Deer Hunting
Track the rut yourself
There are several simple ways a hunter can keep tabs on his deer herd in order to determine when the rut is going on.[…]
Deer Hunting
Deer Hunting
Are deer numbers down?
The reported deer harvest for the 2011 Deer Season will be the lowest on record, according to LDWF deer biologist Scott Durham.[…]
Deer Hunting
Hunt when the weather is right
Hunting the rut is all about timing. Tactics change as the rut progresses; hunting scrapes is different from hunting during times when bucks are chasing does and success involves the proper set-up.[…]
Deer Hunting
Promise Keepers: Tips for opening-morning bow hunts
Bowhunters spend all summer promising themselves that things are going to be different this year.[…]
Deer Hunting
Third postage-stamp plot results in nephew’s first deer
Several years ago, my grandfather and grandmother planted blueberry bushes and a few assorted pear and apple trees in a spot they used to keep as a garden. They only planted half of that opening, though, and the rest has been allowed to lie fallow.[…]
Deer Hunting
Buck-on-bag seed blends appropriate for small plots
One of the things I love about planting food plots is experimenting with different kinds of seeds. Not only do I like trying out different plants, but I also enjoy comparing feed-store seed with buck-on-bag seed.[…]
Contents
Promise Keepers: Tips for opening-morning bow hunts
Bowhunters spend all summer promising themselves that things are going to be different this year.[…]
Deer Hunting
Place bow stands near paths of least resistance
Although he admits that it’s hard to stay focused on a deer while perched in a tree when he knows the fish are biting out his back door in Lafitte, New Orleans Style Fishing Charters owner Capt. Jason Shilling gets in a little bow hunting during early October before buckling down on the deer later in the year.[…]
Deer Hunting
Leave well enough alone for early season bow hunting
I am a chronic double-checker. That might be a good quality to have as a writer, but as a deer hunter it can be somewhat self destructive.[…]
Contents
A surge of testosterone: One buck’s story
The rut is on. Mature bucks, if not pursuing does, are tending and breeding estrous females.[…]
Contents
Postage Stamp Plots, Part IV
I pulled my game cam card and anxiously rushed back to the house to see what kind of horn porn awaited me.[…]
Columns
Buck movement quantified
In last month’s column we looked at some of the methods I typically use to convert my personal trail camera photo archives into meaningful and usable “deer statistics” or “intelligence.” […]
Contents
Dominance dilemma
In today’s age of whitetail management the understanding and practice of mandatory antler restrictions is under way. This approach primarily allows yearling bucks protection so the animals can reach whitetail maturity with sizeable racks, as well as sound age structures and buck-to-doe ratios.[…]
Columns
Developing “deer statistics”
The buck movement trends that I have chronicled on my property over the past few years have proven helpful during deer season.[…]
Deer Hunting
WMA deer harvest, hunter efforts down last season
An analysis of the 2011-12 managed deer hunts on wildlife management areas revealed that total harvests was down by approximately 700 deer when compared to the 2010-11 hunting seasons.[…]
Deer Hunting
Predatory Pursuits
The bow season is under way. You’ve prepared the stand, scouted intensely and labored over the land — all in anticipation of enjoying the outdoors and taking a whitetail.[…]