Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i Deer & Deer Hunting

It begins when you first notice something just isn’t right about that deer. You see a doe in the distance, and she’s very thin. Her head is low and her stare is blank. She’s salivating and urinating excessively and she doesn’t run away from you. Her behavior just seems off. Could this be chronic wasting disease (CWD)? You’ve heard reports — that it’s not a serious problem, that it can’t infect humans, that EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) is much worse. Are these things true? More importantly, where do you go from here? Unlike EHD, which is caused by a virus, CWD is caused by an infectious agent called a prion (preeon). There are only a handful of known prion diseases in the world, and our knowledge about where they came…

As whitetail lovers and deer hunters, we live for autumn. Archery seasons launch and then reach their zenith. The rut kicks in and flourishes into a frenzy. Firearms seasons open, we’re in the woods big-time, all the time, and all is good with the world. Serious hunters know autumn deer habits — from bedding strategies and feeding patterns to rutting behavior — inside and out, and Deer & Deer Hunting readers are among the most knowledgeable and informed out there. Winter is well understood, too. Many hunting seasons are still open early on, including late archery sessions, some muzzleloader hunts and winter antlerless opportunities with rifles or slug guns. As hunters we know winter deer pretty well, because we’re still in hunting mode. And everybody understands the stark survival challenges…

I’ll never forget the moment when I realized how beneficial scouting new property from a bicycle could be. As I buzzed around county highways and gravel roads, staring down timber lines, deer trails and agricultural fields, it hit me — searching for new land on a bicycle is not only fun, but it’s easier to view properties from the seat of a bike than from the driver’s side of a car. It was sometime in June 2014, after my wife and I had moved to rural northeast Wisconsin, when I first rolled into the driveway of a landowner asking for permission to bowhunt. From the county road, the property laid out nicely — its small hills featuring character and diversity, drawing me in. I even spotted a few trees from…

It’s been years since his accident, but Darrell Rucker occasionally still has dreams of walking to his treestand. The North Carolina deer hunter feels his dependable legs moving forward, taking him where his brain tells them to go. He can hear small leaves and twigs crunch under his boots as he walks deep into the woods, and can even smell the crisp, cool Carolina air full of familiar odors. It’s another perfect morning for deer hunting. Then Rucker wakes up and looks at the empty blanket below his knees, reminding him that his legs are gone. Five years ago, Rucker was using a homemade climbing stand to scale an old pine tree. After he sat down, the top of the stand gave way, knocking him over and out of the…

Shooters tend to blame the bow, the scope, or both when having difficulty getting their crossbows dialed in. But today’s bows and optics are so well designed and constructed that nine times out of 10 a zeroing issue rests with the person pulling the trigger. With that in mind, here are some tips that will make zeroing-in your crossbow a lot less frustrating. 1. STOP EVERYTHING AND READ I’ll start off by suggesting that every crossbow should have a scope. It will simply make life at the range and in the field easier. But you do have choices — lots of them. Whatever make and model you chose, it is vital to understand how it works and to follow the manufacturer’s instructions during setup and sighting-in. The owner’s manual is…

Whether it’s hickory, cherry or mesquite, wood smoke can improve the flavor of any cut of venison, but the problem with smoking any meat has always been about temperature control. Traeger Grills, inventor of electric, wood pellet grills, offers upgraded models to its popular Pro Series grill line in 2018, offering more precise temperature control along with enhanced stability and external features. These grills use technology that tightly regulates the internal grill temperature, keeping it within 15° +/- of the set temperature. A smoking features allows meats like venison to be smoked fully (for hours) or partially (to provide a smoke flavor) before grilling. This is an especially helpful feature when cooking venison, whether it’s a whole backstrap, a rack of chops, or a couple of bone-in steaks. For best…

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve arrived at deer camp to find that my riflescope’s zero has shifted — usually just a little, but sometimes a lot. Even if your gun’s in a hard case, if it gets banged around to any degree during travel chances are good your scope might get knocked off zero, and it’s likely you don’t have a lot of extra ammo on hand. So you want to get dialed back in as quickly and efficiently as possible and save your ammunition for hunting. The first thing you want to do is send a couple of rounds downrange, typically at 100 yards. I usually sight-in my rifles a couple of inches high at 100 yards and then fine-tune to shoot dead on at 200…

With the increased prevalence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), many hunters and wildlife enthusiasts wonder what other diseases are being transferred among deer populations. The transfer of diseases from livestock to white-tailed deer holds a valid place in this concern. In a collaborative study between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), four pathogens affecting cattle and deer were tested for the prevalence of antibodies in two Wisconsin whitetail populations. This article derives from the research article “Environmental Factors Influencing White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Exposure to Livestock Pathogens in Wisconsin,” and clarification from the author, Dr. Shelli Dubay of UWSP. The original study from UW-Madison examined deer mortality and fawn survival from 2011-13, but it only made sense to take blood…

If you haven’t heard arguments about what constitutes the perfect deer rifle, you’re probably deaf. Deer camp debates have raged since Grandpa shot his 13-pointer with a .25-20 Winchester — they’re all over the Internet. Nearly every hunter has an opinion. You’re about to get my two cents worth. I’m qualified to settle it once and for all, not because I’ve killed deer with a variety of top-shelf rifles. I haven’t. But if every deer hunter — your buddy, the outdoor writers, and that know-everything-guy who haunts the local gun shop — would stop and think about what it takes to kill a deer where he or she hunts, it would go a long way toward making peace in the valley. CARTRIDGES FOR ALL OCCASIONS Let’s begin with the cartridge…

Hunter Safety System (HSS) now offers its popular Hybrid, Elite and Contour harnesses with ElimiShield Scent-Control Technology, helping hunters go undetected while afield. Each harness is pretreated with ElimiShield during the manufacturing process, forming a bond that’s been proven to be more than 99 percent effective for controlling odors, even after 50 washes. Unlike silver odor control technologies, an ElimiShield treated article mechanically kills bacteria before odors form. ElimiShield is environmentally friendly, non-leaching, non-irritating and non-poisonous. It also prevents that sour smell that often forms when apparel has been exposed to sweat and moisture and then is stored during the off-season. The revamped Hybrid, Elite and Contour harnesses also feature new MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment) attachment points on the shoulders. Best of all, HSS hasn’t raised the prices of…

Wild game consumption has become vogue in recent years, and the field-to-table movement is embracing the do-it-yourself harvest and processing of venison. Processing big game animals at home is easy, and the best way to learn is just to try it. There are all sorts of instructional books and videos, but most of us learned from watching or helping a friend with experience. The good news is you don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment, and the money you save by home processing can create a budget for more equipment, or better yet, more hunting trips. PROPER BONING KNIVES If there’s one tool I insist on having when cutting up a deer, moose, elk or other game animal, it’s a proper boning knife. The blade width and strength of a…

Running down to the pro shop every time you have an equipment problem isn’t always convenient. And it costs money. Besides, learning to fine tune your own gear assures you fix problems promptly and provides all-important confidence the job is done to perfection. To become a home bow tech you’ll need some standard tools and a basic understanding of setup and tuning procedures. The later is available on innumerable Internet sites. The tools involved require an investment of $500 to $1,000 — depending on the level of tools desired; “professional” verses “good-enough” models — and a small work space, such as garage corner or spare bedroom. ARROWSMITHING The first tools you should invest in are a fletching jig, supply of preferred fletchings and appropriate adhesive, and an arrow saw. The…

When considering those factors that can have a negative effect on the physical well-being of the deer on your hunting property, most often it’s those limiting influences such as hunting pressure, disease, poor cover and lack resources, such as food and water, that get the most attention. But is it possible that social interactions within the herd can also be a significant stressor and even affect antler growth in bucks? Environmental stressors, such as temperature and precipitation, for example, have been studied to show their effects on a buck’s body weight and antler size. In Texas, years of ample rainfall can cause 10 percent or greater antler growth. And in Northern states, mild winters typically lead to increased body weight the following fall. SOCIAL ANXIETY But what about social stress?…

His writing was second to none — the information he shared with the deer hunting community was beyond priceless. Even more important was his attitude toward 99 percent of the hunters — the regular hunters who don’t have the best land or can afford those expensive private hunts. He was really one of us. He never held that commercial mentality and never tried to turn this sport into a money-making scheme, unlike the majority of the TV hunters out there today. Charlie Alsheimer was one of us. — Mark Forabosco I have the Season 4 DVD of Deer & Deer Hunting-TV and have watched it backward and forward many times. I looked up to Charlie and thought he was awesome. He was a super good guy and a good Christian.…

Deer antlers are secondary sex characters, grown only by members of the deer family, Cervidae. They serve effectively as weapons important in establishing dominance during the breeding season. However, antlers also function as ornaments, and can be clear indicators of a buck’s strength, genetic quality and social status. Researcher Dr. Steve Ditchkoff suggests that unbalanced antlers grown by young bucks are a clear signal of poor genetic quality. Likewise, large, well-balanced antlers are indicative of superior genetics. If a buck’s antlers do indeed signal his genetic quality, then genetically superior bucks, which tend to carry superior antlers, have an effective means of advertising their “good genes” to prospective mates. It seems logical, then, that females can accurately assess the quality of a rutting buck based upon his antler traits. If…

No. 1: How Weather Affects Deer Behavior A lifetime spent photographing and raising whitetails and being involved in some very interesting research caused Alsheimer to rethink some of what he previously thought to be “gospel” regarding deer movement. He was one of the first whitetail behaviorists to document the six factors that cause deer to move or stay on their bellies: 1. Weather. 2. Hormones. 3. Herd sex ratios. 4. Predators (man and beast). 5. Food. 6. Light (both sun and moon). “Although each can trigger or suppress deer activity on its own, it’s when they work in concert with one another that they are most noticeable,” he wrote more than 30 years ago. These insights on weather and how it affects deer movement educated generations of hunters on not…

Our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, acting as our warriors in far-away places, keep us from suffering the horrors of war on our own soil. This country has great pride and respect for the service men and women who are tasked to do the dirty work that needs to be done to provide for our national security. These skills are not learned easily, but rather honed over long periods of repetition and training. The military branches invest months and years in a wide variety of training, but it is clear that some join the service with a head start on many of the most important skills. THE HUNTER-WARRIOR Skills needed to successfully hunt animals and those necessary for battle have always been similar. Even during the earliest times in human…

Welcome to my new column, “Grow ’Em Big.” This space is going to focus on real world hunting and habitat management. I’ll be sharing the good, bad and sometimes just plain ugly experiences I’ve had hunting and managing real world properties. Hopefully, you will take what you feel applies to your grounds and merely disregard what doesn’t and/or whatever you don’t agree with, because there are many ways to achieve hunting and management goals. I’m merely sharing what I’ve found works best for me. But before we can dive in, we need to expose some widely held myths. 1. “TO GROW AND HUNT BIG DEER, YOU NEED LOTS OF LAND.” The first is that you need sprawling acres to effectively manage the habitat. Nothing could be further from the truth.…

“Building Small,” written by David and Jeanie Stiles, has tons of practical how-to construction advice including best practices, common pitfalls and tips for the do-it-yourself carpenter. Other features include: — Complete plans for seven tiny houses. — Strategies for outfitting your tiny house with lighting, water, heating and waste removal. — Ideas for floor layout and interior design. — Space-saving solutions. — Success stories and inspirational photos of tiny homes. Whether you’re considering a timber-framed cottage or a modular cube-style home, “Building Small” offers a wide range of approaches for planning and building your small structure. Available now at www.ShopWoodworking.com…

Throughout the summer of 2017, Ron Shaulis used eight trail cameras to monitor three nice bucks — a mature 10-pointer, a tall-tined 10-pointer and a huge 13-point monster in Forbes State Forest east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Once hunting season started, however, the two bigger bucks made themselves scarce. So when the smaller 10-pointer tempted Ron with an easy 20-yard shot he took it. Luckily, a twig deflected the shot, because on October 24 the huge buck finally showed up. “He came quartering to me left to right with his head down, and when he got behind a big beech tree I drew and waited for him to step out,” Shaulis recalled. “At 32 yards, the buck looked back over his left shoulder, giving me a shot where the shoulder meets…

For nearly 40 years, the readers of Deer & Deer Hunting had seen my son Aaron grow up with me. He’s not only been a great model for my photos, but also a hunting companion and someone I’ve been able to learn many things from. So, he’s been far more than a great son. To say we have an incredible father/son relationship would be a vast understatement. Early in my career I hunted a deer camp in the heart of Pennsylvania called Camp Harmony. The purpose for going there was to get a glimpse of what camp hunting was like and share the experience with the readers of D&DH. Camp Harmony was a special place, very rustic, but more than adequate and in many ways comfortable beyond measure. I’ll never…