Whitetail Wizard

The winter snow and rain, and then the steady pounding of heavy rain drops onto the mounds of snow, turned most of my roads into a quagmire. My land seems to hold water like a sponge, and once it gets waterlogged, it takes some time to dry out.

Fortunately, the last few days have been fairly windy, and a steady breeze wicks moisture out of the ground and helps in the drying process. It’s not too bad right now on most of the ranch roads, but there are spots where deep ruts have formed when we tried to feed the deer, and some of these spots will take a great deal of work to level and smooth out.

I went out today, jumped into the saddle of my dozer, and I was a happy man. There has always been a certain something soothing and satisfying about grading the roads, filling in potholes, and smoothing out rutted trails, that make me feel good.

They say the only difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toy. My toys are not cheap to own or to repair, and once certain things like a bulldozer, road grader or tractor starts going bad, they become mighty expensive toys.

Nonetheless, when it comes to smoothing out old mud holes, filling in spots where creek water overflowed the road and tried to cut a new channel, fixing the problem takes time. It seems I crawl into my dozer, and shortly it’s time for lunch. I go back out, hit another lick on the roads, and before I know it the day is gone.

It does give me a chance to look at deer and turkeys while I work on the roads. The deer seem to be doing well, and the antlers are starting to grow fast on the bucks. The does all look really heavy with fawns, and we still have a good bit of time before all the does start dropping their fawns.

It appears that this year the corn prices will be high again, and I may have to plant twice as much corn of my own as I have in the past. There seems to be a direct correlation between corn prices and gas prices. As the ethanol program begins to grow, corn prices will continue to shoot ever higher.

There are nearly six miles of ranch roads to maintain, and the best I can hope for is to get as many smoothed out and packed down hard before the heavy spring rains fall. There was heavy rain predicted today but it didn’t materialize. A few spotty sprinkles, and the rain was over.

I’d be pleasantly surprised and very happy to see all the rain hold off until all the roads have been smoothed out. If the wind continues to blow, and the roads continue to dry, another week would let me get much of what I want to do, done.

Over our 90-day yearly deer season there are many thoughts that bounce around my head. We often sit motionless, watching an active deer trail for two or three hours at a time, and it’s impossible not to think about things other than deer hunting.

We often worry and mutter under our breath about the wind. All too often it blows from an easterly direction, and that makes things very difficult for hunters.

Choosing a ground blind or tree stand is paramount to success, but often a wind change can ruin our chances. We must learn to cope with that dreaded deer lull that lasts for about two weeks in late October as deer shift from their normal summer travel mode to preparing for the rut.

Rain seldom bothers me, but I much prefer hunting in snow than rain. It seems the white stuff often prods whitetails into movement, while rain just makes the deer hunker down and not move.

There are places on my ranch where I prefer to hunt, and there are no locations where I prefer not to hunt. For me, hunting is hunting, regardless of where I sit. However, having said that, I’m known to have last-minute hunches and change my mind frequently when something triggers an instinct to hunt elsewhere.

You see, I’ve hunted this ranch for well over 40 years and have seen wind changes and other natural phenomenon cause deer to change their travel patterns, often on a moment’s notice. They change, and so do I.

Sometimes these changes of scenery are caused by spotting a buck moving down a trail he had never used before. Sometimes a buck enters a feeding field via a corner, and that translates out to a move for me.

As important as my personal hunting may be, it still makes me feel good when I choose a hot spot for a hunter client or friend, and they score on a nice buck. Watching them realize the keen realization of a successful deer hunt is important to me.

Working together is something we do. Often, I’ll place people in a specific areas because I need to know what deer are moving through. I need to know what trails the deer are using, and what type of buck may be working that particular location.

Each person reports in, and after listening to what each one has to say, they leave me with solid data that can be used at some future date. Many never realize just how helpful some of these buck sightings and mentions can be to me.

We enjoy having hunters who work for the common good of all hunters. We occasionally have someone who complains or wishes not to share their information with others. As a rule we know where the deer will move, but the big question is whether the trophy buck will move to them or not. That is where daily reports become necessary.

This spirit of cooperation is important. All of us who regularly hunt the ranch knows that bow hunting for big bucks is a wonderful hunting experience. Sometimes it pays off with a big rack, sometimes a lengthy but out-of-range sighting, and there are times when the hunter and deer fail to come together during daylight hours. It happens.

I do have some favorite spots where I love to hunt, and they keep dragging me back to them. They can pay off or they can be a bust on any night, but that’s why they call it hunting.

For me, being in a ground blind, an elevated coop or a tree stand means one more opportunity to hunt. It isn’t necessary for me to kill a big buck, but it is meaningful for me to do everything within my power to make that opportunity come true.

My choice of hunting in the open, the edge of a feeding field, or deep in heavy cover where a hunter must be ready for a shot at any moment, is part of the hunting challenge.

There is that little factor of the unknown that visits all of us at one time or another. We never know for certain when a big buck will provide a shot, and that helps build anticipation.

The same thing is true with whitetail bucks. In late October and into November, the best spot to find bucks is wherever the does congregate to bed or feed.

This may seem oversimplified, but it doesn’t miss the mark by much. Does and bucks during the rut are like ham and eggs anytime. Fine one and you’ll find the other.

One day last year in late October, a jittery doe came by. She would start moving, stop, move around, but she didn’t seem to want to move very far.

She undoubtedly was in estrus, and a buck was on her trail. Her movements, and a straying from her normal behavior, led me to believe a buck would be along soon.

Her sides were going in and out like a bellows blowing air on a hot fire, and sure enough, here came the buck. He was ready to breed her but the poor gal wasn’t quite ready for any such action just yet.

I sat in a stage of relaxed attention, studying the nearby travel routes, and waiting for a buck I knew would soon show up. It couldn’t have been any clearer if the doe had been painted with red letters on her forehead stating: “I’m not quite ready but will soon be in the mood. Come to me.”

This can be one of the best times of all. The doe was within 20 yards of my elevated stand, and my bow was ready. This doe, just by her actions, had pinpointed his position. Now it was just a matter of the buck moving to the doe.

She was staring into heavy alders, and the buck was impossible to see but she knew he was there. And that was the most important knowledge for me.

She seemed in constant motion. The doe would move around, stop, switch her tail back and forth as her ears twitched, picking up the sounds of the nearby buck.

She eventually turned to study the nearby brush. Satisfied, she turned her back end to where the buck was, turned her head to look back at him, and gave one of those sultry looks estrus does give to a tending buck.

It was 30 minutes to the end of shooting time when she moved toward where the unseen buck stood, and then ran 20 yards and stopped. She looked back to where the buck still stay hidden, and she would flaunt herself again.

It was apparent she was almost ready to stand for the buck, but it seemed he wanted to be teased some more. I kept watching her nose and ears, and knew she was looking at him through the brush. She was a big flirt.

Eventually, my binoculars picked apart the alder branches to reveal a bit of antler mass. The buck wasn’t moving, and stood 15 feet inside the thicket.

He ears pivoted forward, and her head shifted sideways, and I soon found where the buck had gone. He had changed spots, hoping the doe would come to him. It wasn’t working that way for this cowboy.

The buck grunted softly, a tending grunt, and she moved off 20 yards and stopped. She urinated in that spot, and when I heard another tending grunt, the buck stepped out and watched her disappear to the west. He knew he would soon chase her down, and this time she would stand for him.

Out he came, his head held high, nostrils flaring, and another low tending grunt was heard. He walked slowly to that spot where she had stopped to urinate, and he walked around the spot, sniffing the wet ground.

I waited until he was quartering-away, and as he lowered his head to sniff the ground, I came to full draw, touched the trigger of my release, and sent the arrow through his heart.

Does during the pre-rut, rut and post-rut can and will send messages to the buck. They also are giving the hunter the same game plan, and what the sportsman does with this information may determine his or her success.

A study of a doe’s actions will tell you where the buck is. Sometimes the game plan is adjusted slightly, and the buck passes behind us or well to one side, and no shots are taken.

There are enough times, if the hunter is paying close attention, they will know when the buck makes his move. That is when we must make our move.

Every year a big racked-buck steps of heavy cover, crosses in front of a hunter, and the hunter may shoot and miss.

The sight of a big (or a small buck) can send some folks into a flustered state. They lock up, can’t seem to function, and the moment for shooting is forever lost.

Think this will never happen to you? Don’t be too certain about it. It occurs with me, but over the years I’ve learned how to best cope with it without it becoming a major problem.

Here are a number of tricks to remember ... and to practice.

*Never think about the antlers. Forget about the antler spread, number of points or the thick beams. Once it is noted that the animal is a buck, and you approve of taking the animal, forget about the rack. Don’t even bother looking at it again.

*Zero automatically on the heart lung area, check the distance to determine if it is within your comfort range for accurate arrow placement, and touch the release trigger. If you shoot with fingers, make a smooth release, and follow through by not dropping your bow hand.

*Hunt where there are plenty of deer. Checking out deer—both bucks and does—at close range helps hunters overcome the anxiety they feel when they are close enough to a deer to kill the animal with a bow.

*Part of the pre-shoot anxiety comes from not knowing when or how to draw on a deer. Once committed to the draw, make it smooth and easy, and hopefully when the deer of choice and other nearby deer are not looking. Draw down on every deer within bow range. Sooner or later the bow hunter will stop spooking deer. It is good practice to try drawing on deer.

*Wait for the deer to lower its head to feed. Use natural sounds to mask any possible noise you’ll make while drawing. Watch the heads of all nearby deer, and draw when none are looking in your direction.

*Make certain your bow is silent and makes no noise when the arrow is drawn back across the arrow rest. The bow should not squeak or make a sound.

The more a hunter practices drawing on deer, the easier drawing successfully will become. There comes a point when you know you have the draw and the proper timing to draw down pat. It will have a calming effect on the hunter.

*Hunting is a state of mind, and the mental aspects are what get people jumpy. It’s important to draw enough on deer to learn when and how to do it, and it’s obvious that keen accuracy is part of the solution. If the hunter isn’t exactly positive of where the arrow will go when released, it creates a thought of possible error. Each hunter must remove as many of those possible errors as possible.

*Study deer. Know what they will do and when they will do it. The more the hunter knows about whitetail deer habits, the more they will learn what it takes to remove the anxiety from their life as a nice buck approaches.

*Learn to harness your energy into a positive way. Take a deep breath, let it out, and calm yourself so your are not hyperventilating. Think calm and peaceful thoughts.

*Never think about failing, but instead, think positively. Know when to draw, aim and shoot, and don’t allow yourself to become distracted by other thoughts. Focus your entire being on the animal in front, determine precisely how the animal must be standing, and know when to draw and shoot.

*This is not rocket science. It just requires a calm and collected thought process, being confident in your ability to shoot accurately, knowing when to shoot, and keeping your nerves collected so you don’t get the shakes.

*Only time and being around deer, and practicing on drawing for a shot at a deer, can get this monkey off your back. Practice these thoughts, and get ready for the fall bow season.

A word of caution: this time period when deer begin feeding near the edge of roadways is one of danger. Deer, after being confined in many cases to a small deer yard, suddenly find themselves freed of winter’s shackle.

They feed near roadways, and can suddenly get frightened, and jump in front of an 18-wheeler, a car or pickup truck. It does little damage to the big trucks, but a car or pickup will be involved in a costly accident.

Last week my wife and I went downstate for a quick trip. We counted between 45 and 50 deer on one side of the road on the way down, and a similar number on the opposite side on the way home. Somewhere between 90 and 100 dead deer were seen along M-66, M-115, US-10 and I-75.

Any state highway will see its share of car-deer crashes. However, most of the accidents are found along highways near Grand Rapids in Kent County. Draw a line from Grand Rapids east through Lansing to Flint and then to Port Huron, and south of that line the chances of hitting a deer is much higher than north of that line.

There is very little magic when vehicle and deer meet at any speed. I know several people who have hit and killed many deer and ruined many vehicles. It happens because they spend little time being alert and looking for animals.

We hardly ever see deer along the state highways in the winter. The spring seems to be a battleground between them and motor-driven vehicles, and the results are not pretty.

Having said that, a word to the wise should be sufficient. Slow down, take it easy, and watch the road-sides for any sign of deer. Blowing your horn at them may only startle the deer, and that can be dangerous to them and you.

Instead of thinking too long and hard on the car-deer problem, I much prefer watching the magic of growing antlers on our bucks. Once the antlers start growing, it’s possible to see change on a daily level.

That growth becomes even more awe-inspiring when we study a big buck with some major antler growth. The antlers start up, and begin to grow out and around while what will soon be antler tines continue to grow straight up.

There are exceptions to many rules with nontypical antler growth. There really isn’t any way to predict which direction that growth will take. The antlers can develop in many directions, and extra kicker and sticker points can grow in almost any direction.

Our ranch has produced three three-beam bucks in three years, and we assume that there may still be a big three-beamer somewhere on the ranch. Or, there may be a doe with a tendency to throw male fawns with a trait to grow such antlers.

We get our share of bucks with drop-points, and although these downward pointing tines may not be massive, there is always a chance to see a buck with good drop-points on each side. Double brow points are quite common with some bucks.

Some of our bucks carry one- or two-inch points near the top of the tines, and they always are attractive looking deer. I’ve never seen bucks with both antlers covered with acorn-shaped growths. We do have a few bucks that will feature one or two such acorn-shaped growths on one or two points.

Years ago, before the farmland was enclosed, we used to have many bucks with a certain degree of palmation on their antlers. Some would be grow into a shape that we always called “paddlehorns.” We rarely see these bucks anymore but they were quite common 30 years ago.

One of our management policies on the ranch is we seldom shoot 1 1/2-year-old bucks. We want to see what potential they may have. We’ve learned that only time, plus good genetics, nutritious food and a lack of stress, is what allows bucks to grow magnificent antlers.

Folks, that is a tough shot. It offers hunters a major chance to make a very poor hit, and recovering a wounded animal can be difficult if not impossible.

Shooting straight down from an elevated position is a great way to miss, and the higher up in a tree the hunter stands (or sits), the easier it becomes to make a bad mistake.

A miss thoroughly spooks the deer, and the result is that many deer will avoid the area for the rest of the season. A wounded and not recovered animal is a terrible waste.

The higher the hunter climbs, and some tell me of hunting from 35-40 feet, the more acute the angle becomes. Most shots often fly over the deer because the hunter shoots high.

The hunter who shoots with a steep downward angle and bends only from the shoulders will probably make a bad hit or miss the animal completely. The hunter may be shooting at an animal that appears to be only two inches wide, and there is a great margin for error on such shots.

The hunter who concentrates on achieving a firm anchor point, maintains that hold while bending from the waist, will probably kill the deer. Whenever the anchor point change during a steep downward angle, the odds of missing are very high.

This is a shot that requires a great deal of practice. It comes easy for some bow hunters but seems uncomfortable or very awkward for others. It’s easier to stand upright, bend a bit at the shoulder, but such shots usually go high and the shot misses the deer completely.

Many hunters ask: is there a better way to shoot deer? Not really, especially if the hunter is high in a tree. Shooting that same buck from ground level would be much easier, but many sportsmen never have that option.

My son and I used to practice often. One of us would stay on the ground while the other shot as the deer target was moved to various distances from the tree. Once the first hunter was satisfied, we would switch positions and the other would shoot. Do this often, at various distances and within your effective shooting range, and making a shot from an elevated stand will become second nature.

Many sportsmen shoot while sitting, and this means they must clear their legs out of the way for a smooth draw and an easy release. Sitting down and drawing on a deer well below you eliminates some of the exaggerated angle that exists for a standing shooter.

There is another reason why hunters miss these steep downward shots. They are standing, leaning out against the tension of a full body harness, and whether they choose to admit it or not, they fear falling. Some will and some won’t admit it, but that fear is still there, even with a harness.

The body will automatically try to correct the balance of the hunter when such shots are taken, and a tiny twitch when the arrow is released is enough to throw the arrow high, wide or both.

If you choose to hunt from a height of over 15 feet off the ground, it pays to practice this downward shot. It is not an easy position to shoot from, and the closer the deer is to the tree, the steeper the angle becomes. A hunter last year made a straight-down shot on a buck, and the Carbon Express arrow went through the spine, exited through the breast bone, and the deer died under his tree.

If a hunter shoots my red-dot sight, when they bend from the waist, and the red-dot is perfectly centered in the scope, that arrow will be on target. It can be difficult attaining a center-of-scope red-dot unless the hunter does bend from the waist. I come to full draw, keep the dot centered in the scope, maintain my anchor point and bend from the waist. The result is the arrow hits the deer in the vitals.

Such straight-down shots are rarely taken, and shooting down at a steep angle will cause the arrow to shoot high unless the red-dot is perfectly centered in the scope and the hunter maintains his normal anchor point.

Perhaps I’d spot a gobbler or two. Maybe I’d find one or two shed antlers, and perhaps I’d catch a glimpse of a whitetail moving off through heavy cover.

The does look heavy with fawn, and some of the bucks are starting to sprout their new antlers. They seem very cautious when going through the tag alders to avoid bumping the soft and blood-engorged velvet on their antlers.

The ground is still soaked with water but almost all of the snow is gone. A faint breeze was blowing, and I was hoping for a little stronger breeze to wick away some of the moisture in the ground.

I spotted two or three leeks trying to poke the green heads up out of the soil.  Anyone who likes French onion soup should watch the leeks. When these wild onions get to be about six inches long, pull them, take them home, clean them and place the chopped pieces in some water.

Set them to boil. Leek soup is absolutely delicious, but it is a bit stronger than regular onion soup. Newly sprouted leeks make far better soup than two-week-old wild onions.

The sandhill cranes have returned to the north country, and their groaning, croaking noise is easily heard as they pass overhead. They look like motionless sentries in an open field, and will let humans get just so close before flying off.

They are ungainly looking birds, and the noise they make could raise the dead, but they are a true harbinger of spring.

Shed hunting can be productive, and a few friends that enjoy this aspect of deer hunting came today to look. They went out, and we had to leave for an appointment, but I’m certain they found some sheds that we’ve missed the past few days.

Now is a good time to locate deer runways, particularly those used during the December season. The trails still show up well, and from everything I’ve seen over the past week, my deer herd is doing well.

We did find a couple of dead deer two weeks ago, and it was difficult to tell if they succumbed to death by natural causes or some coyotes pulled them down. One was a nice 10-point with a gorgeous rack.

My thought is he was one of the steady breeders, and got so weakened by the rut that he was not capable of recovering enough body weight to carry him through the winter.

We’ve seen plenty of cardinals in the pine thickets, and elsewhere there is an occasional grouse and rabbit. One of my buddies found a dead porcupine, but again, it was impossible to determine how or when the animal died. It was found some distance from any tree.

Today was a good day to be out walking. I enjoy seeing everything start to green up after the snow has melted, and although much of the fields and woods are still water-logged, some tiny bits of green are showing through.

Another week of warm weather, and everything will be turning green, and in some respects, this is a most beautiful time of year. Watching the rebirth of the land, and the movement of animals and birds, always make me realize there is much more to deer hunting than killing deer.

The thoughts of deer and turkeys being able to range across the ranch even though many locations are mud holes. With time, a good breeze and no rain, the ground will dry out and then they can be graded.

It’s about now when we begin making lists of things to do. Winters are always tough on equipment, hunting coops, elevated coops, and most of all, our roads.

There will be some changes this year. One thing is certain: we’ll have to plant more corn than ever before. My bills for corn to feed the deer have double from a year ago, and I believe they may double again this year.

The price of a ton of corn has become staggering. Some believe, as I do, that corn prices rise whenever gas prices go up. Some blame it on ethanol, and others feel there is a surplus of corn and the price shouldn’t be so high.

The bottom line is I’ve had to pay big money for many tons of corn to carry us through the past winter, and if those costs are indicative of rising prices, it becomes quite obvious that there is a major link between corn and oil prices.

If I could grow twice as much corn as last year, and get it all harvested before heavy fall rain or snow storms arrive, it would help. Corn has become very expensive, but buying commercial deer pellets is much more costly.

Someone asked me recently if raising deer is fun and a big money maker. There is no doubt that raising deer is fun, and it’s a thrill to watch some big bucks mature into an animal that is beautiful to look at.

The money-making part of the question is just as easily answered. No, raising deer is not a money maker. There are many enclosures in Michigan, and competition for business among ranchers is keen. Prices must be competitive, and if deer are sold too cheaply, the profit margin falls.

As food prices soar, it’s difficult to keep from having to raise the prices of deer to stay in business. Look at it from this angle: it takes 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years to raise a big buck with quality antlers. Each deer eats a bushel of browse daily, and it’s a good thing deer eat other things than just corn.

However, they do eat a lot of corn. Deer, like some people, are lazy and many will go where they have to expend the least amount of energy. That would be at a corn feeder. Many feed, walk 50 yards and bed down.

So much for my troubles. It looks as if we will survive the winter with minimum deer loss. We always lose a few deer to old age, injuries incurred while fighting a rival buck during the rut, and some just can’t handle bad weather. Fortunately, deer in the latter category are not common.

Most of our snow is gone with just a little bit lingering on the north side of hills and down in heavy cover where the sun doesn’t reach it. The temperature got up to over 60 degrees today, and we’re hoping for a week of dry and fairly windy weather to dry out the ranch roads.

We’ll soon see deer start to sprout their new antlers, and this is always an exciting time. We always wonder if some of the larger bucks will show up and produce an even larger rack than last year.

We also look for those bucks we’ve never seen before. I know of several bucks that were present last fall, and were not shot, and we hope to see them this year. Some of these animals are loners, and may be seen only once in a season.

Bucks that are purely nocturnal are seldom seen and even more infrequently, they almost never are shot. Occasionally we’ll find a big buck that died during the winter, and it had escaped our attention during several hunting seasons.

Today’s hunters are more sophisticated than every before. They read more, comprehend more, and depend on the written word to keep apace with the latest hunting methods.

They read to gain knowledge about hunting. Experience may still be the best teacher, but a well-written book offers bow hunters the means by which to learn more about their favorite pastime.

I’ve been in this deer hunting game for 60+ years. I began hunting deer with a bow when only a mere handful of state residents took stick and string into the woods with the hopes of shooting a whitetail.

Much has changed over the years. The technology has become much more advanced, and although over this span I have shot deer with a compound, long bow and recurve, the newest technology has made all three types of bows better.

There are more deer now than back when I started hunting, and there certainly are more people afield using bows than ever before. Those people new to bow hunting are almost begging for solid how-to information.

Which brings me to the purpose of tonight’s blog, I am working on an autobiographical book about my life as a bow hunter and bow manufacturer. It will be filled with a wealth of detailed techniques that have proved themselves over many years.

The book is not being written to sell my C.P. Oneida Eagle bows although if it makes someone want to buy one, I’ll be there to sell it to them. Instead, this book will represent my 60+ years of bow hunting experience.

Readers will learn some of the early mistakes I made, discover many of my tricks, and realize that the nickname Outdoor Life magazine put on me years ago, was both complimentary and accurate. They called me “The Whitetail Wizard,” and the nickname has stuck.

Deer are not necessarily difficult to hunt, but scoring on a big buck can be very difficult. Almost anyone can shoot a buck of 1 1/2 years, but add another three or four more years to that deer’s age, and skill becomes far more important than luck.

Writing of the book is underway as this is being written, and it will be illustrated with black-white and color photos. The estimated date of publication, barring unforeseen problems, would be early September.

The cost? We don’t know yet. It’s a bit too early to determine the printing date, but my plan is to have the book printed and available before the bow season opens. The price will be in the price range of other deer titles.

We are not quite there yet, but sometime within the next two months, we will offer a pre-publication price for the book. It’s a simple procedure. We will establish a price for the book, and for shipping, and it will represent a savings for the buyer. We will offer the book at a reduced price of about 20 percent from the list price plus shipping, and those who pre-order the book will receive the first copies after publication.

Our intent is not to flood the market with cheaply produced books. These will be quality produced books printed by one of the finest book publishers in the country.

All we ask is that you think about this upcoming book. It will be one of the most informative books on deer hunting with a bow that has ever been published. All books will be signed, and shipped to those who pay the reduced up-front fee. They will get their books before the general public will get theirs.

Hopefully, within the next two months, we’ll be able to offer more details about the book and be able to establish the retail price and the pre-publication price.

It’s not always this way, and it could certainly change in a matter of days, if last weekend’s six-inch snowfall means anything. By now, most deer are stretched pretty lean and it doesn’t take much to tip them over the edge into starvation.

However, for as freaky as the weather has been this winter, it wasn’t all that bad. The same cannot be said for some deer herds in the Upper Peninsula where heavy snows doomed many animals to an early death.

When grub gets low, and deer are living off fat reserves and bone marrow, the chance of survival for many deer can be mighty slim. Deer need a bushel of browse daily, and when snow depths prevent any movement and deer are confined to deer yards with minimum food, the toll can be heavy.

The fawns and older bucks often die first. Does, even though pregnant, can usually survive. Bucks, especially adult animals, often succumb when they can’t replace the weight they lost during the rut. A rutting buck can lose 30 percent, or more, of their body fat and it is difficult to recover when the winds of winter blow cold and snowy.

The recent rain and warmer weather has cut snow depths in the Lower Peninsula. Whitetails appear to be moving easily, and I saw a couple of animals in my back yard last week. They were moving around, and after they walked off, I checked the snow depth at less than six inches.

It’s when the snow gets belly deep, and a crust of ice forms on the surface, when deer die. They cut their legs striving to move through the ice-covered snow, and become easy prey for free-roaming dogs and coyotes. Wolves can take a deadly toll on Upper Peninsula deer.

Are there wolves in the northern Lower Peninsula. Depends on who we talk to, but it’s thought that at least two or three wolves may be living south of the Mackinaw Bridge. One was trapped in Presque Isle County two or three years ago, and another animal was supposedly shot. Still others claim to have seen tracks in the snow or seen the animals running down Lake Michigan beaches.

A old neighbor who had seen the deer numbers at their low and high points was quick to offer some sound advice. My major problem was I would seldom pay any attention to him.

To keep moving was to keep hunting. To sit still with my bow and wait for a buck to head my way was not only difficult but it seemed impossible for a teen-age kid.

I’d heard of Fred Bear, Nels Grumley, Howard Hill, Saxton Pope and many others, but the old gent who tried to get me to slow down, and to stop, and to sit in a key location, knew what he was talking about.

I was young, and wanted to keep moving, figuring that I would spot a buck while sneaking from tree to tree like a Native American on the hunt.

This moving about business finally reached a climax one day while bow hunting. I had stopped for a breather, and to look around, when a nice 8-pointer was spotted moving slowly down a trail 150 yards away but heading my way.

If he stayed his course, and didn’t pick up my scent, he would walk very close to me. He would be within 15 yards, and I knew then that moving now would probably send the deer running wildly into the next county.

The buck wasn’t moving fast, and the tree where I had stopped, would allow me a chance to draw while the buck’s head was behind the tree. It seemed like the best possible plan, and the wind was blowing from the buck to me.

I kneeled down, and began to wait. The desire to raise up and take a look was almost over-powering, but I fought down the urge. Everything the old-timer had told me was coming back. Some part of my brain told me to remain still.

Long minutes passed, and without raising up to look around, I had no way of knowing whether the buck had taken a different trail or was still moving slowly in my direction. I decided to sit and wait, and see what developed.

Thirty minutes had passed, my leg was going to sleep because I was kneeling part-way behind a tree that would allow me to draw, aim and quickly shoot with my recurve if the buck should put in an appearance.

The deadness in my leg was becoming unbearable when I heard the tiny snap of a dry twig. Was it the buck? Was it another deer or a human? I was working on the basic assumption that it was the buck, and slowly wrapped my fingers around the bow string in anticipating of a shot.

One little peek-hole in some nearby bushes offered me a brief glimpse of deer hair moving behind it. It was a deer, and suddenly, my deadened left leg quit bothering me, and I made a conscious effort to remain motionless and silent.

I knew that when the deer cleared that bush it would be in the open, but would have to take several steps before I could draw and shoot. I was on the opposite side of the tree that I was crouching behind, and would have to wait.

Patience, as a teen-ager, wasn’t my long suit but I surmised that if I exercised more patience right now, there would be a close shot at a nice buck. My heart was pounding, and my mouth was sucking in tiny gasps of air as my hands sweated.

Then the buck stepped halfway out past the bush. He still had to take several more steps before I could shoot, and then I began worrying if he would spot me as I drew my bow.

The buck took two steps, paused, looked around, and then took three more steps and stopped. He seemed as big as a horse to me, and the basket-rack 8-pointer looked as if his antlers were as large as an elk.

I sucked in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and the buck turned and looked in the opposite direction. I raised the bow, came to full draw, and shooting instinctively, my target was the heart-lung area low behind the front shoulder.

There is no memory of deliberately releasing the arrow, but the wood shaft and broadhead flew straight and true, and disappeared into the buck’s chest. It wheeled, stumbled and raced back the way it had come.

A hunter’s first buck is a magical thing. This deer came about because I had remember the wisdom of my elderly neighbor. I had slowed down, stopped, and whether by accident or good luck, I was in the right place at the right time.

It states that for every action, there is an opposite reaction. We’ve all heard this before, and it applies in many and varied ways while deer hunting.

Take an ill-advised shot at a buck or doe and miss, and the action of shooting causes an opposing reaction. The deer runs off, alarmed but unharmed.

This action-reaction plays out on a daily basis in the deer woods. Set up in the wrong place, place yourself upwind of the deer, and once they catch your scent, off they go without a bow-shot being taken.

The same action-reaction could be called cause-and-effect. Your ill-advised hunting actions cause you to take a shot and miss, and the deer runs off, allowing for an escape.

Many bow hunters fail to heed the good advice of credible hunters. They seem to think they are invisible because they are dressed in camo. Well-worn camo can be ruined by wearing clothing washed in detergent with whitening agents. The deer spook from whitened clothing that doesn’t look natural.

Thousands of hunters believe they are quiet and motionless. They should have a buddy sit 50 yards away with a video camera to tape all the movements that are made.

We’ve all seen television hunting shows where the cameraman tapes the host pointing and loudly whispering “there is a buck.” These are called “cutaways,” and are usually taken long after the buck has walked into range and caught an arrow through the heart and lungs.

Hunters who try such nonsense merely are seen, heard or both by the deer, and the animals run off snorting. Cause and effect or action and reaction.

Television hunting shows are expensive to produce, and the competition for advertising dollars is fierce as people graduate from fishing shows to hunting shows. If they make noise at the wrong time, and the buck vamooses, the chance of getting future advertising dollars from that company are down the tube. Again, a classic case of action and reaction.

Most things we do while bow hunting involves action and reaction. Forget to use a safety harness while leaning out to shoot at a buck, and go tumbling out of a stand, and you’ll soon be on the receiving end of an object lesson about action and reaction. Live through the fall, and the hunter will have ample time to reflect on cause and effect.

Forget to check tree stands or permanent elevated stands on a regular basis, and if an accident should happen, the hunter who lives through the fall may reflect on their sanity.

Bow hunters are well advised to consider cause and effect, action and reaction, every time they go hunting. For every possible action, there is a possible reaction, and they may be damaging to your body or harmful to your hunting efforts.

Hang stands early. Insure that everything is safe. Wear a safety harness. Learn how to sit still and don’t make noise. There are countless things to think about, but consider every action in advance and think about the possible reactions.

Deer live in the fields, swamps and woods. We live there a few hours a day or a week. Give deer credit for being instinctive, savvy and alert to changes within their home range.

One way to consider your actions while deer hunting is to consider your bed. If the head of your bed faces west, and you prepare to retire for the night and find the head of your bed facing east, you will notice it. Deer always notice changes in their world.

Consider every change made while hunting, and give serious consideration to the reactions. This is such a basic concept that any bow hunter should be aware of it.

Just remember: for ever action, there is an opposite reaction. Anything you do can and will backfire if you don’t think the problem through long before committing to it.

Six inches of white stuff covered the ground, and my ranch roads are nearly impassible as it it. The temperature rose, more snow melted, and minute by minute the roads and trails got worse and worse.

It’s storms like this one that makes things difficult for deer. Fortunately, the wind wasn’t cold and the temperatures didn’t fall, and the deer dodged another wintry bullet.

I was out for a bit today, doing things on the ranch, and the rain began to fall. The made made short work of much of the snow, but it simply compounded the problems of the roads. More run-off from rain and melt snow will occur, and one or more of the roads could be flooded.

Had that rain and snow mix turned to ice, things could have been much different for the deer. Ice that covers everything and break tree limbs off, and could make for treacherous footing for the animals.

That is where the danger of late-winter comes enter the picture. The deer, stressed mildly by last night’s storm, could have been stressed even further by ice.

Deer hooves aren’t made for travel on ice, and I’ve found some decent bucks that have failed on ice. Often, hips are dislocated or the bones broken, and the animal can seldom recover and must be destroyed.

There are times when deer can break through shallow ice, and are unable to return to shore and safe footing. They can drown or die of exposure if the pond is shallow. They literally can freeze to death if unable to get out of the water.

Years ago I have several deer go through the ice. If they can be quickly removed from the water, the odds of survival are high. If they struggle hard, and cannot gain the shore, they won’t last long even in 35-40 degree weather.

My deer are fed well, but during times like this when the roads are nearly impassable, any deer that finds itself in trouble will probably not survive.

It’s my hope this lousy weather will blow on through and warm up. There is plenty of wind that could help dry out the roads, but until the melting snow and rain is gone, the chance of the roads being anything but mud-holes is slim.

So I spend some time worrying about the deer in such weather, and hope that everything dries out soon. It hasn’t been an unbearable winter, but the wet weather has made getting around very difficult.

Charlie shoots a different bow model, and Dave asked me to show him my C.P. Oneida Eagle Extreme bow. The bow, in my honest opinion, is the smoothest and easiest compound bow to draw and shoot.

He had never seen a red-dot sight, and I invited him to try the bow. It quickly became apparent that Charlie had a couple of bad habits that would make it impossible to shoot a red-dot sight with any degree of accuracy. We had to correct them.

“Stand up straight with your head up and left side pointing toward the target,” I told him. “Keep both eyes open, and concentrate on the target bulls-eye. Come to full draw without taking your eyes off where you want to hit, and when you reach your anchor point, the red-dot will be centered in the scope.”

He tried two or three times but couldn’t see the dot. I reassured him that the red-dot sight was on, but his head was tilted slightly. We corrected that, squared up his stance, and made him hold his head up with both eyes fixed on the target.

He tried again, and this time he could see the dot, but at release of the arrow, he slightly lowered the bow. I urged him to “follow through,” which meant he must hold the bow motionless until the arrow hit the target.

The next problem we had to correct was he would come to full draw but then lean his head back. It took several shots to correct that problem. The head must remain motionless and in the proper position.

It’s easier to teach a person who has never shot a bow how to shoot accurately,” I told him. “People who have been shooting for years often have acquired some bad habits that must be corrected.

“A red-dot sight is perfect for older hunters who have weaker vision. Charlie, your eyes are good and you could shoot this bow instinctively.”

We tried instinctive shooting, and within a dozen arrows and my instructions, Charlie was shooting a pretty tight group. Shooting instinctively is much like shooting a red-dot. Bring the bow up without moving your head from its heads-up position, and once the dot hits the bulls-eye, make your release.

“It’s important to develop good shooting habits,” I told him. “Once you have the habits corrected, shooting a red-dot sight will make you much more accurate. The red dot does not shine a light on the target. The light is internal, and only the shooter sees it. A perfectly tuned bow, teamed with the proper mechanics of shooting a bow, and a sighted-in red-dot site, means consistently accurate groups.”

It took another 15 minutes to correct another of Charlie’s problems, and then we began to fine-tune his shooting ability. I showed him some tricks about holding the bow, and taught him how a tight grip could cause him to torque the bow.

We discussed the finer points of drawing a bow. You push with the left hand and pull the bow string back with the right hand holding a release. This produces a smooth draw that is perfect because it doesn’t cause the arrow to jump off the Bo-Doodle arrow rest.

Next came some hints on how to hold the pistol-grip Gator Jaw release. The push-pull method of drawing a bow helps shooters avoid a herky-jerky draw that is easily spotted by nearby deer. He learned how to keep both eyes open and on the target, and just this one aspect of drawing a bow made his shots more accurate.

“There is much more to shooting accurately than I ever knew,” Charlie said. “I’ve learned more in 30 minutes of personal instruction than I had learned in years of shooting with all of my previous errors. I feel more confident coming back to full draw, aiming and shooting than ever before.”