Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Deer & Deer Hunting

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

7 HARDEST STATES TO BAG A DEER

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…

1 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

DEER & DEER HUNTING notebook

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…

3 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

WHEN THE ARROW HITS ITS MARK

HAVING AN ARROW completely miss a deer is one thing. What about when the arrow hits its mark — how can you gauge what to do next? There are numerous reactions that a whitetail can make that provide useful information. One of the most interesting is the mule kick. If you haven’t seen a deer give a mule kick, it looks just like it sounds. The deer rocks forward on stiff front legs, elevates its haunches and kicks back hard. Will a broadside heart shot always cause the mule kick reaction? It’s not guaranteed, and also isn’t known exactly why deer kick like mules when shot. Some do, some don’t. Some hunters believe the mule kick is a response to a heart shot, but I have shot several deer through the…

2 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

UNDERSTANDING CORE AREAS

There’s nothing like a few crisp, close-up trail-camera photos of a big buck to get you pumped for bow season. Those were my exact thoughts late last summer as I studied some new images from a camera my friend Chad had placed on a piece of ground we planned to hunt during the early season. Best of all, we had photos of not one, but two thumper bucks. And, although the bucks had been photographed in several locations, one spot in particular seemed to stand out as “the” place to be when bow season rolled around. It wasn’t that this area produced so many more pictures than other areas. In fact, it yielded fewer. What it did offer was consistent photos of both bucks. That immediately told me that we…

9 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

HOW LARGE IS A BUCK’S HOME RANGE?

As I discussed in the October 2007 issue of D&DH, the dispersal behavior of young bucks has received considerable research attention. However, we know very little about range use by mature bucks; how large of an area (home range) they travel; how strongly attached they are to their established ranges; how their movements and use of core areas change with the seasons; or how such behavior changes with herd composition and deer density. Likewise, there is scant published data concerning regional differences in mature buck movements; how environmental factors impact buck travel patterns; or, more specifically, how the behavior of mature migratory bucks differs from that of nonmigratory individuals. Most of the information we have concerning movements of mature bucks involves the radio-tracking of relatively few individuals. Marking a large…

9 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

4 REASONS WHY YOU CAN’T STOCKPILE BUCKS

One of my fondest memories of photographing whitetails occurred in 1989 when I traveled to Texas and visited three incredible ranches. While there, I had the opportunity to meet and interview Al Brothers, one of whitetail management’s true icons. I had known of Brothers since 1975 when I purchased the book “Producing Quality Whitetails,” which he co-authored with Murphy Ray. After reading the book, I wondered if it was possible to produce quality bucks on our nondescript farm in western New York. Frankly, I had my doubts it could be done because of our area’s small property sizes and the intense hunting pressure we receive during our firearms season. However, after spending time with Brothers, I believed it might be possible to raise bigger and better deer on our farm.…

9 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

WHEN TO Call AND Rattle

It was surreal. The hunters’ dueling rattling sequences that morning weren’t bad. I’d even questioned for a second if the first hunter’s sequence was real. The returned, more frantic volley of rattling and calling from the second hunter removed any doubt. Sitting in the pocket of cover, within easy viewing distance of both the road and public parking lot, it was easy to determine the commotion coming from the big timber belonged to the drivers of a couple of the trucks in the overflowing lot. As the battling banjos started winding down, I spotted the buck, slipping through the swamp grass away from the other hunters. I had him loaded in the truck before the first hunter got back to the lot. Calling and rattling can make us heroes or…

3 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

PITFALLS OF POPULATION MANIPULATION

Nearly every serious deer hunter and manager strives to create a better deer herd. This includes providing them food and cover, but also involves manipulating the herd itself. From older age bucks to more balanced buck-to-doe ratios, manipulating the herd is a management practice that receives a lot of attention. But what managers fail to acknowledge is that by doing so, they might be increasing the natural mortality of bucks in their local herd. As a population recruits more bucks into older age classes, the intensity within the herd increases. As a buck ages, its testosterone level continues to increase until it’s 5 to 6 years old. This means that as a greater number of older bucks appear in the herd, more intense fighting and interactions occur during the rut.…

2 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

DDH Community

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…

1 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

7 WAYS TO KILL A Rutting Buck

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…

11 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

ANTLEROLOGY: DEER ANTLERS AS A MODEL FOR SKELETAL TISSUE REGENERATION

Our take on this may be a little biased, but we feel like this magazine’s readership may agree: the white-tailed deer is one of the most iconic wildlife species of North America. One of the most notable features of this species includes its breeding system: males in intense competition with each other, growing a new set of antlers each year, and using those antlers as both displays and weaponry. Among the myriad of curiosities we all hold about deer, antlers may be considered, quite literally, one of the crown jewels of the Cervid family. We love antlers and we know you do, too. However, the fascination we have with these structures extends beyond us deer fanatics and into the minds of the medical field. Grown and shed every year, antlers…

12 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

THE OAK CONNECTION

They go by the Latin name Quercus: the oak trees that we find across whitetail country. I think the name a funny one – it sounds like quirky – yet the bond between oak trees and deer (and myriad other forms of wildlife for that matter) is anything but. Rather, the oak-whitetail connection is direct and straightforward. It starts with and revolves around acorns, yes. But the link reaches and runs even deeper. A HUNT IN THE OAKS It was the last day of a gun hunt in hill-country farmland of fields and woods, and my son Jeremiah still needed a deer. The stand options on the farm we were hunting were ample enough, which was part of our quandary: where to conduct a best-bet sit for a few hours…

7 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUNTING OUTERWEAR

Clothing specifically for hunters has evolved markedly over the centuries. For North America’s whitetail hunters, that evolution can be tied in part to our understanding of the biology of the whitetail and how its senses of smell, hearing and vision help it survive, as well as evolving technologies that have made everything we use smaller, lighter and more efficient. At the same time, clothing development is experiencing something of a “Back to the Future” renaissance, with a resurgence in the importance of natural fibers. WAY BACK WHEN As far back as the late 1700s, hunting was a popular pastime in America, and hunting clothing was a variation of typical wool and cotton civilian clothing of the period, with an additional layer of hunting-specific items. The outer layer included a hunting…

8 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

GREAT VENISON Requires Care

Deer season is upon us, and hunters throughout the country are in the woods or making final preparations before their respective states open for the glorious autumn hunt. From southern Florida’s early August season to those opening in some northern Midwest states now, we’re alternately gushing with enthusiasm about getting back into the woods with a bow and crossbow in hand, while cursing the heat, bugs and humidity that come with our early seasons. Heat is of great concern to hunters in these early weeks. Temperatures in Southern climates, and even up North, aren’t into the, “Hmmm, it’s chilly” stages yet. So, when we’re out for an afternoon hunt or even some morning excursions, killing a deer means two things: enjoying the success of the hunt and then getting down…

4 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

DRAW WEIGHT CONSIDERATIONS

In the overall scheme of things, even the largest whitetails are thin-skinned, and do not require an inordinate amount of kinetic energy for a medium-weight broadhead-tipped arrow to completely pass through their chest cavity. Much more important is being able to place the broadhead precisely on target, something that is hard to do under stressful and fluid hunting situations. If your bow’s draw weight is set too high, you might find it difficult to hold the bow at full draw for a lengthy period of time while waiting for the deer to present the proper shot angle. You might even find it impossible to draw back smoothly in cold weather, when seated, or if a deer’s approach forces you to twist your torso and draw the bow with your body…

2 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

WHITETAIL CONNECTION

In the early days of self-contained rifle cartridges, velocity was restricted by the use of blackpowder. So, to increase power, the bullets were made bigger and heavier. Then, in the late 1800s, along came smokeless powder. It was discovered that smaller bullets could be used, and to increase power, velocity could be increased. The lead bullets didn’t do well with the higher velocity because they were too soft to hold the rifling. That led to jacketed bullets; a lead core, wrapped with a guiding metal jacket. These would expand on impact and create a larger frontal area, often matching the diameter of the big blackpowder bullets. Things stalled there for a while. The early cartridges using smokeless powder were still pretty slow velocity, in the low 2,000s. Then in 1915…

5 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

pursuit community

PURSUIT CHANNEL HIGHLIGHTS DEER & DEER HUNTING AND MEDIA 360 CONTENT Pursuit Media, LLC invites viewers to tune in to catch great whitetail content from Media 360’s Deer & Deer Hunting crew, including new shows joining the lineup for 2023. Media 360 has been bringing Pursuit Channel viewers great whitetail content for nearly a decade now. The shows can be found on a variety of days and times throughout the week, and their programs are also wrapped up nicely in a late-night Saturday block called “Saturday Night Deer Camp … brought to you by Deer & Deer Hunting.” The block starts at 10 p.m. EST with their long-running show, “Deer & Deer Hunting TV” that has been on air for 20 seasons, followed by two new shows, “Modern Hunter” and…

4 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

CWD BREAKTHROUGH?

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…

4 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

ALL ABOUT THE STRING JUMP

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…

5 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

SHOULD WE STOP SHOOTING DOES?

Deer hunting is filled with hot-button issues. In some crowds, shooting does is one of those, and many hunters are found on one of two extremes. In some circles, it’s more than expected to fill not one doe tag, but many. To them, it’s a necessity for maintaining proper population densities and ratios. In other circles, killing a doe is akin to shooting an endangered species. There are numerous reasons why antlerless harvest can spark such heated debates. At its core, shooting a buck removes one deer from the herd. Shooting a doe removes one doe plus any future offspring she would have produced. Furthermore, in some parts of the country, deer numbers are declining. Of course, that isn’t true everywhere. Still, should we consider a ceasefire on antlerless deer?…

9 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

THE Killing Tree

Ten days is a long time to go without seeing a deer, much less a buck. Maybe it was the warmer-than-average temperatures. Maybe it was the moon phase. Or it could have been the high winds. Whatever the reason, one fact remained: The bucks were not moving during daylight hours, and I was fighting to stay focused. I decided to still-hunt that morning along the rim of a canyon where Jon Kayser had previously tagged a tall-tined 12-pointer and where I had shot a 120-class buck last year. The canyon was surrounded by thick evergreens that made ideal bedding cover, while the bottom of the canyon sprouted a grown-over clear-cut complete with briars and knee-high grasses. A beaver dam was tucked into the north end, draining south along the bottom…

10 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

HOW TO USE DEER DECOYS

Here are two scenarios. Tell me which is more plausible. No. 1: I’m in a tree in Kansas during mid-November, and a young buck decoy is 25 yards away. A big 8-pointer cruises through, and I get his attention with a grunt tube. He sees the decoy from 100 yards and immediately turns and comes to it. He swings around to go nose to nose with the decoy, but before he can start the fight, he begins running out of air, courtesy of a well-placed Thunderhead. No. 2: I’m in a tree in Kansas during mid-November, and four does come into a small food plot, where they see the decoy. Instantly, the girls are on red alert, stiff-legged and terrified by the sight of the new kid on the block.…

8 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Deer tenderloins (sometimes called “inner loins” or “fish”) are a favorite for many hunters. While they seem simple enough to cook, I’d argue there’s more than meets the eye. They aren’t exactly symmetrical. You could say they’re almost a triangle shape, but they really aren’t, at least not from end to end. They’re also fairly small, sometimes thin, and will overcook easily. I have been searching for the absolute best way to cook these cuts. I’ve experimented with various methods. I won’t say frying is the best and perfect method for everyone, but it is a very solid option. A quick fry in hot high-temp cooking oil will create a great crust without overcooking the middle, assuming you let the tenderloins come to room temp ahead of time. I don’t…

3 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

NEW GEAR

1 MOULTRIE MOBILE EDGE PRO CELLULAR TRAIL CAMERA Moultrie Mobile unveils the Edge Pro Cellular Trail Camera with all-new False Trigger Elimination capabilities powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Utilizing AI, the Edge Pro is the first camera to integrate False Trigger Elimination capabilities in the form of Smart Capture and Smart Zone technology. Smart Capture Technology gives users control over what species the Edge Pro captures on photo or video, significantly extending battery life and reducing time sorting through unwanted images of non-targeted species. Smart Zones allows users to designate custom detection zones and ignore areas with objects that could cause false triggers. Together, these innovative technologies reduce up to 99 percent of false triggers and redefine what is possible with cellular trail cameras. To ensure optimal performance, the Edge…

3 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

BECOME A BETTER LAND MANAGER

• New and proven trapping strategies and tips• Fur-handling secrets from longtime trappers• Updates on local, state and federal laws affecting you• State trapping association reports to help you stay current• Choose your subscription: we offer print, digital or both (ALL ACCESS) PREFER A DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION, OR WANT TO PAY WITH A CREDIT CARD? YOU CAN ALSO RENEW, OR GIFT A SUBSCRIPTION! HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE AT: WWW.TRAPPERMAG.COM/MY-SUBSCRIPTIONS WITH THIS FORM, WE CAN ONLY ACCEPT ORDERS PAID WITH CHECK OR MONEY ORDER. FOR PROMPT SERVICE, SEND THIS COMPLETED FORM AND PAYMENT TO: MEDIA 360, LLC. ATTN: THE TRAPPER SUBSCRIPTION, P.O. BOX 548, WAUPACA, WI 54981 1 YEAR 8 ISSUES $ 18.95 US $ 18.95 CANADA (ADD $11) $ 29.95 INTERNATIONAL (ADD $17) $ 35.95 MONEY BACK GUARANTEE: If for any reason at any time you wish…

1 min

Deer & Deer Hunting|October 2023

WHO WAS THAT REDHEAD I SAW YOU WITH?

My brother Jon wasn’t dating anyone, and neither were any of his friends. They were not the most socially active group in high school. He was a jock … he enjoyed football and baseball. But he enjoyed, even more, fishing, hunting (deer and pheasants, particularly) and spending time in the woods, often alone, or sometimes with just his dog, a big, pale-haired golden retriever named Chip. He was a linebacker on the high school football team, a very good tackling machine. His coach had told him the previous season, “Helgeland, if you live life like you play defensive football, you will be lucky to make it to 30.” Jon took that as a compliment. In baseball he batted left-handed and had a knack for hitting a high, inside fastball —…

5 min