Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Deer & Deer Hunting

There’s a common catch phrase in business that every deer hunter can employ to improve their success and enjoyment: “Control the controllables.” It sounds simple enough, but all too often we find ourselves letting the controllables control us. When that happens, we often experience mistakes, frustration and failure. If that sounds familiar, take these three measures to turn the tables. 1. CLARIFY WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL. If you hunt private land, you can control how many does are shot on the property. You can also decide which bucks walk and get a chance at growing another year older. It will take some toil and sweat equity, but you can control how much food is on that property via food plots, supplemental plantings and forestry management. Finally, you can control the…

DAWSON FERGUSON IOWA Dawson Ferguson made good on his opportunity to bag a giant Iowa buck. The big outing was October 30, 2023, and he’ll never forget what happened that day. It was sunny and about 40 degrees, with wind out of the southwest. His spot was along a tree line on the edge of a pasture. Around 2:30 p.m., he walked in with a treestand and conducted a hang-and-hunt mission. A few hours into the afternoon hunt, he heard a buck chasing a doe in the timber. They were down in a draw below Ferguson. He’d seen those deer that morning, but didn’t get a shot. Incredibly, the buck and doe appeared 35 yards away. They worked closer. When the buck’s head went behind a tree, he drew back,…

I was frustrated. Two seasons ago, I committed to filling the freezer with doe meat and saving my buck tag for a mature buck. Unfortunately, I was still holding those tags. While hunting the vast woods of northern and central Wisconsin’s public lands, I saw plenty of deer, but mature buck sightings were rare. The best I managed was a glimpse of a good buck chasing a doe in the distance or entering a clear-cut after hunting hours. That changed in the third year of my quest when I shifted my scouting techniques and focused on different signs. That’s when the puzzle pieces began falling into place. QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY Mature bucks behave differently from other deer. They prioritize personal safety, limiting interactions with does and fawns except during the…

The first time I endured a Blue Tongue and EHD combo gut punch, it threw me for a loop. Managing a 1,550-acre property in West Central Illinois at the time, I watched helplessly as the 15 three-year-old and older bucks I’d identified and was genuinely excited about shrank to five before the season even started. That painfully disgusting chapter inspired me to learn all I could about Blue Tongue, EHD, and how to prevent their devastating effects, picking the brains of the top deer disease experts out there. What follows isn’t what I learned from them. In fact, though not intended as a slight, I learned shockingly little from them that I’ve actually seen play out in the real world. No, what follows are my own observations from dealing with…

I learned a valuable lesson about blood trailing many years ago, and it stays with me to this day. It began when a respectable buck stood broadside less than 20 yards from my tree stand. In less time than it takes to tell, I saw the arrow hit its mark — into the diaphragm, but slightly forward and high. Nevertheless, it appeared to be a vital wound to the lungs and a quick, clean kill. Thirty minutes later, while following the blood trail with high expectations, I suddenly heard a deer crashing ahead of me, then I spotted the buck rapidly heading for parts unknown. Upon inspecting the area, I found a bed and postponed the tracking endeavor to re-evaluate the situation. The lesson I learned that day is that…

INGREDIENTS: FOR THE STEAKS: • 1 or 2 leg steaks (depending on size)• Kosher salt• 2 tablespoons lard or oil• 1 large onion, chopped• 6 cloves garlic, minced• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped• 10 juniper berries, crushed• ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms, roughly chopped• Black pepper• 2 cups red wine• 2 cups venison stock or water• Chopped parsley to garnish FOR THE MASH: • 1 lb celeriac, peeled and cubed• 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed• ½ cup cream or milk• ¼ cup butter• ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese• Salt and pepper for seasoning Serves: 4 Time to make: 4 hours Oh yes, the ubiquitous “leg steak” you get back from the processors. Due to the large number of deer many processors receive at once,…

Reader Question: I’ve been shooting the same arrows from my bow from several years. I’m down to my last couple that I use for hunting, and I picked up a half-dozen that are of a different spine size. Does spine size really matter when it comes to archery? D&DH’s Dan Schmidt: Yes, arrow spine size is critically important because it dictates the arrow’s stiffness, which is essential for consistent and accurate flight, and it also plays a role in safety. An incorrectly spined arrow won’t flex correctly during release, leading to inconsistent flight, poor groups, and, in the case of a weak arrow, potentially exploding and causing injury. WHY SPINE MATTERS 1. Consistent Flight: A properly spined arrow flexes in a controlled, consistent manner when shot, allowing it to pass the bow’s…

The first book I wrote about hunting was titled “Season of Obsession.” I was 32 when it was published. As the title suggests, I was deeply into hunting — obsessed, even. I had a young family and worked long hours on swing shift, but I still found time to hunt every chance I got. While the book covered pheasant, rabbit, duck, and goose hunting, its centerpiece was deer hunting. That made sense because deer hunting was the heart of my hunting life. It still is. Though I remain an avid bird hunter, nothing excites me more than deer season. Deer hunting and its preparations consume my thoughts more than anything else. That said, I’m no longer 32. I don’t look 32, and I don’t feel 32. Twentyfive years have passed…

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How many hunt outings does it take to kill a deer? Think about that for a moment. Would you say you go hunting 10 times for one opportunity? Twenty times? More? Less? As it turns out, most state wildlife agencies collect and publish this data, among many other metrics, and analyzing the data can help hunters in numerous ways. For instance, for more than 20 years, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has worked with Responsive Management, a survey research firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues, to collect hunter and harvest data. It obtains customer demographics, harvest records per species and county, hunter success rates, hunter satisfaction rates and so much more. The agency uses the data to guide critical science-based decisions from the number of tags…

It was the second week of November, and I was bowhunting in northeastern Iowa, a state known for its large deer population. The morning was ideal: clear, cold, and nearly calm. I could sense it was going to be a great day. Sitting in my tree stand before dawn, waiting for shooting light, I heard deer running in the timber below the ridge where I was perched. The stillness amplified their sounds, making them seem closer than they were, likely moving along the small creek far below. As the light remained dim, I heard a deer approaching. A doe burst from the woods, darted into a Conservation Reserve Program field, and ran straight toward my tree, positioned where the tall switchgrass met the dark timber. A large Iowa buck followed…

If you have adhered to any of these steadfast rules, you can improve your odds by changing how you view the whitetail’s scent world. True confession: The wily whitetail is the only big game animal that hunters often hate to love. This bittersweet relationship has spanned nearly three decades for many, and though these insidiously mysterious critters continue to amaze, they’re not quite as mysterious as they once were. Truth be told, seasoned hunters have reached a point where they observe whitetails repeating the same survival tricks that have kept them one step behind for so long. While no hunter claims to have fully mastered the craft, many have moved past several whitetail myths that once hindered their growth as effective hunters. With that in mind, here’s a crash course to…

My first encounter with rattling for white-tailed bucks, though unintentional, is etched in my memory. It was a cool, partly cloudy Sunday afternoon in November 1969. At 17, I was convinced the oak tree I was perched in would yield a buck during Pennsylvania’s deer season opener a week later. My confidence surged when I spotted a yearling eight-pointer pawing the ground near the tree’s base. I stared in awe for seconds before it darted into the forest understory. Curiously, the buck returned each time I tore limbs and hammered nails into the tree stand I was building. The noise likely sounded like a buck fight to him. THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE That experience sparked my fascination with rattling, though I couldn’t replicate it in Pennsylvania. Six years later, I received…

Mark Yoder grew up dreaming of hunting, but his hard-working father never had time to teach him. Over time, his interest faded. Then, the inevitable happened — a boast, a challenge, and a light-hearted, age-old need to one-up a buddy. His first deer season started with a challenge and ended with a 225-incher. “This journey began as a joke when I saw a coworker’s 10-point buck mount in his office and told him I was going to take up hunting just to get a bigger one,” Yoder said. One friend loaned him a trail camera. They posted it in his grandparent’s 20-acre woodlot, and the next day, a massive buck appeared on camera. “The property belongs to my family and hadn’t been hunted for quite some time,” he said. “I…

1 MOSSBERG BANTAM SLUGSTER Mossberg’s Bantam Slugster is built for big-game performance in a compact package. This 20-gauge shotgun features a 12.5-inch barrel and lightweight design, making it ideal for hunters who need a portable, maneuverable option in tight spaces. Its slug-optimized setup delivers reliable accuracy and stopping power, perfect for deer or other large game at moderate ranges. With simple controls and Mossberg’s proven reliability, the Bantam Slugster is an excellent choice for both new and seasoned hunters looking for a no-nonsense, field-readyy slug gun. MSRP: $533.00 | MOSSBERG.COM 2 MISSION ARCHERY MENACE XR Lightweight, versatile, and ready to grow with young hunters—the 2026 Menace XR from Mission Archery is a gamechanger. Weighing just 2.81 pounds, it offers a huge draw range of 10–50 pounds and draw lengths…

Bans on baiting are often implemented to reduce the spread of diseases such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) and tuberculosis (TB), but these bans are not effective. In fact, they can contribute to the spread of diseases by reducing hunter success, which means fewer sick deer are being killed. The best way to limit the spread of disease among deer is to reduce deer numbers, especially adult bucks that have the highest infection rates, by harvesting more of them. PROOF FROM TB MANAGEMENT ZONE The first evidence of this can be seen in the TB Management Zone in Michigan’s northeastern Lower Peninsula. Baiting was banned in Deer Management Unit (DMU) 452 in 2002 to try to reduce the spread of TB. It didn’t work. The prevalence of TB in deer…

Some deer hunting calibers have been shot by everyone and their mother, too. Today, there are dozens of calibers available on the market. Hunters have no shortage of options. Furthermore, for decades, the media has romanticized certain ones, and all but forgotten others. Of course, certain calibers are just newer and haven’t been around as long. Either way, it’s led to a world where hunters haven’t shot, and in some cases, even heard of certain calibers. Here are some that maybe you haven’t tried yet. .250 SAVAGE The .250 Savage is an overlooked gun. It’s old, and originated in the early 1900s. Incredibly, in 1915, it was the first caliber to achieve 3,000 fps. It has heavy-enough bullets yet delivers minimal recoil. Other than availability, you’d be hard-pressed to find…

Many deer hunters who use a crossbow for the first time are not aware of how important it is how the horizontal bow is held when shooting. If they get a finger in the way of the string when they pull the trigger, the digit will be injured and could even be severed. Getting a finger in the way of the string is one of the most common and dangerous mistakes that crossbow hunters make. Most modern crossbows are designed to reduce the chances of this happening, with ample warnings, but don’t eliminate it. A crossbow string can amputate part or all of a finger, and that’s something you don’t want to happen. Friend Jim Paquette almost lost part of a thumb when it got in the way as he…

A big buck steps into view, surveys the food plot, and homes in on a mature doe across the field. Nose to ground, he jogs right up to that deer. Then, the chase is on. They run circles around your stand, disappearing and reappearing as the rut-fueled pursuit creates a flurry of deer movement. Eventually, the big deer stops in the open, and you make the shot count. The big, rutted-up buck falls, and you’ve got plenty of venison for the freezer, inches for the wall, and stories for the campfire.. e to ground, he jogs right up to that deer. Then, the chase is on. They run circles around your stand, disappearing and reappearing as the rut-fueled pursuit creates a flurry of deer movement. Eventually, the big deer stops…

Those of us who are attempting to manage freerange whitetails tend to go further than most other hunters in stacking the odds of achieving our goals. I pour myself into what I’m passionate about, and helping wild deer reach their maximum potential is about as passionate as I get. Because of that, knowing that bumping a deer during firearms season can result in management disasters, I once made the mistake of completely stopping firearms hunting on managed lands. I wanted those grounds to serve as an oasis of safety. What I learned is that you can have your cake and eat it too, if you follow a simple recipe. So, instead of passing on the thrills of firearms season out of fear of pushing deer to neighbors, reduce the odds…

Although the 30-30 is probably responsible for putting more deer on American meat poles for the past two centuries, caliber choice these days is purely personal. Some folks like the power and performance of a .30-06 Springfield or .308 Winchester, while others opt for the venerable .270 Win., .243 Win., or more recently, 6.5 Creedmoor. Whatever caliber you take to the woods, the odds are high that your shot will not be that far. Surprising? It should be, because if you log on to any gun-hunting forum, you’ll find massive amounts of written opinions on longrange capabilities for both gun and ammo. But research shows the average deer-kill distance is something that most skilled slug-gunners can achieve. The research, conducted by research biologist Charles Ruth and his team in South…

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