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
There it goes again. The brown flicker in the woods just moved toward the field’s edge. Yep, it’s a deer, and it’s on the trail that leads north to my stand. The deer takes three steps before stopping in an opening where I can get a good, long look. It’s a big doe. With many extra tags on hand, I’d be a fool to pass up this deer. It’s been a long afternoon. I was certain I’d see a deer, but I didn’t think it would take this long. Such are the tribulations for a modern deer hunter. We have become a spoiled lot. It wasn’t that long ago when we’d enter this season of harvest simply hoping to see a deer (singular) for the entire season. Modern management techniques…
Dan, have you ever seen a deer like this? His tongue is too big and hangs out, and his back always looks like it is wet. He is constantly licking his back as well. — Jeff Nelson, Wisconsin Dan Schmidt’s reply: Hi Jeff, we have seen a lot of weird things here at D&DH, but we cannot say that we’ve ever seen anything quite like this one. According to certified wildlife biologist and D&DH contributor Robert Zaiglin, this buck looks like it has failed to completely shed its summer pelage (hair), which could suggest a problem with the pineal gland in the brain registering light. The tongue hanging out could be related to trauma as a result of an injury. Please keep an eye out for this buck as the…
Deer seasons are starting to wind down in Northern states but they’re still going full bore in Southern states. Deer & Deer Hunting-TV co-hosts Dan Schmidt, Gordy Krahn, Steve Bartylla and Mark Kayser aren’t done yet either. They’ll continue to bring you outstanding information on deer and deer hunting and great hunts. Check your local listings to watch Deer & Deer Hunting-TV on Sportsman Channel and keep up with all the action. SHOPDEERHUNTING.COM GET YOUR VERY OWN CUSTOM DEER & DEER HUNTING KNIVES Still searching for a fantastic Christmas gift that will be treasured for a lifetime? Take a look at the exclusive, custom Deer & Deer Hunting knives created by American Knife Company. These hand-crafted knives feature the D&DH logo on the blade and have…
I celebrate the fact that I have not seen recent controversy or allegations about so-called “crippling” losses. A decade or more ago, this seemed to be a hot topic, particularly among folks who knew little about hunting. There also was a flurry of articles in popular hunting magazines that attempted to rebut allegations of excessive unrecovered deer. But some of these articles did more to muddy the water than to clarify the issue. The purpose of this article is not to reopen an old argument, but to review what is known so that readers might be better equipped to address questions should the oft distorted subject rear its ugly head again. DEFINITIONS One of the problems vexing discussion of this topic has been proper definition. A common term or phrase…
White-tailed deer management has been described as part art, part science. The top deer biologists and land managers in the country are able to apply their scientific understanding of white-tailed deer in an artistic manner that maximizes the potential of a deer herd. They work to understand the specifics of their deer herd, and using sound scientific principles, develop a unique (almost artistic) management prescription that will drive the herd toward a desired objective. This obviously requires a thorough understanding of deer and deer management. But it also requires detailed knowledge of the deer on their property. The best deer managers use every bit of information they can glean from their herd, and they collect it in a variety of ways. Trail cameras are outstanding tools to generate information about…
If white-tailed deer occasionally experience “psychological highs” — and I think they probably do — one such high time for the Northern subspecies must be during the spring break-up, when snow finally melts and gives way to fresh sprouts of nutritious herbaceous forage. And just as healthy spotted fawns play and frolic, so do feisty adult deer cavort after surviving the strict confinement imposed by a harsh winter. Perhaps such seemingly neurotic behavior has a physiological basis due to the sudden surge of energy-rich food that once again fuels the whitetail’s metabolic furnace to capacity. Maybe that extra energy just naturally allows for frivolous behavior — such as racing about, kicking and jumping into the air for no apparent reason — otherwise not affordable during the depressing months of winter.…
