Deer Management Archives - Page 44 of 50

11 10, 2013

Cut Crops, Go Bowhunt!

admin2020-06-10T09:23:21-04:00October 11th, 2013|BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

Many corn and soybean fields will be cut this weekend and in the coming days. The days immediately after a farmer cuts those crops are awesome for hunting. The sudden change in habitat will force the deer to move around a lot, as they settle into new bed-to-feed patterns. The animals will seek out alternative food sources (acorns and browse) in nearby woods and thickets. Any bucks that bedded out in the stalks will transition to new bedding thickets. Hang a tree stand 100 to 200 yards off a freshly cut field, in a timbered draw or on an oak ridge and you will see lots of movement as deer sort things out. Even if you don’t kill a buck, [...]

1 10, 2013

Bowhunt a Culvert

admin2020-06-10T09:23:21-04:00October 1st, 2013|BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|1 Comment

Bill wrote and talked about bowhunting an urban zone near Indianapolis: One of my best stand sites backs up against the interstate. Weird being in that tree before daybreak and hearing all those cars and trucks going behind me. But it turns out to be a great travel route. They (the deer) go from park property on the other side of the interstate, follow a creek under the interstate and move through the property. Two 10 pointers and a good-sized 8 were taken last year. Bill hits on a killer bow tactic. A bridge access or box culvert beneath a busy interstate or a lonely rural road is a great deer funnel. Whitetails are like us; they take the easiest, [...]

23 09, 2013

Big Buck on Trail Camera

admin2020-06-10T09:23:21-04:00September 23rd, 2013|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Management|1 Comment

Hi Mike, this has been a weird summer with minimal big-buck photo ops. I know they're out there, but getting them on camera has been a chore. Today I went and retrieved my camera that had been set back on Labor Day weekend. This buck I call Fred showed up in the early part of the month in full velvet, and then showed off and on again the rest of the month up until today. Last year he was a 5X4 with main beams that swept upward and gave his rack that “rib cage” look that I think is so neat. I never saw him all last hunting season, so I know he's a survivor. This year...well, see for yourself. He [...]

17 09, 2013

September Tactic: Grunt a Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:23:21-04:00September 17th, 2013|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science|2 Comments

A few years ago in September Taylor Fitzpatrick traveled to the Milk River in Montana to bowhunt with our friend Luke Strommen. The then 19-year-old Taylor climbed into his tree stand super early one morning, about 3:30. The air felt great, 42 degrees cool, and the full moon hung in the sky like a big pie. Taylor began seeing deer in the moon glow, moving back to their beds for the day. A 10-pointer that would score 155” walked beneath his stand and got him fired up. The sun came up hours later and he kept seeing deer. A buck with hard, fresh antlers cut across a corner of a distant alfalfa field. Taylor raised his call and floated some [...]

13 09, 2013

New Moon and Deer Movement

admin2020-06-10T09:23:22-04:00September 13th, 2013|Big Deer Stories, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management, Deer Science, Hunting News|4 Comments

Did the moon phase play a major role in Danny’s shooting of the big 10-pointer “Spike” in Maryland last Friday? Blogging about the hunt, Danny wrote: Maryland bow opener was Sept 6–the morning after the new moon. The wind direction was supposed to be out of the NNE. I looked back through all the cam pictures I had, and it just so happened the last time we had a NNE wind was the morning after the new moon in August. Spike was at the location I call The Puddle on that very morning. Danny hunted “The Puddle” on September 6 and saw some 18 deer moving at first light, including a bachelor herd of 12-15 bucks. He shot the 164-inch 10-pointer [...]