December 7, 2012
Silently at first, then with the soft sounds of bird songs, daybreak slowly illuminated the dark West Virginia woods. Gray shapes came first, then a hint of orange on the eastern horizon.
If all you're doing about deer hunting season now is fantasizing about that big buck you hope to encounter on a crisp November morning, you're making a big mistake, and you have a lot of catch-up to do. It takes more than day-dreaming about massive racks to be ready when seasons roll around.
November 30th, 2012
This time of year I always hear a lot of talk about the “late rut.” It’s often used in discussions about hunting strategies and stand placement.
November 23, 2012
By today, Nov. 23, most does have been bred where I live in southern Missouri – and throughout most of the whitetail’s range. There are exceptions including parts of Alabama, south Texas, etc. How can I say that confidently?
November 16, 2012
As usual, I’m hearing mixed reports about the intensity of the rut from different areas. I’ve received a BUNCH of email from GrowingDeer.tv fans that have tagged huge bucks in Kansas. Most of these pictures are accompanied by a note describing the intense rut action the hunter observed! Friends from other states are discussing the lack of deer rutting behavior they’ve observed this week. Mixed reports of rutting behavior from different areas are common each year.
Acorns attract more deer than any other food source.
October 7th, 2011
After 20+ years of collecting data as a scientist and as an avid deer hunter, it’s obvious that hunters see more deer when the weather is changing. The trends show that the more abrupt the changes in weather, the more likely hunters are to see deer.
October 26th, 2012
I just shot a doe three hours before writing this. I saw her and a yearling buck. They were feeding on acorns. It’s October 25th and I’ve been hunting with three other guys for three days. None of us have seen a mature buck. I think it’s easy to explain why. The temperature each day has peaked at 80+ degrees.
October 23, 2012
