Deer Hunting Tips - What Influences the Size of Antlers?
November 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Herd management is one of the most important deer hunting tips. The large antlered deer are prized among trophy hunters. The bigger the rack, the more valuable the prize. All proud hunters will swap tales of giant antlers, diameter, point count, etc. What is it that determines the size of the animal’s antlers?
Antler size is affected by three major factors:
1. The Deer’s Genetics
2. Nutrition
3. How Old The Deer Is
Genetics determine the potential size of the antlers. Science has verified that antler size is an inherited trait among deer. Of course hunters always knew this. Game managers will sometimes limit the size of the antler that is allowed to be harvested to maintain the quality of the herd. By restricting the number of genetically superior kills, the inferior herd is culled and the gene pool is allowed to “antler up” as a result. Though the theory behind this practice is sound, the benefit of the strategy is sometimes questioned because effective culling of the herd is often not effective when related to overall population.
Nutrition is the second factor which determines antler size. Even with optimal genetics, the deer will not realize its full potential if the animal does not receive the proper nutrition. Most experienced hunters have hunted through seasons where drought has affected the food sources for the deer and the large antlered deer just weren’t there. It is crucial for the deer population to receive adequate nutrition year-round if they are to reach their antler producing potential. Most antler growth takes place during the Spring and Summer months so this is the most important time. Inferior foliage growth during these months can greatly limit antler growth. Good habitat management can help alleviate the toll taken. Supplemental feedings are sometimes needed.
The final factor is age, however research suggests that once a buck has reached 3+ years of age genetics and nutrition play a larger part in antler growth. The size of the antler tends to increase greatly during the first few years of age and then to level off sometime between the fourth to sixth year depending on the breed and its genetics. For this reason, the harvesting of bucks younger than 4 years is not encouraged. The practice by insensitive hunters of culling bucks that are too young can lead to such colorful expressions from more experienced hunters as, “That deer still had milk on its breath.” It is best overall to harvest only the mature bucks. If you are in need of venison and a mature buck is not in evidence then harvest a doe. The hunt next season will reap the benefit.
We are hoping that you use these deer hunting tips during the upcoming deer hunting season. Please visit www.Deer-HuntingTips.com for more advanced deer hunting tips you can use this year.
Improve Hunting Success With These Deer Hunting Tips
November 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment
No matter how long you have been hunting, if you have just started or you have been doing it for years, it is still important to review and/or learn the deer hunting tips covered in this article. If you want to have a successful deer hunt, you need to do more than simply go into the woods and expect the deer to come to you or expect to simply walk around and find the trophy deer you have always wanted. You need to perform a lot of preparation work, follow safety precautions, and be disciplined. You can increase your chances of a successful and have an enjoyable hunt by following the hunting tips discussed here.
1. Basic Safety Tips To Start With:
Do not consume alcohol before or during any hunting trip.
You should always practice caution when handling any firearm; always expect the gun to be loaded, and never rely solely on the safety.
That means you never consider climbing a stand or tree, crossing a fence, or jumping a ditch with a loaded gun.
Do not pull the gun’s trigger unless you are completely certain that you are aiming at a deer. If there is any doubt about your target, do not fire.
2. Tips On Getting A Deer:
Get An Early Start - Many hunters like to spend the entire day in the woods, but the most likely times to bag a deer are sunrise and sunset. They are more likely to come out of the thick brush during the early morning and late pre-dusk hours for feed. With this in mind, you need to be in your deer stand or blind well before daylight begins in the mornings and well before it starts to get dark at night. This will allow you the time you need to get set-up and ready before the deer begin to move around. It is very discouraging and frustrating to get to your hunting area and chase a trophy buck away as you are climbing into your stand or blind. This is especially true if you do not see another deer anytime during the rest of your hunt.
Eliminate Scents - It is important to remember that deer can smell scents very easily, so do what is necessary to eliminate any human or unnatural odors. Things that would smell good to a human are usually signs of danger for a deer. This means you do not want to use deodorant, cologne, perfume, after shave, or soaps that are scented or meant to deodorize. Prior to going on your hunt, wash the clothing you will have on in an unscented detergent or with plain water. Due to how sensitive a deer sense of smell is, they will be frightened off by the slightest scent.
Be Still - Once you’re set up in your stand or blind try not to move anymore than necessary, and extremely slowly when you have to. One of the toughest things for me to learn was the ability to keep looking SLOWLY from side to side, hours at a time, as I sat freezing in a deer stand. Any type of sudden motion can set a deer on the run.
Be Silent - Being absolutely quiet is the key to having a successful deer hunt. The incredible sensitivity of a deer’s hearing has amazed (and later on disappointed) me more than once. Deer are always on alert to a human voice or any sounds that seem unnatural to them. If you have a hunting partner with you and have to speak, use a very low whisper or even hand signals when you can. Always be careful (and alert) so as not to bang your deer hunting rifle against your binoculars or the side of the stand.
The aforementioned tips are really simple basics, and while there is a great deal more out there, if you follow these basic deer hunting tips, you’ll find your chances of success are dramatically increased.
We hope that you use these advanced deer hunting tips and techniques during deer hunting season to enjoy the most successful hunt ever. And please visit us at www.Deer-HuntingTips.com to learn more secrets and advanced deer hunting tips.
Deer Hunting Tips for Advanced Hunters
November 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment
If you are an average deer hunter, you have average deer hunting knowledge, put forth average commitment, you will only get average results. It is easy for the average hunter to be able to get a small buck every year or so, but being able to bring home that beautiful trophy buck on a regular basis requires more commitment and more knowledge. In order to help you become a better hunter, I am going to provide you with the advanced deer hunting tips used by deer hunting masters.
1. Scout Your Area In Advance. I’m not talking about where you’re going to sit when you arrive at your hunting spot — I mean be genuinely aware of the area that you are hunting in. In fact, my most successful hunting seasons actually began months before opening day.
I developed the habit of getting permission to check out the lease where I was going to hunt, then I scouted out the surrounding areas. Do a “dry hunt,” where you just look at all the hunting sites you have available unarmed, with a camera, and find out where you can find the biggest bucks, and most movement, and a better buck to doe ratio. You can walk around the lease in the middle of the day, looking for big buck signs that I could see.
2. Recognizing The Signs Of Big Bucks - By knowing what signs to look for, you will be better prepared to find the area where the trophy bucks are located. One thing you want to look for are tracks. You want to look at how big the tracks are, how many tracks there are, and in which direction the tracks are going. This will allow you to understand how big the deer are in a given area, how many there are, and what there movement patterns are.
You also want to look for scrapes. These are areas where a buck scratches the ground and sometimes urinates to mark their territory and attract does. Bucks usually do this below low hanging tree branches that are located on the border of heavy brush areas during the rut. Another thing you want to look for are rubs. As a buck attempts to get the velvet off their new antlers thy need to rub on trees and posts. They also do this to mark their territory during rutting season. If you find a “rub line,” you will be able to find six or more rubs in a matter of about 100 yards. Bucks usually rub on the side of the tree or post that he is traveling from. With this in mind, if you pay attention to which side of the trees are being rubbed you can have a clue as to which way the deer is moving.
Observe how big the bedding areas are once you find them. No bucks will go through that area without leaving signs!
3. Become An Expert In The Shooting Characteristics of Your Firearm - Learn more about the ballistics of the caliber and cartridge of your weapon. Figure out how to fire your weapon depending on how far your target is away from you, adjusting for other factors as well. Learn how well you can judge distance, and walk through the sighting areas before you start hunting, so you have a good idea about yardage; you’ll be able to more accurately figure out how far you are from the target and lift or drop your bullet accordingly.
4. Shot Placement; If you master the aim and ballistics of your deer hunting rile, you will be more comfortable with precision shot placement.
Personally, I prefer neck shooting. While many hunters do not agree with this technique, a properly placed shot anywhere along the neck will drop your deer instantly. If you hit the deer lower on the neck the carotid arteries will be severed. If you hit the deer high on the neck you will break the deer’s spinal column. Finally, if you hit the deer in the center of the neck you will get a combination of both of these effects. No matter what angle the deer is at, whether it is broadside, front or rear quarter angle, or head-on, the neck will be as large of a target area as the typical “behind the lower shoulder” targets. The difference is that the neck target is much more effective.
Taking a full rear shot is not advisable unless you have a trophy buck standing there and you just can’t leave it. If you have to clean a deer that has been shot up the rectum in not at all pleasant. You want to make smart decisions when you take a shot. The best deer hunters make a fast and efficient kill.
5. Calls, Attractants and Rattles - There are other things you can use to get deer in your line of sight, like deer calls, rattling, and attractants; these are very helpful deer hunting tips that you shouldn’t take for granted. Preparation time is necessary for food-based attractants. Just like any garden, food plots takes a lot of time and attention. Start your food plot a few months before the hunting season begins, so that you can get the deer accustomed to that food you are giving them.
Calling and rattling are hit-or-miss techniques that usually only work during rutting. It’s been my experience that bucks would approach my rattling cautiously, and only out of curiosity when they weren’t rutting. When it does work during the rut they usually come rushing. There were times when I was nearly run over by bucks when I was rattling in a field. So if you get good at this, be prepared for some quick action. Proficiency is required, and it takes lots of practice. There’s a learning curve involved in knowing how to effectively mimic the calls or recreate the fighting sounds of deer. But once you learn how to do this, it’s a very useful skill.
While every deer hunter dreams of being able to display a trophy buck at some time in their life, advanced deer hunters are not satisfied unless they get a trophy buck each and every year. if you want to be able to regularly bag trophy bucks on a regular basis, you need to know and understand the deer hunting tips explained here.
We hope that you use these advanced deer hunting tips and techniques during deer hunting season to enjoy the most successful hunt ever. And please visit us at www.Deer-HuntingTips.com to learn more secrets and advanced deer hunting tips.