Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Deer & Deer Hunting

If you’re one of the few deer hunters who isn’t glued to a smart-phone, laptop or computer screen for at least part of your free time, consider yourself excused from this rant. Also consider yourself lucky if you’re not influenced by how modern technology has infiltrated our ranks. This has been brewing in my mind for years, and I believe it’s time to address the elephant-sized buck in the room. Social media is ruining our deer hunting culture. It’s a bold statement, for sure, and a topic that cannot be done justice in less than 500 words. But if you’ve paid any attention to social media these past few deer seasons, I’m sure you will have noticed how negativity and instant gratification have replaced simplistic joy and what once required…

Deer & Deer Hunting-TV takes you into the blind, treestand or on the trail of the most popular game animal in North America — the white-tailed deer. D&DH-TV is much more than hunting, though, as we take you inside what make whitetails so interesting, from habitat, to food, to safety. Each week we also include “Grow em Big,” a segment devoted to land management and how you can make your personal hunting area into a deer utopia. Deer & Deer Hunting-TV is hosted by Dan Schmidt, Editor-in-Chief of Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine, Gordy Krahn, Editor of D&DH Magazine, Mark Kayser, noted whitetail deer expert, and Steve Bartylla, one of the finest land managers in the country. Watch on Pursuit Channel Wednesdays at 12:30 a.m. EST, Saturdays at 10 p.m.…

I clearly recall hunting on the Oakmulgee Wildlife Management Area of the Talladega National Forest in Alabama about 30 years ago. In those days, I had five kids and a wife to feed, and although words such as “organic,” “free-range,” “non-GMO” and “non-hormonal” had not yet entered popular vocabulary, I needed to procure good, healthy meat for my family. I couldn’t afford to buy a hunt club membership, so the National Forest was it, and I had good success there on that management area. I was up in my climber overlooking my most productive hardwood hollow, where a small stream joined a larger one in a rhododendron-choked creek-bottom. I was about as far from the gravel roads as I could get and was enjoying the morning with no other hunters…

Whitetails to the left of me, coyotes to the right, me oh my! I’m stuck in the middle with the wrong rifle. Feel free to sing along if you recall this old Stealers Wheel song. And keep reading if you feel stuck with the wrong rifle when hunting both whitetails and coyotes. Given the ever-widening distribution and abundance of coyotes across North America, it’s hard to imagine a whitetail hunter who hasn’t seen one and wondered if he had the right rifle for shooting it. Of course, any deer rifle can do the job, but who wants to blow a .30-06 hole through the prime pelt of an early winter coyote? And if you, like so many of us, plan on targeting coyotes long after you’ve filled your deer tags,…

Mandatory antler point restrictions (MAPR) are not compatible with reducing the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD). In fact, they might contribute to it. This has been proven by two states that tried different strategies regarding MAPR and CWD. Chronic wasting disease surfaced in Missouri and Pennsylvania during 2012, where mandatory antler point restrictions were in effect in both states. Missouri eliminated MAPR from their CWD Management Areas and Pennsylvania left them in place where CWD was present. As of November, Pennsylvania confirmed more than twice as many CWD-positive wild whitetails as Missouri; 161 vs. 76. “Dispersal of young males is why we eliminated mandatory antler point restrictions,” Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Division Chief Jason Sumner said at a CWD symposium sponsored by the Michigan DNR. “We felt it…

Several members of our hunting party pushed through the front door and a cloud of frosty air followed them in. The door slammed shut, and they just stood and stared for a moment in disbelief. The South Dakota winds were whistling at 45 mph, and with the mercury sinking to a bone-chilling minus 28°F the wind-chill made it feel like minus 42°F. We gathered around the television to watch the Weather Channel and get the forecast. An Alberta clipper was flooding cold air into the Northern states, producing public safety warnings. The weather announcer warned, “Exposed skin will freeze in less than a minute,” and our hunting crew collectively exuded a deep, disgustful sigh. We sat around the table discussing the cold conditions, and it reminded me of the movie…

Ozone is created when you use high-voltage electricity to crack an oxygen molecule. When that molecule breaks up, the loose oxygen particles want to reattach to something, and when that something is another oxygen molecule, O3 — ozone — is created. Ozone is used in industrial applications because it destroys bacteria — and it is bacteria that causes odor. On a recent Texas hunt I visited with Dan Drake, President of Scent Crusher, a leading Ozone generator manufacturer and ardent hunter. “We have products that do everything from immersing your hunting gear and clothing in an ozone bath until all bacteria is killed, to units that kill odors in your vehicle and home, too. We also have portable units that you can take afield and attach to your tree or…

Some guys like to describe themselves as trophy hunters. Others take it a step further and specifically say they are mature buck hunters. That’s cool and admirable. Who doesn’t love to put their sights on a big buck? I think we all do! Although I certainly love big bucks just as much as the next guy, I wouldn’t describe myself as a trophy buck hunter. I prefer something more simplistic. I’m a deer hunter. Period. If it’s got a white tail and snorts when it smells me, I instantly turn into that metabolic teenager who obsessively crossed off the days on his Deer & Deer Hunting calendar while waiting for hunting season. And as a deer hunter, that means I’m an equal opportunity employer so to speak. Big buck, medium-sized buck,…

SHOPDEERHUNTING.COM Smokey's Pre-Orbital Gland Lure The No. 1 key to success when hunting a mock scrape and licking branch is preorbital scent. Bucks regularly visit licking branches and become aware when a new rival shows up, because the licking branch has the scent of a buck they don’t know. The ingredients of Smokey’s gland lures are extracted from the pre-orbital, tarsal interdigital and forehead glands taken from harvested deer, and processed to enhance and retain the properties of the scent. This is the only lure on the market that has a patent pending on its process. Smokey uses only glass bottles, because plastic tends to allow the scent’s properties to degrade over time. Info: www.shopdeerhunting.com  and search SKU V6534 DEEROF THE MONTH Damien Rzepka…

During winter, most Northern white-tailed deer must switch to eating poor-quality woody browse. This results in a negative energy balance, because the amount of energy consumed in browse does not compensate for the amount used in body maintenance and loss due to cold exposure. This, in turn, leads to body weight loss, gradual physical deterioration and sometimes death. But the Northern whitetail is a survivalist. It is well adapted — behaviorally and physiologically — for winter survival; it’s a master at conserving energy, while simultaneously avoiding hungry predators. Even so, harsh winters can devastate Northern deer populations. THE CRITICAL LEVEL OF WEIGHT LOSS Some weight loss by deer during winter is normal. Even well-nourished adult does and fawns are likely to lose 10 to 15 percent of their body weight.…

As a physiologist, I have had the opportunity to carefully examine many deer hearts, and am amazed at what I see. The deer’s heart is one big muscle, with two little “atrial appendages” that receive blood, and two muscular ventricles that pump it out. It amazes me that these hearts beat 24 hours each day throughout the deer’s life. And though our own lifespan is many times longer than a deer’s, our hearts function quite well for 70 or 80 years for many people. We might damage our heart’s arteries with food or inactivity, but at 65 beats per minute, over a 75-year life span, our hearts will beat about 2.4 billion times! So, over many years of hunting, your heart has a lot of work to do! Take care…

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned during my 54 years of hunting mature bucks in heavily pressured areas — what I refer to as heavy consequential hunting pressure or HCHP areas — is how to relate deer sign to its location, factor in the area’s amount and type of hunting pressure, and evaluate whether the location is conducive to daytime activity. For a location to be suitable for daytime activity by mature bucks — no matter how fresh, the amount of, or how attractive the sign or signposts — it must offer adequate transition security and perimeter cover. For example, the odds of a buck entering an exposed short crop field in a heavily pressured area are minimal at best, unless he’s with an estrous doe. Other hunters’…

“Gut It, Cut It, Cook It” is one of several great venison cookbooks available at www.ShopDeerHunting.com,with tips and recipes for your hard-earned venison. It includes instruction on proper field dressing and butchering and storing and preparing your venison. In this info-packed book you’ll find checklists and descriptions of the tools you’ll need to get the job done right and affordably, advice for shot placement and ammunition, step-by-step photos and instructions for proper field dressing and skinning, the best tips for butchering, wrapping and freezing venison, and much more. You’ll also get a bonus CD of 50 venison recipes, field dressing chart and meat cuts chart. Visit www.ShopDeerHunting.com and search for SKU Z5014 to order your copy.…

picked up a fascination for antlers at a very young age. There’s something about the uniqueness of each and every one — no two exactly alike. And ever since I was able to pick up a hunting magazine, or watch hunting shows on TV, I dreamed about harvesting a whitetail with a drop tine. My love for whitetail hunting seems to run deeper each and every year as I learn from blown stalks, bad shots, little bucks and, most of all, my dad, who supports my passion for hunting. This year I set out with a new mindset, I was going to be very picky — pursuing only truly mature deer. THANKSGIVING HUNT Every year for Thanksgiving, my family and I travel to western Oklahoma to hunt deer on our…

1 Mathews Archery Vertix The 2019 VERTIX is made for versatility and performance. Switchweight modules allow you to change peak draw weight in 5-pound increments. Available in 60-, 65-, 70- and 75-pound peak weights, each set of mods are programmed for an incredibly smooth draw. The new Engage Grip interface was designed to ensure consistent hand placement, reducing torque and increasing accuracy. While more versatile than ever, silence and efficiency remain king, and with 20 percent less vibration than the TRIAX, the VERTIX delivers an experience that is both unexpected and unforgettable. MSRP: $1,099. Info: MathewsInc.com 2 Cordova Soft-Side Cooler Cordova Cooler introduces a soft-side cooler that meets the portability needs of on-the-go outdoor enthusiasts and of those looking for a lightweight food and beverage storage solution when working long…