Deer Management Archives - Page 14 of 53

9 07, 2018

How Summer Heat Affects Deer

admin2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00July 9th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on How Summer Heat Affects Deer

Above normal temperatures--say a string of 90-plus days with high humidity--cause whitetails to stress. The amount of stress is dependent on the quality of the habitat. Deer consume more water than any other mineral (water is a mineral, a naturally occurring substance). The amount of water deer need increases during hot and dry periods in summer. Where good water is abundant, no big deal. But where water is limited either by quantity or quality, some of a deer’s bodily functions are limited, such as transferring calcium to growing antlers or milk production for fawns. Deer travel to find water. But if they are forced out of their home range in search of H2O, bucks and does expend huge amounts of [...]

27 06, 2018

Whitetail Science: Young Bucks Breed 30% Of Does

admin2020-06-10T09:15:52-04:00June 27th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|3 Comments

For many years biologists and hunters believed that most adult does were bred by bucks 3.5 years and older, a theory I always questioned. In many areas of the U.S., deer herds are overloaded with does, and there are relatively mature bucks 4.5 years and older. So in peak rut, when many does come into estrus at one time, which bucks are actually doing the breeding? According to research published in the Journal of Mammalogy, immature bucks (1.5 and 2.5 years of age) are breeding does at a much higher rate than once thought. In one study, researchers analyzed the DNA samples of more than 1,200 whitetails in 3 different populations (Mississippi, Texas and Oklahoma) and found that young bucks [...]

18 06, 2018

Summer 2018: First Trail Cam Bucks

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00June 18th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|Comments Off on Summer 2018: First Trail Cam Bucks

Our friend Dan says, “I’m keeping an eye on this one.” He just did his first card pull of the summer and has more than 1,300 pics from just 2 cams…”15 different bucks so far, this one is the biggest for now…3 others have potential with a lot of growing to do in the next 2 months.” Dan says more bucks are likely to show up on their “summer range” soon in his area. Last summer, by mid-July, Dan had accumulated more than 10,000 images of deer, and 30 different bucks. It’s a unique and interesting situation, click here for details. By Dan’s standards the buck action at my Virginia mineral/camera sites is minimal right now, though the wide rack [...]

13 06, 2018

Best Chainsaws For Hunters

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00June 13th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Gear Reviews|1 Comment

From now until stand-hanging time in September a lot of people will be out working their deer hunting property, clearing trails, taking out trash trees to let in more sunlight, etc. What’s the best saw for the job? Illinois land management expert Matt Cheever says: I prefer Echo, Stihl and Husqvarna in that order. Echo has the longest warranty and best power to weight ratio (it’s all I currently own). Stihl has always made a good saw, and a “Husky” is built like a tank, but seems to have a longer power stroke so you have to run them wide open all the time for best performance. All 3 are solid choices. Buy a saw in the 40-45 cc range with [...]

11 06, 2018

Whitetail Management: A Little Land Work Leads To A Monster Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:15:53-04:00June 11th, 2018|Big Deer Stories, Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|3 Comments

Now is the time to put in food plots, work the timber, create mineral sites, and otherwise improve the private property you’ll hunt on this fall. You don’t have to go hog wild and spend thousands of dollars doing it, especially if you live in the right big-buck zip code. Here’s proof that some sweat equity mixed with smart scouting can pay off big. A few years ago Mike from Iowa obtained a small chunk of ground with a cabin on it. He scouted and hunted a couple of seasons, but didn’t see many bucks bucks, either on camera or from a tree stand. “My confidence in the farm was low, but after doing some timber-stand improvement and putting in [...]