Whitetail Wisdom RSS

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...

Yearling Bucks versus Mature BucksIn the previous article I discussed Dr. Stephen Webb’s study on how water availability and protein feeders affected mature buck movement. Thirteen of these mature bucks that Webb tracked were originally captured and radio collared as...

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...

Mickey W. Hellickson, Charles A. DeYoung, Randy W. DeYoung, Randy Fugate, Donnie Harmel, David G. Hewitt, and E. L. “Butch” YoungSelective breeding experiments with penned deer have documented rapid improvement in antler quality. Our objective was to determine if rapid...

Antler SheddingIn the past, it was believed that deer withdrew to secluded places to shed their antlers in order to avoid the loss of virility in “public.” However, it is likely that deer are unaware of when they will lose...

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...

High Fence HistoryThe construction of high fences is definitely on the increase in Texas. Although high fences are common place today, the history behind the high fence invasion is not well documented. I was able to piece together a short...

Buck Movements and a New High FenceMidway through my Ph.D. research, the landowner replaced several miles of perimeter low fence with a brand new 8-foot high fence. This new high fence was on the eastern and southern boundaries of my...

Seasonal Home RangeThe bucks in our study had the smallest home range during spring, which we defined as April 1st through May 31st. At this time, average home range size was only 694 acres, an amount half as big as...

Hunters have likely debated the factors influencing buck movement patterns ever since Native Americans first began chasing white-tailed deer more than 10,000 years ago. In the late 1950’s our knowledge regarding whitetail movements took a giant leap forward when the...

Buck dispersal is not only an interesting deer behavior; it can have a huge impact on the success or failure of your deer management program. Buck dispersal is defined as the permanent abandonment of a buck’s initial, natal home range...

Ok, you’re sold on deer management. You’ve taken stock of what you’ve got to work with, set your goals and laid out a strategy. Now, you need good data to establish your baseline, guide your decisions and monitor your progress....

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...

As soon as I dialed in the radio frequency to buck #0083 and picked-up the antenna, I knew the 6.5-year-old buck was dead. Instead of hearing the characteristic “beep....beep....beep” from his collar, I heard a signal that was twice as...

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...

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...