Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Deer & Deer Hunting

Not all deer are hit perfectly and die within sight or hearing distance and in such circumstances knowing how long to wait is more critical to recovery than being excellent at trailing. You watched your arrow hit — now what? Upon impact, mentally-frame the hit, mark the deer’s last sighting with an easily identifiable landmark once on the ground, listen for the direction he travels and take a compass reading. If the deer dropped within sight or you heard him drop and thrash while expiring, you are in luck. If not, follow these seven clues and react accordingly. 1. ABUNDANT, SLIGHTLY AERATED BLOOD This indicates a lung hit where air breathed into the lungs mixes with the blood. With a double-lung hit and an exit wound, there should be lots…

Soybeans that should be standing about 4 feet tall barely reach 24 inches. A clear browse line spans across every woodlot in the area. You can’t glass a field for miles without numerous deer sightings in each one. These are signs that deer numbers are too high. And sometimes, such scenarios lead to the use of depredation deer tags. Some people hate the idea of depredation deer tag use. Others have misconceptions about depredation deer tags. Here, we’ll pin down the topic and determine the truth behind this commonly hated, but not commonly used, deer-reduction program. DEFINING DEPREDATION Depredation deer tags are best described as special tags issued to landowners that are allotted to legally harvest deer which are causing property damage. Most often, depredation tags are used in agriculture…

The set up for the evening hunt was a deer hunter’s dream. The series of crop fields stretched out for nearly a mile and were almost a half-mile wide. One end of the open area was surrounded by extremely thick cedar and oak growth, with a few narrow grassy strips offering brush-free pathways for the deer to follow out to the various alfalfa, winter wheat and corn stubble fields. Late the previous evening, while watching over a wide strip of winter wheat, he had enjoyed a constant parade of deer coming to the field. Most seemed to enter at one end, where they fed on the last growth of alfalfa that had been left in the 100-acre band. Had he been sitting along the fence line, at one time nearly…

Joshua Gawrysiak hadn’t spent much time on the family property since he was a kid. However, he’s a realtor by trade, and earlier this year, his family member considered selling the farm. So, Gawrysiak posted some trail cameras to assist with the listing. Eventually, the landowner reconsidered selling. He decided to keep it and subsequently gave Gawrysiak permission to hunt there. He put out cameras, planted a food plot, and a lot of deer showed up. The only mature deer? A monster non-typical. Leading up to deer season, he continued to scout the buck. He also hung an observational treestand to glass from afar. From that spot, he watched the deer in the food plot multiple times. Interestingly, through his scouting, he knew the deer entered the food plot anytime…

Whether by necessity or choice, purposefully limiting the amount of sugar in our diets is more commonplace today than it was 20 years ago. Transparent labeling of grocery store items makes it much easier. However, the same cannot be said of specialty items like venison sausage. If you make your own or have a processor, do it for you, sausage can not only contain sugar, but a lot of it. Some venison sausage contains hidden sugar in the form of dextrose or other sweeteners, which are often added to enhance flavor and aid the curing process. To avoid added sugars, it’s essential to check the ingredient list and nutrition label of any venison sausage you get from a processor. COMMON HIDDEN SUGARS IN SAUSAGE: Dextrose: A simple sugar that is…

It’s a nostril-freezing walk to the tree stand. Steam billows from my mouth, and the still morning air keeps it near my face like a slow-moving steam engine. Ice crystals are forming on my beard and mustache. I can’t help but touch my face with my ungloved shooting hand. My beard is “crunchy,” as my pre-school daughter would have said years ago. Crunchy like a popsicle, I guess. Frozen boots hit the ladder stand rungs, and a “ping!” echoes across the forest. “Oof,” I hiss. “Better slow down and not alert every creature I’m here.” It’s the second week of December and this “first snow” blankets the woodlot. That hunt took place more than 30 years ago, but I recall nearly every detail. It was muzzleloader season, and I had…

KASSIDY DORNFELD ADAMS COUNTY, WISCONSIN In 2022, Kassidy Dornfeld bought an 11-acre parcel of land. “The price was excellent,” Dornfeld said. “As I walked it, I was told by the realtor that several people walked through it, but thought it wouldn’t be good for hunting since it was so small. I saw things differently. I saw a lot of potential and a big funnel for cruising bucks.” The same year, he harvested a monster buck on it. It wasn’t easy, though. “I had pictures and videos of him just after dark and just before light,” Dornfeld said. “Nothing during the day until he started looking for ladies.” After being in the treestand a half-hour, he looked up and spotted movement. It was a doe, then another one, and then Jumbo…

One of the most common criticisms of deer hunters comes camouflaged in a sentence that sounds sanctimonious: “Well, I’m not against hunting; I’m only against trophy hunting.” That idea is common, and you probably have a non-hunting friend who believes it. Anyone who says “I’m not against hunting, but…” is trying to avoid controversy and expects agreement from most listeners. The truth is this: the person who says that doesn’t know what they’re talking about. And it’s true of everyone who says they don’t approve of trophy hunting—because no one can explain what a trophy is. That’s easy to prove. Ask your friend what he (or she) means by the word “trophy.” You’ll hear dead silence, or he might start fidgeting if he realizes he walked into a trap. “Um,…

Having exclusively bowhunted pressured public and free permission lands since 1965, during my early years every hunting article I ever read and any scouting information I ever heard, was about scouting during pre-season and in-season and that was fine for my any deer criteria at the time. I never considered how pre and in-season scouting and location preparation negatively impacted mature deer activity and didn’t give much thought to the seasonal and daily timing each location was best suited for. As my bowhunting skills increased and kill criteria changed, by the mid 1970’s I was targeting and consistently taking 1 ½ and 2 ½ year old bucks. I had figured out how important the rut phases were for taking mature bucks and learned how my pre-and-in-season scouting and location preparation…

The timing of the whitetail breeding season is set by shortening days in autumn; in other words, changing photoperiod. Hence, whitetails are considered “short-day breeders” in that a decreasing ratio of daylight to darkness in autumn causes their glands to secrete hormones that start their reproductive cycle and trigger sharp changes in their behavior. Hence, whitetails are considered “short-day breeders” in that a decreasing ratio of daylight to darkness in autumn causes their glands to secrete hormones that start their reproductive cycle and trigger sharp changes in their behavior. Clearly, timing of the whitetail rut is highly adaptive in that it assures the majority of does give birth during spring when food and cover conditions are most favorable for rearing young. North of about 36 degrees latitude, most whitetails breed…

To further lay the foundation of the practices discussed in this column both applying to real world properties and owners, I’m beginning a run of joint columns with my good friend, Lavern Troyer. Being both a family farmer and passionate hunter, Troyer has been finding that balance between what’s best for deer and the habitat with what makes sense when also relying on that farm to raise a family for many years, now. With that in mind and winter around the corner, let’s talk overwinter feeding of whitetails through logging activities that can literally put money in our pocket, if the timber stand allows, of course. THE MOTIVATION Whether in rich Midwestern farm country or the wooded north, winter is the deer’s seasonal low point for food. At the same…

SERVES: 4 TIME TO MAKE: 45 MINUTES Also make with: any lean big game steak INGREDIENTS FOR THE COUSCOUS SALAD: 1 cup couscous1 cup stock or water½ teaspoon kosher salt3.5oz feta, crumbled Seeds of 1 pomegranate¼ English cucumber, cut into thin wedges1 cup chopped cilantro, parsley, mint, or a combination of thereof2 scallions (green onions), thinly slicedJuice and zest of 1 lemon2 tablespoons good quality olive oil FOR THE STEAKS: 4 venison loin or round steaksKosher salt1 tablespoon lard or oilZa’atar spice blend This quick and easy recipe is great for a healthy and, above all, tasty weeknight meal that the whole family will love. Feel free to customize the couscous salad to fit the ingredients available in your fridge and your family’s tastes, adding your favorite herbs and vegetables…

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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! FACEBOOK.COM/THEPURSUITCHANNEL INSTAGRAM.COM/PURSUITCHANNEL X.COM/@PURSUITCHANNEL ANYBODY HANGING OUT IN DEER CAMPS THIS WEEKEND? Be sure and tune in tonight for Deer & Deer Hunting Saturday Night Deer Camp two-hour lineup. Starting at 10p ET with Deer & Deer Hunting TV, followed by Modern Hunter, Deer & Deer Hunting Properties, and DeerTopia! You’ll be glad you did! #WEAREPURSUIT THE SMILES SAY IT ALL BUT HERE’S THE STORY FROM OUR FRIENDS AT 704 OUTDOORS Wow what an incredible night! My dad started hauling me around when I was 2 years old to hunt and most of the trips included pawpaw. Life happens sometimes and life took pawpaw out of the game for over 15 years. A man who loved hunting deer and turkeys as much as anybody wasn’t sure…

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I was really excited, climbing up in the stand on December 8th. I’d learned something that I was set to take advantage of, and I was chomping at the bit do just that! I’d learned that there are just too many adult does out there to breed by the few remaining bucks, with the “out of whack” sex ratios occurring apparently most everywhere. So, all those does that didn’t get successfully bred, and there’s apparently a whole bunch, merely come into estrus 28 days later. Now settled into stand, at the peak of the second rut, I was set to fill my MO archery buck tag. The entire week I was able to break free was consistent rutting buck action, in that I never saw a bit of it. Though…

The morning was clear, frosty and windless — one of those November days every bow-hunter dreams about. My mind filled with anticipation as the first shafts of sunlight trickled into the forest. However, before I could think of past hunts, the silence was broken by the distant sound of footfalls on leaves. Deer were headed my way. I quickly reached for my bow and prepared for the moment of truth. The first deer, a doe, appeared 70 yards away. Suddenly, a second doe, and then a third, appeared. All three were paraded toward me on a well-used trail that passed beneath my stand. Before they were within range, I decided to fill one of my antlerless tags if no buck was following. When the threesome stepped within 25 yards, I…

Muzzleloader shooters know that cleaning their guns is a never-ending chore. But there’s a fine line between dirty and too clean. First off, a “Mr. Clean” approach isn’t always best. Most rifled firearms, including muzzleloaders, actually shoot more consistently after a shot or two — once the barrel has been “fouled.” After a thorough cleaning, some shooters achieve this by popping one or two caps to clear oil from and foul the barrel. A better method is to actually fire a powder charge without a projectile. This “squib” shot helps fill the grooves with residue and aids consistency, because all subsequent shots will be fired under similar, dirty conditions. Some propellant manufacturers claim you can shoot hundreds of shots before cleaning. Despite that, a quick cleaning between shots helps maintain…

To maintain maximum archery accuracy, you must figure out how to keep your fingers and hands warm for when the moment of truth arrives. Shooting bows effectively requires a certain degree of dexterity. Bowhunting whitetails from stands involves cold temperatures, gloves, pack boots and insulated clothing, particularly during late October through November. Challenges intensify during post-rut dates in December. THE PROBLEM Cold weather significantly complicates shooting, causing stiff muscles, added clothing bulk, reduced flexibility and potentially poor decisions due to a hypothermic brain. Hands, the body parts handling and manipulating the bow, face the most significant challenges. Various options, such as fingerless gloves and flip-mitts, often fall short. Modern bowhunting apparel has greatly improved, helping maintain core body temperatures to ensure circulation to extremities remains uncompromised. Many challenges arise from…

“Primitive hunting” means different things to different people. To some, primitive hunting is any outing where I can’t take along my Little Giant Electric Bun Warmer. To others, it’s hunting with a Knight Disc Extreme in-line rifle. To others, it’s toting a Thompson-Center Hawken side hammer cap lock. In Pennsylvania, primitive hunting has been strictly defined: “Only single-barrel long-guns with a flintlock ignition system are permitted. The firearm must be an original or reproduction of a gun used prior to 1800, which is .44 caliber or larger, with iron, open ‘V’ or notched sights …” Not much wiggle room there. To judge from those no-nonsense regulations, you might think the flintlock was as primitive as North American hunting ever got. But long before the first flintlock went chink-boom, our Pilgrim…