Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

The Kansas wind is blasting hard. But picking the right spot to bowhunt Is what George Winters knows how to do.

George sets his treestand up where bucks are rubbing and marking trees and making scrapes.

    George Winters

Whitetail hunters expecting success in the late season first need to pass a meteorologist 101 course. You need to be able to forecast the weather to map an appropriate strategy. Fortunately, that is easier than ever today. As a novice whitetail hunter, I often rudely hushed my spouse so that I could intently study the 6 o’clock evening TV weather for the next day’s hunt. Today weather streams at you nonstop from online and smartphone sources.

The smartphone revolution alone allows instant updates on weather, especially while using the Moultrie Mobile app with precision forecasts built in. Not only does an accurate forecast aid in whether you should skip a day due to hazardous weather, but the preciseness of modern forecasting also allows you see hourly changes. Everything from cloud cover to wind-direction changes and rain to snow affect your whitetail game-day planning.

With weather at your fingertips there are no excuses for missing an incoming front, pinpointing the passing of a front or foreseeing future wintry estimates to ask for a day off work.

What forecast are you looking for to optimize late-season success? Severe winter weather that arrives with cold temperatures and moisture. Study the path of the storm, its estimated arrival, length of stay and the estimated time of its passing. This entire period is crucial for late-season, winter buck success.

WEATHER MATTERS

Evolution and instinct combine to make whitetails stay put as long as possible for winter survival. Bedding longer, day or night, conserves more energy. Anytime a whitetail moves, even on the hunt for browse, it burns calories and burning calories means burning fat. Depending on where a whitetail calls home, it may bed 70 percent or more of the day during the winter as a survival tactic. Northern bucks bed longer than Southern bucks, but even bucks living in a snow-free zone use the stationary tactic to survive winter stress.

Merry Christmas To You. It’s all about having a White Christmas — in the Deer Woods!

Understanding the actual facts about deer vision and how their eyes see will improve your deerhunting success.

As prey animals, deer are well equipped to detect and avoid predators, and one of their primary tools of defense is their vision. Deer hunters can be more successful when they understand the strengths and weaknesses of deer eyes. Reviewing scientific research from a number of sources, especially work at the University of Georgia Deer Lab, we compiled the seven most important facts for deer hunters to know about deer vision. Combined with professional wild deer photography from Tes Randle Jolly, the science helps us see how deer see.

20/60

Deer eyes have pupils that are wide, horizontal slits, as you can see in the image above. This shape allows them to let in more light than human pupils can, especially as they open wider in low-light conditions. It also is important in detecting movement across a wide, horizontal view where danger is most likely to appear. While this pupil shape helps them monitor a broader area, they sacrifice sharpness. Normal human eyesight is 20/20.

Deer have a normal daylight eyesight of about 20/60, which means they see 3 times less clearly than humans! If you have ever made eye contact with a deer for what felt like an eternity, it is likely because they are trying to figure out exactly what they’re looking at.

20x

Deer and humans both have photoreceptors in their eyes called rods and cones. Rods are responsible for light absorption and are what animals use to see in low light, while cones are responsible for color vision and distinguishing fine details.

Deer have fewer cones but more rods than humans. Thus, deer see better in low light than we do, but they see with less clarity. They also perceive color differently.

It is important to realize that during the 2nd Rut the bucks are back in their Home Territory.

After the original Rut, the bucks return home. During the ‘Peak Rut’ period bucks are hitting it hard in their pursuit of estrus does. They are on the go every day and night — once they discovered their first estrus doe of the year.

Three big changes take place every annual Whitetail Rut period.

Bucks get much more exercise than usual.They get less rest and don’t get as much sleep as they are used to.And they don’t eat as often nor as nutritiously as is normal for them.

So after the main rut bucks are worn out; dog tired, underfed and needing rest and sleep. So when they go home they lay up in one of their familiar, remote, safe places. And concentrate on sleeping and eating.

Plus, another thing the bucks do when they return to their home area is they frequently go nocturnal. At that time hunters everywhere report that the deer have “disappeared.” Actually, it seems like they are gone, but they are not.

First off, the states where I had deer hunted in my earlier years did not have archery seasons during the Whitetail Rut. But in the 80’s I had moved to Texas and after joining an archery club I met some bowhunters and that led to getting on the ‘deer lease’ that I am still on after 30 years.

In mid December of my second year on the hunting lease, I was walking slowly through the woods on the way to my newest hunting spot that I called the ‘Pocket.’ I couldn’t know it but my deerhunting life was about to change for the better, big time.

I noticed a nice 8-point 40 yards to my right! He was laying down and a Doe was RIGHT NEXT to him!

I froze. The buck looked my way. Then he turned his attention back to the Doe. He and the Doe DID NOT CARE that I was there!

Although I’m sure I could have, it was further than I wanted to shoot; and I wasn’t sure what to do, but I did not want continue standing that close to them. So I took several slow steps to get completely out of their view and then continued my walk to the ‘Point.’

As I grew up bowhunting for deer became a regular event for me, every single year. Each year I learned important things that I didn’t know. I found new areas where deer were. And primarily I learned where to find bucks.

Back then, hunting with a bow or a gun was “bucks only.” Does, Fawns and Spikes were not legal harvests. Baiting was illegal. Seasons were short, 2 to 4 weeks, tops. But, the #1 hindrance to learning was there was very limited information on bowhunting; no magazines for bowhunters, no books, no newsletters and the internet was many years away.

Honestly, the way most people learned about deer or bowhunting was to talk to people in archery clubs as well as to other hunters while on a hunt. However, my personal learning method included hunting more days than anyone else, hunting from the ground and from trees, and walking the woods throughly, looking for deer trails and tracks and deer. There were no portable treestands yet so I either sat on a limb or nailed a board to sit on in a tree.

Looking back, one of the major things that I learned was how and where to find Bucks. Locating where Does bedded of traveled was easy. Locating bucks was hard.

Now let’s jump ahead to the late 80’s. As I said previously, I had decided to hunt for the entire deer season, 3 months solid. One month in, I knew that I had done the right thing, this was something significant in terms of my ‘deerhunting with a bow life.’ I could clearly see how little I had actually learned in my decades of bowhunting deer, does and bucks.

Nicole Reeve of Driven Hunter TV makes one of her family’s favorite dishes in Driven In The Kitchen — she makes a venison roast. It is an easy meal to prepare and it tastes great!

    Driven Hunter

How To Get Deer To Come Out During The Day.
Daylight deer activity naturally decreases as the deer hunting seasons goes on. Deerhunting pressure, changes in food sources and other factors diminish daylight deer activity. And we can only control what we do on out own hunting land.

But you can increase their activity during the day.

Here is how…

The smell of bacon cooking on the skillet greets my senses this morning as I reflect on time spent with Ron and Karen Douglas the hard working, proud owners, of Xtreme World Class Whitetails located in Millersburg, Ohio. They, along with their talented guide staff, have made a lasting impression on this hunter.

I arrived at Xtreme World Class Whitetails on Thursday evening, November 2nd. Not knowing what to expect I stepped into a world any hunter would love. On entering the lodge, I was greeted by Ron with a strong and friendly handshake. My eyes looked around the room and there were mounts and sheds everywhere.

A great mule deer mount is showcased in the main room. killed by Karen. As I was checking out the surroundings, Karen was working on cleaning up after dinner and asked if I was hungry. I took her up on her offer and sat down to a warm plate of steak, shrimp, cauliflower and other delicious sides. Karen explained that every meal is eaten as a family and everyone sits and eat as one group.

After dinner, Karen took me upstairs to my room, tastefully decorated with great wildlife artwork and all the beds were decked out in camo sheets. They have the capability of sleeping large groups of hunters if you want to bring down a group of your buddies to hunt. There is no stone unturned when it comes to them wanting you to feel at home. I was introduced to another hunter, Jeff, who was also from Pennsylvania. He had hunted that day and told me he was really impressed with the hunting and the guides. I was excited to get out into the stand the next morning so I headed to bed.

Friday morning started with a great breakfast and conversation about the hunt. I rode with Lauren and Lee to where we would set up and hunt for the day. We were tucked in a ground blind/shooting house that was on top of a ridge, overlooking a thick grassy area with lots of trees. There were acorns everywhere. I placed two Buck Cages out in front of me at about 25 yards. The wind was swirling a bit and was to get stronger as the day progressed. I got my rangefinder, nocked a BEA Zombie Slayer on my Athens Revelation 6, and was ready for action.

Twenty-one years ago, when I was still living in Dallas, I met Robbie Cramer. He had been a deer hunter since he shot his first 8-point buck (with a rifle). His grand-dad had taken him on that successful hunt when he was only 8 years old. Robbie was hooked on hunting deer ever since.

As we talked about that hunt, he said he knew I was a bowhunter and expressed interest in learning about it. He seemed like a good guy, and deer season was currently going on, so I asked him if he wanted to go with me to my deer lease. And I let him know that the lease was bows-only … and that guests were limited to Does and a wild turkey.

Robbie didn’t have a bow but he got one right away and set up a place to shoot in the large warehouse of the business he ran. Robbie caught on to shooting a compound bow right away and practiced daily. The following weekend we both drove to the deer lease to hunt.

Shooting from a treestand proved difficult for him initially but soon he caught on and on a subsequent trip got his first deer with the bow.

And since that time we’ve become very good friends and Robbie joined the deer lease and has turned into a successful bowhunter. His prior year’s deer hunting experiences gave him “one-up” on the locating bucks process and every year he takes a mature buck to the meat processor as well as the taxidermist.

Robert Hoague
Bowhunting.net

Looking back to my mid teen years, two events were pivotal to my life choices. First, at age 14 I joined and became active in the archery club Orlando Bowman; and secondly, four men from the Archery Club took me and my high school buddies Tommy Denson and Hugh Carroll bowhunting for whitetail deer at Ocala National Forest. Those men sure opened my eyes to something that became my life long heartfelt passion.

They freely gave their advice and I hung on every word. I knew nothing about deer or bowhunting. And to me, they knew it all.

As the years passed I met lots of bowhunters who also offered plenty of advice and information. And I began noticing some things that happened in the deer woods were different than what I’d heard about. And, noticing that, I started using what I saw and learned, more often than what I’d been told.

Don’t misunderstand, nobody had tried to mislead me. I want you to know that every single person was being helpful and I totally appreciated it. That said, one common theme stretched through their deer and bowhunting info. They were weekend hunters who occasionally hunted for a few days of their vacation time. Basically, their information came from their own totally random experiences of hunting and seeing deer.

In the mid 80’s I figured I had put things together pretty good and was a knowledgeable deer hunter (that hunted exclusively with my bow and arrow). Then, in 1987 I made a casual decision that turned out to be even more pivotal for what I knew about deer and deer hunting with a bow. I bowhunted the same area in Texas that I’d been hunting for 10 years … but this time for 3 months; all of October, November and December!

Kaitlyn Maus is a very successful YouTuber who blogs about her many bowhunts and other adventures.

    Kaitlyn Maus

First off, Cowboy Kent Rawlins shows you how to process your deer so each cut is perfect and tastes delicious. There is no “gamey” flavored meat allowed when he prepares the meat for cooking.

When the cowboy begins the cooking you’re with him all the way. And his Tips. Folks, this recipe will work with any type of meat you want, but today we’re making an authentic deer chili recipe.

New Cookbook: Comfort Food the Cowboy Way https://amzn.to/3VJyyHbA Taste of Cowboy Cruise: https://www.cruise-vacations.ca/produ… #cowboycookingPrintable Recipe: https://kentrollins.com/venison-chili/

  Cowboy Kent Rollins

Right now the Rut is slowing down or has already ended. Now, both bucks and does are shifting their focus back to food sources. Here are tips for finding the places that deer are visiting now to eat.

  Whitetail Fit

Imagine a world without abundant deer and other wildlife. To prevent such possibilities, state wildlife agencies continually work with conservation organizations and individual conservationists to enhance habitats and lobby policymakers for the benefit of wildlife and hunting’s future.

Joel Webster, senior director of Western programs for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said Americans shouldn’t take healthy, abundant wild places and animals for granted. They must get involved and work hard for wildlife conservation.

“Our ability to hunt depends on robust wildlife populations and places to hunt,” Webster said. “Wildlife conservation is critical to provide opportunities. If you care about the future of hunting, you must make it a priority.”

Webster said bowhunters can get involved with conservation organizations at the local, state and national level, but those options also vary. You can make a difference through hands-on habitat work, or by voicing concerns and support for regulations and policies that affect wildlife, hunting and bowhunting. Whatever your preference, join a group and get involved.

December is a good month to hunt deer. Here are 3 time proven tips from Jeff Sturgis for producing a high level of predictable success…

By Josh Honeycutt

Imagine this, taking 20 years to ‘cull’ an untold number of “inferior” free-range bucks. Burning tags on wild deer you’d likely otherwise pass. And being told that you’ve done good for the local deer herd.

Newsflash — it’s NOT true. Even the most intensive culling efforts on wild whitetails is so diluted that measurable results are virtually non-existent. Even after decades of efforts the minuscule rate of return is not worth the real result. So, to those who’ve spent years believing in the fallacy, you fell for the lie through no fault of your own. This fallacy has been propagated, and in grand fashion, for far too long.

Outdoors Allie is all about ‘From Field To Table’ venison cooking. This recipe is simple, goes together quickly and tastes delicious.

 Outdoor Solutions

The late deer seasons are different than all other seasons. I found this excellent video about Late Season Deerhunting.

Dan and Josh explain and discuss the changes in the deer woods during late season. What are the does doing? What are the bucks doing? And what are the Big Bucks doing. The big bucks are NOT doing what the young and lesser bucks are. CLICK BELOW AND FIND OUT WHAT TO DO TO GET ON THE BIG BUCKS.

    The Hunting Beast