30 07, 2018

8 Scientific Facts About Whitetail Deer

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 30th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|1 Comment

The Right Rubs: In the book Whitetail Country Michigan biologist John Ozoga points out that the first good-sized rubs--on trees 2 to 4 inches in diameter--that you find in late September were made by bucks 3½ years and older to mark their home ranges and “to proclaim their control over a given area.” Other bucks and does will see the fresh blazes, and they might come over and lick or rub their heads on them. But those deer will get a whiff of the rub maker’s fore-head and salivary scent, and they’ll know who’s living there large and in charge. Finding clusters of big rubs is a key strategy for your entire season. From late September through December, most of [...]

25 07, 2018

5 Things About Summer Deer Antlers

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 25th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|1 Comment

Velvet antlers have a complex system of blood vessels which causes them to be hot to the touch. Top whitetail scientist Dr. Grant Woods notes, “There is so much blood carrying protein and minerals to a buck’s antlers this time of year that even small antlers are easily detected by thermal imaging devices. Antler tines show up like neon signs when flying over with thermal cameras in summer.” (Note: True and amazing how velvet antlers glow in a thermal imaging device. Last week on a nighttime hog hunt on a managed property in Georgia, I scanned the woods for hours with Trijicon’s IR Patrol thermal monocular and looked at a lot of good bucks; the hot-blooded antlers shined twice as [...]

19 07, 2018

Whitetail Science: How Well Do Deer Hear?

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 19th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|Comments Off on Whitetail Science: How Well Do Deer Hear?

Years ago as a doctoral student at the University of Georgia’s Deer Lab, Gino D’Angelo put whitetails in a sound-testing booth and monitored their brainwaves to see how the animals responded to different sounds and frequencies. (Dr. D’Angelo is now is an Assistant Professor of Deer Ecology and Management at UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.) Here are 4 things Dr. D’Angelo and his colleagues found about the whitetail's sense of hearing: Deer do not hear that much better than we do! The frequency of sound is measured in hertz. Studies have found that a healthy human can hear from 20 to 20,000 hertz, with our best and most sensitive range from 2,000 to 5,000 hertz. The researchers [...]

17 07, 2018

Athens Georgia: Hotbed Of Deer Information and Research

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 17th, 2018|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Athens Georgia: Hotbed Of Deer Information and Research

You might know that Athens is a vibrant college town, home to the SEC Bulldogs. Did you also know it's the epicenter of whitetail research and deer-hunting information in America? Last week the BIG DEER TV crew took a road trip to check it out. First stop, headquarters of the Quality Deer Management Association. I stepped in the front door and naturally checked out the shed tree in the corner. It's built with an antler from every state and province where whitetail deer are found. Impressive, and they tell me it weighs more than a ton. I sat down for a lengthy talk with Brian Murphy, CEO of QDMA and one of the top deer biologists in the country. This [...]

10 07, 2018

3 Top Summer Spots For Trail Cameras

2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 10th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

I’ve had several Spartan cameras out for a while, but now in July is when I start my recon in earnest. Velvet antlers are up and growing full bore; when you get an image of a buck with potential, you’ll know it and can start tracking and patterning his movements. One: Last week we set 2 cameras on 2 one-acre clover plots hidden back in the woods. We set 3 more cams near larger food plots, but not aiming out into the fields. Rather, we pointed these cams 20 to 30 yards back in the thickets that rim the edges, on well-used deer trails. Secluded, thick pockets and bottlenecks like this are where you’re apt of get close images of [...]

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