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Techniques For Finding ShedsA new shed antler search technique is getting even more people involved in this non-consumptive sport. The technique, called the “shed drive,” is similar to the deer drive hunting technique so popular in the Midwest. The shed...

As soon as I noticed the sun glare off the tip of the antler tine, I knew which buck had shed the antler that lay on the deer trail in front of me. It was the right side shed antler...

Last fall I returned from a deer hunt in SW North Dakota where we were filming for Bucks of Tecomate. The location I was hunting had been hit the year before by Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) and unknown to me...

We had just rounded a curve on the ranch road when we noticed, at the same time, a huge-framed buck crossing a prickly pear flat only 50 yards from our truck. I slammed on the brakes and we both scrambled...

Mickey W. Hellickson, David G. Hewitt, and Fred C. BryantThe practice of selectively harvesting inferior-antlered, middle-age and older bucks has become popular. Criteria are often established based on age and antler points. However, no research on wild deer has been...

How Well Do Stocked Deer Survive?Overall, 34 of the 47 translocated deer (72 percent) survived at least one year after the release. However, bucks involved in Study Two survived better than the deer stocked during Study One. Fourteen of 22...

Deer Stocking HistoryAround 1900, the white-tailed deer population in the U.S. reached an all-time low at less than 500,000 animals. In fact, deer were essentially extinct in many states and existed only in very remote areas of other states. As...

In the Part I, I discussed the advantages and disadvantages of high fencing your property for management purposes. In Part II, I will examine the negative effects of building your high fence against existing low fence and deer population explosion.Don’t...

How many stories have you read in outdoor magazines over the years that say something like, “Unraveling The Mysteries of The Rut?” Why do we call it a mystery and why does it have to be unraveled? Okay, I’ll admit...

One on the first and foremost goals of deer management is to restore out-of-whack herds to proper balance. There are several keys to doing this, and today, we’re going to look at some of them.A common ill of unbalanced herds...

The Antler CycleAntlers - there is something magical and mystical about deer antlers. Part of their allure is that every antler is different and unique. However, our fascination with deer antlers has its roots deep in our psyche, from our...

Would you like to determine how many deer live on the property you hunt or own? Or how many big bucks are roaming around? Trying this deer survey method will help you achieve both goals.WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SURVEY...

Recently, a frustrated hunter called to bemoan his lack of success, and in the course of his moanings, he said to me, “If you had to hunt a ‘natural’ deer herd like the one I hunt, you wouldn’t have all...

I’ve got a question for you. Can management really improve your hunting? You bet it can! And, one of the best things about management is that it’s like a well-stocked cafeteria, there’s something in it for everyone!At one end of...

I was seven years old, squirrel hunting on my grandfather’s land in north-central Iowa when I heard my first white-tailed deer snort. I had just entered a small woodlot and was searching the treetops looking for a bushy tail. All...

Hi, I’m David Morris. Are you tired of seeing mostly does and only the occasional buck … and then, he’s a little fellow? Are you interested in seeing more and bigger bucks WHERE YOU HUNT? If the answer is “YES,”...

Carrying CapacityThe number of individuals of a species that a property and its resources can support. The carrying capacity for whitetails and other wildlife species can be greatly increased with food plots and proper habitat managementPopulation modelingBy collecting and analyzing...

(Originally Published in QDMA, Quality Whitetails)By Rans ThomasMy first introduction to skinning a deer was in the barn on our family farm when I was a kid. My father attached a blockand-tackle hoist to a foundation beam inside the barn. He...