Bowhunting Archives - Page 36 of 60

24 08, 2018

Hidey-Hole Food Plots For Whitetails

admin2020-06-10T09:15:51-04:00August 24th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Hidey-Hole Food Plots For Whitetails

Missouri deer scientist Dr. Grant Woods is a champion of tiny fall attractant plots, which he calls “hidey-holes.” He explains: “A hidey-hole is a small patch of green forage hidden in the woods where deer can stick their head out and grab several mouths full of food before they move on to a larger green field or crop. I use a leaf blower to clear a spot about 20 feet x 20 feet where I see sunlight hitting the forest floor. I’ll take 10-10-10 fertilizer and sow it over the cleared spot. Next, I’ll put down some winter wheat, buck wheat, peas or any seeds that will germinate on top of the soil and produce a crop quickly after the [...]

20 08, 2018

How To Scout A Big Buck In Late Summer

admin2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00August 20th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on How To Scout A Big Buck In Late Summer

Guest blog w/great tactical information from my friend and traditional bowhunter Luke Strommen, a charter member of the Big Deer Hunt Team: One time I spotted a gnarly 6x6 during my scouting and glassing routines in the summer. The mature whitetail used his primary core area throughout July and August. I saw him many times and took some distant digital images of him from one of my tree stands. He would browse in an irrigated alfalfa field, and having completed his evening ritual, he’d sneak off to spend the night in a 20-acre corn field nearby. He continued this pattern into the early archery season in September, consistently passing by one of my stands, but late. I waited for the [...]

1 08, 2018

Will Summer Whitetail Bucks Stay On Your Property This Fall?

admin2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00August 1st, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Science|2 Comments

You set cameras and scout and look all of August, and locate a big 10-pointer and a couple of great 8s, any of which you’d love to tag this season. Will the bucks stay on the property and in the same general area come late September and October? Or will they go AWOL, never to be seen again this season? Tennessee researcher Bryan Kinkel has conducted extensive preseason censuses of the whitetails that live on his clients’ hunting lands across the Southeast. His observation data and trail-camera photos show that 50 percent of the older bucks may spend the spring/summer months at one end of their home range, but then shift to another core area for fall and winter. These [...]

30 07, 2018

8 Scientific Facts About Whitetail Deer

admin2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 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 [...]

20 06, 2018

Why Do Deer Jump The Bow String?

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00June 20th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting|Comments Off on Why Do Deer Jump The Bow String?

Hey Mike: Wondering if you could settle a friendly argument. A buddy and I were discussing deer jumping the string. I say it is all noise related and they instinctively react; he says it could also be visual—they see the arrow coming. Wondering your thoughts? Also, do you ever see a bow being fast enough that you don’t have to worry about them jumping the string or is that impossible? Thanks--Jake in WI Jake, you win, it’s an instinctive reaction. I heard a guy say one time, “It’s like when somebody blows a horn or sets off a firecracker close, you jump.” When a deer hears your bow go off in his natural environment, same thing. I’ve heard people say [...]