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How many times have you heard an old timer say, “The biggest bucks do the most breeding”? They usually follow with the statement, “It’s nature’s way to insure the fittest survive.” Although the above may be true for some deer...

High Natural MortalityIs killing all spikes that bad, even if it represents an average of 40 percent, and as much as 63 percent of the bucks in that age class during any given year? It very well could be because...

February and March are very exciting times in the Midwest if you are a land manager or just an avid deer hunter. The popularity of “Shed Hunting” has become a whole new avenue of educating and strategy. Just like when...

We were 40-50 yards along the buck’s escape route when we found the first signs of blood and a bone chip that we both identified as a one-inch section of rib. This was a good sign and our confidence rose...

As mentioned during Part I, the 2003 buck capture ended without us capturing the Huisache Buck. To make matters worse, none of the other guides had even caught glimpses of the wary buck during the first 11 weeks of the...

Wham! I hit the shed antlers together as hard as I could and then quickly pulled them apart. Again, I slammed the antlers together with all of my force. This time I kept the antlers entwined and twisted the tines...

Far and away the best time to rattle is during the rut peak - if you are interested in rattling in high numbers of bucks. Often when rattling during the rut peak more than one buck will respond at a...

I caught movement out of the left corner of my eye just as I pulled the shed antlers apart from each other. I slowly turned for a better look, but whatever it was that had made the movement was no longer...

As the helicopter moved closer the "whir" from the blades became almost deafening. Leaves and tree branches began to sway and dust began to fly in all directions. Occasionally, the rotor or the skids from the helicopter would graze the...

Data Collection, they are two words, which often go unheard by many deer hunters. Depending on where you hunt, as the season fires up or continues, the necessity for continued data collection is extremely important to a successful deer management...

In Parts I – IV of this series, I have examined results from various penned deer studies and wild deer studies to try and answer the question of whether or not to shoot spikes. In this final installment, I will...

In Part III and included in Part IV, I’m examining the results of several studies that have been completed during recent years on wild bucks in south Texas. It is important to discuss these additional studies because of the inherent...

In Part I and II of this series, I defined what a spike buck was and explained the background of the debate. I also summarized the theories behind each of the two camps related to the question of whether or...

In Part I, I defined what a spike buck was and explained the ongoing debate of whether or not to shoot spikes. In Part II, I will examine the results of the various penned studies that have been completed in...

There is no other topic like the issue of spikes to spark a heated debate at deer camp. Everyone seems to have an opinion about spikes. And until recently, the controversy seemed far from resolved. In this five-part series, I...

The Need to Control Deer DensityPart I of this six-part series outlined all of the many positive benefits of a supplemental feeding program to a deer herd. Two of those benefits were higher reproductive rates and higher survival. Both of...