Whitetail Deer Hunts

The time of year for you to start thinking about planting your food plot is now, and proper whitetail food plot preparation is a must. If you are serious and willing to put in the time and effort, then my 15 years of experience will be of help to you.

The first thing you must do is select your food plot site. Personally, I prefer my food plots not be smaller than 1/2 acre, nor larger than five acres. It is best to place your plot in or near woods or thick cover, and if possible away from property lines. A good whitetail food plot is generally rectangular and irregular in shape. Understand that what you plant will require as much as four hours of sunlight each day, so be aware of what trees may hinder this.

Whitetail food plot preparation begins with a soil test. Be sure and get one, as they are inexpensive and could very well mean your success or failure. It is absolutely imperative that you bring your soil as close to a pH of 7 as possible. If the test requires that you add lime to reduce the acidity of the soil, then attempt to buy it in bulk. It is much less expensive that way. Also, depending on your site location and accessibility, you might check with your local co-op as they may be able to transport and spread the lime for you, or know someone who will. This is a huge savings in both time and money.

Clearing the land of grass and weeds can present a problem. There are several ways this can be accomplished. I prefer not to use a herbicide to do this, but if your area has already greened up this may be necessary. If so, then spray and wait ten days to two weeks before proceeding. It is much better if you can bush hog as low as possible, then plow and disc, or just disc to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. This will mix your lime in thoroughly and get it working for you.

Now, using a harrow drag or a chain link fence with cement blocks for weight, go over your food plot until your clods are broken up and it has become reasonably level. Next, use a cultipacker or a roller to firm the soil, as a solid base is essential in proper food plot preparation.

Okay, let’s go over what we have so far. You have selected your site, cleared the land, and added lime if necessary. Then you disc to a 4 to 6 inch depth, used a drag and then rolled. Looks like it’s time to plant. right? Wrong! Big mistake if you do.

Remember, you cleared away grass and weeds to prepare your whitetail food plot. Well, for years and years those grasses and weeds have been depositing seeds into the soil you have just cultivated, and those seeds are now going to germinate. So if you plant your high quality seed at this time, you will lose. The grasses and weeds will choke the majority of it out before hunting season and you are not going to be happy.

If you want, you can wait two or three weeks to let some of the undesirable seeds germinate and hit it with a herbicide. Another waste of time, effort and money. Many of your weeds and grasses germinate at different times of the year. This is a problem that can be solved.

I will tell you what I do and works really well. I will tell you what I plant, how I plant, why I plant it, and tie all of this together in my next article. Preparing your whitetail food plot is key. What you do afterwards is just as important.

Steve Flecker is an avid bowhunter. http://www.whitetailfoodplot.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Flecker

The purpose of these deer hunting tips is to help you find that perfect location for a tree stand so you’ll have a successful hunt.

Before the season starts, you need to spend some time scouting where the deer are. You’ll want to do this about four weeks before the season starts, but not too early as the deer may have changed their trail routes (because of changes in food sources or due to water sources drying up etc.). Of course you can scout much earlier to become knowledgeable about the area you want to hunt, but just make sure you re-evaluate the area before the season starts. Just be careful as possible not to leave much of your scent behind, and make as few changes to the surrounding brush as you can. Once you find your spot, get your tree stand mounted so deer can get used to seeing it.

You want to find food sources that the deer will actually be eating during hunting season. Nut-producing trees should be dropping nuts by the time the season starts so try to locate deer tracks where there are acorns, hickory, or beechnuts lying around. Deer also eat foods such as grass, berries, apples, herbs, clover, farm crops, raspberry cane, ferns, mushrooms, red and black mangrove, and Indian mulberry. Look for trails that lead to food sources such as these.

Also look for areas with thick brush where deer like to sleep. You’ll find trails that lead out of these beds towards the areas deer like to feed. Keep in mind that large bucks tend to go further off the well established trails into deeper brush so you may not see well-worn trails into these beds. When these bucks go off to feed, that’s when they’ll usually join the more established trails, or at least follow parallel to them.

You may want to look for multiple sites to place a tree stand since over-hunting one site will cause too much scent to be left behind and deer will then avoid the area.

One of the problems with tree-stand hunting is that it can be pretty boring while you sit and wait for a deer to arrive. When you’re bored you tend to get drowsy or fall asleep. Of course you want to make sure you are fastened to the tree so you don’t fall out. But the other problem is that you won’t be ready when a deer approaches. A hunter who isn’t alert is more likely to make noise or sudden movements that spook the deer, or make inaccurate shots. Or worse, you’ll sleep right though a deer passing. One solution is to get out of the tree stand when you get tired. But there is another solution too.

By finding well-defined trails that you know deer follow, you can set up heat and motion detectors that will alert you when deer are approaching. You can get a deer hunting trail monitor system that has remote motion sensors that can be placed thousands of feet away from you. These sensors send a voice command back to a hand held radio (with earphone) so you’ll be alerted to approaching deer. You’ll even know what direction the deer are coming from. If you plan to use these, make sure you find well-established trails.

With these deer hunting tips you can confidently know where to select a tree stand for the best chances of a successful hunt. Combine these with other deer hunting tips you find on the Web and you’ll have a winning season!

David Onslow, is a hunting enthusiast and marketing director for IntercomsOnline.com For more information on a deer hunting trail monitor system, visit http://www.intercomsonline.com

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I was about 11 years old and growing up in suburbia. The men in my family are athletes; football players, basketball players, track stars and very good golfers. I do not golf. They do not hunt. My father fishes once a year in Canada, but he is not a fisherman. As for hunting, he still scratches his head regarding the whole concept, but he has tolerated my addiction to the hunt.

When I was 11 years old my family and I were returning from a Thanksgiving weekend at my Grandparent’s home in Northern Michigan. That trip was very significant for me because on the six hour drive home I experienced the hunt for the first time.

Looking out the window of our sky blue station wagon, complete with the plastic wood paneling covering the quarter panels, I saw a doe quickly and nervously moving through the hardwoods along the roadside. Two hundred yards behind her I saw a hunter walking quickly through the timber heading in her direction. That was it. I witnessed the hunt for the first time from the backseat of the car traveling 45 miles per hour. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. It captured me.

Later that morning, about 3 hours from home, my Dad wanted to stop and visit a friend. We pulled up the gravel drive of Loc-A-Bar Ranch outside the little northern town of Farwell, Michigan. Smoke billowed from the chimney and Mr. Adams came out onto the porch of the farmhouse, smiling as we pulled up. To the left of the house stood a giant old Cottonwood tree and below that tree I noticed two things; a blaze orange coat, like the one worn by the hunter I had seen a few hours earlier from the car window and above the coat hung two Whitetail deer.

From the moment I stepped from the car I became fixated on the deer. I can remember walking over to those deer and raising my hand up to touch the course hair for the first time. It was one of the few moments in my life when time stood still. I was so totally present in that moment that it burned itself into my mind and I will never forget that day. I remember touching the white belly hair and pulling open the rib cage to look up into the gutted carcass. I could see the ribs inside the chest cavity. I could see where the bullet had blown through a rib just before it entered the deer’s vitals. I remember the musky smell of rut on those bucks and I remember the way the blood and fat I had gotten on my hands felt. I looked up at those two bucks in complete awe. The way the wildness in their faces looked and the way the horns raised up from their heads.

As I look back on that day now I acknowledge that as the day the hunter spirit in me came alive, that gift that had been inside of me since the day I was born, had just been opened. I inherited “The gift of the hunt.”

Sitting Bull once said “When the buffalo are gone we will hunt mice. For we are hunters and we want our freedom.” Or as David Peterson put it, “For I am a hunter and I make no apologies.”

When it comes to hunting equipment, it is not guns, but rather deer stands that are most common cause of injury to hunters. Deer stands can be set up off the grand anywhere from 2 feet to 30 plus feet, and when a hunter falls out of one, he or she faces anything from a few bruises to a broken leg to paralyzation to death.

There are a few ways in which the utilization of deer stands has injured hunters:

· Oftentimes, a hunter goes back to the same deer stand, hunting season after hunting season. Over the years, a deer stand may start to deteriorate. Before you use a deer stand, be sure to check and double check the safety of it.

· The hunter may decide to not wear his or her harness.

· The harness may malfunction (check and make sure it is in complete working order before using it, even if it worked fine yesterday!)

· A hunter may decide to take off the harness to provide a better angle for a shot. Do not do this! Instead, just be patient. There is a good chance that you will get the opportunity for a better shot if you simply wait.

· The hunter may fall asleep.

· Just one careless moment can cause a great injury!

There are things that hunters can do to prevent serious injury:

· Inspect the fasteners that connect the stand to the tree. Replace all worn and missing parts before hunting season.

· Where a safety harness.

· Do not simply use rock climbing gear. Use a harness made specifically for the purpose of hunting from deer stands.

· Wear the belt when climbing a climbing stand.

· Check your harness system and other equipment and verify that everything is in working order.

· Hunt in groups.

· Let someone know where you are hunting and when you will return. Leave a note on your car to further detail your location.

· Carry a walkie-talkie and/or cell phone (if you get reception) so that you can let people know if you get in trouble.

· Do not attach your deer stand any higher than 20 feet off the ground (even at 20 feet, you risk death if you fall).

· Do not simply carry your gun up with you into the tree. Rather, use a haul line to move both your gun and equipment up to the tree.

· Leave your gun unloaded until up on the deer stand.

· Do not fall asleep while up in the tree!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, the environment, recreation, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on hunting, please visit Deer Blinds.

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True or False

1. Although he is on the prowl for does during the daylight hours, the rutting buck is most active at night.

FALSE - Many hunters believe this, but bucks are more active during daylight hours during the rut.

2. Despite the fact that he may have a home range of one square mile or more, the whitetail buck spends most of its daylight hours in a relatively small but consistent area.

TRUE - Locating the core area of a buck is very important, if there is no dominant buck in the area then you will nbot see one, locating rubs and scrapes and setting up observation post to where you can actually spot deer during scouting trips is essential in finding them. Once you have seen buck in the area it is a known fact that these buck will stay within a 5 to 15 acre area.

3. During the rut, bucks conduct mock battles with saplings to strengthen their neck muscles and sharpen their antler tines.

FALSE - The neck muscles may be strengthened by this behavior, but shadow boxing is not the motive for this. Bucks do this after the removal of the velvet, they do this from this time all the way through the rut creating on an average of 100 rubs. These rubs are used as signposts to announce the buck’s presence, to declare his dominance to the other bucks within the area.

4. Trophy-class bucks tend to make their antler rubs on trees larger than those rubbed by lesser bucks.

TRUE - It has been proven that bucks follow a hierarchal pattern during the rut. The older bucks with the larger racks at the top, the medium sized ones 6 - 8 pointers next. The spikes and fork-horns are at the bottom of the totem pole. The size of the rub allows each buck to declare two things. It announces his presence and shows were he ranks in the pecking order. Trophy hunters should scout for rubs on trees with a 3 ½ to 5 inch diameter. Younger bucks work fingerling saplings. While intermediate bucks leave their marks on 2 to 3 inch diameter trees.

5. If you?re seeing a number of small bucks in a particular area, scout elsewhere for your trophy. If there wasere one nearby, he would have driven the smaller bucks away.

FALSE - Bucks DO-NOT establish a territory and defend it against intruders. Bucks of different classes, sizes and ages coexist within the same range because of their established hierarchal ranking and pecking order. Fights may or may not occur when several bucks find a doe in heat. Unless he is challenged, the “boss” buck will be allowed to breed the doe undisturbed.

6. The buck’s scrape - his calling card to does - will tell the observant hunter something about the buck that made it.

TRUE - Scrape making tends to follow the same pattern as rubs - the bigger the scrape, the bigger its maker. Scrapes 6 to 8 inches in diameter are the works of younger bucks that haven’t reached their sexual maturity. These half - hearted attempts at making a scrape is a buck simply behaving instinctively. They do it but they don’t know why. On the other hand, Pawed-out depressions 12 inches in diameter are the work of mature bucks, and scrapes larger than 18 inches in diameter are by the big ol’ boys.

7. During the rut, both bucks and does increase the size of their home range.

False - Deer do move more during the rut, but it isn’t always out of range expansion. Does decrease their range slightly, but move around more in the smaller range. Their movement patterns change from a long, linear one to a repeated criss-crossing, which leaves more scent for the bucks to find and follow. The range of the buck during the rut seems to be determined by the density of the deer population. If the animals are widely dispersed, the buck may cover a great deal of territory in his search of does. But if he is in an area were deer numbers are highly concentrated, the buck may limit his rutting territory to a much smaller, more restricted are within his home range. For the hunter who hunts near scrapes, this has a particular importance. The wide-ranging bucks may not visit his scrapes every day, while the “homebody” buck may freshen his two or three times a day.

8. The rutting period of the whitetail deer last approximately two weeks.

FALSE - the two week period which causes this misconception is really the two weeks in which the rut is at its peak levels. Breeding occurs before and after the peak as evidenced by the different-aged fawns. The rut may last as high as 60 days or more in any given area. The bucks are physiologically able to breed long before the does will accept them. When a doe comes into estrus, she is only receptive for a period of up to 30 hours. If she does not conceive during that time, she will go out of estrus for a period of 28 days. She will then be receptive for another 30 hour period.

9. The cooler nighttime temperatures associated with autumn trigger the onset of the rut.

FALSE - It is the Creator’s time clock within the deer that begins the rut. As the days grow shorter, declining amounts of light affect the pituitary gland in the deer’s brain. The glands react by temporarily ceasing its normal function of regulating body growth and causes an increased flow of the sex hormones.

10. Spike bucks are an inferior strain of whitetails that exhibit poor antler development.

TRUE - Hunters who spare the spike in hopes that he will grow into a trophy animal are mistaken. By sparing the spike, hunters are contributing to the to the genetic inferiority of the herd.

11. The tarsal glands on the deer’s hocks should be removed before field dressing begins.

FALSE - Of all the misinformation that surrounds deer hunting, this belief will probably be the last to die. The story has it that if these musky tufts aren’t removed, they will taint the meat. Since these glands become inactive when the deer dies, the only way they can contaminate the meat is through hunter carelessness when they try to cut them off.

12. Although it is capable of detecting human odor at great distances, a deer will not become alarmed until the source of the scent is fairly close.

TRUE - The deer may be alerted by the scent, but not alarmed. The odor must be within 50 yards of the deer before it will pay any attention to the odor.

13. Bedded whitetails sneak out of their hiding spots as soon as they detect the presence of a hunter.

FALSE - Bedded deer have a safety approach zone. An area around them that must be entered before they will feel in danger. Even if the zone is invaded, a resting deer may not flee the security of its cover but instead hide and let the danger pass.

14. The deer’s vision is its weakest sense.

TRUE - In comparison to its ability to hear and smell, the eyesight is its weakest defense. The deer’s depth of field capacity is narrow, which means it lacks perspective and three-dimensional sight. A whitetail may look directly at a motionless hunter and be able to separate him from the surrounding landscape. However, a deer is extremely adept at detecting the slightest movement. The rods in the eyes that collect light and give the deer the ability to see well in dim light conditions also are very sensitive to motion.

15. A deer will frequently give the observant hunter clues as to how it is about to react.

TRUE - The tail of the deer often tells the deer’s intentions. When a deer raises it outstretched tail past horizontal it is about to bolt. When the tail begins to switch erratically from side to side it is about to lift its head. The “head bob” is one trick the whitetail will use in an attempt to cause a suspected predator to reveal itself. The deer lowers is head as if to feed, but immediately jerks its head back up. The sudden, unexpected movement often causes the predator to flinch and reveal its presence. The ears also reveal its intent. When the ears are rotating, the deer is attempting to zero in on the source of an alien sound. Ears cupped forward are focused toward the noise. When the ears are laid down behind the head, the deer is ready to run.

16. Deer are more active on cloudy, overcast days than on clear days.

FALSE - Research by Stump Sitter, a national organization of hunters who observe deer year-round and record their findings refute the old notion. While spending 5,000 field hours they found that they saw 44% more deer under CLOUDLESS sky. They also confirmed that whitetail move more frequently on low humidity days than they do on high humidity days.

17. The full moon phase is a poor time to hunt because deer feed heavily at night and bed down before dawn.

FALSE - Deer are more apt to move on moonless nights. This is attributed to deers’ instinctive nature for survival. By moving about in the open under the moonlight, the deer would be visible to predators. Therefore, darkness increases the deer’s feelings of security.

18. The rut excluded, deer are most active during the winter because of an increased energy need.

FALSE - During the winter deer’s metabolism becomes depressed. Consequently, energy needs and food requirements are at there lowest. Outside the rut the greatest deer activity occurs during the summer.

19. A healthy deer herd could withstand an annual harvest of 25 percent to 30 percent.

TRUE - Fourteen years of data from research at Michigan’s George Reserve illustrate the productivity of the whitetail. During this span, t. The annual harvest was 33 percent of the winter population. When the spring fawn crop was added to the carry-over, the population increased by 44 percent.

20. The deer herd was at its prime in the early 1900’s.

FALSE - Deer populations are much stronger today than they were en at the turn of the century. The national herd estimate at the turn of the century was 500,000; today the National Wildlife Federation says whitetail number about 15 million. These are the “good ol’ days” for the deer hunter.

If you are like most deer hunters you think of deer hunting as a two-season affair, hunting and getting ready to hunt. For many people the hunting season only last a couple of months. The rest of the year is spent remembering the seasons past, dreaming/ planning what you are going to do when hunting begins, reading articles on deer hunting and talking to other deer hunters. As a wildlife biologist I spend a great deal of time in the bush during the off season. This is the time while doing my job of habitat management that I find next years stand sites and photo stations. Occasionally I will come upon a deer hunter in the woods in June, July and August. The heat, deer flies and mosquito’s are bad but here they are with an aerial photo or topo map in hand more than a mile from the nearest road. At first they are disappointed in seeing what they immediately perceive as the competition in “their woods”.

When they find out you’re a biologist they spread their map on the ground and begin interrogating you for every bit of information you have on the local habitat. Frequently they know as much or more about the local habitat then you do. They already know the bucks they see in summer months may be in a different piece of habitat come fall. If you ask them what they are looking for they give you a long list including old deer trails, doe concentrations, last years rubs, etc, etc. They also spend a lot of time looking at the ground. They also frequently are carrying trail cameras and some kind of attractant like C’mere Deer or dry molasses. When you ask them how successful they were in past years you never get a direct answer.

These people are serious deer hunters. Frequently they will ask for your card and you can expect a call at least once a year. I frequently learn much of what is happening on a piece of habitat and I trust their observations. Frequently they contact me at our Bruce Point Outdoors site to ask questions. I enjoy my contact with these deer hunters because they know the relationships between wildlife and their habitats and they have a genuine love of the outdoors. Deer season never ends for these devout hunters. It just goes from scouting to harvesting. Several of these woodsmen tell me the like the scouting season as much or more than the harvest season as they have the bush all to themselves. Get out and enjoy the deer season year around.

Bruce Point Outdoors http://www.brucepointpartners.com/cmere_deer.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Kesel

Alabama deer hunting continues to top the list of hunter friendly destinations. With a deer herd topping an estimated 1.75 million animals and one of the most liberal seasons in the country, is it any wonder that hunters love this state.The Alabama deer hunting season covers 108 days annually and hunters may harvest both a buck and a doe everyday in most areas. Hunters may choose to harvest whitetails with a bow, crossbow, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, and even a spear…Did I say a spear? Oh well, you get the idea.

Alabama’s deer herd continues to grow and deer can be found in every corner of the Cotton State. In the northwestern part of the state, the largest deer populations can be found in Lamar, Fayette and Marion counties. These counties are also producing some trophy animals. The district including Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan, Cullman, Winston, Marion, Lamar, Fayette and Walker counties offers some great opportunities for public land deer hunting with more than 170,000 acres of WMA’s and National Forests.

The northeastern corner of the state is made up of Jackson, Marshall, DeKalb, Cherokee, Etowah, Blount, St. Clair, Calhoun, Cleburne, Randolph, Clay and Talladega counties. There are some top quality private lands in this area, but all of the WMA’s produce good whitetails as well. In the west central part of the state, the best deer hunting can be found in Pickens, Sumter, Green and Tuscaloosa counties, with the top WMA’s being Oakmulgee and Demopolis. East Central Alabama deer hunting offers opportunities for some trophy animals. The counties of Montgomery, Lowndes, Macon and Bulloch continue to produce good bucks thanks to Alabama’s fertile “blackbelt” area.

In the southern part of the state, the deer numbers remain high, with Clarke, Washington, Mobile, Barbour, Pike and Crenshaw counties being your best bets. Check out the WMA’s in these areas. Barbour county is particularly interesting due to the implementation of a quality deer management (QDM) plan. Under this plan a buck must have at least 3 points on one side to be legal. Only time will tell if this will lead to more mature bucks, but we have to applaud any state game management association that manages a deer herd not just for numbers but for quality as well. Nice Job Alabama!

John VanDerLaan is a freelance writer and deer hunter. When he is not in the woods outsmarting trophy whitetails, he can be found updating his website. His passion is providing people with quality information on deer and deer hunting, as well as helping people to become better deer hunters. For more information on deer and deer hunting visit http://www.deerhuntingguide.net

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