Deer Management Archives - Page 36 of 53

26 02, 2015

Southeast Deer Study Group 2015

admin2020-06-10T09:19:51-04:00February 26th, 2015|BigDeer, Deer Management, Deer Science|1 Comment

This respected group holds an annual conference at which deer biologists and researchers present their recent findings on whitetail biology and management. The 2015 meetings just wrapped in Arkansas. I followed QDMA Tweets from the conference #SEDSG. Here, some of the most interesting new science (followed by my thoughts): --Plants in poor soils contain all the nutrients deer need, just low in quantity, which you can fix. @UTKnoxville's Craig Harper. (Any dirt can grow big deer; that is where lime and fertilizer come in.) --Bucks of all ages/sizes successfully breed, one reason hunters can't change genetics with trigger decisions. Chad Newbolt @AuburnU (Never was a fan of culling bucks anyhow.) Study of buck breeding success at @AuburnU found 13 of 27 sets [...]

25 02, 2015

Petition: Should Michigan Become A One-Buck State?

admin2020-06-10T09:19:51-04:00February 25th, 2015|BigDeer, Deer Management, Hunting News|18 Comments

I just saw this new online petition that will be delivered to the Michigan DNR and it got me to thinking: Limit buck kill to one per year, end all special seasons…begin hunting with Archery October 1st…change Gun Season to 3 day hunt starting on first Friday in December annually… To put an end, once and for all, to the gross mismanagement of the deer herd in the name of revenues. Too many immature bucks and too many does are harvested annually because of overzealous resource commissioners making laws with revenues in the forefront, manipulation of herd numbers to reach financial goals, and to pander to the insurance lobby. The creation of youth seasons, no age-limit hunting, liberal crossbow rules and [...]

18 02, 2015

Deer Hunting: 5 Reasons You Didn’t Shoot a Big Buck Last Season

admin2020-06-10T09:19:51-04:00February 18th, 2015|BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|11 Comments

The 2014 deer season is over, and if you hunted hard but didn’t shoot a big deer, I have some ideas why: You hunted a poor area. You’ll never shoot a big buck if you hunt where no big bucks live. Sounds elementary, but it’s not. If you’ve hunted a farm or woods for many years and have killed plenty of small to decent bucks but have never seen a monster, you need to look for new ground to hunt. A different farm or woods 20 to 50 to 100 miles down the road may have little pressure and better habitat, especially better year-round food sources for deer. Get permission and your odds of shooting a big deer go way up. It’s worth [...]

12 02, 2015

Illinois: Giant Shotgun Buck, 185 Inches!

admin2020-06-10T09:19:51-04:00February 12th, 2015|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Management, Shed Hunting|3 Comments

Hey Mike: I love checking out your site and reading about big bucks. You featured my brother, Daniel, and I couple of years back when we teamed up on a 176-inch 13-point buck during the Illinois shotgun season. I've got another story for you from the first Illinois gun season 2014 in Adams County. We had been watching this buck for 4 years. The first picture we ever got of him, we guessed him to be a 3.5-year-old 10-pointer. The next year he put on some inches and had long G-2s and G-3s but short G-4s. We had never actually seen this buck in the woods, and we hadn’t gotten any hard-horn pictures of him. In 2013 the buck [...]

21 11, 2014

4 Mid-November Deer Rut Tactics

admin2020-06-10T09:19:53-04:00November 21st, 2014|Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

This is a transitional time in the woods. Some does have been bred, others are still to be bred, bow season is still on in some states, the rifles are starting to boom (or will shortly) in other areas. Four things to keep in mind: #1: Hunt where two or three ridges converge and peter out into a creek bottom or swamp. The thicker the cover the better. If food sources are anywhere close, the spot will be a dumping ground for lots of whitetails. No doubt you’ll find trails, rubs and scrapes. Set a stand or blind on a vantage 150 yards or so downwind of a convergence of hills and watch for a day or two. Once you [...]