North American Whitetail June 2018

I still recall the first trail camera I ever used. As a hunter and photographer, I was fascinated by a camera that could detect a deer’s presence, automatically snap a photo and then reset itself to await the next photo opportunity. How cool was that? If you’re under the age of 30, my amazement with such technology might make you chuckle. But understand what the scouting process had always been prior to that point. Detecting a deer’s presence or passage had remained almost unchanged for eons. You had to see the deer, hear of a sighting from another eyewitness or else find and then correctly interpret physical sign left by the animal. There was no other way. Trail cameras began to put more eyes in the woods. And not just…

Any serious whitetailer will tell you there’s really no “off-season.” The pursuit of mature bucks entails so many ancillary — but nonetheless critical — tasks and responsibilities that even when the actual hunting season is a distant memory or a seemingly faraway destination, there’s something drawing us back to the deer woods. North American Whitetail presented by Quick Attach has evolved into more than just a hunting show. Our goal is to reflect the continuous “cycle” that we, as avid whitetail hunters and habitat managers, live out every year. No part of the calendar is a better example of that than early summer. As May turns to June, we hunters across the whitetail’s range find ourselves busy prepping for and planting warm-season food plots. Before long, we’ll also be checking…

Among the challenges for agencies charged with public safety is how to reduce the number of animal vehicle collisions (AVCs) — espe cially those involving larger wildlife, which can do cata strophic damage to cars, trucks and the occupants thereof. While all wildlife collisions are problematic those involving whitetails result in the greatest number of tragic outcomes for the public. In an average year, whitetail-related collisions cause around 200 human deaths and billions of dollars in vehicle and road infra structure damage. Hoping to reduce this massive prob lem, the Virginia Department of Trans portation (VDOT) recently joined the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) to evaluate a microwave road side animal detection system (ADS). The setting for this experiment was Virginia Smart Road, a Montgomery County test roadway on which…

In 1994, Dr. Harry Jacobson and I traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, to present a plenary paper to the 3rd International Congress on the Biology of Deer. Our paper, “The White-tailed Deer: The Most Managed and Mismanaged species,” shocked many of our fellow professionals. We noted that whitetail populations were basically out of control, resulting in habitat deterioration and significant impacts on the species’ biology. We also predicted increases in diseases as a consequence. Our final recommendation was: “We propose that sport hunting is the most efficient and viable means of controlling deer populations; however, management should control population sex and age ratios as well as numbers. Significant increases in antlerless harvest (to >50 percent of total) is needed in most states. Reduced buck harvest is required to obtain mature age…

I’m not the only bowhunter with a workbench that’s littered with archery equipment. My little place of solitude is a tabletop that’s crusted over with dried Bohning glue and strewn with Allen wrenches. And I have more than a few buddies who can relate. Guys and gals like us know how to enjoy a quiet night of shooting and tweaking bows under the floodlights after work. As far as we’re concerned, dialing in a hunting bow isn’t a chore — it’s an obsession! Why go to great lengths to “tune” a hunting bow? For me, it’s all about confidence. I like knowing my bow is ready to perform at a moment’s notice, no matter what or where I’m hunting. As different as the bows in my collection are, they all…

THE BOW HOYT REDWRX CARBON RX-1 The REDWRX Carbon RX-1 pictured here is 32” axle to axle and has a 6” brace height It boasts an IBO speed of 340 fps and weighs just 3.9 pounds. The RX 1 features newly designed Quadflex limbs for increased torsional stability, as well as a Shock Pod vibration dampening system and rear stabilizer mount. HOYT.COM ACCESSORIES APEX GEAR This REDWRX is decked out limb-to-limb with the newest accesso ries from Apex Gear, including the Covert 4-pin detachable sight with MicroPoint 0 010” long-range bottom pin. Also included is the Covert Micro Adjustable drop away rest and End Game 8 carbon stabilizer with adjustable weights A Game Changer quive completes the pack g . APEX GEAR COM…