Big Deer Blog

The National Deer Association posted this on Instagram: Notice how the red line and the black line seem to avoid each other on this chart (left) from a Connecticut @ctfishandwildlife study? When acorns (black) are abundant, deer hunting success (red) plunges, and vice versa. This same pattern has been documented in many other states consistently. In years with fewer acorns, deer have to move more to find this important fall food, so it’s easier to pattern and see them. Any year the woods are flooded with acorns where you hunt, you’ll have to work a little harder to be successful. Don’t just settle for trees with acorns under them. Look for those with the heaviest deer sign as well: tracks, trails, [...]

Archery season begins in many states tomorrow, here are some things to keep in mind about the big deer you’ll be hunting. One of the things I’ve noticed is that October whitetails are super sensitive.  The animals seem to be extremely skittish. Their senses, especially their sensitivity to smell, seem to be much keener than at other times of the year. That makes the hunting tough. You have to be extremely careful and cautious, and you have to pay close attention to the details when choosing and accessing stands. Another observation is that deer move very slowly in October, due primarily I think to the warm temperatures they’ve been battling all summer. The heat, along with their extreme sensitivity, puts [...]

Kelly Moore had been getting camera images of a nice buck on his hunting property for weeks, and when bow season opened, he headed out to hunt him. One cue the velvet-racked deer showed up, and Kelly’s bolt was on target. As Kelly and his buddies admired the animal, they soon realized that certain parts of the “buck’s” anatomy were missing. They quickly determined the animal was a doe, which the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed soon thereafter. Source: KY3 in Springfield Mo ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Some background on does with antlers:  Scientists say there are two types of antlered does. The first are females with velvet-covered antlers, like the one Kelly shot in Missouri. These animals usually have normal female reproductive [...]