Sporty Girl Apparel -
Clothing and accessories centered around women who love the outdoors.
Scouting
your hunting property in the early season to learn where
feeding, bedding and watering holes are is an important aspect in
planning the fall hunt. Game and
trail cameras can vastly improve your knowledge of the deer herd on
your hunting property. Locate the cameras near active travel areas and
near edges of heavy cover. Once the rut kicks in, you can watch for
rubs and scrapes indicating key traffic
areas. Read further below for more details on recognizing rut
activity inlcuding scrapes
and rubs.
Ten Point Buck
It
takes patience, hard work and time in the woods to produce results like
this fine 10 point buck. This buck was following a doe and
grunting in a hardwood bottom. The doe was looking back behind
her direction of travel, which was the first clue that she might have a
buck following her. A short time later this big buck came
following behind making a deep grunting sound. Observing and
interpreting the behavior of the doe allowed the hunter to be prepared
when the buck stepped out. Also, a good tracking dog is always an
asset when searching for a
buck in heavy cover. In this case, the tracking dog's work was
made easy since the hunter made a clean shot allowing for a quick and
easy recovery.
Ten Point Buck
Game cameras
can provide detailed accounts of deer activity and movement. The new
breed of infra-red cameras capture night time
activity without spooking game or making the big bucks wary. Utilize a
game camera to learn more about the deer herd where you hunt and you
might be surprised what you will learn. Of course, keep in mind
that what shows up on camera may only be a fraction of the total number
of deer in the area.
Kristy's Nine Point Buck
Sporty Girl Apparel -
Clothing and accessories centered around women who love the outdoors.
Patience is
the key to taking big bucks. Hunting seasons span a variety of
weather conditions, food source changes and breeding cycles. The
rut is the most important of these changes since the bucks may be more
likely to let down their guard and give up their nocturnal movements
and begin to move in daylight hours. Timing is the key to taking
advantage of these events. A dark moon and a cold front can be
enough to trigger a change in movement patterns. Look for
the big bucks in heavier cover in the early and late parts of the
season corresponding to pre an post rut activities.
Buck Scrapes - Fall Rut Activity
The center of this photos shows a
well used scrape. The hunter is
keeping his distance and looking for signs that the buck has visited
the scrape recently. Notice the leaves have been cleared away by
the buck and you can typically see hoof scrape marks in the soil. Look
for a tree trunk "rub" in the nearby areas. A tree "rub" is made
when the buck rubs his antlers against the tree to mark his territory
and leave his scent. Scents, game
calls and deer lures can be used (refer to your local game
regulations) as a natural attractant to increase the chances for deer
activity in your area, and to bring them in close.
Deer Hunting
Rachelle's
Big Buck
Smoke Hole Outfitters -
West Virginia's top outdoor destination for deer, trout and turkey
hunting.
Buck Scrapes - Fall Rut Activity - Close Up View
This photo shows a close up view of
the scrape shown above. The
leaves are cleared away and hoof marks can be seen in the soil.
Scrapes are often located beneath and overhanging branch that just
touches the tips of the buck's antler tines. Be sure not to walk
near or through the scrape to avoid leaving your scent. The buck
will check the scrape often to see if a receptive doe may have left her
scent in the scrape.
Deer Hunting
Deer
Hunting - Wildgame Innovations
6MP IR Digital Trail Camera X6C
Product Reviews and
photos from Wildgame Innovations trail cameras. Includes infrared
night time images of a big 10 point buck and other great images from
this quality line of game cameras. Visit Wildgame Innovations
web site for more details.
Features
fishing tackle and equipment, hunting, camping, marine, outdoors
supplies, and clothing.
Kristy's Eight Point Buck
Sporty Girl Apparel -
Clothing and accessories centered around women who love the outdoors.
Many
hunters choose hunting locations based on ease of access or a beautiful
location on the property. The most attractive places will not
always match up with where the deer travel. This is why
it is inportant to learn the property. Years of experience on the
same
property can sometimes allow more seasoned hunters to predict when and
where the deer will be most active. Time in the woods and
knowledge of deer behavior will improve your chances of taking a big
buck.
Buck Tree Rubs - Fall Rut Activity
This photo shows a close up view of
a tree rub. The tree's bark has
been rubbed of by the deer pressing his antler tines against the trunk
and rubbing back and forth across the bark. You can sometimes see
tine marks in
the bark where the buck has pushed the tips of his antler tines into
the tree bark. It is generally thought that the larger the
diameter of tree the buck chooses to rub against, the larger the buck's
antlers. The rub pictured here is fresh (meaning it was done
recently) since the moist tree sap is weeping from the trunk and the
surface
is moist. The light coloration is also an indication that the rub
was made in the last day or two. Hunting near a fresh tree rub is
typically a sound strategy for taking a good buck..
Features
fishing tackle and equipment, hunting, camping, marine, outdoors
supplies, and clothing.
Kristy's Eight Point Buck
Sporty Girl Apparel -
Clothing and accessories centered around women who love the outdoors.
Careful
planning to manage the scents you are exposed to in the process of
getting dressed and traveling in your vehicle can ensure you are scent
free allowing you to hunt out of virtually any stand location. The use
of carbon activated scent damping sprays and scent control clothing can
also help you remain concealed with wildlife in close proximity.
The best strategy for managing scent is to do what's most practical
under the given circumstances to contain, control and minimize odors -
and just enjoy your time in the woods.
Hunting and Wildlife Agencies by State
Advanced Whitetail
Hunting -
http://www.advanced-whitetail-hunting.com/
Providing Deer Hunters with Trophy
Hunting Tips, Deer
Photos, State hunting news, info on Hunting accessories, Bowhunting
Equipment,
Food Plots, Hunting Maps, Hunting Trips, and Mineral Licks.
American-Hunter.com-
http://www.american-hunter.com
Hunting information about Deer and other
game in North
America.
Awesome
Antlers-
http://www.awesomeantlers.com
A listing of monster bucks and photos of
trophy deer.
Blacktail
Country-
http://www.BlacktailCountry.com
Information articles and stories about
Blacktail Deer
including several photo galleries.
Boone and
Crockett-
http://www.boone-crockett.org
Big game information for North America.
Chronic
Wasting
Disease Information-
http://www.caids-wi.org
Information and resources on alternatives
for managing
Wisconsin whitetail deer chronic wasting disease crisis.
Deer
Cams.Com-
http://www.deercams.com/
Includes a photo gallery of bucks and
does.
Deer.Com
-
http://www.deer.com
Information directory for whitetail deer.
Foundation
for
Blacktail Deer-
http://www.blacktail.org/
Informational site to help preserve
habitat for wildlife
and promote the Columbian Blacktailed Deer.
Iowa
Whitetail-
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Includes a public message board and photo
gallery.
Missouri
Whitetails-
http://www.missouriwhitetails.com
Information and photos of Missouri
whitetails.
Northeast
Big
Buck Club-
http://www.bigbuckclub.com
Whitetail scoring and record-keeping in
the Northeast.
Pope and
Young
Club-
http://www.pope-young.org
Bowhunting organization, conservation,
information, rules,
news and events.
QDMA
-
http://www.qdma.org
Quality Deer Management Association a
non-profit wildlife
conservation organization dedicated to the future of whitetail deer.
