Deer & Deer Hunting is written and edited for serious, year-round hunting enthusiasts, focusing on hunting techniques, deer biology and behavior, deer management, habitat requirements, the natural history of deer and hunting ethics
We had almost unlimited doe permits, and it was fairly easy to fill at least one buck tag each year. A September afternoon in the bow stand netted 10, 20, even 30 deer sightings. It was pretty incredible, and it was only 10 years ago. But we knew it wouldn't last. It couldn't. It might have been fun, but overprescribed deer herds across much of the country was the ultimate mirage. In fact, it was one of the worst scenarios we as a deer hunting nation could have ever wanted. Aldo Leopold warned us — more than 80 years ago — of the associated pitfalls of high deer densities and the resulting fallout. We've had our ups and downs over the years, but collectively we didn't listen. So you get…
I enjoy Deer and Deer Hunting magazine! Best publication around for deer hunting, especially archery. However, I need to point out a VERY SERIOUS error in the “Tree-stand Safety Tips” feature on page 57 in the August 2015 issue where it reads, “Put a whistle, horn, strobe, two-way radio or a cell phone in your pack.” Question: Your pack is hanging on a tree hook so it’s accessible when you’re hunting, or it’s at the bottom of the tree tied to your haul line. You fall and are hanging in your harness, or worse. Where is your emergency device? Not where you are. Put and keep those devices on your body, in a shirt pocket, etc. I’m a certified NBEF/IBEP Bowhunter Education instructor volunteer with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Also…
LAND of WHITETAIL Every passionate deer hunter wants to know everything he or she can about whitetails. “Land of Whitetail” takes you along on some great hunts, but also teaches you about our most popular game animal, too. You’ll find out what makes them tick, why you find them in a location, and how their feeding patterns affect your hunting. Shows air on the Pursuit Channel and include Food Plots with a Purpose, Feeders: Nutrition vs. Hunting, Land Management, Last Minute Prep and much more! View the show on Pursuit Channel. SHOPDEERHUNTING.COM Gun Digest Shooter’s Guide to Rifle Marksmanship If you’re heading to the range to zero a new scope, burn some powder and get ready for firearms deer season then the “Gun Digest Shooter’s Guide to Rifle…
The theme for this year’s meeting, “Integrating the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation into Deer Management,” was addressed by several keynote speakers at the beginning of the conference. Dr. Jim Miller (Mississippi State University) presented an overview of the highly successful model while Don White, Jr. (University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station) questioned the model’s ability to sustain the many changes in society that have occurred since its inception almost 200 years ago. Established at a time when populations of these highly relegated “charismatic” species such as deer, elk and wild sheep reached dangerously low population levels from overharvest, the model served wildlife well during what we refer to as the conservation or protection era. But that is no longer the case as populations of those high-profile species have…
Most hunters feel obligated to uphold the Golden Rule. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately, there will always be exceptions when doing the right thing precedes regret. Many times, after the turmoil subsides, knowing we can look in the mirror with a clear conscience is enough. Sometimes, it’s not. Bendelow is a licensed builder, and founder and chief executive officer of Vital Shot Outdoor Productions LLC (www.face-book.com/vitalshotoutdoorproductions). He’s also a husband, father, taxidermist and pro-staffer with Upwind Odor Control Products. He and his hunting and business partner, John Chamberlin, are part of Next Level, a show on the Pursuit Channel, through which they travel the Midwest to film their fair-chase hunts. In 2012, Bendelow was invited by a friend to hunt Fulton County, Illinois. Trail cameras at…
Illinois uses a point system for license revocation/privilege suspensions. State law holds that each time someone is found guilty of a wildlife code violation by an Illinois circuit court or a U.S. District Court in an Illinois district, the number of points assigned to that violation will be charged against that person. The defendant in the Copper buck case was convicted of trespassing and the wrongful taking of game. He was assessed nine points for one violation and three for the other. “His second (conviction) was assessed three because of the single-incident rule,” said Dan Sandman, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources officer who investigated the case. “The points are in our database from three years from date of conviction. Anytime you accrue more than 12 points in any three-year…
