The season is over for whitetail hunters across the country. Whether you let a crossbow arrow fly to put meat in the freezer or antlers on the ground doesn’t matter much any more. But your work is far from over. In fact, it never really stops if you want to stack the odds in your favor […]
I’m often troubled, while eavesdropping on hunters discussing the “harvest” of white-tailed does. Too often does are discussed in the same terms as picking backyard vegetables. Worse yet, often addressed by wannabe deer managers like weeds in that garden; an inconvenience in need of removal. I have a little more respect for whitetails, even does, […]
The rut is one of the most anticipated times of the hunting season in Alabama. However, the timing of this can vary greatly depending on where you hunt within the state. Generally speaking, this period of the season is when most mature bucks are more vulnerable to harvest due to an increased activity level. By […]
Culling is the selective removal of presumably inferior deer in order to improve the quality of the remaining population. Among whitetails, the culling harvest strategy generally involves targeting those bucks with inferior antlers for removal to improve overall antler quality of those left to do the breeding and for harvest at an older age. By […]
If you’ve noticed that some bucks seem to be casting their antlers early this year, you’re not wrong. “The overall health of the buck affects when it casts its antlers,” said Dr. Grant Woods, a deer biologist and host of the popular Growing Deer series (Growingdeer.com). “Factors like prolonged cold temperatures or an injury that […]
You’ve put trail cameras all over your property and one buck in particular has snagged your attention. He’s the wide 8-pointer with the split brow tines on the right and a sticker off the left G3 — the one you have photos of throughout the summer licking your mineral block. The one you’ve been careful […]
Not all early winters are disastrous for whitetails, but the 1991 Halloween snowstorm that swept northern Wisconsin set the state for one of those severe winters that produced unpredictable consequences. The storm blanketed the region with nearly 30 inches of snow three weeks before the state’s traditional rifle deer season opened. Another 18 inches fell […]
The almost full-grown button buck fawn clumsily picked its way through the thick brush directly behind its mom. Sometimes they would get separated, more common now that the fawn was rather independent, but a bleat from the fawn allowed the doe to relocate her offspring and they would continue on their daily journey. Once the […]
What is it about white-tailed deer that makes them so hard to predict? Better yet, how much are deer patterning hunters each season?
This magazine was founded on practical and comprehensive information on deer for serious deer hunters. As we enter our 40th year, we are beyond pleased to announce that our content well just got a little deeper. Beginning with the September issue, we are entering into a new partnership with Auburn University’s School of Forestry and […]