Deer & Deer Hunting October 2023

This has nothing to do with tough terrain, strict regulations, trophy-size bucks or any other arbitrary quantification. We are simply going by how many hunters are trying each year … and how many are actually successful. We think the list will open a few eyes and even cause some debate! 7. FLORIDA A limited whitetail population and modest overall harvest (about 75,000 deer per year) makes it slim pickings for the 180,000 (+/-) whitetail fanatics in the Sunshine State. 6. NEW JERSEY Simply put, there’s not a lot of deer. The state’s overall herd is estimated at just 112,000 whitetails. Gun-hunters only take home about 13,000 deer a year. 5. MAINE The state’s vast woodlands are breathtaking and filled with critters. Problem is, most of those critters are not white-tailed…

CONNECT & WATCH OUR 4 SHOWS WWW.DEERANDDEERHUNTING.COM DEER & DEER HUNTING • MODERN HUNTER • DDH PROPERTIES • DEERTOPIA SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITES/STREAMING APPS FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEERHUNTINGMAG YOUTUBE: WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/DDHONLINE INSTAGRAM: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/DEERANDDEERHUNTING PURSUITUP: WWW.PURSUITUPTV.COM/DEER-AND-DEER-HUNTING/ WAYPOINT TV: WWW.WAYPOINTTV.COM/DEER-AND-DEER-HUNTING WILDTV: WWW.WILDTV.CA/PROGRAM/DEERDEER RUMBLE: WWW.RUMBLE.COM/C/DEERANDDEEERHUNTING TWITTER: @DEERHUNTINGMAG PINTEREST: WWW.PINTEREST.COM/DEERHUNTINGMAG/ BROADCAST TELEVISION PURSUIT CHANNEL - SATURDAY NIGHT DEER CAMP WILD TV • WAYPOINT TV WHAT’S NEW ON FACEBOOK? YOU PROCESS YOUR OWN VENISON? Tim Curnew: Absolutely! David Gildemeister: Every animal, every time. Tony Sferes: And love every second. Jeffrey Willey: Yes and it’s worth the effort. Stephen Amelong: That’s a big yes! Britt Spiers: Absolutely. And enjoy doing it. Laurie Piencikowski: Yes … thank u to my dad, he showed me the process from beginning to end and do my own now!! SOCIAL SNAPSHOT DEER & DEER HUNTING…

Ever since chronic wasting disease was first discovered in captive mule deer at a Colorado research facility in 1967, states have struggled to limit its spread in wild deer, moose and elk. To date, CWD has been found in 31 states and four Canadian provinces, and scientists have spun their wheels for decades trying to protect cervids from the deadly disease. Recently, University of Alberta researchers found that humic acid, a compound created from decaying organic matter, can reduce the infectivity of prions, the abnormally folded proteins many believe cause CWD. But before gleefully concluding that whitetails everywhere can be spared from CWD by a common mixture found in all soils, it’s important to take a close look at the study and its findings. Because, like Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” not…

Massachusetts Deer Fat, Happy Thanks to “No Hunt” Zones More than 95,000 deer are estimated to live in tiny Massachusetts, according to the state Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, double a population of some 30 years ago thanks to myriad “no hunting” zones, laws and city prohibitions. Boston.com reports that the state has fewer hunters, too, thanks in part to lack of access. Combined with the protected areas, development and suburbanization, and declining hunter numbers, the boom in white-tailed deer and their many problems — spreading diseases carried by ticks, accidents with vehicles, conflicts with humans — will continue. Martin Feehan, the Deer & Moose Project Leader for MassWildlife, told the site that hunting license sales peaked in the mid 1980s and have declined by half since then. The numbers…

I was in a bind. I had stands scattered all over the place and didn’t know which one to hunt. However, when a family situation left me with only one day to hunt, I headed straight for the bedroom. A doe bedding area, that is. I was only in the stand for a few minutes when a family group of does appeared and bedded nearby. They eventually got back on their feet and browsed out of sight. Then I heard the unmistakable sounds of a chase. A big doe was the first to appear. She blew through the bedding area, hotly pursued by a no-doubt shooter buck. With the odds being so low of stopping him in my shooting lane, I allowed both deer to pass, hoping the doe would…

Most bowhunters have experienced a deer that jumped the string. Or, they have at least heard of it. Regardless, most bowhunters that miss, miss high. And most bowhunters that make bad shots, hit deer higher than intended. In both instances, it’s oftentimes due to a string-jumping deer, whether the hunter realized it or not. For those still unsure of what this entails, when a deer jumps the string, its body moves downward and slightly forward. Sometimes, deeper into the process, the deer might even spin or turn away. DEFINING THE STRING JUMP Deer are jumpy critters. They have catty, twitchy reflexes, and they frequently use these. Due to this, most deer react to the sound of the shot. The arrow leaves the bow, and deer hear it. Deer don’t always…