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
Make no mistake about: Deer have changed the ecological sustainability of our North American woodlands. Whitetails are selective browsers, meaning they target those portions of a plant that provide optimum nutrition. In woodland settings, this means new-growth buds and shoots from native plants, shrubs and tree species. The impact is worse in regions along the deer-rich Mississippi corridor where understories are overgrown with highly invasive nonnative plants, trees and shrubs. Oak and hickory forests are being choked out by kudzu, Japanese honeysuckle and barberry, glossy and common buckthorn, Russian and autumn olive and multiflora rose, to name a few. Decades of deer overabundance — and the subsequent overbrowsing of preferred woody species (oak, maple, aspen, etc.) — have led to the proliferation of these invasive understories and what foresters call…
Dan: I would like to hear what your staff and field editors have to say about culling “poor antler genes” from a local herd in the context of John Ozoga’s recent article on herd dispersal. It would also be interesting to hear how dispersal affects all of a landowner’s efforts to intensively manage for big bucks when most of the bucks sired leave and non-managed bucks move into a managed area. — G. Grace, via email Dan Schmidt’s reply: Thank you for writing to us. We have actually published several articles on the so-called “cull buck” topic over the years. Some of the insights are also included in excellent books by Ozoga, Charles Alsheimer and Bob Zaiglin. In short, the notion of culling free-ranging bucks for antler traits is…
Still have the itch for some deer hunting, even if your season is over? Don’t worry, because you can find a variety of great videos to watch anytime at www.deeranddeerhunting.com or youtube.com/DDHONLINE. This includes Deer & Deer Hunting- TV with Dan Schmidt, Gordy Krahn, Mark Kayser and Steve Barytlla, along with other great shows such as Land of Whitetail, Destination Whitetail, the D+DH Innovation Zone, Deer Talk Now, Fit 2 Kill with Brittany Jill and more. Hunting, strategy, tips, gear and other topics are all on the table to help you get through the off-season. Be sure to watch Saturday Night Deer Camp on Pursuit Channel, too, at 10 p.m. ET each week. SHOP DEER HUNTING.COM 'Guide to Better Bowhunting' If you’re wondering what happened during bow season to leave…
DDH TV Upcoming Episodes of Deer and Deer Hunting-TV on Pursuit Channel December 30: “Target That Buck” Can you really target a certain buck? January 6: “Plan for Success” Mark Kayser hunts Montana for mule deer and whitetails. January 13: “Bucket List” Gordy Krahn tackles a tough bucket list deer hunt. January 20: “Remodeling the Deer Woods” Steve Bartylla provides budget habitat improvement tips. January 27: “TC in Texas” Dan Schmidt takes his Thompson/Center to Texas for a tour of big bucks. February 3: “Have Patience” A windy Kansas bowhunt tests Mark Kayser’s patience to the max. February 10: “Feels Like Home” Dan Schmidt enjoys the hospitality and hunting at the Patterson Ranch in Texas. February 17: “Ladies, Food and Safety” How…
Although some subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) might differ only in subtle facial, body and tail markings and colorations, others might differ greatly in body size. The largest of 38 recognized subspecies include the Northern woodland (O. v. borealis), Dakota (O. v. dacotensis) and Northwest (O. v. ochrorous) whitetails, which inhabit the northern United States and Canada. These deer stand about 40 inches at the shoulder, and males can weigh up to 400 pounds. In contrast, the smallest whitetails tend to come from warmer, southerly climates. For example, the Margarita Island subspecies (O. v. margaritae) that lives off the coast of Venezuela might weigh less than 40 pounds at maturity. This geographic trend in body size — largest in the North, smallest near the equator, with intermediate sizes occurring…
Whenever you’re around horses, it’s important to be slow and deliberate in your movements. Even the best of them will spook at sudden movements, noises or something unfamiliar. Horses are somewhat far-sighted, which means they see things well at a distance, but don’t see objects as well when they are close. So whenever you are near a horse, speak softly, whistle or sing so it knows where you are and that you are not suddenly “coming up on it!” When haltering, grooming, saddling or caring for a horse, always work from the left side first. Horses are creatures of habit and trainers teach them to expect activities first from the left, then the right side. If you must cross in front of a tethered horse, do not duck under the…
