Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Deer & Deer Hunting

We might not all see it in our immediate circles, but the numbers are real. The most striking: One in seven Americans struggles with hunger, and food insecurity exists in every county in America. Despite a gradual economic recovery and stock market rebound, wages for many Americans have simply not risen fast enough to cover the increased cost of living. To these Americans, food has become an unaffordable luxury. Have you ever wanted to donate deer meat (or even a whole deer) but didn’t know how to do it or where you should even start? The process is pretty painless in most areas of the country, and, in fact, is usually as simple as dropping your deer off at a registered meat processor. Each state is different when it comes…

DDH TV Upcoming Episodes of Deer & Deer Hunting-TV on Pursuit Channel Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. EST, Thursdays at 3 p.m. EST and 10 p.m. EST. Season 14 begins on June 30 with Saturday Night Deer Camp at 9:00 p.m. EST. June 7: “Peer Pressure in the Deer Woods”  All about the pressure and stress that deer put on each other. June 14: “Ground Blinds” Ditch the trees and change your tactics to hunt from the ground. June 21: “Mr. Big” What kind of patience and skill does it take to hunt for mature bucks? The answer may surprise you. June 30: “Charlie Alsheimer Tribute” A D&DH salute to our most celebrated contributor of all time. PURSUIT UP  Now streaming past episodes on www.pursuituptv.com! WHAT TO WATCH MOSSY OAK COUNTRY…

Hunting whitetails is always a challenge — no matter the location. But hunting them on public land often adds increased obstacles that deer hunters on private land rarely need to worry about. More deer hunters, small-game and bird hunters, hikers, dog-walkers and others come and go as they please on many public properties, as is their right to. All of this human activity adds up to put a lot of pressure on deer, and can diminish the odds of successfully filling a tag. Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom, because there is plenty of good hunting to be found on public lands. An important aspect of finding success on public lands is keeping a low profile and not drawing unwanted attention to yourself, not only from deer, but from…

From creating more cover to adding the right forage in deer food plots, to getting whitetails to move to desired areas, veteran land manager and host of Grow ’em Big, Steve Bartylla, leaves no stone unturned when it comes to deer management and habitat improvement. These are topics certain to raise any hunter’s or property owner’s whitetail and habitat IQ, and are drawn from the expert land manager’s hands-on experience. Perhaps best of all, the concepts Bartylla covers in this vividly illustrated resource can be applied to any property size — from 10 to 1,000 acres. Topics include: • Proven deer and habitat management tactics to attract mature bucks. • In-depth examination of white-tailed deer behavior. • Clear plans of action to initiate habitat- and deer-management strategies. Get your copy…

“I don’t get it! There was a big buck coming out into the hayfield every evening like clockwork, and then just before season he seemingly dissipated into thin air.” If I had a five spot for every time I’ve heard a similar story, I’d have enough money to buy a new bow. After 54 seasons of bowhunting whitetails in Michigan — the most heavily bow-hunted state in the country — several low-pressured states, more than 20 parcels of public lands, and in many different hunting circumstances, I can attest that behavioral studies done in captive environments, or in areas where hunting is not allowed, are relatively worthless for shedding light on deer behavior on pressured public hunting lands. The logical answer to the “I don’t get it” statement is that…

Over the past 20 or so years, game cameras have become a must-have item for hunters and wildlife managers worldwide. Today’s sleek digital cameras with long battery life and nearly unlimited storage capacity make them one of the most effective scouting and data collecting tools available. Game cameras are a great help when trying to identify shooter bucks and pattern deer movements; however, they are also frequently used to collect important data that shape deer management decisions. Most of you are probably at least familiar with the concept of a deer camera survey, where cameras are placed on a piece of property for the purpose of collecting population information, such as adult sex ratio, fawn recruitment and buck age structure. Data from these surveys allow managers to monitor what’s going…

The mature 8-pointer I’d been chasing had just hit the crest in the CRP field and spotted the small group of deer surrounding the scrape tree I was set up on. After scent checking a couple of the does feeding there, he came in on a string — sending the younger bucks scurrying. As he turned to work the licking branch above the mock scrape I had made, I sent an Easton arrow through his lungs. Just that quick, the buck that had alluded me for the past two weeks was mine. That was the first time I shot a buck working a scrape tree that I’d cut and “planted.” In fact, I’d cut the tree, dug the hole and planted it less than three hours before I shot him.…

Of all the whitetails I’ve eaten over the years, only one or two ever seemed consistently tough in texture or off in flavor across the cuts we made in the home butcher shop. Whether the problem was the deer itself or “user error” during shot placement, field-dressing, transporting, aging, butchering or the freezing process, marinating the meat was one way to make it better on the table. But you don’t need that rare batch of “poor” whitetail venison to enjoy marinades. Any meat can always use a little tenderizing, and marinades add welcome flavor variety to your venison-eating lifestyle. A recipe-in-general is one way to adjust venison flavor. Marinating can be a part of the recipe — or marinating can serve as the recipe itself before grilling, broiling, pan-searing, sautéing,…

Hunter Davis, 20, of Wynne, Arkansas, lived every deer hunter’s wildest dream during the 2017-18 deer season. A student at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, he has killed only two antlered bucks in his life. The first was a 3-pointer that he killed seven years ago at age 13. The second was quite a bit bigger. With 10 points and a kicker on the right antler, its typical rack grossed 185⅜ Boone and Crockett Club inches and netted 172 inches. He killed the deer with his father’s well-worn Belgian Browning Light 12 gauge with a smooth-bore slug barrel. And he did all of this on public land, hunting on the ground. Home on Thanksgiving break, Davis killed the buck at about 8:30 a.m. on November 25. He had missed…

SHOPDEERHUNTING.COM Dawn of American Deer Hunting: A Photographic Odyssey of Whitetail Hunting History Take a visual journey through the history of North American whitetail hunting. This book is a photographic anthology of the American deer hunter from the 1800s to mid-1900s, including the firearms used, methods of travel, and how they survived the climates they encountered while on the hunt. Each classic photograph in the book has its own story to tell — from the warm days and hound hunts of the Southern states, to the deep tracking snow and frigid cold of Maine. Admire the deer they took home — massive-bodied Northern bucks, trophy Texas antlers, buck poles filled with does and much-appreciated venison. MSRP: $29.99 Info: www.ShopDeerHunting.com  and search SKU S3320 DEER OF THE…

It was a sultry August evening in Dimmit County, Texas, as my crew of wildlife interns and I prepared to conduct a deer spotlight survey. As the sun sank below the brush-lined horizon, we finalized our preparations from a platform on a top-drive rig that provided an elevated view over the low-growing brush characteristic of the region. As darkness blanketed the thorn scrub, we initiated the spotlight survey, only to pause abruptly as one of the largest-racked bucks I had ever seen on the ranch appeared 40 yards from the rig. As both spotlights illuminated the deer, I scanned him with my binocular in disbelief as his nontypical rack easily breached the 200-inch mark. The remaining part of the 20-mile survey route yielded sightings of some quality-racked bucks, but nothing…

Here’s a song we all know by heart, so crank up the volume and sing along: Public lands are a waste of time for deer hunters. They’re overcrowded, over-hunted, poorly managed, and they don’t have many deer. We public land denizens sing that tune louder than anyone, and we encourage outsiders to sing along until they believe it because (stage whisper) we don’t want company. Truth is, some of my most memorable hunts have been on public ground, and I’ve taken some fine deer on public land in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. I started hunting deer religiously in 1988, and opening day of Arkansas’ modern gun season found me in the Winona District of the Ouachita National Forest. That’s about 45 minutes west of the capital city, and it has…

INGREDIENTS: Venison 3 cups Dr. Pepper soda 1 shot Jack Daniels whiskey 1 Tbsp. spicy mustard Hickory smoked bacon DIRECTIONS: Mix Dr. Pepper, Jack Daniels and spicy mustard. Soak venison in the mixture for at least 8 hours, then wrap the meat entirely with bacon. Hold in place with toothpicks. Allow the grill to heat up to 400 degrees. Place meat directly over the flames for a few seconds, then flip and do the same with the second side. Turn the grill down to about 350 degrees and cook slowly until desired doneness. Serve with your favorite sides.…

For almost 30 years, Dennis has run his school for deer hunters out of what we call The Shack — a neat 8x12-foot frame box on skids. Dennis and his hired man Mel built it in the machine shed and slid it to the back of his 200 acres with a tractor. School was in session. Such a small space holds so much felt, minutely remembered life. I said “school” on purpose, being a teacher myself, but Dennis is certainly no pedant. He teaches by example. On opening morning, Dennis watches the dawn come, and directs late-rising nimrods — or numbskulls — to open stands. Another hour and it’s time for his traditional drive. This begins to sound as if The Shack is a hunt-for-pay resort, but it’s not. Dennis…