Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i Deer & Deer Hunting

Everything — big bucks or merely filled tags — seems more attainable when you’re in your early 20s. If you work hard enough, you can succeed. Even when you’re about as green as a June tomato. And let me tell you, man, we were green when we were younger. This is the story about the Coffee Lake Hunting Club, a self-appointed name we gave our small Big Woods deer camp in the early 1990s as we were feebly trying to waylay whitetails on the Dead Sea of all hunting properties — national forest land. The gun season was half over, and our six-man group had put just one deer – a 70-pound doe fawn – up on the meat pole. Deer sightings were few, and we were depressed beyond belief.…

This past season, I found myself in an odd situation. In the spring of 2021, I helped a friend who worked for a guy who owns a beautiful deer hunting farm. My son and I had killed a lot of does at the place over the last four or five seasons and I had, two seasons before, seen there the largest buck of my life. This deer was bigger than any I had seen at hunting shows, in taxidermy shops, or in anyone’s home. He was a whopper, but we only had permission to shoot does. So, despite the fact that the huge trophy had walked within 20 yards of my rifle, I could only watch him as he checked out the estrus status of the does in the field.…

As I watched my target buck standing at the edge of an Antler King food plot, I could tell he was processing some hard decisions. I figured his thoughts were based around working his way to the downwind side of the does already in the plot and how he could do it while feeling secure, as they were feeding in the wide open on a mix of Honey Hole and radishes. My preseason planning paid off as his choice would ultimately end up costing him his life when he decided to work his way to within 18 yards along the Barricade that I had planted back in May. Over the years, I’ve had several failed attempts at designing the perfect kill plot. I would simply plant a few rows of…

I don’t like heights. I don’t like to climb into treestands more than 12’ off the ground. Besides that, figuring my height (5’10”), if I were to stand in a treestand 12’ off the ground, my movement (bending only my right knee because I shoot left-handed and only my arms to draw my bow and come to true full draw) would be about 17’ off the ground if I were standing to shoot, and about 15.5’ off the ground if I was seated. That’s high enough for me and high enough to hide most movement. I will already have positioned myself or used some aid to negate any breeze that exists. Therefore, the treestand I hung at the head of a deep draw, in a bit of a saddle, was…

Blood-soaked lungs draw in one last rugged rush of hot summer air. The buck savors that last labored breath, and then releases it back into the atmosphere. Life fades from its eyes, leaving behind nothing but a pair of cloudy-blue spheres. Then, nothing. All is still. All is quiet. The deer is dead. That isn’t the ending scene of a hunter’s kill. It’s the final moments of a whitetail that contracts a lethal dose of hemorrhagic disease — one of the deadliest illnesses in the world of whitetails. And sometimes, it just doesn’t get its due. Hunters need to know about it, including the latest news. HD DEFINED Whitetails face a great number of threats. Some of these include urban sprawl, habitat degradation, disease spread, expanding predator populations, and more.…

Few hunters ever harvest a 160-plus-inch whitetail. Burt Andrew of Buffalo County, Wisconsin, killed two in one season, one of which surpassed 170 inches. He harvested the first one during archery season. “We believe Slice to be at least 5½ years old with three years of trail camera photos dating back to 2019,” he said. “He was only an 8-point back then, but we were able to identify him year to year due to a large cut in his right ear.” Despite years of encounters, October 9, 2021, was the day they met for the final time. It was hot, especially for October. The high was in the 70s. But Buffalo County is a magical place. It’s known for big bluffs, long ridgetops, and vast ag fields. The place just…

THIS IS IN response to Dan Schmidt’s “Have We Lost Our Way?” column in the Summer issue of Deer & Deer Hunting. We have. It’s a way to make money now. That’s wrong. Hunting whitetails, in general, is a sales pitch. When it comes to hunting shows, it’s all about deer farms, food plots, clothing, etc. It’s pitiful. Facebook is hunting’s worst enemy. It used to be food for the family until the following season. Nowadays, it’s a business. — Steve Graves, via email THESE ARE JUST my thoughts; the blame is on what we called QDM. I believe that ever since this came around things have changed a lot. I hunt deer at my camp, and I shoot any legal deer. I’ve hunted there for almost 40 seasons, and…

I was amped. I’d already “wasted” most of my hunt, trying desperately to find a buck that I was interested in hunting. Then, merely 50 yards off the road, a truly gagger of a mainframe 8-point with over a foot-long droptine, stepped out. Then a 152-inch 10-pointer followed him out, and it looked like a baby in comparison, despite also being a mature buck. Sure, I absolutely wanted to meet the 8-point again, but I instantly decided that I’d arrow either one. After setting a stand to cover where the bucks entered the field the day before, the first two sits were actually pretty slow. With just one day left to hunt, it was an instant adrenaline rush to see the 10 making its way to my stand. Mere moments…

In the real world, 2½- and 3½-year-old bucks are about the best one can expect to find, at least for the majority of whitetail locales. Why? Because hunting pressure does not allow for older-class bucks in most herds. Hunters desiring to hunt truly mature bucks (4½ years old and older) have to go to areas where deer are managed for age or remote habitats where many bucks can survive to maturity. Having only 2½- and 3½-year-old-class whitetails to hunt should never be viewed as a negative. Although both of these age classes are on the front side of full maturity, they can offer great hunting opportunities. Any hunter fortunate enough to harvest one should feel fulfilled. Truth be known, a 3½-year-old buck is an incredible rutting machine and a tough…

Growing up in the South, one thing you can guarantee that you will run across at a family dinner is Southern greens. Now there is a fine art into making them like “grandma” use to make, and not everyone can pull it off. When they do, you add some pepper sauce and hot sauce then dive right in. Now that’s Southern as turnip greens as they say. Our good friends at Antler King have taken this to a different level. Not to make in grandma’s kitchen but to help your deer herd in the South thrive! Southern Greens is an all-season drought- and cold-tolerant blend that includes multiple plant varieties that are palatable from early bow season to late gun season. These characteristics are VERY important here in the South…

“The buck’s head bobbed up and down, tail raised high in the air. He was alarmed, hair bristling, his head arrogantly lifted as his nostrils flared, instinctively licking his nose as he tried to get a sense for me. My scent didn’t belong in his home grounds, and it alarmed him. When he stomped his right-front hoof sternly, I knew he sensed he might be in peril. I was in trouble. I wondered what I did wrong? What happened?” This is what a veteran bowhunter explained. “When the wind initially swirled in my favor, I thought I had my shot,” my friend shared with me. “Then, a sudden wind change cheated me and the buck bolted into dense cover.” My friend was gracious with his failure and shared his lifelong…

A white-tailed buck requires about six years to reach its maximum body size. During the interim, he becomes somewhat stronger each autumn while growing larger in body and antlers. He’s a little wiser, too. He advances accordingly in the male society, gaining social status each year as he matures and rises in rank over his peers. In other words, with each fall’s resurgence of rutting behavior, the buck develops physically, physiologically and psychologically in a step-wise fashion. Such a pattern produces social maturity classes among males that are more pronounced than those of female whitetails. There are numerous categories for bucks in the wild, but one of the most intriguing applies to those of a certain maturity — “dominant floaters.” Dominant floaters — a term most aptly coined by deer…

After every trip to the shooting range, and after each day’s hunt, thoroughly wipe the exterior of your rifle from receiver to muzzle with a lightly oiled rag to remove all moisture and fingerprints. Once a year, one day during the off-season, you ought to thoroughly clean the interior, or bore, of the barrel. Here’s how to do it right. • CHECK TO MAKE sure the rifle is unloaded, then double and triple check that it’s empty. Remove the bolt and look down the barrel to confirm it’s clear. • LOCK THE RIFLE in a vise on a workbench. • YOU’LL NEED A cleaning rod, brush, jag, patches and solvent. The best rod is a spring-steel model with a plastic or nylon coating and a swiveling handle. Always use a…

There’s literally tons of talk about age, genetics and nutrition, as it applies to deer closing the gap on meeting their genetic potential. That makes sense, as all three have very large impacts on the size of the headgear a buck may grow. What doesn’t make sense is that social stress levels aren’t listed right along with the other three, as elevated social stress can be every bit the negative factor as age, genetics and nutrition rolled into one. I’ve actually seen racks reduce in size, despite surpluses of nutrition, their genetic caps not changing and them being a year older, a ridiculous number of times. Why? Simply due to elevated social stress levels. Here are some things we can do about it. THE PROBLEM Social stress levels are typically…

CONGRATS TO MEDIA 360/DDH’S PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER BRAD RUCKS ON HIS FIRST SPRING BEAR! Brad was bowhunting with Saskatchewan Big Buck Adventures LTD when this 350-pound bruin showed up at the last moment of Brad’s week-long hunt. With so much meat to go around, let’s see some of your favorite bear recipes! Social Snapshot *MONTHLY AVERAGES FOR JAN./FEB. 2021 DEER & DEER HUNTING FACEBOOK • PINTEREST • INSTAGRAM • TWITTER • YOUTUBE FOLLOWERS: 1.01 MILLION REACH: 7.6 MILLION VIDEO VIEWS: 1.93 MILLION Find us on Facebook FACEBOOK/DEERHUNTINGMAG CONNECT WITH D&DH ON SOCIAL MEDIA AT: FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEERHUNTINGMAG YOUTUBE: WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/DDHONLINE INSTAGRAM: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/DEERANDDEERHUNTING TWITTER: @DEERHUNTINGMAG PINTEREST: WWW.PINTEREST.COM/DEERHUNTINGMAG/ DSDH TV IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: hornady.com sevrbroadheads.com huntstand.com outdooredge.com tenpointcrossbows.com cuddeback.com wildlife.com sigsauer.com mathewsinc.com banksoutdoors.com eastonarchery.com…

There is an ongoing debate in recent years over which offers the best deer hunting: public or private land. Like everything else in life, there are pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages to both, but when push comes to shove it really boils down to the property in question. In general terms, public land is often construed as offering less desirable deer habitat, fewer deer, lower quality deer and higher hunting pressure. Private land is perceived to deliver just the opposite, but that isn’t necessarily true. Some private properties have excellent deer habitat, plenty of deer, and offer equally plentiful opportunity, while others are not so blessed. The same is true of some public lands. It goes both ways. Whatever the philosophy or preference, one thing is certain. Access to…

Nobody likes dealing with customer service. Assuming the best, you still had to contact customer service because something went wrong. It doesn’t matter what the product or service is, most of us do everything we can to avoid having to make that call. I’ve been in and around service departments for a handful of products over the last couple decades, from UTVs to riflescopes, and I’ve talked to dozens of industry professionals about their service department, customers, and products. Out of all of these experiences and conversations, there has been one particular fact that has always struck me as both remarkably consistent and somewhat surprising. Regardless of the product, right around 80% of customer service calls and returns are directly related to customer error. In my experience, this 80% number…

It was a hot, sultry summer afternoon. The humidity was so high it appeared as a light cloud at ground level. Other teenagers were swimming or somewhere more comfortable. They certainly weren’t walking along a tree line that opened up to pasture. But that’s where the groundhogs lived. Bow and arrow in hand, I eased along the woods’ edge, pausing occasionally in hopes of spotting a woodchuck. Finding the rodents was never a problem, but hitting them was. After several unsuccessful stalks, I crossed over a small rise to see what was happening on the other side and scurried to the ground. Not 200 yards away was a magnificent 8-point buck in velvet. The buck was feeding on white clover just 20 feet from the tree line. I watched the…

Bird in Hand Reveals Multiple Wildlife Violations What began as a check by Wyoming Game and Fish Department game wardens about wasted game birds turned into convictions of two men for multiple wildlife violations. Justin Chewning and Steven Macy were convicted in Sweetwater County, Wyo., for numerous violations committed in 2019 and 2020, including illegal taking of a buck mule deer and mature bull elk. The two were fined nearly $15,000 and lost their hunting and fishing privileges. During the course of a wasted game bird investigation, wardens learned that in early October 2019, both Chewning and Macy illegally killed mature bull elk within Elk Hunt Area 100 during the closed season. They tagged them with general elk licenses. Wardens found the location of the kill and the carcass taken…

When discussing the penetrating ability of a hunting arrow, the two most commonly referred to factors are kinetic energy and momentum. The term kinetic energy is derived from the Greek word for motion, kinesis, and the Greek word for active work, energeia. Thus, the term kinetic energy means “through motion, do active work.” Energy can exist in many forms, and each form of energy can often be converted to other forms. When it comes to bows, energy is stored in the limbs and cams when the bow is drawn, then transferred to the arrow shaft at the shot in the form of kinetic energy, or K.E. Because the speed of the shaft is reduced due to both gravity and air resistance, K.E. changes along the flight path. Thus, the K.E.…

1 AX405 AXE CROSSBOWS Axe Crossbows are designed for deer hunters who want flawless performance in an uncomplicated design. The AX405 meets this criteria in a compact design measuring just 27.75 inches long and 10 inches axle-to-axle (cocked). The weight of the crossbow is centered over the shooter’s hand by way of a balanced shoot-through stock and riser design and reverse limb system. This configuration empowers the most efficient part of the AX405 210-pound split limbs to deliver bolt speeds in excess of 400 feet-per-second, from just 13 inches of power stroke. A proprietary cam system is linked by cables that run parallel to each other, rather than from the top of one cam to the bottom of the other. This unique configuration eliminates cam-lean, limb torque and is further…