Deer Management Archives - Page 17 of 53

24 01, 2018

2 Reasons a Mature Buck Avoids Your Trail Camera

admin2020-06-10T09:16:08-04:00January 24th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

My friend Graig Hale shot this great buck in Kansas one afternoon last December. It was the first time anyone had spotted this giant on the farm where Graig got him. Brian Helman of 180 Outdoors scouts incessantly and has incredible knowledge of the bucks that live on the leases and farms that he manages in southeastern Kansas. Brian went back through thousands trail camera pictures he’d captured last summer and fall—not one image of Graig’s buck. Then he and checked tens of thousands of pictures from 2016 and earlier—still no picture of the old buck. Generally whitetails in this type habitat—a perfect mix of corns, beans, food plots, oak strips and woodlots, and creek bottoms—have a home range of [...]

8 11, 2017

November Rut-Hunting Plan

admin2020-06-10T09:16:09-04:00November 8th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

The main thing to remember for the next two weeks is that many if not most bucks will cover two or three times the terrain they traveled back in September and early October, circling and contacting as many doe units as they can, hoping to get lucky with as many does as they can. As the bucks come and go, they might not stay on your hunting property every day, but they’ll drift through from time to time, though you cannot predict when. Right now, as bucks begin to lengthen their daily movements and roam more in daylight hours, expand your hunt area, too, if you can. Spread out, scout and hang some more tree stands in likely ambush spots [...]

31 10, 2017

Q&A: 6 Tips For Whitetail Rut

admin2020-06-10T09:16:09-04:00October 31st, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Q&A: 6 Tips For Whitetail Rut

How do I locate and hunt a dominant buck in my area?—Buford Look for rubs 3-5 inches in diameter (or larger). Clusters of big rubs are sign a big buck is working the area. Hang trail cams over fresh scrapes near the rubs to get a snap-shot of the dominant buck, probably working it at night. If and when you catch the buck on his feet in daylight, move in and hunt him! Where would you spend the most time hunting in the rut—around feeding or bedding areas, on main trails or in funnels?—Steve A. My #1 Rut Spot: Set up on the downwind side of the intersection of two trails with fresh tracks and rimmed with rubs and scrapes. [...]

6 10, 2017

How To Tell A Mature Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:16:10-04:00October 6th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

I present you with this trail-camera image of an Alabama buck I hunted for a while last season. Three things jump out and tell you this old boy is at least 6 years old. *Overall appearance is thick and blocky, with a deep, heavy chest. That is the first thing to look for and the easiest tell, as younger bucks are sleeker. *You might have heard, “Look for a saggy belly, that’s an old deer.” Yes, and this is proof. A pot-belly does not show up until a buck is at least 5 and more typically 6. It’s one of the most reliable tells of a mature whitetail. *Short face. And close up in bow range, an old buck’s face [...]

6 09, 2017

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD): Should You Eat The Deer Meat?

admin2020-06-10T09:16:10-04:00September 6th, 2017|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|Comments Off on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD): Should You Eat The Deer Meat?

Map: Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance This fall you shoot a whitetail or a mule deer in an area where CWD is known to be present in the deer herds. How do you handle that deer…should you eat the meat? Research has shown that in an infected deer CWD prions may be present in tissues and body fluids, including blood and muscle, but they are most prevalent in the brain, eyes, spinal cord, lymph nodes, tonsils and spleen. Thus, it is recommended that hunters in a CWD area wear gloves and bone out harvested deer (or elk). Take extra precautions when cutting around or handling organs where CWD prions are most likely to accumulate. Biologists [...]