in going to the woods. But, for the dedicated deer hunter, the next hunting season is just beginning. By now the weather has turned cold, the winds are blowing strong and the snow is deep in some areas. Walking through deer habitat at this time of the year is no longer and adventure, it's more of a chore. For adventurous deer addicts, who want to learn more about deer and deer habits, snow covered ground is like reading an open book.
Deer tracks are easily seen in the snow, and trails that were obscure are now very evident. What looked like matted down grass in the fall now proves to be a buck route, the drag marks of the buck's front hooves showing clearly in the snow. Following trails in the snow can eventually lead you to bedding areas, showing you where the big buck you couldn't find - hid out during the hunting season.
January Deer Management
During January whitetail deer may begin to move to their winter ranges, especially in the northern states, where the weather gets cold, the snow gets deep, the crops have been picked and the rut should be almost over. Some does, and in the north, doe fawns, may still be bred at this time. The bucks may continue to rub and scrape sporadically, especially in mid and southern states.
Whitetail Habitat Conservation
I don't claim to know a lot about habitat conservation, other than to say I know that we need it, for a variety of reasons. I've lost at least two good deer hunting areas to development since 1997 (obviously those areas also contained songbirds, small mammals, trees, shrubs, herbs, forbes (wildflowers), butterflies and other invertebrates. I've also noticed the destruction of good wildlife habitat (for housing or business development projects) in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and many other states. As a result of this I find myself becoming more interested in, and hopefully more knowledgeable about, both wildlife and habitat conservation.
Late Season Deer Hunting Tactics
I sat in my tree stand overlooking a rub route, on a hill overlooking a cornfield. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon, there was at least a foot of snow on the ground, the temperature was hovering around 5 degrees, and the wind was blowing at about 10 miles per hour, creating a windchill factor of about -5 degrees. It didn't seem like ideal deer activity conditions. As I surveyed the area I though to myself that I would be a lot warmer sitting in front of the television back home, but then I knew I wouldn't see any deer.
And, just then I spotted movement in the finger of woods that bordered the cornfield. As I looked more closely I spotted an older 10 point buck I'd been watching since mid-October; he would easily score 170. With him was a big bodied, wide racked 8 point, 140 class buck I'd seen several times, and a smaller 11 point non-typical, that would score in the 120's, that I had seen only twice before.
Local Hunters Help Feed the Hungry
The field staff members of Huntonly.com - a website created and managed by hunters as a resource for the hunting community - have donated 15 deer to Maryland’s Farmers and Hunters Feeding The Hungry (FHFH) program. The deer were harvested throughout Southern Maryland during Maryland’s deer hunting season.
Through the FHFH program, farmers and hunters deliver their legally harvested deer or other big game to a participating meat processor. The meat is processed, packaged and frozen and made available to local food banks at no charge. According to FHFH, one deer can provide 200 meals.
Habitat Management and Fire
Fire Suppression
Fires, whether from natural causes such as lighting, or caused by humans (intentionally or unintentionally) on prairies and meadows, and in brushy areas and forests, have been part of the natural process of plant regeneration for centuries. Even naturally caused wildfires can be beneficial as they reduce natural fuels, which in turn reduces the chances of wild fires in the near future. Wildfires also expose mineral soil for seedbeds for regeneration of wind-disseminated species, such as fungi, mosses, grasses, forbes and many tree species. The reduction in vegetation in turn helps in the control of insects, diseases, and competing vegetation. As a result of this wildfires often result in the improvement of natural ecosystems and wildlife habitat as varied as wetlands, prairies, brushy areas and forests.
Deer Hunting First Snow
I always look forward to the first good snowfall of the deer season. Snow on the ground not only makes the deer easy to see against the white background it also makes for easy tracking. The story of where the deer moved and what they did is very evident in new snow. So when we got 6 inches of snow on November 26 I was out in the woods, not hunting, just looking, yet anxious to find and follow the trail of one of the bucks in the area.
I decided to check near one of the primary scrapes that was regularly visited by several bucks. The scrape hadn't been reworked because it was after the rut. A buck had meandered through it, evidenced by the drag marks and large tracks. When I saw the tracks I began to follow. At first the tracks were blown over with snow, they had probably been made before the snow quit in the early morning hours. As I followed the tracks for a quarter mile winding through the oaks and pines I realized they were getting fresher. As they entered a thicket of buckthorn I was sure the deer was somewhere ahead of me, as yet unaware that I was following.
February Deer Management
White-tailed deer in the northern and mid-latitude states should be on their winter home ranges, looking for remaining/preferred food sources. In some areas there may still be some fawns getting bred. In the south they may still be on fall ranges, and still breeding.
Late season Deer Hunting Tactics
I sat in my tree stand overlooking a rub route, on a hill overlooking a cornfield. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon, there was at least a foot of snow on the ground, the temperature was hovering around 5 degrees, and the wind was blowing at about 10 miles per hour, creating a windchill factor of about -5 degrees. It didn't seem like ideal deer activity conditions. As I surveyed the area I though to myself that I would be a lot warmer sitting in front of the television back home, but then I knew I wouldn't see any deer.
Late Season Whitetails
Late season hunting can provide some of the most productive time spent in the woods the entire season. Hunters can enjoy tremendous success by locating the remaining food sources and keeping a close tab on the weather.
The rut is still smoking hot here in Illinois, but it’s time to begin thinking about the future of the whitetail season. By now, nearly all of the crops are out and the acorns have been devoured. In just a few short weeks, a bucks main objective will move from reproduction to bulking back up from the rigors of the rut in preparation for the winter to come. They will begin to venture back to their predictable late summer feeding patterns.
Choosing Deer Stand Location
An understanding of deer behavior and travel patterns can help you choose a hunting site. Because deer feed primarily during low light conditions they have two primary rest periods, late at night and during mid-day. Generally they leave their daytime bedding areas in heavy cover late in the afternoon and move toward nighttime food sources. They intermittently feed, travel and rest during the night before returning to their daytime bedding areas.
31 Whitetail Facts
1.Based on hunter reports, about one deer in 30,000 is an albino.
2.Melanistic deer are very dark sometimes even black and results from overproduction of pigment and is less common than albinism.
3.Albinism is a recessive trait and both parents must carry the gene before it can occur in their offspring.
Whitetail Scouting: During Season
Many whitetail hunters do the majority of their scouting during the off-season or just before start of the deer season. The knowledge gained during these times is essential in putting the pieces of the puzzle together in order to harvest a mature buck or a freezer filling doe during the fall, but sometimes the areas you’ve located before the season don’t produce like you had hoped. In order to ensure success in this situation, you must incorporate some in-season scouting tactics.
4 Hunting Myths Debunked
This was Written by Tom Dickson, DNR information officer
If you don't hunt, you might wonder what's so appealing about this activity. Why, for example, would anyone sit for hours in a chilly duck blind? Or trudge mile after mile through soggy cattail sloughs? And what's the thrill in trying to kill an animal, anyway? If hunters want to be outdoors and see animals, can't they just watch wildlife without shooting them?
Hunting the Whitetail Rut...
I was making the nightly rounds on my seven-year deer research project when I saw the big bodied 10 point buck for the first time. It was just before sunset on a cold January night, when five does and fawns came down off a hill and crossed the road twenty yards in front of the truck. Luckily I was only going fifteen miles per hour, or I might have hit the buck as he ran across the road ten yards behind the does. The buck was so close I had to hit the brakes to keep from him. When the deer got across the road they stopped in the alfalfa field and looked back, then they walked fifty yards further from the road, where the does began to feed while the buck surveyed the Suburban. I stopped and grabbed my binoculars for a better look. He had a high wide rack with five evenly matched points on each side, and massive main beams that were almost flat. I watched the buck for about five minutes, until he turned and walked into the woods at the far side of the field. That was the night I decided I wanted to see the buck up close and personal.
Good Brush Gun; Fact or Myth
For many years the debate has raged about which caliber is best in the brush. Equally debated is if any caliber is good in the brush. When most writers refer to the brush, generally they refer to Northern Tier states and whitetail deer. Brush, however covers a good deal of the Country. Brush is defined as bushes and young trees densely packed in a particular geographic area. For this topic, I am going to stick with Northern states, as their topography is covered with more brushy areas, on average.
9 Early Season Hunting Tips
In some parts of the country, the bow season for Deer has already opened. By October 1st, most will open or have been opened.
Hunting deer in the early season is a lot different than hunting them later in the fall. A month can make a lot of difference as to where you’ll find deer and how they are living.
Early season generally includes hot weather. Deer dislike extreme temperatures just as much as you and me, possibly even more since they’re wearing a fur coat.
To be successful in the early deer season, here are some tips that will help you bring home the venison
Fall Hunting Season is almost here...
This year, I have decided to do something a little earlier than normal. I am going to talk about getting ready for the upcoming deer seasons. Ah, not so fast. If you think I am referring to all the redundant rhetoric about rifles, calibers, sighting in and what’s new to buy, you are way off the mark.
I am referring to is the one thing that makes a man’s skin crawl…going hunting and admitting he is lost!
Seriously, having been a member of a search and rescue unit, I know first-hand that many men will not acknowledge the situation they are in when it confronts them. Women seem to be a little more even-headed in such times. Sorry guys…it’s the truth. I know most hunter’s go afield with little other than their rifles (and of course their clothes). Some may take a candy bar or a sandwich. Some may take a thermos of coffee. But few are prepared to spend the night in the woods, either by design or by accident.
Summertime Deer Scouting
I have to admit, as I get older, it’s gets harder and harder to think about scouting for deer when it’s 100 degrees outside. I’m usually thinking of my next fishing trip or how high my electric bill will be! I’ll bet that many of you are the same way, whether you’re old or young!
Whitetail Strategies Part II
Many hunters realize that they see deer most often at dawn and dusk, but some of them fail to understand that the deer rest in wooded areas during most of the day, get up around sunset, and move out of the woods and into fields after dark. They also don't understand that, when the weather is nice, the deer often spend the night eating and resting in or near fields, and that around sunrise, they leave the fields to go back to their wooded bedding areas. During the night I regularly check the feeding areas where I do research and hunt. While I often see deer feeding after sunset and before sunrise, I also see them bedded in or near the fields from 10:00 - 12:00 PM and from 2:00 - 4:00 AM. Several different studies on daily deer activity show that during the fall deer are most active at night around dawn and dusk, and from 12:00 - 2:00 AM. This means they are not moving much between 10:00 and 12:00 PM, and between 2:00 and 4:00 AM.
Trail Cameras: A Key to Whitetail Success, Part 1
Living hundreds of miles from your hunting property can really make it tough to put in the time needed to prepare for the upcoming season. Combine the time needed to do so and the soaring gas prices and it’s nearly impossible to do enough preseason scouting to put yourself in a good position to harvest a bruiser come this fall. But, with today’s advances in trail camera technology, these constraints can put less of a burden on your whitetail success.
There was a time when a hunter had to do all of his scouting via field edges and talking to local farmers. Now days, he or she can still use those resources, but incorporate the use of digital trail cameras to really increase his pre season scouting. With the use of these cameras, hunters can capture a glimpse of what their property has without spending much time there. You can spend one weekend a month through the summer on the property yet gain knowledge of what is on the property as well as potential patterns the deer have throughout the entire summer months.
Continue reading "Trail Cameras: A Key to Whitetail Success, Part 1" »
Flooded Timber: Built for Ducks, Great for Bucks!
Back in the early 80’s (as best as I can recall, it may have been earlier), Oklahoma started an experiment with some of their WMA’s that had a lot of bottom land. They would take a certain area of green timber and build dikes around it then flood it in the fall. The water depth would normally be around 18 inches to 2 feet, some areas a little more, some areas had less. This was in an effort to attract migrating ducks to the flooded timber in an effort to provide them with a resting area where they could feed and a place hunters could hunt ducks until 1 p.m.
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Hunting Season is almost here...
Hunting seasons are opening all over the New York/New England area, with bow season in New Hampshire and Connecticut already open. Are you an early season hunter? If you are, chances are your scouting is about done and your blind or stand placement is decided. If you are a procrastinator, you are still waiting. The problem is, is the land you want to hunt still available to you? Forget baseball, football and soccer (soccer?), get away from your TV and get out and about. Getting your hunting season planned, your area checked and your gear lined up is a lot of fun (tell your wife its good exercise).
Hunting Food Plots
Hunting fields and food plots seems to be a pretty popular subject going by the number of emails I receive. With a little scouting and pre-planning, you can have that field visiting Buck strung up in no time!
First off, it really doesn’t matter if the field you’re hunting is an agriculture field, a grown over field or a food plot so long as the Deer are using it for food, cover or passing through. These tactics will help you find the best treestand locations.
How to: Buying a Gun; Part 2
Hey y’all. Last time I spoke about “good” hunting rifles that hunters on a budget should consider. I appreciate the response I received. It seems there is no shortage of folks who cannot spend $900 – 1200 on a hunting rifle. The problem has been getting reliable comparisons and information on weapons in the working person’s spendable range. I did hear from a couple folks that thought I was off base and that quality firearms are not expensive because they hold their value, are built better, last longer blah, blah, blah. Of course they are built better…but the point is that if you cannot afford to buy one without taking food off your families’ table, you are not going to buy one of the those high dollar pieces.
How to: Buying a new Gun; Part 1
Hey y’all. A number of folks have posed the question to me: What is the best cheap gun? I have been around long enough not to step into that one. Once a writer invokes the word “best” he is proclaiming superior knowledge on that subject. The readers, many times, will disagree with the expert in whole or in part. I will, instead, address what are some “good” cheap weapons.
The first thing the prospective buyer should do is answer some basic questions: What is your budget? Who is the gun for? Are they experienced in the handling of firearms? What amount of felt recoil will they be able to tolerate? What type of game will be hunted with it? What type of sights will be necessary? There are other questions, but these are the main ones that need to be addressed. If you find a great deal on a 338 Winchester Magnum and your 14 year-old needs a deer rifle, the deal is not necessarily good because the caliber is over kill and most 14 year-olds cannot withstand the recoil of this round. A deal is not always purely about money. Many hunters get caught by this, which explains why a lot of firearms are for sale in the classifieds. There is any number of mismatch pieces available. Those are guns with too much scope or insufficient scope mounted on them, rifles with magazines missing (a magazine can run over $50 real quickly), a weapon with a “slight’ crack in the stock (unless you are competent to properly repair the crack avoid this weapon unless the price is incredibly low), the bore is dark but just needs cleaning (I would only buy it after I saw it clean) or other qualifying statements you see in an add.
Hunting Optics
Hey y’all. This time I am going to be writing about optics. There is nothing better to startan argument with than optics. But before we start the arguing; I have a couple of items. They deal with the trip to sporting goods store and the possible nightmare that awaits.
It was always the practice that quality sporting goods store employed personnel that were trained or at least had experience in the items that they were in care of. Then came big box mentality and a new meaning for customer service. I am sure many of you have agonized, trying to get a simple question answered about a product you were interested in, only to have the clerk tell you they were filling in at the Sporting Goods counter, usually they were in the golf shoe department…aahhhhhhh!
Deer Scent and Calling Tactics Through The Season
Using deer scent and calls is still somewhat a mystery to some hunters. What scent should we use and when should we use a particular scent are just some of the questions I hear regularly on my seminars. Then there are hunters that think using scent and calling is a hunting strategy. It is not! Using scent and calls only work if they are part of a sound hunting strategy based on thorough scouting. Fail to realize this fact and the use of calls and scent become useless. In fact you are liable to scare deer away.
Then there are the skeptics that believe scent and calling does not work and is a waist of time and money. Is it? Depends. Deer attractant scent and calls can work great in positioning that elusive buck in front of your stand. On the other hand use a particular scent or call at the wrong time or over-do-it and you never will see a deer near your stand.
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Whitetail Strategies Part I
The most important thing to know when you are deer hunting is where and when to setup. When you’re hunting you need to know where the deer are likely to be during legal shooting hours. In order to know that you have to have a good knowledge of when and where deer normally move during the day. Studies by Kammermeyer and Marchinton show that, throughout the year, deer move more during the day than they do at night. However, this changes as summer turns to fall, and as the rut progresses. As the vegetation begins to die off in the fall the food sources in wooded areas are depleted, and the leaves begin to fall from the trees. This causes the deer to seek food in more open areas, where they feel insecure during the day; consequently, they become more active during the night. The studies showed that, in the fall, deer activity peaked from 4:00-10:00 PM and again from 4:00-8:00 AM, with some activity between 8:00 and 10:00 AM. The farthest distances traveled per hour usually occur in the morning, probably because the deer were trying to get back to the security of their core areas before it go too light.
Four Factors that Move Whitetails
I remember 15 years ago when I went out to scout for a good place to hang my stand in anticipation of my very first bowhunt. To say I got frustrated would be an understatement for what I felt. I knew that I had to scout very different from the way I would when rifle hunting. This was very different, a bow is a short-range weapon and to be successful the stand has to be in a location that brings deer close to the hunter. In my case not much more than 25 yards preferably a closer.
Looking at the land I scratched my head asking myself, “Where do I get started? How can I reduce this huge landscape before me to a small 25-yard circle where I could ambush traveling deer?
Why Whitetails "May" or May Not" Move...
Whitetail deer have mastered the skills of survival. They have incredible senses and quickly learn how to avoid danger. There are many reasons deer stay in bed on any given day, learning more about why and when they may decide to stay put can help you become a more successful hunter.
Weather can have a strong influence on deer movement. On days where the wind is blowing above 10mph deer movement seems to slow drastically. Of course if 15mph winds are normal for your area, this will have little effect on deer movement. Here in Maryland there are many days with little to no wind. So when the wind does kick up, I believe the noise and movements all around keep deer in their beds longer.
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Signpost Communication
In this article we will look at the different signs deer make and their meaning. In general signpost communication is both, a visual and olfactory marker for other deer. Signposts include both rubs and scrapes. Deer use these signposts to convey a message to other deer or as an orientation marker, similar to directional signposting we use on our roads. A smart hunter will learn how to interpret and understand deer sign. Understanding deer sign is as important to a successful hunter as understanding a deer’s behavior in correlation to food sources, topography, seasonal and environmental changes.
July Whitetail Management
By July most of the does should be done fawning. The fawns should be growing and following their mothers some of the time. The Whitetail bucks are growing racks, and all the deer should be feeding on preferred foods.
Planning Ahead
Any type of deer management should take into account several different factors; herd size, buck to doe ratio, age structure of the herd, fawning rates, type of habitat, available food sources, seasonal use of the habitat; and hunting success by age, and sex. One of the first steps in deer management should be to determine the size and makeup of the herd. A fairly accurate count of all the animals should be taken to determine buck:doe ratio and fawning rates; to determine if the herd is in balance with the available habitat, so that overuse of the habitat by the deer does not occur; which could resulting in habitat destruction, poor nutrition, starvation, disease, stress, and poor reproduction and growth of the deer herd.
Science of Hunting and The Good Old Days
I learned a lot about the woods, plants and animals from my father and the old men of the hunting camp. Today I sometimes have to force myself to recall the wisdom of those men. Each time I do so my hunting success improves dramatically.
The recent controversy surrounding the Scent-Lok company and their supposed promise that their carbon lined apparel is 100% capable of eliminating human odor got me thinking about how hunting is today compared to the time of our fathers and grandfathers.
Today hunting is all about science and modern technology. Hunting has moved from a simple outdoor activity to a space age, technology driven race to sell hunting-success promising products. From the technologically advanced compound bow that can shoot carbon arrows at lightening speeds to the image stabilizing, high precision rifle scope; it’s all here to help us kill that elusive monster buck and the moment we purchase one of the high tech products it is outdated by even better high tech products.
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Economics Of Hunting
Recently I came upon some information about the economic impact hunting has in North America and decided that I should write about it so that other hunters can see too what good we hunters do for our countries economy and wildlife conservation in general.
With the ongoing bashing of our hunting tradition by politically motivated radical groups and organizations that portray hunters as beer-swigging redneck slobs and trigger happy morons that are just as capable of killing a human as they are an animal it might be time to set the record straight and provide some heavy weight ammunition, no pun intended, to combat the slanderous comments the antis loudly proclaim.
Cornfield Bucks
On a cold and blustery November morning in 1996 I sat in my tree stand located on a narrow bench of a steep slope from where I had an excellent view of deer activity. At the base of the slope was a large cornfield. The deer would feed all night on the corn and in the morning headed towards the top of the ridge passing by my stand and eventually into a thicket of young pines. It was the perfect set up for a morning stand.
Find Bucks on Public Land
“There are no bucks on public land worth hunting.” This is an expression that I hear many times when the talk is about hunting on public land. Others have said: “You can’t have a quality hunt on public land, there are to many hunters.”
Yes, hunting on public land can be tough, frustrating and downright humiliating. You also have to share the woods with other hunters and at times it seems that there are more hunters in the woods than deer especially on opening day. But make no mistake about it. There are bucks on public land, even big bucks.
Bowhunting Forums & Technology
Technology has affected the way we do almost everything, and hunting is no exception. Today technology is used in nearly every aspect of hunting, from truck navigation to get to the hunting property, handheld GPS to get to the Treestand, Range finder to aid in distance judging, to green lights so as not to spook game and carbon filled clothing to aid in human scent reduction. Technology is here to stay and hunting forums are just another benefit and a powerful tool that hunters should be taking advantage of.
The internet has changed everyday life for most people and hunters who use the internet can gain a big advantage when the leaves start to turn colors in the fall. Hunting Forums are a great way to share and gain extensive real-time knowledge of our quarry. Talking to fellow hunters from your area of the country can give you insight into the current stage of the rut, even if you haven’t had the time to get a first hand look.
June Whitetail Management
Whitetail bucks and does should be on their summer home ranges by June, and the does should be done fawning this month. It's time to start working on habitat improvement: fertilizing, mowing, spraying, and clearing trails and paths.
Antler Growth
If you want to see more big-racked bucks in your area the first thing you have to do is use a little restraint. You need to let the young bucks go, so they can grow. I often hear hunters complain that they don't see anything 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 continue to see nothing but young, small-racked bucks, because the young deer never live long enough to grow big racks.
Pre-Late Breeding, Late Breeding and Post Rut Phases
From early to late December the does that did not conceive earlier may come into a late estrus. Older unhealthy does and does fawns may come into estrus at this time. Both the dominant and subdominant bucks may start cruising, scraping and chasing does again. By late December most of the breeding is done and the bucks may return to their core areas to rest up after the rut, and feed to put on the weight they lost during the rut, so they can make it through the winter. Depending on the severity of the weather, the snow depth, and the availability of food sources, the deer may shift from fall home ranges to winter home ranges. In some areas they may migrate from less than one mile, to several miles. It's time to buy your feed and supplements for winter-feeding. Locate the food sources and watch them to find out which ones the bucks are using.
Continue reading "Pre-Late Breeding, Late Breeding and Post Rut Phases" »
Hunting Transitional (mid-September to mid-October) Bucks
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.
Continue reading "Hunting Transitional (mid-September to mid-October) Bucks" »
Treestands for Whitetails...
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.
Hunting Pre-Rut / Rubbing Phase Whitetails
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.
Continue reading "Hunting Pre-Rut / Rubbing Phase Whitetails" »
Hunting Transitional Bucks
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.
Cashing in on Metro Whitetails
Whitetail hunters are learning that the place to hunt for trophies may not be wilderness areas or farms, but in and around major metropolitan areas. Many of the freeways surrounding these areas throughout the United States cut through old farm lots, agricultural fields, swamps ravines, and cross wooded creeks and river bottoms. These areas often remain undeveloped for years, providing excellent feeding and bedding areas for white-tailed deer. Some of the property may be purchased by large corporations that wish to build corporate headquarters in wooded areas. These corporations often fence the property for security purposes, in turn creating deer refuges. Deer use the fenced property as bedding areas but must often leave through gaps in the fence or jump it to feed in nearby undeveloped wooded areas and fallow farm fields, providing hunting for opportunistic hunters.
Corn Country Whitetails
In much of North America white-tailed deer can be found in and near cornfields. In the Midwestern corn-belt a majority of the whitetail's habitat may be corn. With the large size of these fields, and with the lack of wooded areas whitetail deer, including trophy bucks, travel, feed and bed in the corn. Because these fields offer security, bedding cover and food the deer spend all day in the corn.
Habitat Management and Fire for Whitetails
Fire Suppression
Fires, whether from natural causes such as lighting, or caused by humans (intentionally or unintentionally) on prairies and meadows, and in brushy areas and forests, have been part of the natural process of plant regeneration for centuries. Even naturally caused wildfires can be beneficial as they reduce natural fuels, which in turn reduces the chances of wild fires in the near future.
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Eco Systems and Eco-system Management
Part of the problem with "the idea of conservation" is that we humans may have begun to realize too late that in order for this planet, and us, to survive, we must conserve, and preserve, much more of the native habitat of the entire world, than we ever realized - until just the last century, after much of the important and needed habitat has already been destroyed - by us. We need to look at not only saving a particular wildlife or plant species, but saving the surrounding habitat and other species that are all dependent on each other for survival and reproduction.
Hunting Habitat Conservation
I don't claim to know a lot about habitat conservation, other than to say I know that we need it, for a variety of reasons. I've lost at least two good deer hunting areas to development since 1997 (obviously those areas also contained songbirds, small mammals, trees, shrubs, herbs, forbes (wildflowers), butterflies and other invertebrates. I've also noticed the destruction of good wildlife habitat (for housing or business development projects) in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and many other states. As a result of this I find myself becoming more interested in, and hopefully more knowledgeable about, both wildlife and habitat conservation.
June Whitetail Deer Management
By June the bucks and does should be on their summer home ranges, and the does should be fawning. It's time to start working on habitat improvement, fertilizing, mowing, spraying, and clearing trails and paths. You can also start glassing from the roads, to see if there are any big bucks out there, and where they hang out.
How Social Status Affects Health and The Rut
It may be that current deer management and hunting practices in many areas (which result in lower than normal buck:doe ratios) that are the cause of the rut being delayed until late November, and continuing into January and even February in many northern states. In a deer management study by Dr. Larry Marchinton between 1981 and 1986, an increase in the buck to doe ratio from 25:100 in 1981-82, to 54:100 in 1983-84 resulted in the average breeding date changing from November 11 in 1981 to October 15 in 1982, almost a month earlier than normal; and the length of the breeding period was shortened from 96 to 43 days. In another study using quality deer management techniques, the average breeding date occurred almost two months earlier.
May Deer Management
During May the bucks and does may begin to move to their summer home ranges. The does may begin to look for fawning areas. Turkey hunting may still be going on in some areas. While you are scouting and hunting turkeys you can also be deer scouting, figuring out where the deer are at so you can watch them in the fall, when you can determine if there are any big bucks around.
Reading White-tailed Deer Signs
White-tailed deer leave several different signs as evidence of where they have been. Both bucks and does leave behind trails, tracks droppings and beds. Bucks also leave behind rubs and scrapes as they prepare for the breeding season or "rut" during the fall. Knowing how to read these signs can help you to know when and where to find white-tailed deer throughout the year.
March Deer Management
For both the deer and the deer manager, March is a time when things are in transition. Winter is giving way to spring, and the deer are loosing weight because many of the food sources are depleted. The deer may begin moving from their winter range to their summer range during late March. To abate their hunger the deer begin looking for new green growth. For the deer manager, now is the time to prepare for spring planting; get planting equipment ready, order seed and mineral. Scout for turkey hunting.
Minerals
With the coming of spring, minerals are needed by both the bucks and does, as the bucks develop new racks and the does continue fetus growth. To adequately provide mineral for all the deer you should have one mineral lick for each forty acres of land. The licks should be placed in high use areas with adequate cover so that the animals readily find and use them. Minerals are most easily utilized by deer in granular form; they should be supplied on the ground in a sheltered area where they won't be washed away, or in a covered bin. You can still scout and look for shed antlers.
April Whitetail Management
By early April the deer should be on their spring home ranges, looking for new green growth to gain back the fat they lost during the winter. This is when bucks begin growing their antlers, so if there is not enough forage for the deer to eat, you may want to provide supplemental feed and minerals to help the bucks grow larger racks. If you can, now is a good time to do a soil test and enrich and fertilize the soil. It's a good thing there is not too much for the deer manager to do this month, because it's time to scout and hunt turkeys. You can do some spring deer scouting while your are at it; whitetail trails, tracks rubs, scrapes and shed antlers are very evident in early spring. The information you gain now may tell you where to find the deer this fall and winter.
A Humbling Experience...
Whoever said “you don’t know how good you got it till it’s gone” should receive a literary award. I’m dead serious. What other statement could ring so true? Especially since I am saying it now. I can only fondly remember how good I once had it, hunting in the Midwest with plenty of private ground for me to roam and easily mess up a good hunt. I never had to do this crazy new wave thing called “scouting” (I mean really, aren’t the birds supposed come to you all the time?) or ever had to beg a complete stranger to shoot at a couple geese. I had the crème de la crème of spots back home! Hundreds and hundreds of acres of flooded corn fields! People were begging ME to hunt! And now I, the big shot Midwestern waterfowl king, reduced to this! I couldn’t believe it.
February Deer Management
White-tailed deer in the northern and mid-latitude states should be on their winter home ranges, looking for remaining/preferred food sources. In some areas there may still be some fawns getting bred. In the south they may still be on fall ranges, and still breeding.
Coping with Communicable Diseases
Because the spread of diseases such as Tuberculosis, Chronic Wasting Disease and Necrobacillosis is a concern in areas of high deer concentrations (such as the Midwest and Southeast), since baiting and feeding has been banned in many states, because of the fear of the spread of contagious diseases, you should probably no longer feed deer or provide them with minerals in those areas. If you want to increase the overall health of the deer in areas where the spread of disease is a concern you can still provide adequate winter d nutrition by planting food plots designed for winter feeding and, by providing adequate browse during the winter months.
Wildlife Viewing & Photography Insights
After years of researching white-tailed deer, elk, turkey and waterfowl, and photographing them, I've learned that in order to observe the natural behavior of birds and animals, and get pictures of them you need to: 1. Understand their behavior, so you know when and where they are most active, 2. Be where they are when they are most active, 3. Get as close as you can without disturbing them, 4. Use good, high-powered optics such as binoculars, spotting scopes and camera lenses and, 5. Use amplified earphones to hear better.
You can learn bout the daily and seasonal behavior of birds and animals by reading books about them, going to seminars, learning from others, or by personal experience. I suggest you do the first three before you learn by personal experience, because it will cut down on your learning curve time. Then spend as much time as possible observing and listening to the animals for yourself.
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Late Season Whitetails
By now, in most parts of the country, the rut is starting to wind down. Although there may be a few does that come into estrous yet, the majority has already been bred and bucks have trying to recover for a strenuous last few weeks. During the rut, bucks actively search for does for the majority of the day. Unlike the summer months, when their lives revolve around food and water, bucks are actively searching for does the majority of the time during late October and November Instead of feeding heavily and resting, bucks rarely feed and quickly burn up their fat reserves. Once the rut is over, they concentrate more on finding food and bulking back up in order to survive the winter.
Here in central Illinois, the winter months can be pretty brutal. It’s only the first few days of December and we’ve already had a few inches of snow and temperatures have been in the single digits at night. Deer around here will have to survive another 3 months of this weather. Combine these conditions with the rigors of the rut, and you quickly understand why deer begin to feed heavily this time of year.
The Scott Reeves Buck...
I got a phone call in June of 2004 from Don Tyschuk owner and Outfitter of Alberta Whitetail Connection. I knew Don from a previous hunt in 2000 which was the first time I had hunted Alberta Canada. Don wanted to know if I could make the trip up to hunt with him because he had a cancellation so I jumped on the opportunity because Don only hunts 7 rifle hunters a year.
The first year I hunted with him I took a nice 10 point but I had something bigger on my mind this time. My hunt would begin on the 21st of November which is the fourth week of the rut and considered by some not to be the best week but Don assured me that the bucks will still be chasing doe's so I was very excited about going. I would also have to contend with a full moon that week but again Don convinced me that the bucks had more on their mind then a moon and it would not effect the movement.
Mitch Rompola Record Whitetail...
Of course the name Mitch Rompola has come up every year on message boards everywhere since that famous November 13th 1998. Most everyone has seen the pictures of the “Potential World Record Whitetail” taken on this day. The controversy that surrounds Mitch Rompola, and this famous whitetail is unreal. I for one, loved the story and to read about all the “it’s a fake” theories, ect. Well I came across this video the other day, I don’t know much about it, other then it says that it is Mitch Rompola narrating and filming the recovery of this famous deer. I find it very hard to believe that someone could film, and have pictures of this deer if it was a fake. I know this is brought up every year, but I’d really like to know what the real story is, and if this deer is real, and is hanging on his wall, I think it deserves the credit. Click the link below to check out the Video and stop by the message board and chime in on the thread in the “Deer Hunting” Forum.
Late Season Whitetail Deer Tactics
In 1994 I began researching deer, using a journal and keeping a record of all my deer sightings, their location, sex, size and activity; along with their direction of travel, the temperature, wind-speed, wind-chill, humidity, dewpoint, cloud cover, precipitation, barometric pressure, moon position and moonlight. As a result of my seven-year study I realized there were several different meteorological conditions that both decreased, and increased daytime deer movement. I was most interested in the conditions that caused increased deer movement during the day. After analyzing my data, and correlating it with my observations over the years, I discovered several conditions that cause deer to move during the day once the rut has ended.
Deer Activity and Meteorological Conditions
Several environmental conditions; including amount and type of light and weather, and lunar factors, may affect game movement. The conditions given will apply to most antlered and horned game, with the exception that larger animals, because they experience less heat loss are more tolerant of; low temperatures, dewpoints and windchills; and heavy precipitation. Northern subspecies of deer, elk and moose that are larger than their southern relatives are able to withstand colder conditions. Elk, moose and caribou tolerate lower temperatures than deer and antelope. Sheep and goats, because they have thick coats, tolerate colder, wetter conditions.
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Goose Hunting Savvy...
Whether you hunt on your own or with a guide, there are a few things to remember when you are hunting geese. A couple of guided hunts near the Rochester Goose Refuge near Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN are excellent examples of things to think about before you hunt. The hunts were scheduled well ahead of time, according to the dates when some friends of mine were going to be in town, and on days that the guide had openings. We hunted during the week before Thanksgiving, which is when the migratory Canada geese from Manitoba generally arrive in Rochester. Unfortunately, it had been quite warm in Manitoba, and less than 20,000 of the normal 35,000 migratory geese had arrived in Rochester. Many of those geese had been there for up to two weeks, and they had been hunted constantly during that time.
Vote For Hunting...
2006 Election: What it means to you and your Hunting
As a hunter, you might think that this 2006 congressional election has little to do with you and hunting. But in fact, there are a few issues that can affect you directly. To make a better choice next week at the polls, here’s what you need to know:
CPR: The nation’s current craze with bio-fuel may threaten decades of work done to preserve wildlife. The Conservation Reserve Program sets aside millions of acres that act as natural habitat for the surrounding fish and wildlife. If our government puts biofuels in the front interest above CPR a large portion of that land will be lost in the pursuit of fuel alternatives. Make sure your political candidate supports actions in the Farm Bill, which state that fish and wildlife concerns will remain part of biofuel program planning.
An Insight into Mock Scrapes
Whitetail deer communicate through many different senses: vocally, visually, and through scents. Combining these can be a deadly combination.
A scrape is a visual sign post. Unlike rubs, which are seldom revisited once first created, some scrapes are reworked rather frequently. A whtietail buck makes a scrape to mark his territory and to communicate to other whitetail deer in the area. He leaves his scent behind for other deer to know that he is in the area and this is his ground. By making mock scrapes, you’re showing him that there is another whitetail buck in the area that thinks the spot is his. Whether or not he’s up to the challenge is up to him.
Killing Time Between Hunting Seasons...
Something that I have always loved doing is fox hunting at night, so when my friend Glenn called me and asked if I wanted to go, I couldn't get changed fast enough. While driving to Glenn’s to pick him up, I was mentally going over all the spots that have produced for me in the past and evaluating the ambush sites.
When we arrived at our first site there was a calm in the air that made it feel like tonight was going to be a good night; little did we know just how good. The sun had just set and we were setting up for the first ambush. We picked out a spot near the top of a ridge that gave us cover over the whole bottom. Glenn positioned himself on one side of a big, old oak tree, and I was on the other side with the caller. The idea was for Glenn to shoot the fox while I did the calling.
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Weekend Whitetail Warrior Gone Obsessive
The Transformation
The sound of breaking sticks as I pave my way through the woods, the solitude and peacefulness of sitting on stand, and the adrenaline that rushes through my body while I wait for the perfect shot opportunity has created an obsession within me. The feeling that comes over me during those few seconds is the most addicting feeling I have ever experienced. Unlike most hunters, I didn’t grow up surrounded by many hunters. My grandfather hunted, but I seldom was able to hunt with him since he lived in West Virginia.
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Start of the Hunting Season
The anticipation of the season to come is already forcing me to lose sleep. My TiVo is starting to fill up with the latest hunting shows, and I find myself daydreaming of the heart pounding action that is bow hunting. Yes there are still months to go before I will actually be perched in a tree, but it’s already starting. My mind becomes so consumed with hunting it’s hard to focus on anything else. I catch myself thinking of the close encounters with giant whitetails of years past and wondering if I will get the shot opportunity this year.
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