Whitetail Wizard

Some does have already had their fawns but most will probably start fawning in the next few days. I keep seeing does wandering around in a circle, checking things out, and it’s very likely she will have her fawn very soon in that immediate area.

The bucks antlers seem to be growing as fast as the grass grows. There are a few bucks I’ve been seeing on a regular basis, and each new day of looking at them, there has been a noticeable change in their antlers.

They may be a little bit higher, the points may seem longer, and bases might seem a bit thicker, and the spread looks just a tiny bit wider. These changes do seem to occur daily, and at this point of the spring season, the antler growth seems to accelerate.

And it seems that we see more deer every day. We know the deer are here, but there are times when they seem to disappear and other days when there are deer everywhere we look.

We try to count when the deer are out feeding in the early evening, and it seems to give us the best opportunity to see the most deer. These numbers will fluctuate, but the dramatic change will come when most of the fawns are born. It’s then we start seeing many more deer than before.

The word is spreading about my upcoming book. I’ve had dozens of people come in to the shop, and chances are good that all the books will be sold by mail order.

The big decision is how to print this book. Will we go with a hardcover book, a softcover book or a hardcover limited edition. Our thought is there should be an excellent demand for the book, and my feeling is to produce it in a limited edition of 200 to 250 copies, all personally numbered and signed.

There would also be a less expensive paperback book that would probably not be signed. I don’t collect books myself although I do own some deer hunting titles, but having talked with many people including some collectors, they are advising me to tell people to buy the limited edition, seal it up, and put it away for safekeeping, and buy a paperback copy.

Read the paperback edition and refer often to it when trying to figure out what The Whitetail Wizard would do. The hardcover, numbered and signed books will be a collectors edition, and as such should increase in value.

Dave Richey (who has written two limited edition titles) tells me that people buy limited edition books for one (or more) of three reasons: they like the author and buy a book because they like his writing style; they buy the book because it is a limited edition book on a topic they enjoy reading about; or, they care nothing about the author or the topic, but buy limited edition books to hold on to for investment reasons. Makes sense to me.

Limited edition books, he tells me, can appreciate far more than many investments. A good book, low in number from a very low limited edition, can appreciate 10 percent or more in a year.

Most books do not appreciate that much, and some books do not appreciate at all, but books from a low-numbered printing offer good investment opportunities.

These are all theories at this point, and we will give people who read this blog fair warning on when we plan to sell the books. They will be sold by mail order, and we’ve yet to decide whether to offer a pre-publication price or wait until they are delivered from the printer before offering them for sale.

All of this will probably be decided by July 1 or before, and out of fairness to all, we’ll make the announcement on this blog. If you are interested in the book, it will pay to read the book every day.

Traditionally, it marks the approximate peak of the fawn drop on the ranch. Some years it’s a bit early and other times it can arrive later, but on average it’s when we start seeing newborn fawns.

It also marks the peak of the morel mushroom fruiting season. Come to think of it, it’s about the best time to catch bluegills on their spawning beds, and it’s a favorite time of year when bow hunters start chasing carp and other rough fish as they come inshore to spawn.

It’s a great time for me because I enjoy seeing the young fawns, standing on wobbly legs for the first time as they stare out at a brand-new world.

Fawns are constantly trying to nurse, and after some time, they are brushed away with the does’ leg and she walks off 10 feet or so and stands. The fawns, not steady on their pins, walk herky-jerky to their mother. It doesn’t seem like much but it builds a bond between doe and fawn, and when she moves, the fawns will follow.

However, if danger seems to threaten, they instinctively drop to the ground, remain motionless and their natural camouflage makes them very difficult to see. There isn’t much natural odor to a fawn, and if necessary the doe will run off in an effort to lead danger away from the fawns.

The fawns seem a bit shaky for a few days but soon they will be gamboling around like young children. It is a sight I enjoy watching.

Bow-fishing is a sport many hunters enjoy, and two C.P. Oneida Eagle bows—the Osprey and Talon—are made to order for this sport. Look for rough fish such as bowfin (dogfish), carp, gar, goldfish and suckers to move inshore to spawn in shallow water.

Bow are set up with a reel with 100 feet of heavy line wrapped around the bow-mounted reel, and a glass arrow with a special fish-holding head is attached.

There are any number of ways to hunt. Some enjoy wading through the shallows, spotting fish, and shooting at them. Bow-fishermen must remember to shoot below the fish to allow for refraction. This distortion of the water causes shots to go high. Hold underneath the fish and it will result in a killing shot.

Another way is to tow a small flat-bottom pram behind you, and wade the shallows. Shoot the carp, take them off the arrow, and put them in the pram. Some farmers will plow them under to be used as fertilizer, but there often are people nearby who wish to smoke the fish. Look around for someone who needs fish to smoke, and give them all the carp you get. The resource is not wasted this way.

Actually, bow-fishing when the shallows is swarming with carp wears me out. It’s legal to take these fish, but after a while, it begins to wear on me.

Develop some means of getting these dead fish ashore. Don’t shoot them and leave them in the water. Sooner or later they will wash up on shore and create a stinking mess.

Some bow-fishermen make a contest of it. They search for the biggest carp or goldfish or gar, and then they go looking for the smallest of these species to shoot. Some try for all the different species of rough fish available. Most times, it is limited to bowfin, carp, gar, goldfish and suckers, and quite often, suckers have already spawned and headed for deep water.

Much happens on and around Mothers Day, and it doesn’t all relate to Mom. Buy her a nice card, perhaps a bouquet, and a nice quiet dinner at a fine restaurant in the even.

The turkey season has slowed down the writing, and the more writing is done, the more I realize must be done. Is a book every truly complete?

I doubt it. My book, when completed to my satisfaction, will contain a vast store of information. Some of it is found only in my blogs, and some tips will be used that may never have found their way into my daily weblog.

There will probably be 14 or 15 chapters. and we’re are discussing a color centerfold of trophy buck photos. The book will be based on my experiences with deer over 60 years, and some of what makes me tick. Some people say I think like a deer, but that is giving deer human-like qualities they don’t possess.

Watching deer has been my lifelong hobby, and if you watch enough animals, some of their mannerisms will show through. A hunter can learn to predict with a certain degree of accuracy what they will do before they do it.

If that means I am thinking like a deer, perhaps I am. I’d much rather call it being attentive and observant.

The book is roughly a third done. Some days flow better than others, and some times it’s easier to recall certain techniques that have worked in the past. Sometimes I must nudge a tiny tidbit of information loose that doesn’t want to go anywhere. These little nuggets of information are important to hunters.

One of the things that will come through in my book is the need to think positively. A mental condition of positive thinking is available to most people, and bow hunters who think they will succeed, often do.

I’m also a strong believer in hunches. Call them gut feelings if you will, but I’ve learned to go with my inner feelings. Most of the time I am right, and that leads to success.

These hunches often come to me as I walk to a stand. A strong gut feeling tells me that this spot, although perfect for the prevailing wind direction, is not going to be the hotspot stand this evening. I don’t stop to question why.

It’s happened too many times for me to ignore it. I always go with my instincts, and deer hunters must trust those instincts. If something inside seems to tell you to move to another stand, don’t argue with yourself, just move. It can be a false alarm, but more often than not, the hunch pays off.

I never question my instincts. Deer live by their instincts, and it’s why they see, hear and smell so well. One hint of danger often sends them on their way. Those three senses are three that humans possess but cannot use very well.

We can see and hear, but certainly not like a deer. Their lives depend on the use of these three senses. Our sense of smell is totally inadequate in our role as a deer hunter.

We have binoculars and spotting scopes to even up things in the vision department. We can have good hearing or wear a Walker’s Game Ear, and allow it to amplify those soft sounds that deer can make while walking through the woods.

Whatever we do to improve our senses is totally inadequate when we try to match wits with deer. However, we have the ability to think. We can filter out meaningless fluff, reason out potential problems and concentrate on the animal. This is where daily deer observations help me.

It allows me to study body language. I can tell if a deer is calm and relaxed, slightly agitated (most often during the pre-rut or rut) and when they are scared witless.

A frightened deer is nearly impossible to hunt with a bow. We seek those calm and relaxed individuals because they are at peace with themselves and the world. They go through the woods with some purposes but they are not driven by nervous energy or a sense of danger.

Studying deer is my passion, and it helps me become a good hunter. What I know and what I do will be in the book.

I suspect by early July we will have a working price for my book, and once we do, we will pre-sell it at a discount buy-it-now price. Such buyers who choose the buy-it-now will save some money.

We have a generous mix of ash, aspen and maple trees here, and those spots can be good for white morels. The black morels are wherever you find them but choice spots can be near pine trees, near fruit trees and in the opens hardwoods.

Both pastimes require more looking than walking. I know people who have exceptional vision, and can walk along at a steady pace and spot mushrooms 30 feet away. That sometimes is possible with white morels, but the black variety is much more difficult for me and most people to spot.

I walk slowly, stop, look ahead and to both sides for morels, and then turn and look behind me. Sometimes a change of viewing angler will reveal mushrooms that couldn’t be seen any other way.

Black morels sometimes grow to huge sizes as do whites, but more often they are smaller. Their coloration makes spotting them much more difficult.

Mushrooms are popping here, near Cadillac and Traverse City, and within a few days should be coming out up near Boyne City and Petoskey.

Hunting shed antlers is much the same as hunting morel mushrooms. The trick is to spot them, and it can be easy or difficult, depending on the terrain and the ground cover.

One tip is to check the edges of fields, near funnels that deer often use when traveling from one area to another, and near thick bedding areas. Many shed antlers are found near food sites. Standing corn, and the edges around such areas, often produce sheds.

Heavy or thick bedding cover is difficult to hunt for shed antlers but it does produce some good antlers. It’s always difficult to find a matched set because one side may stay on the buck’s head for a day or two longer before it is cast off (falls off).

If you hunt heavy cover, approach it from upwind and allow your scent to drift downwind through the cover. Make as little noise as possible, and move through it quietly.

Does are soon to have their fawns, and there is no reason to unduly frighten the animals. Fawns are expected any day, and it’s best for the does to drift away from the shed hunters instead of being frightened by loud noises.

If the shed hunter should spot a young fawn, leave it alone. Don’t touch it and don’t gather around it. Stay away from the tiny creature, and after you pass through the doe will return to her tiny fawn. Stop nearby or pick up the fawn, and it’s possible you’ve given the fawn a death sentence. Some does will reject the fawn if it smells any human odor on it.

Morels and sheds are seldom found in the same areas although it does happen if the antlers are cast near field edges and other little pockets of cover suitable for growing mushrooms.

People seem somewhat evenly divided between ground and tree hunting with slightly more interest in hunting from an elevated position. This was even more cut and dried 10 years ago when the vast majority of deer hunters climbed a tree.

That seems to be changing as our hunting population grows older, and older bones and muscles don’t respond as well as they once did. Many older bow hunters are reverting back to ground stands for many reasons. Here are a few points in favor of ground or tree stand hunting.

They dislike the angles of shooting down at a deer. They feel safer in a ground stand, and they know it’s difficult to fall out of a ground blind and break bones. Some hunters, with a change in vision and a need for bifocal glasses, find themselves getting dizzy when looking down. Some are on medications that could induce dizziness if combined with alcohol.

Others simply find themselves more comfortable when hunting at ground level. The problem for some is they are afraid of hunting from any altitude. Those who fall in this category should stay on the ground.

Many people dislike the idea of wearing a safety harness even though it has been proven to save lives. Some sportsmen feel it reduces their range of motion, and refuse to wear them. Others wear them on occasion.

Most tree stand falls occur while climbing the tree, while entering or leaving the elevated stand, or while climbing down.

Tree stand hunters can be safest with a ladder stand because they can maintain three points of contact with the tree: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand. One problem is it requires two people to erect most ladderstands safely.

Elevated stands offer hunters a much better view of their hunting area, and being 15-20 feet up can help dissipate some human scent. However, hunters must make every effort to stay downwind of moving deer.

Ground blinds can be an ace in the hole in areas where most hunters use tree stands. Ground hunters are not affected unduly if a strong wind springs up. More than one tree stand hunter has been tossed from an elevated stand by strong winds shaking the tree. There is no need for hunters to wear a safety harness when hunting from a ground blind.

Ground blinds can be made from corn stalks, hay bales, uprooted tree root wads and heavy brush. All can be used to fashion a ground blind. Countless manufacturers currently make pop-up blinds that can provide instant concealment while hunting.

Fewer whitetails are wounded from a ground blind than from a tree stand. The possibility of shooting an arrow through both lungs is excellent when shot from ground level. The odds of missing or wounding a buck is better among inexperienced tree stand users.

Tree stands offer increased visibility, and it is far easier to spot moving deer from a distance. This becomes even more true once the leaf drop ends in late October.

Tree hunting is far better in areas with very little hunting pressure. If most people hunt from the ground, the elevated hunter has a much greater chance for success.

The roads become a gumbo of slick clay, soft bottoms, water on top of the ground in places and stuck vehicles. A slippery road puts vehicles off the road and there they sit, stuck.

Trucks with four-wheel-drive are even worse. People think 4WD is great. Stuck in the mud causes owners of many such vehicles to believe they can rock it back and forth to get out.

Wrong. The only thing a stuck 4WD vehicle does is it enables it to get stuck even worse. We’ve had 4WD trucks get stuck up to their axles.

We had a windy and dry week two weeks ago, and it enabled me to get some roads worked on but none were finished. Now, after the rain, it’s back to square one—repairing roads.

Several of us have third-season turkey tags and we need to get to some of the back areas for gobblers. If the roads stay bad, we may not be able to go through the gates and have to look for other areas to hunt.

Every good thing has some bad points. This ranch has superb deer habitat, but to sample its wonders means being able to get there. That can be challenging at times.

Twenty-five years ago, after I blazed a trail and built what is now known as the Pollington Expressway, which is nothing more than a dirt road around the inside perimeter, we began hunting the back portions of my land. Some years, with heavy rain or snow, the biggest experience of the day was getting to your stand.

It would be a challenging ride, and much of the drive was spent going sideways down the road; wheels churning, mud flying, and too many stuck vehicles. The challenge often wasn’t getting them unstuck but getting a bulldozer or tractor back to where they were and then getting everyone and their vehicles outside of the fence.

This ground holds water, and it takes time to dry out. It doesn’t dry out in two or three days instead it may take two or three weeks before I can smooth out the roads.

It doesn’t seem to bother the deer because they don’t travel too far through the mud. They stay fairly close to their food sources, and bed down nearby. Deer hooves aren’t really made for whitetails to walk well through sucking mud.

I’d hesitate to guess how many thousands of dollars I’ve spent buying gravel to build up these roads. It seems that traffic keeps pounding fill and gravel into the mix, and it will help for a year or so, but in many cases it seems as if the roads are just eating the fill dirt and gravel I put down.

Fill dirt and gravel has been added almost every year since the ranch has been enclosed, and yet it appears we are making very little headway. The one thing that works when the roads get soft is to stay off they for a few days.

It’s when road begin to get rutted, and rain or snow falls, a vehicle will start to slide, and that is when the rutting begins. Once ruts are in place, it become nearly impossible to get through. We often use ATVs to get from place to place but there have been times when they get buried as well.

Spring and late fall are the worst times of all to travel ranch roads. We do it when we must, which often means at least once a day, but when they are really bad, we limit traffic to the absolute minimum to prevent further damage.