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
The buck flicks his tail and takes two steps. Here we go. He’s perfectly quartering away. Clench that release and bring the bow string back. When that cam turns over, it’s downhill from there. The draw’s back wall is rock solid. It’s time to bare down and relax your grip hand. Wiggle those grip fingers just a tad. You don’t want to torque the shot. One-one-thousand. Lock that top pin on the crease of his shoulder. Two-one-thousand. Hold it still. Three-one-thousand. Exhale. WHAP! The buck kicks then sprints wildly. He stops after about 50 yards and tumbles to the ground. All is again silent. Unleash those endorphins and feel the rush. How many times have you played out this scene in real life? Dozens? A few? Once? Never, but have…
Deer change their diet as winter approaches to a less nutritious woody browse, and it takes a few weeks to make the digestive change. Is this because there is no other food source so the digestive system changes over time to accept the woody browse? Or does the system “automatically” change due to photo-period, and they therefore switch to the woody browse? Another way to ask this: If a deer were in a controlled condition/environment, say in Upstate New York, and was fed succulent forage throughout the year even through winter would its digestive system change? I guess it’s a chicken or the egg question. — Rich George, Edmeston, NY Editor's note: Thanks for the letter, Rich. Your question was the last DDH correspondence we had with Charlie before…
SHOPDEERHUNTING.COM White-tailed Deer Management and Habitat Improvement This comprehensive book gives hunters and property owners the tools needed to make their land veritable deer havens. Drawing upon author Steve Bartylla’s 20-plus years of experience creating and managing whitetail hunting properties, this resource spells out practical and potent strategies to improve every aspect of a hunting property. MSRP: $24.99 Info: www.ShopDeerHunting.com and search SKU S3321 DEER OF THE MONTH Ken Smith of New York was still-hunting a feeding area on Nov. 20, 2017, with 12 inches of fresh snow on the ground. This beaut of a buck appeared and Ken’s Marlin .308 Win. made the shot count. The buck was estimated to be 7½ years old! Congrats! Submit your deer stories and photos to BigBucks@fwmedia.com for consideration…
DDH TV Upcoming Episodes of Deer & Deer Hunting-TV on Pursuit Channel Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. EST, Thursdays at 3 p.m. EST and 10 p.m. EST. MAY 3: “TC IN TEXAS” Dan Schmidt takes his Thompson/Center to Texas for a tour of big bucks. MAY 10: “HAVE PATIENCE” A windy Kansas bowhunt tests Mark Kayser’s patience to the max. MAY 17: “FEELS LIKE HOME” Dan Schmidt enjoys the hospitality and hunting at the Patterson Ranch in Texas. MAY 24: “LADIES, FOOD AND SAFETY” How to get these three factors working together on your hunting land. MAY 31: “HUNT SMARTER” Tips and tactics to hunt smarter, not harder. JUNE 7: “PEER PRESSURE IN THE DEER WOODS” All about the pressure and stress that deer put on each other. WHAT TO WATCH…
The Hanson Buck broke the previous World Record held by the Jordan buck for close to 80 years. Now, 25 years have passed without another deer knocking it off its throne, confirming just how incredible and rare this massive 14-point typical buck was. For younger hunters who weren’t around and didn’t read the accounts back when Hanson connected on this amazing deer, here’s the true account of how that whitetail was harvested straight from the record-holder’s mouth. FARMER/HUNTER Milo Hanson lives in a remote agricultural area of northern Saskatchewan. Farming is a quiet life, so he looks forward to getting together with his neighbors during the deer season each fall. He enjoys hunting alone, but often meets with a few friends and they put on deer drives through the woodlots…
The Rompola Buck. If you’ve been around the deer world as long as I’ve been, a few names need no introduction. That one is perhaps the most infamous. But was it real or just an elaborate fake? And, if it were real, how could it just seemingly disappear almost as fast as it appeared? Let’s back this up. This story starts back in November 1998. The world was a lot simpler then. Relatively few people had computers (we’re talking desktops) with Internet access. Fewer had cell phones. Most of us were still living in a call-you-on-the-rotary-phone or (gasp) send-you-an-actual-letter-in-the-mail kind of world. The news trickled out rather slowly, but it gained momentum quickly. A guy by the name of Mitch Rompola from Traverse City, Mich., allegedly shot a 12-point buck…
