Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 - Habitat i North American Whitetail

The controversy continues regarding climate change, but no matter which side of the issue you support, I think we all can agree that the white-tailed deer has faced and survived some pretty dramatic climate changes during its existence. I have a jawbone on my desk that was found in Florida, and it dates back to about 1.3 million years ago. Whether then or today, climate remains the number one limiting factor to whitetail populations, especially on the outer limits of the species’ range! Much of the popular literature on deer habitat management includes activities like planting food plots, trees and manipulating forest stands to improve natural forages and cover. On the surface, it seems pretty simple, right? Yet, I have spent the bulk of my career studying and managing whitetails…

A couple years ago, I was hunting with my friend Barrett on a sunny day with blue skies and high pressure during the heart of the Illinois whitetail rut. He and I were targeting a huge, mainframe 8-pointer that I had encountered a few days prior, and the calm wind and weather made for ideal conditions to tag-team the buck. We were in separate stands, both on different ridges in the timber, but still within 100 yards of one another. Barrett messaged me and said that I stuck out like a sore thumb. This was because I was wearing a very trendy set of outerwear that didn’t blend in with the foliage around me, especially in the bright sunshine. An hour before sunset, I heard the unmistakable dry leaf crunching…

The benefits of managing land for whitetail hunting go far beyond wrapping a tag around a big buck. Not only do we get to see our work improve the herd’s habitat and health, but that same work also allows us to stock our freezers with fresh wild game meat. Preparing this high-quality protein for our families is just as rewarding as taking a trophy deer, so it’s important we make the most of every ounce of meat we take from a whitetail. To help us do that, culinary writer and hunter Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley has shared two of her incredible venison recipes with us. On eof these recipes actually involves for aging natural ingredients from the same land we chase whitetails on , and since this is our Habitat issue, we…

For the last 20 years, North American Whitetail TV has not only provided viewers with heart-pounding hunts for free-ranging trophy deer, but we’ve also used our show to educate hunters on all-things whitetails. One subject we’ve consistently produced reliable content for is land management. Our fan-favorite Dr. Deer and Build Your Own Deer Factory (BYODF) segments have aimed to educate viewers on proven, science-backed information regarding whitetail biology and herd and habitat management. NAW’s staff biologist Dr. James C. Kroll has been the leading source for these segments, and over the last two decades he has shared a lifetime’s worth of white-tailed deer knowledge with NAW TV viewers. Since our show has been running on television for two decades, naturally there are aspects of deer biology and management that we’ve…

Few other dreams seem as far-fetched as shooting the next Boone & Crockett world-record typical whitetail. Milo Hanson’s net 213 5/8-inch giant from Saskatchewanh as officially held the mark for 30 seasons now, and he set it by such a wide margin – 7 4/8 inches – that many hunters doubt he’ll ever be beaten. Maybe he won’t. He’s crazy big. Plus, B&C now defines typical points more strictly than ever, making 213 5/8 net even tougher to beat. That said, scores of wild bucks with frames big enough to do it have existed, and several recently. Built from unofficial data compiled by whitetail historian Dan Vandenberg, with additional research by our online contributor Cameron Coble, the accompanying map shows every known location of wild, officially measured whitetails with at…

"I can’t wait for you to see the country tomorrow morning when the sun comes up,” says Corey. “I’m interested to hear your opinion, because I honestly think it’s some of the best whitetail habitat anywhere in the world.” The conversation started over a bowl of homemade soup at an Airbnb cabin in southwestern Alberta, not far into Canada across the Montana border — just north of where the United States’ Glacier National Park gives way to Victorialand’s Waterton Lakes. Corey Jarvis, owner of Three Rivers Adventures Outfitters, was speaking to myself and my group of ever-eager hunting comrades. The next morning marked the start of an adventure we’d anxiously awaited all year. We were there to hunt with members of the Kainaiwa Blood Tribe on the Blood 148 First…

I’ve written many times that I’m comfortable throwing myself under the bus if it helps others, and this is one of those times. Early in my career, I had little exposure to whitetails. This was largely because I’d always been a bowhunter from Colorado. I cherished elk, mule deer, pronghorn and black bear. Whitetails were a mystery to me. Then, years ago at Mossy Oak’s invitation, I was blessed to attend an Illinois deer camp. During a pre-hunt meeting, I was briefed not to shoot deer under 4 1/2 years old. They had pictures of mature and immature deer on a video reel — some even had names. And I was confused. The outfitter spoke of management plans, habitat work and goals for the future. The information made my brain…

When Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) showed up in southern Wisconsin in 2002, it may have been the first time the average American hunter realized that deer have diseases! Yet, all animals and humans have a host of diseases, some of which can be restricted just to a single species or group (Endemic) or spread across several species, even to humans (Zoonotic). The appearance of CWD sparked a general panic among the public, and the blame rests squarely on the outdoor media. For starters, it was falsely reported three men had died from eating CWD tainted venison. Later, anti-hunting groups applied the term “Zombie Deer Disease” to CWD, again reporting falsely that humans can contract the disease. Recently, another group of diseases known as Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), or Blue Tongue…

I became obsessed with the thought of hunting the Midwest when I was a child. Primarily, I dreamed of someday visiting Kansas. When I was a senior in high school, I made my mind up. I was going to try and find a job as a hunting guide and move to Kansas. After several failed attempts, someone gave me a shot! And it was better than anything I could have ever expected. The outfitter I worked for had right around 40,000 acres, and my full-time job was figuring out where to put my hunters each week of the season. The experience that I got and lessons I learned truly came daily. I realized even then (in 2006) how lucky I was to do something I loved and be exposed to…

Allow me to start this article by admitting that I really don’t love coyotes. That being said, I’d like to add that I don’t really hate them either. Over the past several years, my eyes have opened to the amazing survival abilities that coyotes possess. And I can’t help but be very respectful of those abilities. That respect comes from the fact that, despite just about every hunter’s complete lack of hesitation to shoot coyotes whenever the opportunity arises, they continue to exist and actually thrive in many environments. And the farmland country that lies around my hometown in west-central Wisconsin is a perfect example. Despite the intense pressure that we and several other local hound hunting groups put on them each and every winter, coyote numbers stay consistent, or…