Deer Management

People always wonder why they are never killing or seeing big deer on either their property or on the property that they hunt on. Well deer management is the answer to many of the questions you would have. Deer need cover and nutrition. Nutrition is the key to deer management. On way too many properties there is just not enough food to go around on a day-to-day basis.  The deer in most areas need 14 to 16 percent protein daily. This isn’t just through the spring or fall but throughout the entire season. There are two big ways to give the deer the protein that they need. You can reduce the deer population so then the habitat can support the new number of deer. Also you can increase the amount of nutrition that the deer are given. You can increase the amount of protein that the deer get by feeding the deer, planting food plots, and by using commercial fertilizer. Many people that have their own land will plant many food plants for the deer. If you are one of these people then there are many brands of seed that you can use. Some seed brands include buck forage oats, evolved harvest, and imperial seeds. Planting food plants takes a lot of time and hard work but they can give you big advantages compared to your neighbors. If the area allows you to you can feed your deer many different things. You can keep it simple and just spread out some corn and apples or you can step it up and use mineral blocks or special buck juices that will attract the deer to your area. Nutrition isn’t the only step you need to take to start seeing bigger bucks. You also need to make sure you have a good amount of does in your area because without the does there are going to be no bucks. Another big thing you need to do is to start being more selective on the deer you shoot. If you want bigger, mature bucks then you need to hold off on the little 4 pointers and spikers so then they can grow up into something you can mount. If you take these steps in creating a better habitat than your chances of killing bigger deer will increase. If it’s brown then it’s down.

Change in the season

This deer season is about to have a huge change in the amount of deer you will be seeing.  The warm weather will be gone for about a week. The temperatures will no longer be up in the 60’s. The temperatures are going to be down in the 40’s. This will cause the deer to have to get up and move because they will be getting cold. The deer are also starting to prepare for the winter months to come. This means they will be up searching for food and eating a lot to start storing the fat they will need to keep warm. Another big factor will be that the rut is coming soon in another couple weeks. This will mean that the bucks will start to follow the does and sooner or later they will start chasing them to breed with them. To be successful during these next couple of weeks I would locate your stands near a food source or a water source. This will be important because the deer will need food and water while they are chasing each other around the woods. To be prepared I would make sure that you prepare yourself for every scenario that you could possibly face. This means the different shots that could face. The types of shots would be a quartering away shot or a broadside shot. These are the two shots that I would recommend taking to get the best lethal shot you could. So go out there and place the targets in those positions and practice shooting at each one. Another thing is to make sure that you are as scent free as you possibly can get. This will eliminate any chance of a big buck or big doe smelling you. This change in the season will be coming and everyone should be prepared. If it’s brown it’s down.

Tree Stands to use

There are hundreds of different types of tree stands out there on the market today. You can buy climbers, ladder stands, or the regular tree stand that almost everyone uses. However depending on where or how you hunt is when a curtain stand type comes into play. Your normal tree stand consists of a tree stand that is strapped onto the tree however high you really want to go. You have to use climbing sticks, tree spikes, or simply the tree branches to get up the tree and into the stand. These stands are good for trying to hide and can be moved easily. However the climber stand is the easiest to move around than any of the other stands.  In order to use these stands you have to place the top section of the stand about shoulder level on the tree. Then you place the bottom have on the tree and you slid the top half up the tree and pull the bottom half up with your feet. You will continue this process until you are at the height you want to be at. These stands are good to prevent theft and more importantly they are good to set up quick in a location that you have been seeing deer movement. The downside of these stands is that they take a good work out to move up the tree.  Then there are ladder stands. Ladder stands have a platform that straps to the tree that is at the top of a ladder. The ladder and the platform are connected to each other. These stands are usually used for older aged hunters or people that want an easy way up the tree. Ladder stands are also safer of the three. Depending on how you like to hunt then each stand will have its benefits to you. Choose the right stand. If it’s brown it’s down. 

 

Weather and Deer Movement

Weather has a big impact on how deer will usually move.  First is how the temperature will affect how the deer move. When the temperature is over 60-65 degrees the deer movement will slow down. This is because it is simply to warm. Therefor the deer will move at night. This is why ma y people will have a lot more trail camera pictures when it is dark out than pictures during the day. The amount of cloud cover, rain, and fog will change your deer movements. Some deer will prefer to move when there is a light rain. The more cloud cover in the sky is better because the deer prefer it. The best mornings to hunt are said to be a cold morning with fog and a light mist. The amount of wind and the force of the wind will impact the amount of deer movement as well. Deer really do not like heavy winds. If the wind speed is over 20 to 25 mile per hour deer movement will be very slow if there is any at all. The moon is a key factor in deer movement.  A full moon will increase the movement of deer at night because of the light that it emits when it is dark out.  Some people will argue that weather really doesn’t do anything to the deer movement. However it is proven that the weather has a big impact on the amount of deer activity. Another part of deer season that increases the deer activity is the rut. Even though the rut is not the weather it is the major contributor to deer movement. At the peak of the rut you will see more bucks than you have seen all season. You will also see bucks or deer that you have never seen before. If you want to know exactly how your deer move in certain weather then you should take down notes in a note book and have the date on that page. If it is brown then it is down.

Secure Your Treestands

Securing your tree stands is very important. I have had a stand stolen before and it made me very mad and it almost ruined my whole deer season. You have to realize you might not be the only hunters hunting a farmer’s piece of property. Most hunter aren’t going to be immature or thieves and steal your  belongings but there is a high number of hunters out there that will easily steal your things without even thinking about who’s stand it is or how they are going to affect the owner.  There are many ways to protect your stands from being stolen. One way is to pick a tree that has a lot of good cover on or around it. Such as a pine tree because it has thick needles that will be there year round. This will hide it from deer and other hunters and will make the stand less noticeable. Another alternative is to take the last four or 5 tree steps out of the tree when you leave and to put them back in when you want to hunt there. That is if you use tree steps. You could also buy a climbing tree stand that you bring and take with you every time you go into the woods to hunt for the day. You could also purchase a lock and place it around your stand so then this forces someone to need a wire cutter to attempt to take your stand. These are something’s that you can do to try and prevent the theft of your tree stands. What I do to see if someone has been in my stand is I will take a long branch and tie my bow string to it a curtain way that I will remember so that if someone does go into the stand I will know. That way I can take it down. These are some of the things I have learned through the years of hunting and I cannot guarantee them working for you but it is worth a shot. Well if it’s brown it’s down.  

2013 Deer Season Status

This deer season has been very rainy and also very hot. The temperatures have constantly been in the low 70’s. This year has also been raining for the past 3 or 4 days with the temperatures still in the low 70’s. The rain has shut down most of the deer movement. The high temperatures have caused the bigger more mature deer from moving. Therefor I have only been seeing year ling bucks and small does with their mothers. I have had opportunities to shoot all the deer that I have seen. Even though I have not taken the opportunity to shoot any of the deer I have seen I still know some people that have shoot very big, mature bucks. I have also heard many people complaining because all of the deer that they had on their cameras seem to have disappeared all of a sudden. This is mainly because deer aren’t stupid. When deer season starts or even when you put up new stands the deer know what’s going on. It is like you are walking right into their living room. In other words the deer are able to smell the scent that you are leaving behind. This especially applies to people that only have one deer spot and go there every day. This is why I prefer to have more than one spot. Then I have options of where I could go so I am not at one curtain stand location every day.  Another reason I like to do this is then I can also see different deer every day and then therefor I won’t get bored seeing the same deer every day. I have seen many different deer and I am very excited about the rest of the year to come. I believe that this year will be good once it cools down. If it’s brown it’s down.