When you spot a deer, study its tail. What you observe will help you make smart hunting decisions. Of course, the deer’s body language is important to watch, too. It goes hand in hand in with what the tail is doing. By Tom Carpenter But the tail’s actions are a very visible, clear and...
Editor’s note: Spring is a time of rebirth, and nothing illustrates that like the whitetail’s annual cycle of antler loss and regrowth. Here are some incredible insights into this process courtesy of Deer & Deer Hunting‘s John J. Ozoga. Antler Casting Although the timing of antler growth is quite synchronized by photoperiod, generally starting...
Editor’s note: If you’re a whitetail nut, you’re probably thinking about shed hunting right now. Here are some incredible shed antler insights from the inimitable Charlie Alsheimer’s writings in Deer & Deer Hunting. One of the most incredible things about whitetails is their ability grow a new set of antlers each year and then...
As winter wanes, hunters everywhere worry about deer finding quality nutrition before natural foods and agricultural crops become abundant. Here, courtesy of John J. Ozoga’s insights in Deer & Deer Hunting, is some insight into how the whitetail’s amazing digestive system adapts. Like other ruminants, whitetails possess a four-compartment stomach (rumen, reticulum, omassum and...
As a tough winter begrudgingly gives way to spring, the subject of whitetail mortality is on the minds of many hunters. Here’s what whitetail behavior expert Charles J. Alsheimer said about that subject a while ago in Deer & Deer Hunting. Whitetails face many potentially fatal hazards. Here are a few. Hunting: Though most...
Although some subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) might differ only in subtle facial, body and tail markings and colorations, others might differ greatly in body size. The largest of 38 subspecies include the northern woodland (borealis), Dakota (dacotensis) and northwest (ochrorous) whitetails, which inhabit the northern United States and Canada. These deer stand...
Perhaps you’ve seen a pretty good buck on your property, or maybe you have game camera photos of a true giant that got your heart racing. But is it a young buck with great potential? Or is it a mature buck that could be what you’re looking for? Is it a super buck, either...
Growth of antlers in white-tailed deer, along with elk and moose, is one of the most remarkable things in nature. Consider that from the time a deer’s antlers are shed in late winter, within just a couple of months they’re growing again. Hormonal changes spur the entire process, peaking in late summer when the...
We had a little discussion going during our Mossberg-Swarovski hunting trip at Tall Tine Outfitters in Kansas about whether deer move more or less when temperatures are down around single digits and the wind is howling. The weather affects humans more than animals, of course, at least to a certain point. Even with good...
Let’s take a closer look at what factors cause older, mature bucks — those giant deer we all dream about — to become truly belligerent. By Charles J. Alsheimer In my mind, there are two kinds of white-tailed bucks. Those less than 2½ years old are youngsters and teen-agers, who are trying to find...
