Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Watching The Deer’s Reaction To Weather Changes

Michigan’s weather is often considered the most unreliable in the nation. One reason is we are affected by weather fronts crossing the Great Lakes.

Depending on time of year, it can be raining near the shoreline and snowing 30 miles inland. My area is known for getting lake-effect snow.

The wind crosses Lake Michigan, and if the water is warmer than the air, it gets sucked up into the atmosphere. As it reaches shore, the rain begins to fall but farther inland, away from the lake, it is snow that starts to dump on us.

Studying the wildlife can offer major clues to upcoming weather. I’m often noted for my whitetail deer studies and observations, and deer are somewhat predictable.

I’ve watched birds and deer for many years, and they are early warning indicators of approaching bad weather. If a major winter storm is due to roll through, the deer are up and moving two or three hours before the storm hammers through.

Birds at the feeder make a major aerial assault on sunflower seeds. I’ve filled the feeder in the morning, and the birds will nearly empty it before the storm arrives. They seem aware of impending weather changes, and will feed heavily before it hits.

Deer always seem a bit anxious before a major storm. They are moving toward heavy cover, but are heading for areas closest to the feeders. Sheer determination makes them stock up on as much as they can eat, and I’ve seen deer lay up in heavy cover for two or three days when blizzard-like conditions move through.

Deer hate heavy wind and aren’t crazy about thunderstorms which often are accompanied by some high winds. Heavy winds upset a deer’s ability to hear well, and their vision is affected as limbs and trees sway, grasses blow sideways, and their world becomes one of constant motion and noise. They dislike not being able to hear, see or smell potential danger.

Deer will move in fairly heavy rain if need be, but such times often are accompanied by wind. A soft, gentle rain is one of my favorite times to hunt because the constant pitter-patter of rain drops falling off trees and to the ground is much better than a silent evening.

I’ll hunt on a very calm and still night but it’s not my favorite nor do deer react well to a dead calm. They seem jittery, knowing that every step they take is something that can be heard by hunters.

On a still night the deer move in fits and starts, and almost always move most just before shooting time ends. That pattern changes a little during the peak of the rut, but deer seem to sit tight until dark.

I’ve had mixed results in a ice or sleet storm. The worst is when this type of weather comes with either dead-calm conditions or a hefty wind. Deer seem reluctant to move much under such conditions.

If I had a favorite time to hunt it would be during the peak of the rut, with a soft breeze of about five miles-per-hour, and a light mist. The deer seem to move quite well under such conditions.

I pay attention to high and low barometric pressures as well. If the cows are standing up and moving around, and birds are flittering through the air, the chances are excellent that deer will be seen.

However, if cows are laying down, there is a good chance the deer will be doing the same. The same weather conditions that cause cows to stand up or lay down also seem to apply to game fish as well. The fish seem to bite best when the cows stand up.

Most of this is relative to barometric pressure. A rising barometer often gets fish and game moving, and a slowly falling barometer doesn’t hurt much. However, a rapidly falling barometer forecasts a storm, and the deer will move fast and feed hard, and be buried away in heavy cover before the storm hits.

I wrote some time ago about people who keep a daily diary of weather conditions and how it affects deer and their movements. Keep a diary of what you see as it pertains to changing weather patterns, and a hunter can often predict what the deer will do.—The Whitetail Wizard

Monday, January 30, 2006

Remembering Those Bucks That Fooled Us

The buck came sneaking up from behind me, and then stepped out into the open, away from any ground cover. He stood, only 15 yards away, and it would have been an easy shot except for one thing.

The pine tree my stand was in had long boughs that dipped down almost to the ground. This nice 10-pointer was perfectly positioned for a quartering-away shot except the end of a big pine bough covered his chest cavity. His head and rump was visible but not the vitals.

That buck stood there for 15 minute watching other deer walk past, and never moved. When he felt it was time, he turned around and walked back exactly the same way he had come, and I never got a shot.

Did this buck fool me or did he just get lucky and decide to stand in the only place where I couldn’t thread an arrow through? He didn’t know I was there, but he chose just the right spot to stop. He didn’t do it on purpose to avoid being shot; he did it because it was natural for him.

I hunted caribou once in northern Quebec with Dave Richey and Steve Marchetta. I watched caribou come across the tundra for two miles directly to me only to reverse directions and head back the other way.

Did those caribou fool me? No, caribou do that all the time. I don’t think even they know what they are going to do next. The same holds true for some deer.

I was up in an elevated coop where I could see deer come for 200 yards. A big buck began moving my way, and over the course of two hours, the buck kept coming. He was coming from my right and behind me, and his head was up even though he was upwind of me.

I couldn’t turn to shoot so I had to wait until he walked past. Ten yards from where I’d planned to shoot him, a big doe sidled up next to the buck. The angle was just right so I couldn’t shoot the buck because the doe was blocking his heart-lung area. They both walked off without ever knowing they were very close to death.

Did this buck fool me or was luck on his side? He was just plain lucky that night, but the doe that came from out of nowhere really fooled me.

A buddy got fooled this past fall. He was watching a nice buck circling around checking out some does. The buck eased around the deer standing out in front of him, and when the buck was perfectly positioned, he drew and shot. Between the hunter and the buck was a doe that chose the wrong time to move. The arrow hit that doe as it started walking past the buck, and she caught the arrow in the heart.

Again, the buck didn’t fool the hunter. Bad stuff sometimes happens.

Another time I sat in a treestand that had been productive all year. Two or three bucks and a couple of does had been taken there, and I set up one night in that stand. A big 10-point had been seen nearby on several occasions by other hunters. The wind was right, and I made a last-minute decision.

Several does and a few small bucks had filtered past my stand, and I let them go. Fifteen minutes of shooting time remained when I spotted the buck coming. He was moving in a direct line to me, and would pass cross-wind at 15 yards.

He stepped right along and kept coming. Closer and closer, and a big branch concealed my body. He couldn’t smell me, and on he came. I could just see a bit of him between the branches, and he continued on until he was within range.

All of a sudden he stopped. The buck looked in all directions, and the only thing around was the tree I was in. He stood stock still, as if waiting for something to happen. I was at full draw, and I had to slowly ease down. The buck didn’t see the movement, but he was really wired.

He turned slightly, moving sideway away from me, and once he was 50 yards from the tree, he broke and ran.

He didn’t see, smell or hear me. I think he may have seen another buck or a doe get shot from that tree, and once he got too close, he stopped and tried to puzzle out his anxiety.

Some deer researchers feel a deer’s memory doesn’t last long but I’m convinced that some gut instinct warned that deer. And this buck was one that did fool me.—The Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Estimating Distance For A Bow Shot

The buck was an estimated 25 yards away as it moved through a foggy day like today. This happened many years ago, and I drew back aimed and the arrow sailed just under its brisket for a clean miss.

I had held for 25 yards, but in the light fog, the distance was misleading. The buck had been 35 yards away.

It taught me a valuable lesson. I now carry a laser rangefinder, but have learned other ways to estimate distance. I am primarily a bow hunter, but will hunt two or three days each year with a rifle.

It makes little difference how far a deer is from the hunter. If the distance isn’t accurately judged, that buck might as well be on the moon. Guess wrong, and the shot often misses.

One thing that works for me, and I practice it all the time, is to look at an object like a stunted pine tree, and count your paces to it. The average walking stride is 32 to 36 inches, and a foot or two isn’t that critical for a bow or rifle shot unless the animal is a long distance away. It’s best to pass on long-yardage shots with bow or firearm.

Choose large and small objects when judging distance. I know that a football field is 100 yards long, and when rifle hunting, I see how many football fields fit into the distance between me and a buck. The equivalent of two football fields means the buck is about 200 yards away.

On the other hand, if it looks to be only half the size of a football field, the buck is about 50 yards away. Sometimes the longer distances are easier to judge than shorter shots.

A deer appears at what appears to be 30 yards away. Hunters can learn to instantly determine whether it is a small or large deer. A large deer often appears closer than what it is because of its size, while a smaller buck may appear to be farther away than what it really is.

One place where hunters often make a mistake is second-guessing themselves during the last 15 minutes of legal shooting time, especially when back in thick cover. As it grows darker, and the deer becomes slightly less distinct, beginning hunters often second-guess themselves. They know that old stump is exactly 20 yards away, but when a deer walks by that stump, people often believe the deer is farther away. They know the stump is 20 away, and know the deer is 20 yards away, but because of dwindling daylight they overestimate the distance at 30 yards, and usually miss.

The deer looks darker in heavy cover, and that can lead the mind to thinking the deer is farther away than what it is. My advice is to take a laser rangefinder, and find and memorize the distance to other visible objects nearby. Some hunters put up tiny staked flags at known distances but that often puts too much human scent in the area.

Stepping off guessed distances is one of the best ways to learn how to tell how far apart the hunter and the deer may be. Know this: in the midwest, ranges are easier to determine when there are trees nearby.

Western hunters, especially on the plains or in the mountains, have learned to determine distances. An eastern hunter that heads west for an antelope, elk or mule deer hunt, will find these distances deceiving. The same holds true when hunting in the Arctic on snow or ice.

In such cases, the savvy hunter buys a good laser rangefinder, and shoots a laser beam at the animal. Read the distance, and aim accordingly to your rifle and load. Many western hunters who use a flat shooting rifle sight in to hit three inches high at 100 yards, and that puts them dead-on at 25 yards and again at about 250 yards.

Judging distance isn’t difficult but it is like guessing the weight of a fish or deer. It can be done but only after a good bit of practice.

Practice between now and next hunting season. Guess how far it is between you and that fence corner, that crooked popple tree, the rockpile in the center of the field or any other object. Take approximately one-yard steps, count them off, and see how close you are.

With practice, you’ll be able to guess within a yard or two of the actual distance. Learning this skill will make you a better deer hunter.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Idle Thoughts On A Dreary Winter Day

Seldom am I without something to do. My deer ranch always claims much of my time, as does the archery shop and my bow development, but that doesn’t mean I stop thinking when I start working. Just the opposite: there is always something to think about.

*I’ve been trying to work on my deer feeders. It’s a fact that deer visit the feeders less when the weather is warm, and more frequently when the weather is nasty. My feeders occasionally put out too much feed, and the excess is wasted so I’m trying to fix them so just the right amount is dispensed on a daily basis.

*The rain and warm conditions can create havoc on my roads and trails unless some heavy thought is put into how to access all the feeders without rutting up my trails. Repairing roads is not only time consuming but very expensive.

*Another idle thought was wondering what the rest of the winter might bring. So far, this winter has been mild and the deer are moving freely. We’ve stopped hunting for does and doe fawns because we’ve met my management objectives. Once the hunting stops, the deer slowly begin to move more freely to feed.

*I keep wondering about the big buck I hunted all season. Where is he? Did he make it through the rut and the early winter? Is he the buck that killed two big bucks and one doe during the rut? I’m hoping he made it through the rut, and has recovered some weight, which will allow him to make it through the winter and into the spring in fine shape.

*We’ve been wandering a bit near the feeders and hay bales, and picking up some sheds. We’ve found a number of sheds from decent bucks but some of the larger deer still have their antlers. We will orchestrate a number of searches in the spring in thicker cover in hopes of finding the sheds from two or three big bucks we saw last fall.

*I got to thinking today about three different possibilities for stands that can be hunted on an east wind. The positioning has to be perfect, and three spots look like they are prime areas for a ground blind or an elevated coop. I’ll study deer traffic past each spot on an east wind, and start work on those spots as everything greens up in the spring.

*I wonder whether another three-beam buck is kicking around the ranch. There have been two three-beamers seen, and I shot one two years ago. I’d guess the one I saw this year may have planted his seed in many does, and suspect one or two such bucks will show up in the coming years.

*There are fish in some of my ponds, and each year a special friend—a bait dealer—come two or three times and put forage fish in my ponds for me. One had been planted to brown trout, and we tried to keep track of how many browns were caught. It hasn’t been stocked with browns lately but I hold out hope that one or two good fish remain, and survive on these plantings of minnows.

*Each year, at about this time, I think of the tremendous amount of enjoyment this deer ranch has given me over the years. I feel thankful that I’ve had this opportunity to raise big bucks. There have been mistakes made over the years, but one learns through trial and error how to manage a complex deer herd. I love working the land, building the roads, working out the mysteries of herd management. I think I have a good handle on it, and it’s certainly far more difficult to pull off than many people think.

*I think of good friends, some now gone and others who continue to help me in so many ways. I’m grateful for their friendship, and look forward to many more years with them during hunting season.

There are times when idle thoughts and hard work make the time go faster. Thanks for listening to some of my thoughts for the day.—The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, January 27, 2006

Once A spike, Always A Spike?

It’s widely believed by many deer hunters that a spikehorn buck will remain a spikehorn until the day he dies. That, my friends, is far from being true.

It’s been proven many times over on my ranch and elsewhere that a year-and-a-half spikehorn can improve with age, good food, and a lack of stress. We’ve had deer in our control pens that were a spikehorn their first full year, and wound up being a nice 8-pointer the following year.

Conversely, some buck enter their first year with a small basket rack containing four, six, eight or even 10 small points. A spikehorn is not an inferior buck unless he doesn’t have a a better rack the following year.

It’s possible through poor genetics or continued inbreeding for a spikehorn to be a genetically inferior animal year after year, but only if nutritional food is missing from his diet.

It’s also possible, although rarely probable, that an older buck that is going downhill could have a spike rack. I shot a buck that was DNR aged at 4 1/2 years that had spikes 11 1/2 and 12 inches long. They were big around at the base, and the buck was a grizzled old veteran.

The DNR felt that this was a buck that was on his way down. Often, a buck will be 5 1/2 or 6 1/2 years of age, or even older, before age and a weakened condition will put his rack at risk in the spring when it begins to grow.

There were several small spikehorns on my ranch this year. No one shot a single one, and I’d be willing to bet that those spikes this fall will carry a far better rack.

One buck I saw wore four-inch daggers that pointed almost straight out, and larger bucks and all does seemed frightened of him. If he walked into a food site, all the other deer left. And, like a spoiled child that doesn’t always get what he wants, they throw a tantrum. This little buck probably didn’t weigh 65 pounds but he had other deer scared to death of him, and acted angry most of the time.

I’ve raised some bucks in small pens, and watched their antler development for two or three years. Some spikehorns turned into fine looking antlered bucks at age 2 1/2, and being in an area with plenty of room to roam around with good food would work wonders. If the deer wasn’t crowded, and didn’t have to fight for food all winter, that animal always grew a handsome rack the following spring.

In many areas of Michigan and other states, spike bucks are shot their first year because they were considered an inferior deer. That is a mistake that should never be condoned.

What those bucks need is time: time to fill out and grow. Many of the spikes that I’ve followed closely were born to young doe fawns, and entered their first winter of life as a runty button-buck having to take whatever food was left from larger deer. This late birth, and small size at the onset of winter, often produces a poor first rack.

Button-buck fawns born in May or June often have a decent rack at 1 1/2 years. Those born in August or even later, and are still wearing spots during October, are lucky to make it through the winter.

There can be life and good antlers ahead for a spikehorn. If that animal can get a belly full of nutritional food during his second winter, will almost always turn into a well proportioned buck with a fine rack the following season.

Spikes deserve a better fate than being shot during their first year of wearing antlers. Care for them, and provide food plots that are high in protein, and chances are good a hunter will never recognize that runty buck the next year.—The Whitetail Wizard

Thursday, January 26, 2006

The Best Shot: Quartering-Away Or Broadside

There seems to be a never-ending question among bow hunters. Which shot is best: broadside or quartering-away?

An arrow kills by cutting through arteries, capillaries and veins, and the destruction of vital organs. An arrow through the heart, through both lungs on other organs will kill a deer.

A deer cannot be killed any deader than dead. How a buck or doe expires, within reason, is the result of a skilled shot placed in an area that causes instant organ destruction and severe hemorrhaging.

Much depends on how the animal is standing. A truly broadside shot makes it difficult to center the heart because the near-side shoulder bone is often in the way.

Conversely, a quartering-away shot is deadly. Aim to slice an arrow in behind the last or next-to-last rib so it passes through the diaphragm, and hits the heart and one or both lungs.

I like a pass-through shot. I always shoot with a Game Tracker string tracking device, and a pass-through gives me a double line. A friend of mine who shot a buck and five does on my ranch prefers the quartering-away shot.

He shot six arrows and killed six deer this year. Only one arrow passed through the deer, and it’s his intention to angle the arrow up and through the deer and lodge the broadhead against the off-side shoulder from within. This keeps the arrow inside the animal, and every step it takes continues to slice through vital organs.

Does it work? Of course. Only one of the deer he shot ran 70 yards, and it just barely made it that far. Three of his deer didn’t travel 40 yards, and the others were spaced between 40-70 yard. He too uses a Game Tracker, and none of his deer required any tracking.

“The reason I prefer the quartering-away shot is because if my shot is an inch off target to left or right I’ll still hit the shoulder bone,” he said. “Many people try to just miss that shoulder bone, and there’s no way I can shoot through the should at 60 pounds. The quartering-away shot gives me that inch or two of leeway, and being one or two inches off target will still result in a dead deer.”

I personally will take either shot, and know how well each one will kill a deer if the arrow is accurately placed. A shot that hits the arteries or veins at the top of the heart, whether hit from a quartering-away or broadside angle, will destroy that organ and kill the deer.

That same shot will almost always hit one of both lungs. The other hunter and I agree on another thing: we’d prefer either shot to be low rather than high. A low hit from either angle will almost always hit the heart, the lungs or both organs and blood loss is instantaneous.

However, a arrow that hits too high will always miss the heart, and may hit only one lung. A high lung hit to one lung can make for a long night of tracking in the woods. A high double-lung hit will punch that deer’s ticket but death is slower in coming than with a low lung hit and blood trailing is more difficult.

The only other fatal hits are difficult or nearly impossible to make on a regular basis. One is the spine hit and the other the brain. Both will kill but each one leaves much to be desired. A brain hit is a lucky hit; some hunters deliberately aim for the spine, and if they miss, the animal runs off unharmed. If they hit the spine directly, the deer goes down, instantly paralyzed, and quickly dies.

Spine hits can be made from an elevated stand and much depends on how the animal is standing in relationship to the hunter. A deer directly under a hunter may be the easiest (or most diffficult, depending on the hunter’s shooting ability) of the spine shots. Aim directly for the center of the back, don’t blink and shoot that deer. Just be aware that your anchor point often changes when shooting straight down.

A whitetail, hit in the spine from the side, can be a bit more difficult. It’s easy to be an inch too high or too low, and the result is a wounded animal that may not be recovered.

I never urge hunters to take anything but the highest percentage shots, and those are broadside or quartering away. I don’t endorse brain or spine shots with a bow because there is too much margin for error.

High-percentage shots put deer on the ground. Every other shot is nothing more than a coin toss; it may kill the deer but the odds are against it.—The Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Shooting Big Bucks Requires Dedication

Shooting a big whitetail buck with a bow isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it.

First of all, unless a person hunts on a trophy deer ranch like mine, it’s difficult to shoot trophy bucks with consistency on private property or state land. People who are purported to shoot huge bucks in the open range, year after year, are subjected to some scrutiny.

There are a few really good deer hunters who hunt land where no one else can gain access, and such spots can produce big bucks. Hunters who have such areas, and hunt them often for trophy bucks, have one thing in common.

They have a particular mindset that allows them to focus only on a trophy buck. They never make a movement unless they know what the consequences of those actions will be.

Almost every one of them know their bow better than they know the neighborhood they live in. They also know the country they hunt every bit as well as the bucks they hunt.

They know the early season can be a good time to waylay a big buck. They are long on preseason scouting, and are careful not to spook does or big bucks. They approach their scouting with the same degree of caution and skill as when they are actually hunting.

They know where big bucks travel, and often have them pinpointed so well they know exactly what time the deer will move in specific areas. This mindset of theirs has no time for studying habits of small basket-rack bucks.

A big-buck hunter is almost always a loner. He is as silent as a ghost in the field, is never heard talking, and his mind is always thinking about a big buck. He doesn’t allow himself to think about little bucks, does or fawns.

It’s not that he ignores other deer but uses them and their actions to alert him to the presence of a large buck. He knows that big bucks often do most of their chasing of does, and most of their breeding, in thick cover so that is where they often hunt.

Early in the rut these sportsmen may hunt field edges because bucks are moving through such areas, eternally on the lookout for an estrus doe. He goes where the bucks will eventually come: to wherever the largest number of adult does are found. And that is usually near food sources.

The big-buck hunter eliminates those areas where mostly smaller bucks are found. These hunters are always looking for an edge, something that will tip the odds slightly in their favor.

They hunt with their eyes and ears, and often hear a big buck coming before it gets within bow range. They listen intently for a soft twig snap or any sound that could possibly be made by a trophy buck. Rather than looking at the cover, they try to look through it to spot a big rack.

They don’t burden themselves with unnecessary equipment, and know where a buck will travel. They don’t cut huge shooting lanes in several directions; instead they set up with one primary place to shoot, and they study the area for anything that could deflect an arrow.

They know they may, if very lucky, have only one shot at a trophy buck. They know that in order to succeed, they must be vigilant and ready for a shot at any time. Hanging a bow on a limb has saved many bucks lives.

They have trained themselves to control their emotions. They don’t get rattled when a trophy buck shows up; they come to full draw, aim carefully and shoot accurately. There are no excuses with big bucks; you shoot and kill them cleanly or grieve in silence.

Most big-buck hunters are loners. They don’t need a crowd nearby, and they try to keep their hotspot hidden from others. They may walk a mile to enter the woods to be downwind of deer, and they travel noiselessly. They can erect a stand in absolute silence, and if that area doesn’t feel right, they give up a night of hunting to keep from spooking a buck.

They are like secret lovers. They don’t discuss the deer they shoot, never reveal their hunting locations, and are on red alert whenever they prepare for a hunt. Some watch for cars that may follow them, and will deliberately lead them astray.

There are few deer hunters with the necessary time available to invest in hunting one specific big buck. Those that do are close-mouthed about their hunting prowess, and that enables them to move among other hunters, listen to the gossip, and locate big bucks that other people have overlooked.

Hunting trophy bucks isn’t easy. One must learn to pass up a nice buck, knowing it will be even bigger next year. They also know that to shoot a trophy whitetail buck is an accomplishment, and it’s what makes them skilled at what they do.

They also know they may go a year or two or three between big bucks, but that is OK. The skill required and the chance to arrow a trophy buck doesn’t come often, but when it does, they are ready.—The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Deep Snow & Deer Movements

Some parts of northern Michigan received 10-12 inches of snow this morning, and a few people were fretting about the deer herd.

The snow that fell was wet, and half of what dropped out of the sky was melted by mid-afternoon. There’s no need for major concern just yet.

Actually, deer can move around quite well in snow that is 10-12 inches deep on the level. It’s when a whitetail’s belly starts dragging through the snow that major exertion begins to take its toll.

A deer needs a bushel of browse to make it through a day during winter months. Deer feed on tender twigs, grasses, acorns, corn left standing in a field, and a variety of other edibles during the winter months. As long as they can roam enough to feed, they stay in pretty good shape.

A bushel of browse sounds like a lot of food, but deer often nibble on first one thing and then another, as they move from one area to another, such as when moving from a bedding to a feeding area.

Most people would be amazed at what a deer will eat during the winter months. Some foods have nigh or medium nutritional values, and some foods have zero nutritional value. A deer can starve to death with a belly filled with browse their body cannot utilize.

Watching deer feed as they walk will show the animals dipping their head down to grab something near ground level, and then they may nibble a bit on a low-hanging branch. And some will feed high over their heads. The food is found everywhere, and most of it provides some nutritional value.

Here, on my ranch, we feed deer a mix of different foods. Corn and sugar beets are good but we have fields planted to winter wheat, clover, rye grass and other forage. Beans are high in nutrition but it’s impossible plant enough beans to carry a deer herd like ours through the winter months.

Deer start moving into beans during the summer as they start growing, and keep eating at them all summer and fall. Legumes are high in nutritional value, and deer love them. Corn can be very good, but some deer have a hard time eating corn in winter months. Commercial deer feeds are good during the winter, and whitetails love second-cutting hay because it offers excellent nutrition.

A whitetail doesn’t have to travel too far to eat here, but the winter months can be hard on deer in areas where there is little access to food. Many well-meaning people practice recreational feeding in the early winter with two gallons of corn or other grains or vegetables.

The saddest thing is when deer become habituated to this daily handout, and then the people head out for Florida. Deer can become dependent on this food supply, and once it stops, it can open the door to starvation.

My advice, and that of many wildlife biologists, is to not start a recreational feeding program behind the house unless it will be continued all winter.

I had some trees cut 18 months ago, and the treetops provided excellent winter browse for deer. The treetops were piled together, and it also offered deer some cover from winter storms.

Of prime importance if and when snow levels get considerably deeper than they are now is to keep a tight rein on family dogs. Free-roaming farm dogs will chase deer during the winter months, and little Fido and his canine buddies can drag down weakened deer.

Dogs can harass deer just by running near them. The animals become frightened, jump off trails, and once in deep snow, they are finished.

Keep dogs in a kennel or locked in the barn once the snow gets deep, and this can save the lives of many deer when the weather becomes severe. The little snow we got today isn’t even an inconvenience, but if a similar amount fell every day for a week, the conditions could easily change from mild to critical.

We owe it to free-ranging whitetails to keep them as healthy as possible. Many people plant croplands, and allow the deer to forage at will. This can be a wise thing for people to do to help manage winter deer, especially if it is planted close to bedding areas.

It’s better, I feel, if free-ranging deer can fend for themselves than to be forced to depend on daily handouts.—The Whitetail Wizard

Monday, January 23, 2006

Too Many Gadgets On A Bow?

I learned long ago there are several things a hunter doesn’t do. They never criticize another man’s bird dog even if the pooch can’t hunt up his food dish.

They never criticize another man’s ability to shoot birds, and they never insult a man’s wife. So, barring discussions about politics or religion, almost anything goes if handled in a tasteful manner.

So tonight I touch on a sore spot for me. I sometimes think bow hunters put too much stuff on their bow.

Granted, bow hunters are gadget conscious. That’s OK as far as it goes, but how much is too much? Who knows, but when I see a new bow all tricked out with a peep sight, kisser button, a bow sight with six pins of different colors, and it makes me wonder why.

I’ve off on a bit of a tangent tonight,and I’m not trying to step on anyone’s tender toes. I just think the fewer gadgets, the better, but if someone can shoot accurately all the time with all that stuff, good for them.

My bow has a red-dot sight and a bow quiver. I normally remove the bow quiver while hunting, and it works for me while some hunters always shoot with the quiver in place.

The red-dot sight and the quiver is it. Some hunters have a little windage string hanging down to give an indication of wind direction. The kisser button works for some people but not for me, and the peep sight is a waste of time.

I’ve heard so many sad tales of people who lose track of which sight pin of six they should be using. Others tell me they have a tough time centering their eye through a peep sight and on the proper pin as the sun goes down.

The result often is a missed shot or a wounded deer. I’m not saying everyone should use my red-dot sight, but to me, it gives one aiming point. A multi-pin set-up may have as many as six pins. Under the pressure of drawing on a nice buck, who needs the distraction of trying to remember which pin is for 25 yards?

Not me. If my red-dot sight is dead-on at 20 yards, I know where the arrow will hit at 25 or 30 yards with this sight. The difference in where I hold at 20 to 25 yards is minute, but becomes a bit more significant at 30, 35 or 40 yards.

I believe in the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Sonny. The simpler a bow is the fewer things there can go wrong. Sight pin brackets can get bumped when lowering or raising a bow up or down a tree. Any twig ticking against the sight can knock it out of alignment, and an easy shot becomes a terrible miss.

Peep sights may work OK for young people with keen vision, but many of them I’ve seen have much too small a hole to look through. The eye has a difficult time picking up a target as the light dims, trying to put a lighted pin on a deer at dusk and then lining up the eye with the peep on the sight on the deer becomes very difficult.

Those who are happy with their gadgets are welcome to use them. I find them difficult, and you’d be surprised how many people stop at my Buck Pole Archery Shop in Marion, Michigan, and their bow is wearing all the gadgets.

Often, by the time they leave after having tried my red-dot sight, they throw their peep sight and sight pin bracket into the trash and walk out with a red-dot sight on their bow. It can be used anytime.

Sometimes, the less we have cluttering up our life and our bow, the better we are. I like to keep everything simple, and it makes shooting a buck much easier.—The Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Try Something New When Deer Hunting

Why do people climb mountains? The answer is easy. Because it is there.

The same analogy applies to deer hunters. Why do people switch stands methodically. The answer is because they can and should.

A lady bowhunter I know loves to sit in just one stand. She will hunt in it every day of the season if possible. She loves her stand, its location and she knows where the deer will come from to pass by.

What’s more: she shoots good bucks from that stand. It works for her but this method of hunting is not for me.

I always want to know what lies ahead and around the next bend in the trail. Each day of deer hunting is a day of discovery for me, and that means moving around from one area to another.

It’s not my nature to hunt the same stand two days in a row unless I feel a big buck will show. I watch deer on a daily basis, and know where the bigger bucks travel.

Some bucks get into lockstep with moving along the same trail but many big-antlered deer vary their travel routes and schedules. Young bucks can be patterned, and it’s possible to predict with 95 percent accuracy what time the little buck will arrive. Nine times out of 10 they will show up within five minutes of when they are expected.

Now, me, looking at the same scenery day after day takes its toll on my patience. It’s much more fun, to my way of thinking, to sit in a different stand every day. It helps me avoid getting into a rut.

My preference is to mix up my hunting activities. One day a treestand will be picked, and the next day it may be a ground blind a mile away. The following day may be an elevated coop, and the next day I may choose a pit blind. This allows me to study different deer, try to pinpoint a big buck and his travel area, and it keeps me from getting bored.

Each spot will feature bucks approaching from a new and different angle, and like anglers, it’s like learning a new stretch of river. Sometimes the new spots will not pay off, but that can’t be helped.

It’s impossible to know how good a hunting area can be if we don’t hunt it. A great deal of thought goes into choosing locations for ground or tree stands, and that means someone must sit there and study deer patterns and travel routes under various wind directions.

I want to know everything there is to know about a certain location. There have been times where I’ve put in a stand, hunt it for a day or two, and pull it out because something about it just doesn’t feel right.

Hunters, like many people, play their hunches. They have gut feelings, and I’ll look at it a few times, put a stand up, and know within 30 minutes of crawling into the stand that it isn’t right. If it doesn’t pass muster the first night, it won’t be there the next night.

I don’t believe in moving stands because it goes cold for a week or so. If it has a proven record, it stays in place for a season. I’ve seen stands be cold for most of a season, and then pick up toward the end.

We’ve got a long way to go until next bow season, but these tips are meant to give hunters food for thought. If you are limited to 10 acres, there may only one or possibly two good spots to hunt. If so, switch back and forth. Twenty acres offers two or three spots, and 50 acres offers even more possible stand location choices.

Just don’t get locked into hunting one spot day after day. Sooner or later the deer will pattern you, and that is not good situation to be in.—The Whitetail Wizard

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Don’t Do As I Do: Do As I Tell You.

The above title was a favorite saying of my parents. It always seemed to carry some unseen message that was lost on me as a kid.

However, I’ll pass along a good tip that many people have told me they do. For whatever reason, I don’t follow this sage advice. So, it you feel like I’m lecturing like your parents probably did at one time or another, it’s certainly up to you to follow it or forget it.

The advice is really pretty simple. Carry a small notebook, and write down your daily observations while deer hunting. A buddy I know that river fishes for steelhead in the spring and fall, keeps a daily diary.

The reason for doing so is easy to understand. The trick is to do so on a daily basis, and sooner or later, you’ll find many of the same situations repeating themselves.

That means an observant person can put two and two together to make a logical connection. A diary can tell you what will probably happen if you do this or that.

Obviously, the date and time of day is important. The important information should be noted: wind direction, wind speed, where the hunt took place (both geographical and with detailed data about ground blind or treestand location). Hunters can add details about type of stand, the terrain around it, and where the deer travel.

Extra data should include if you are bow hunting or hunting with a firearm. List the number of deer seen, and break this done into number of adult does, adult antlered bucks (number of points and approximate size), and how many fawns were seen. Add to this the distance these deer were from your hunting position.

Add informative detail about whether the hunt was over bait, along deer trails or near scrapes and rubs. Add information about any grunting bucks heard (seen), if they approached your area or not, and note the time of day of such activity. If it is raining or snowing, cloudy or bright, add this as well.

Note the approximate height the treestand was above the ground, and what kind of a tree the stand hung from. Were the deer calm or spooky?

If a shot is taken, explain the circumstances and the approximate distance to the animal. Give an overall view of the animal, what it was doing, etc., when a shot was taken.

A friend is pretty cryptic about what he writes down. It would read something like this.

“Farmer Jones’ back 40 in the crooked oak near the creek on northeast side in Roscommon County. Sunny, 40 degrees, 10 of November, with a five mph wind from southwest at 5 p.m.. Saw two baldies (adult does), twin button-buck & doe fawn. They approached from NE to within 25 yards. Hunting trail, & deer passed by heading cross-wind on different runway after passing treestand. Up 15 feet in pine. 8-point came walking from west heading east. First saw at 5:20 p.m., and deer walked within 15 yards, stopped to look at other deer and I shot. Deer ran 75 yards & died on creekbank edge. Hit low behind front shoulder.”

Now, imagine doing this every day you hunt or twice daily if you hunt morning and evening. Do this for several years, and if a hunter goes back and reads these diaries every year, sooner or later some patterns will form and hunters will find the same events and conditions happening again. It is then simple to recall what worked three years ago in Farmer Jones’ pine tree, and it might work once again.

I just never write things like this down. It gets stored somewhere in a corner of my brain, and when all things are working well, I will recall similar circumstances in the same stand. It gives me a pretty good idea of what I might expect again.

Of course, whitetails don’t read these diaries. They react out of instinct, and rely on outside stimuli to frighten them. If this stimuli (smelling or hearing a hunter or seeing one move) occurs, the deer’s reaction will be to run off. No stimuli, and the animals will probably act as they did on other similar occasions.

Is this work? Of course, but can it help? Right, again. It becomes a part of patterning deer, and if it is done ptoprtly, shooting a nice buck can be pretty easy. Make one mistake, though, and all bets are off.—The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, January 20, 2006

The Bucks Are Still Holding Their Antlers

Antlered bucks in late January seem to surprise many hunters who visit the ranch to hunt for the first time. They are accustomed to many deer on the outside, and around the state, that drop their antlers in early December.

We’ve had some bucks hold their antlers into March although that is most unusual elsewhere. Part of the reason it happens here is due to good genetics, a stable herd size and an abundance of good food.

A hunter who came to visit, to buy a new bow and to hunt yesterday shot a handsome 8-point buck last night, and he was tickled to see a buck still carrying his headgear. The antlers were still solid on the head, and showed no signs of loosening their grip.

Now today we’re trying to get another hunter into a nice buck. Bright sunny weather after last night’s snow storm swept through and it dumped up to eight inches of ice in some areas.

Late-season hunting on my enclosure is not much different than hunting here in November and early December. It’s not uncommon to see several nice antlered bucks in one night.

The one thing we must watch for when shooting does to thin down the herd is for antlerless bucks. Occasionally a buck that has dropped his antlers will be mistaken for a doe. We need to study the deer at great length to make certain the animal isn’t a buck that has shed its antlers.

A fresh snow is great for hunting on but bright sunny days sometimes produce good sightings of deer. However, it’s that period just before a winter storm that can get almost every deer on the ranch up and moving. Deer often move ahead of a storm to feed.

Deer, like birds to a bird feeder, can to some degree forecast an approaching storm. I know at my bird feeder, the chickadees swarm in to the feeder two or three hours before a storm arrives. They are stocking up on food to carry them through the storm.

We’ll be out tonight on stand, and the forecast is for some more light snow later in the evening. It may or may not arrive, but we still have to remove some antlerless deer to keep our herd at our desired management level.

What many don’t know about owners of private herds is that the heads of roughly 20 percent of the deer taken each year are collected by us and given to the DNR for testing. This is true with every enclosure in the state.

If we shoot 100 deer, including bucks, does and fawns, 20 of those heads will be retained by us to meet our quota. It will include the heads of bucks, does and fawns. The DNR wants a sampling of all three groups, and we often will shoot what I call a “scrub” buck, one that is mis-shapened or it’s obvious that it will never carry a decent rack.

We have very few spikehorns on my ranch. Most 1 1/2-year-old bucks will look young but can carry a decent first rack. At 2 1/2, the antler spread is greater, and may have eight or 10 points, but the mass isn’t there. The older the buck gets, up to a point, the greater the mass.

There is a number of things that can contribute to a big rack. Time is one of the most important. Age, good food, good genetics and a lack of stress from over-crowding is what allows bucks to grown huge racks.

We look for old bucks with short points, paddlehorns (bucks with flattened padding or webbing of antlers), and bucks that are not up to a standard that we want, and some of those are taken to fulfill our quota.

Managing a deer herd is not nearly as easy as one might think. We spend a great deal of time studying the deer in our herd, and those that look as if they may die during the winter are removed.

The ones that are taken by winter hunters are those bucks that have held their antlers. They often are the strongest animals. They are robust, and in their prime, and each one—whether an 8- 10- or 12-point—are trophy animals.—The Whitetail Wizard

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Tracking Snow: Take A Track & Follow It

Snow depths are minimal this year. Whitetails are moving freely throughout the Lower Peninsula and parts of the Upper Peninsula.

Many avid hunters want to learn more about deer. One idea comes to mind. It provides great exercise, and can teach a sportsman a thing or two about these animals.

Wait for a fresh snow, and go for a hike. There will be no particular destination in mind, but walk until you find one big track traveling alone. Chances are good it will be a buck, and he may be with or without antlers.

This is a form of hunting without carrying a bow or firearm. Get on that track and note any particular characteristic about it. One hoof may be oddly shaped, or one leg may drag a bit.

Stay on the track, and usually you will determine that the deer knows you are behind him within 30 minutes. You are not trying to stalk the deer; instead, you are trying to track that animal until you see it.

You’ll soon come to where the deer is bedded down, and keep to the trail but continue to look ahead and to both sides. Eventually the deer will circle to check you out.

The deer will mosey along until he hears, sees or smells you on the trail, and then will start to meander. Ofter the deer will take you through some rugged terrain before it begins to circle.

The circle is your first clue that the deer knows you are back there. They often circle back to a point where they can watch their backtrail. They want to know what is coming up behind them.

Sometimes the deer, if badly spooked, will light out of there on a hard run and cover a quarter-mile or more before slowing. That’s OK, just let him run and keep to the track.

Deer that are being followed will often join up with other deer, mix with them, follow many of the same runways or trails they use, and that is when tracking a deer becomes more difficult. It’s important to find a track that is noticeably different than the other deer.

The animal may try to fool you this way, and if this doesn’t shake you off the track, look for it to head for another area that holds many deer. Track the deer through that maze, and the animal will either get really spooked or develop a curiosity.

I should note that it isn’t wise to do this when deer are yarded up. Deer pinned in a cedar swamp do not need to be spooked. They often will be living off fat reserves, and even though the animals may run away, it may later lead to their death. Track deer when they can freely move.

A deer may move with the wind, across wind, or try to circle to get downwind of your location. A circling deer is trying to see or smell you, and that is when it pays to look all around.

Don’t hurry. A slow-moving sportsman will move the deer where it wants to go, and a spooked deer will lead you on a long chase. Often the deer will be spotted within a mile hike.

You may see it standing motionless in the tag alders ahead, crossing a snowy hill ahead, or heading into the next patch of thick cover. It’s not necessary to follow a deer to the point of exhaustion.

The trick is to watch what deer do when they know something is dogging their tracks. They are less frightened of a slow-moving person than one moving as fast as possible.

Watch and see how deer try to elude you. They will make sudden direction changes, stop, move on one side or the other, but often they will be back in thick cover. You may find yourself walking within 20 yards of a deer without seeing it.

This is great exercise, but even more important, it gives a hunter a greater insight into how deer think and why they do some of the things they do. And best of all, it is fun.—The Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Remembering Some Bucks That Got Away

Sometimes the bucks that get away, because of one reason or another, are remembered long after other bucks are forgotten.

A few such deer come to mind. There was that great huge buck that put the fatal hurt on two trophy bucks, and he’s the one animal that I don’t know whether I ever saw him or not. Each year two, three or four big bucks show up on my ranch that have never been seen before.

Another buck was probably a 12-pointer with massive beams, long points, wide inside spread, and somewhere close to 200 points.

One of my friends saw a different buck in November that he felt would score about 220, and he should know. He has shot some massive bucks, and this animal was one that I hadn’t seen in the past.

Spotting bucks is, to some degree, a matter of luck. A buck may stay in one spot regularly, and is as regular as a dish of prunes. However, many things can cause a buck to change his travel routes.

I’ve watched bucks put in a daily appearance for two weeks, and then on the 15th day they drop out of sight as if the ground swallowed them up. Patterning bucks is easy early in the season, but once the rut is underway, they become much more difficult to figure out. A doe may lead them on a merry chase, and it may be two or three days before that animal returns.

Some bucks, because they are so predictable, are easy to shoot. A big buck can be extremely easy to pattern and can be shot on the first day. Bucks that have been shot at, or spotted a human movement or winded a hunter in a particular spot, can be most difficult to hunt.

Shooting a big buck can be difficult. A friend of mine took a photo of a very nice 11-point buck, and his antlers seemed a bit offset. The rack was slightly higher on one side than the other, and he saw that buck on two occasions while hunting only 300 yards from my stand. I’ve yet to see that critter.

I walked in to one of my stands, and was skirting some tag alders, when a big buck stepped out 75 yards away. He was upwind, and hadn’t seen me, and began walking in my direction. I eased down to one knee, nocked an arrow, and watched him walk a direct line toward me.

He stopped at 45 yards, turned broadside and then put his tail toward me, and stood. He turned again to face me, started walking my way again, and at 25 yards he stepped into the tag alders and turned to go out the other side. He was a 150-class buck, and animals like him get my heart pumping.

The most fascinating thing about deer hunting, and going after big bucks, is that some animals are easy and others are most difficult. Some big-racked bucks seem to possess a high degree of suspicion that keeps them out of harm’s way. They always seem to stand the wrong way for a high-percentage bow shot.

Others always seem to stop with their vitals behind some brush. Some, like the buck noted above, seem to come directly at a hunter only to turn at the last moment. Often, they don’t know the hunter is there; they just seem to travel widely and trust to their instincts.

Other bucks, and this happened to me once this past year, just seem to avoid any and all treestands or ground blinds, and they often seem to build in a buffer zone of 75 yards between them and a bow stand. They have moved a quarter-mile across a field, and headed straight to me, and about 75-80 yards away, they turn and veer away from my stand.

It’s not because they see or smell me. It’s just a built-in warning system that some animals have developed.

It’s why I find this so exciting. Each and every buck is just a little bit different than the one before. For me, not knowing what a buck will do excites me. When they turn, and come within bow range, I’m happy.

I’m also happy when they turn 70 yards away, for whatever unknown reason, and move away. Trying to figure them out is difficult, and that is what makes big-buck hunting so exciting.—The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Off-Season Training Techniques

This time of year is one when very few bowhunters or target archers practice unless they shoot in a league. Many people stow their bows, kick back, and watch the Super Bowl or sleep robbers on television.

The football game is great to watch, but old reruns or out-of-touch movies are a bore. Game shows are even worse, but don’t get me started on that.

Training with a hunting or target bow is relatively easy in the off-season even if we don’t have access to a target. There are targets everywhere in the house, attic, basement or garage as long as you don’t shoot an arrow.

Anyone who has shot for many years needs the conditioning that comes from drawing a bow and aiming. The shots, when an arrow is loosed at a proper target, can usually take care of themselves if everything else is done properly.

I was talking to a guy recently, and he had picked his bow up for the first time since he stopped hunting in December. He doesn’t have a place to shoot, and he wondered if I had any ideas.

One is to simply draw the bow and aim at the knob on top that holds the lampshade to the lamp. Ease back, aim at the knob, and let up. Walk through the house, and draw down on other targets.

The top of a coffee pot makes an excellent target. You know that bowl of fruit on the table? Aim at the top apple or orange. Stop, come to full draw and put the sight on a particular piece of fruit.

This does two things: It helps keep back and shoulder muscles tuned up, and it gives you many opportunities to draw on targets of opportunity. Pick out one flower in a vase filled with flowers and aim.

The doorknob going outside is another key target. Pick out objects about the size of a deer’s heart and lung area. Don’t aim at the refrigerator or stove, but aim at the name plate on the fridge or the electric clock on the stove. Be precise about where to aim, and concentrate on that one specific area.

If you have one of those chandeliers with many lights on it, draw and aim at each light bulb on it. This is usually easier to do if the light is turned off.

See that sock laying on the floor? Aim as if you are going to shoot it. Ease up, pick up the sock and stow it in the clothes hamper, and just because it is there, draw and aim at the dials on the washer and dryer.

Put on your hunting clothes, and head for the garage. It’s good practice to draw while wearing extra clothing because it simulates actual hunting conditions. Find a gallon jug of windshield washer fluid, and practice drawing and aiming at the jug label.

Set up, draw and aim at the side-view mirror. Do it just right, and you’ll see someone aiming at you. It’s just your reflection, but the target size is just right to simulate a deer’s vitals.

Don’t just aim at a mirror or whatever; pick a spot in the middle or at one end of these imaginary targets. This helps train body, brain, and eyes to zero in on the precise point where a killing shot is possible.

Many people have enough room in a basement to shoot at a Block target or some other type. Even if you can only shoot 10 yards, do it as often as possible.

The best bow hunters and target archers I know try to practice a little bit each day. It keeps their muscles toned up, and enables them to shoot under realistic conditions.

If you can’t shoot, practice drawing and aiming at household items of about the same size as a deer’s vitals. Come next fall when the bow season is underway, all this practice of drawing and aiming will have proved itself worthwhile.—The Whitetail Wizard