When To Plant Deer Food Plots
Do you plant food plots for deer? If so, do you go by these dates? Click on picture to enlarge it.
9
03, 2016
8
03, 2016
Antler Injuries & Non-Typical Deer Racks
According to Penn State’s Deer Forest Blog, a lot of things can go wrong during the 160- to 170- day growing season when bucks put on their new racks in spring and summer. Biologist Jeannine Fleegle notes that antler injuries are fairly common with wild deer. When a growing antler is damaged or broken, it bleeds profusely, and blood can fill the inside of a velvet beam or tine. When the antler starts to harden and mineralize later this summer, a heavy, swollen, club-like antler can appear. Common question I get: How long will a buck carry that abnormal rack after the injury year? Fleegle points out that the deformity could persist for several sets of antlers or for the [...]
4
03, 2016
Shed Hunt Reports and Tips
Kelly K. from South Dakota walked another 15-20 miles last weekend and filed this report: Mike: Another weekend of shedding turned up 15, including three great horns for the effort. The weekend was sunshine (which I hate) and very warm, 98% of snow is gone so I am covering some of the same land I have walked before. I am always amazed at what you miss! I have picked 5 horns into the 70-inch-plus mark so far but cannot match any of them for a set, but still looking.—Kelly Great tip from Kelly: “Shed hunting is no different than deer hunting, put in a bunch of time finding where the deer groups are right now, and wait until the [...]
22
02, 2016
Best Rifles and Calibers For Deer Hunting
Caliber: I’ve shot whitetails, mule deer and a few blacktails with a dozen different cartridges over the years, and from those experiences I’ve drawn the following simple yet practical conclusion: Choose a rifle caliber that shoots a 130- to 165-grain bullet accurately out to 300 yards and you’ll be in great shape for deer anywhere in North America. Five time-tested standbys--.270, .308, .30-06, 7mm-08 and 7mm Rem. Mag.--fit that criteria and, all things considered, are my top choices for straight up mule deer hunting and whitetail hunting. Quick note about the .270: I have shot a bunch of bucks with this cartridge, and I prefer the added weight and anchoring power of the 150-grain bullet over the 130-grainer. Quick note [...]
18
02, 2016
Southeast Deer Study Group 2016
This respected group holds an annual conference at which biologists and researchers present their latest findings on whitetail biology and management. The 2016 meetings just wrapped in Charlotte, NC. I followed Tweets from the conference #SEDSG. Some of the most interesting new science: Elizabeth Cooney @UGAWarnell studied fawning sites and found that does often choose igloo-like domes of vines/shrubs in which to drop and hide their young. (I found that fascinating.) Rebecca Shuman @UGAWarnell reported that fawns are at most risk during their first week of life. In a study, 51 of 70 fawns perished, half of those in the first 7 days of life. Of the 51 fawn deaths, 45 were killed by predators, mostly coyotes. Bobcats and black [...]