Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Deer & Deer Hunting

Everyone knows colliding with a deer on the road can be dangerous, but what happens when a deer rear-ends you — in a quiet residential neighborhood while you’re doing yard work? Ask Joe Jameson, of Fayette County, Georgia. In his residential area, neighbors enjoy seeing and photographing deer. This year, a family group of eight does — probably three generations, including four playful fawns — have been frequent visitors. Residents also commonly saw a spike buck and a nice 6-pointer. Oct. 14 was beautiful day in the neighborhood until about 4:20 p.m. Street traffic was light, and Jameson was towing a leaf sweeper behind his Husqvarna lawn tractor. That’s when he heard a boom and went flying through the air. “What in the great googly-moogly happened?” he thought as he…

I was stoked! I came within a whisker of having a decent buck enter bow range and had seen several other deer during my afternoon sit. I couldn’t have been more confident for the next day’s hunt on the isolated alfalfa field. Not seeing the buck that next afternoon did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm because I did see the same doe and fawn from the previous day. I just figured it was a matter of time before the buck reappeared. Long story short: I did see the buck two more times during the next three weeks. However, he then vanished into thin air. Stubbornly, I kept hunting the alfalfa field, certain he’d come back and I’d get my chance. It never happened. Eventually, I even managed to run the…

Increasing predator populations across North America have piqued the interest of whitetail hunters everywhere. Some sportsmen view increased predator populations as a threat to local deer herds, while others see bonus hunting seasons and/or wildlife viewing opportunities. However, as is the case with nearly all things wild, increased populations often bring negative consequences. In the case of wild canines, these can include deadly human consequences such as hydatid disease. The affliction is nothing new — it’s been around for centuries — but it should be recognized by anyone who now finds himself living and/or hunting in places like Montana, Idaho and the Upper Great Lakes states — Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan — where wolves and coyotes are becoming more prevalent. Hydatid disease, caused by the dog tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, and the…

The most likely ways meat can become unfit or less than ideal to eat involve excessive bacterial growth or by turning rancid. Those forms of spoilage result in unpleasant odors and flavors, and undesirable color changes, but otherwise differ. Venison has an excellentn utritional profile and high moisture content, both of which provide a great environment for bacteria growth. Consequently, controlling bacterial growth is the first thing to consider for controlling meat spoilage. That’s the focus of the three C’s; keep it clean, keep it cold and cook it appropriately. However, when bacteria are under control, the potential for rancid flavors begins and, given time, will result in spoilage and product loss. In simple terms, rancidity is the reaction of oxygen with unsaturated meat lipids. That reaction breaks large fatty…

We often take life’s little thing for granted probably because we make ourselves so busy that we never slow down to look around. Deer hunting is a perfect example. No matter how many times I head afield each fall, I fail to give honest reports to my family and friends upon my return. “See anything?” my buddy will ask. “Not really,” I reply. “Some squirrels.” “See anything?” my dad will ask. “One,” I reply. “But only for a couple of seconds. Not sure if it was a buck or a doe.” Years of such bean-counting reports must have been weighing on my mind when I tossed my hunting gear into the bed of my pickup and headed for a favorite bow-hunting spot. I was on a mission to do as…

Have you seen a “cactus” buck? Probably not. That doesn’t mean a spiny desert plant shaped like a deer. Rather, it’s the rare phenomenon that occurs in deer with some testosterone deficie ncy. Often, these deer exhibit biological aberrations, such as breeding suppression or nonexistent shedding, and the condition can result in bizarre antler configurations. Such deer get the moniker cactus bucks because their racks are often gnarly masses of fuzzy growth with many bumps and protrusions, sort of resembling a saguaro cactus. WIND, WIND AND MORE WIND My introduction to deer anomalies occurred during mid-November 1996, on the opening day of Missouri’s firearms season. Then, I prided myself in staying on stand all day, from dark to dark. At 29, I did that often, knowing it increased my chances…

I enjoy the taste of venison, so I’ve never considered myself a buck hunter. Putting a year’s worth of steaks, chops and burger into my freezer overrides my desire for antlers. However, the past few years, I’ve passed on chances to shoot other deer on the opening day of firearms season in case “my buck” showed up. Almost 20 years ago, after shooting several large bucks, I joined the ranks of deer hunters who voluntarily pass small and young bucks so the deer can grow older and potentially achieve greater antler growth. Four days into the 2015 firearms season, a Licking County, Ohio, buck trotted within 5 yards of my ground blind. The deer sported a heavy, wide rack, but a missing right G-4 tine and somewhat stubby antlers inspired…

If you want to get the most (and best) intel on the deer roaming your hunting property, you need to come up with a trailcamera plan that works for you. I’ve “been there, done that” on the trail-cam thing over the past 25+ years, and here’s just a few things I’ve learned along the way. I hope this information helps you obtain the results you desire this off-season. The first step in not having scouting cameras harm your hunting efforts is to ID their potential weaknesses and determine their capabilities. This can be done by running some simple tests: In a quiet room, place the camera face up, turn it on and walk away. The next morning, enter the room in a way that keeps you away from the detection…

If you think back on all of the years modern man has been hunting white-tailed deer, you might gloss over the fact that one rifle has been responsible for bringing home the lion’s share of that vension: the lever-action. And while it’s true the .30-30 has been the most popular lever-action caliber for deer hunters, there has been an influx in other popular versions, including the 357 Magnum (pictured above). And, while the 357 Magnum has been an option for more than 80 years, that particular configuration was never really optimized for deer hunting because loads were invariably handgun cartridges. That changes with the introduction of Federal’s new HammerDown loads. There are five things that set HammerDown apart from other ammunition. Here’s what deer hunters need to know: 1. HammerDown…

As much as the storyteller within me aches to gin up at least measurable drama, the episode I want to relate evolved much too rapidly. On my periphery in the gray morning, there suddenly emerged a splendid buck, and within three seconds, the hillside echoed with a shattering blast. I sometimes wish I would have turned my eyes away after the shot rather than following the buck’s frantic flight as it hurtled tumultuously down the steep grade, flipped once and finally came to rest 20 yards below me. The fallen buck exhaled a final faltering sigh to mercifully restore the morning’s silence. Stunned in the aftermath, I needed a few minutes to process everything that had happened but soon knew to deem it a moment meant to last forever. Enter…

The ability to assess correctly the general well-being of white-tailed deer is a prime requirement for proper herd management. Appraisal of relative physical condition based on fat deposits provides useful information on energy reserves, but such indices are of limited diagnostic value in other seasons. Furthermore, blood assays on live deer can help evaluate recent nutritional history. Howwever, those appraisals do not help ID health quite like that of the whitetail’s tiny thymus gland. In young, growing mammals, the thymus gland is quite large but shrinks in size at maturity. It apparently plays a key role in the immune system and contributes to proper growth and general well-being. In white-tailed deer, the thymus gland consists of two distinct lobes. The thoracic lobe is located within the chest cavity, near where…

Have you ever thought about what it takes to make a deer hunter — a really good deer hunter? Several years ago, a mother and her teen-age son attended one of my deer hunting seminars. After the show, this woman approached me and asked for some ideas on how she could help her son become a better hunter. I only had a few seconds to collect my thoughts and give her my best shot at answering the question. I don’t know if my advice helped, but the encounter gave me reason to pause. In the years since, I’ve given a lot of thought to the question because it keeps coming up. I don’t pretend to have all the answers on this subject, but I know what has worked for me…

What will the next world record typical whitetail look like? Will it have the awesome width of Milo Hanson’s magnificent, big-framed buck with its 27?⁄?-inch inside spread? Or the tremendous mass of the Jordan buck, with its soaring 30-inch main beams — a record that stood for nearly eight decades before being overtaken by Hanson’s Saskatchewan buck? Those are questions that cannot be easily answered. And when will the current world champion fall — this season, or another 25 or 80 years from now? It’s anyone’s guess. It’s almost certain the next super buck will be at least 4½ years old, but more likely 4½ to 7½ years of age, because that’s when most bucks develop their ultimate headgear. After that, the rack might decline or the buck might die…

In addition to being worn out and hungry, the postrut whitetail has another thing that keeps him from moving about: the constant presence of man. The hunting pressure incurred during September, October and November causes many bucks to become nocturnal. When formulating a hunting strategy for nocturnal post-rut bucks, it’s important to understand that all white-tailed bucks are not the same. They fall into two categories, yearlings and adults. This is especially evident in areas where hunting pressure is heavy. Yearling bucks are much easier to hunt, and it takes a lot of pressure for them to become truly nocturnal. The sex urge in November’s prime breeding season overwhelms most yearling bucks, keeping them constantly on the move. This makes yearlings huntable even in the post-rut. However, if a buck…

I grew up in a small agricultural town in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Located about 75 north of Los Angeles, the thought of going to the “Big City” so scarified all my buddies and me that we never even considered it. I had none of those big city temptations, and, thankfully, both my parents and paternal grandparents to help develop a moral compass that has stayed with me to this day. My dad was a fireman, and mom stayed home to raise my brother and me. Dad quit deer hunting when I was about five years old after killing his 50th southern California mule deer buck. So I didn’t learn about hunting from either he or his dad; that was something I taught myself by trial and error, starting in…