Blacktails On Low, Middle & High Ground
Improve your game plan this deer season. Recognize the behavior of blacktail bucks at all elevations.
By Scott Haugen
As anticipated, a small three-point blacktail buck walked down the trail, right under my tree stand. He wasn't a shooter, but the one following him was close. He also was a three-point, pushing 18 inches wide. He, too, wasn't the buck I hoped for.
Chris Toy patterned this mid-elevation buck along the edge of a logged unit, then hung his tree stand in the perfect place. The brute buck carried exactly 150 inches of antler -- every blacktail hunter's dream. Photo by Scott Haugen.
I saw these bucks and one more -- a tall, heavy-racked brute at least two years older than the others -- during my midsummer scouting missions. I saw all three bucks together a few days prior to the Sept. 1 opener. They were in velvet then. Now, their antlers gleamed.
After an hour of holding out for the biggest of the three blacktails, I knew it wasn't going to happen. "He should have been here by now," I thought to myself, perched 23 feet up in a tree.
The three bucks had been traveling together since July. Now, something had changed, something more than the shedding of their velvet.
"Maybe he already went nocturnal," I pondered. After all, he was the oldest of the trio.
The following day I found the buck, dead. A cougar killed him 75 yards from my tree stand. As if trophy blacktails aren't hard enough to tag, toss a predator into the equation and the challenge rapidly rises.
During the month of September, the physiology of blacktail bucks shifts, as does their daily routine. The most successful hunters recognize these changes, know what they mean, and adapt their hunting strategies to meet the challenges in the wake of these changes.
THE CHANGES
Columbia blacktails inhabit a vast range -- from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the ridges of the Coastal Range through the valley floors to the Cascade Mountains that reach more than 8,000 feet elevation.
Trying to categorize blacktails into a single, neat little package can limit the scope of how we view their lifestyle and, thus, how we go about hunting them. Though they are the same species of deer, how they live and act greatly varies within their individual habitats. Whether you're an early season archer or you hold a special-draw rifle tag, the key to taking your blacktail is focusing on the deer and their predicted behavior.
One constant blacktail bucks share this time of year is the timing by which they shed their velvet. By the third week in August, a buck's rack is pretty much done growing. Once the growing stops, the velvety tissue begins to dry, itch and the bucks can't get rid of it fast enough. Some bucks shed their velvet on a single tree in a matter of minutes. Others take longer, rubbing their racks on multiple trees over the course of a day or two.
By the last week of August, most blacktail bucks have lost their velvet. Sometimes the velvet may hang on through the first few days in September. Of course, in the mysterious world of the blacktail, there are no set rules as to the exact day the velvet is rubbed off.
Blacktails On Low, Middle & High Ground
Once the velvet is gone, bucks undergo further changes. Now, they engage in pre-rut behaviors. They acquire nutritious food, preparing their bodies for the rigors they'll be facing in a month's time. Not only will they be traveling more come late in October; they'll also grow more aggressive toward other bucks. They instinctively know that after the rut the nutritional value in the food they eat greatly declines. This means gathering quality food and staying healthy is important in September, even though the rut may be more than a month away.
BLACKTAIL BUCKS AT HIGH ELEVATIONS
Generally, blacktail bucks at high elevations -- 2,500 feet and higher -- face different needs than those that live at lower elevations. In dry, hot years water can be scarce at these elevations, making water sources key places for hunters to focus their efforts.
Physically seeing bucks at water holes is the best indicator of which ones they are using. Trail cameras can also help figure this out, but it can be tough for many hunters to find the time to set them up and check them, especially when hunting far from home. Deer tracks can often be found, too, along the edges of waterholes.
From my experience, high-elevation bucks are the last to turn nocturnal after shedding their velvet. This could be due to several factors, the most important being less hunting pressure at these elevations, and the fact that temperatures are much cooler late in the evening, through the night and into the morning.
Temperatures -- both cooling and warming -- surely affect blacktail behavior. On north-facing slopes temperatures are cooler and bucks may be active well into midmorning hours. As the month passes and night temperatures cool at extreme elevations, bucks will often shift their feeding activity to south-facing slopes where they can catch warming sunshine.
Into October, bucks are still active during daylight hours. At high elevation, hunters -- including bowhunters -- can often pattern these bucks easily because of the typically open features of the terrain. Try spotting a single buck or a bachelor group and watch them to see where they bed. From there, plan your best stalk into shooting range, keeping the wind in your favor at all times. Be patient, don't push things. If the wind changes, back out and return another day. All other things considered, your buck won't be far away.
Also, deer food resources are quicker to dry up at high elevations, meaning bucks are more likely to stick close to a productive food source once located. When you locate a big buck in the vicinity of a food source, keep working that area. Chances are he won't stray far from fresh groceries.
BLACKTAIL BUCKS AT MIDDLE ELEVATIONS
Blacktail bucks living near the 500 to 2,500-foot elevation range can behave differently than those living above and below them. Of course, elevation varies depending on where and in which valley or drainage in Washington, Oregon or California you're hunting.
Blacktails On Low, Middle & High Ground
During September, these mid-elevation bucks can be the toughest of all blacktails to hunt. Typically, the hunting pressure is greater, which sends the bucks deeper into their core areas, where they feel safe and can be all but impossible to find. Vegetation also is dense at middle elevations, making it a challenge to locate blacktails even if they are moving in daylight hours. Likewise, food resources are more readily available at the mid-elevation ranges than in the higher, drier country. This means bucks won't have to move as far or as often to find food, and they have more varieties to choose from.
The lack of logging these days is, perhaps, the greatest detriment to middle-elevation blacktail hunters. Not only does logging open the ground, whereby making it easier to find deer; cutting away the canopy also spurs the growth of much-needed deer forage. Unfortunately, when areas are logged these days, land managers frequently spray vegetation killers that eliminate any possibility for valued food sources for deer (and other big-game animals) to grow in the clearings.
Because moisture levels at middle elevation can vary greatly, it's important for deer hunters to pay attention to rainfall patterns and ground-water resources. September can be seasonably dry along the West coast and into the mountains, and waterholes can pay dividends for hunters. But beware that when there's enough moisture in the air or on the ground in the form of dew, blacktails may not even go to water, getting all they need from the vegetation they consume. Look closely to see what the case is in your area.
Amid the thick habitat of middle elevations, "spot and stalk" hunting tactics can be tough. Patience can pay off when you work the edges of forest openings, as well as bedding areas, but where deer are using waterholes, get off the ground and into a tree stand. Mid-elevation wind currents can swirl around variably and are far less predictable than air motion at high elevations. Getting above those wind currents can mean the difference in filling a tag or not. I like being at least 25 feet up in a tree stand.
BLACKTAIL BUCKS AT LOW ELEVATIONS
Terming blacktails as low-elevation bucks includes all those bucks that live on the valley floors. In some areas, the "low" elevations can be well above 1,000 feet. In other habitats, the deer may be living only a few feet above sea level.
Low-elevation bucks are born, live and die within a very small area. They are non-migratory, meaning they know everything about all the deer in their area, as well as their habitat.
Low-elevation deer are also more conditioned to humans. Still, they can be patterned. Many low-ground hunts take place on private land, which -- if you're an archer who has permission to hunt such properties -- can be a hunt of high success early in the season. But where low-elevation blacktails are not too pressured, the bucks can be patterned. Their bedding areas are usually no secret. Locate one, and from there it's just a matter of figuring out where they're feeding and then intercepting them.
Blacktails On Low, Middle & High Ground
However, blacktail bucks quickly can turn nocturnal after shedding their velvet. They may enter feeding zones well after dark and leave well ahead of first light. This means hanging tree stands or situating ground blinds should be done with care and close --sometimes within 100 to 150 yards -- to the bucks' core areas to increase the odds of getting a shot during daylight hours. It's a good idea to hang multiple stands in such areas. If the wind is wrong in one spot, you can quickly relocate.
Spot-and-stalk tactics also can work to intercept deer on the move. You should expect hot, dry, noisy conditions in the early season, however. Remove your boots and proceed in your stocking feet. You may want to take an extra pair of thick socks to slip on, not only to cut down on noise, but to further protect your feet.
Compared to big blacktail bucks living at higher elevations, individual bucks in the lower elevations tend to use a lot of trails. Patterning these bucks, especially in thick river bottoms and in areas where multiple food sources flourish, is a challenge. From grape vineyards to hay fields, acorns to wild flowers and numerous types of brush, lowland blacktails utilize dozens of food sources. Trail cameras can help you determine what they like best. Big bucks may not access the foods via the same routes every day, but they will usually keep going to them as long as someone or something doesn't run them off.
Your odds rise for filling your blacktail tags this deer season when you focus your attention on the deer, their routines and their needs. From one elevation range to the next, your success hinges on narrowing down deer movement and adjusting your approach.
Keep in mind, too, the ever-shortening daylight hours will cause a blacktail buck to shift his routines, no matter what elevation he lives at. Observe, adapt, be patience and be persistent. What you learn will make you a better hunter of Columbia blacktails no matter how, when or where you hunt these glorious deer.
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Kentucky Deer Outlook -- Part 2: Finding Trophy Bucks
Every serious sportsman knows that big bucks abound in the Bluegrass State. However, some places are better than others. Here are some of the best to try! (November 2007)
By Norm Minch
The 2006 Kentucky Deer Season was the third-best ever, in terms of the number of Boone and Crockett (B&C) Club trophy bucks reported in a single season. Couple that with the third-best overall harvest on record, and Bluegrass State deer hunters racked up exceptionally well.
In recent years, trophy buck production in Kentucky has been nothing short of outstanding. Each year since the 2000 season, the state has averaged 32 whitetails qualifying for the record book. That includes typical bucks scoring 160 or higher, and non-typical bucks scoring 185 or higher.
The 2005 season produced 27 bucks that met the minimums for B&C recognition. Biologists with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) actually expressed some disappointment that compared to some previous seasons, that number was just average.
Last year, as the law of averages would have it, Bluegrass hunters reported a very impressive 40 bucks that were big enough to make the record-book cutoff scores.
Said KDFWR senior biologist David Yancy, "The 2005 season seemed like a so-so year to us for B&C deer. We questioned ourselves whether that was just a quirk of weather-related hunting conditions, or something else," said the biologist.
"We might have been a little anxious for another big year for trophies, because our track record this decade has been so good.
"It now appears -- after we've gotten the scoop for the 2006 season -- that trophy whitetail production continues to be very good," he said. "We continue to claim a top-five state status in the U.S. for our land size in pumping out Boone and Crockett-class bucks."
Yancy didn't expect 40 trophies from last season, but based on the overall harvest, he believed that there would probably be some increase from the year before.
"It does look like there's a link between the number of deer Kentucky hunters take each season and the number of trophies reported each season," he said.
"Higher harvests correspond with higher numbers of record-book bucks. But to see a jump of 13 from one season to the next is really phenomenal."
What does this information tell us in terms of what hunters can expect from this year's deer season?
Given the history of recent years and the bumper crop of big bucks that showed up last year, we'll highlight it for you here. You'll quickly see that it adds up to another potentially super year for huge bucks in Kentucky.
To find the counties with the best potential, you need to string together a couple of years' worth of information and look for a pattern. Then consider the habitat quality and season structure for each area. When all those factors are positive, you've got a formula for predicting the trends for trophy deer production in Kentucky.
Let's take a look at which regions and counties blossomed last year, and examine some historical data about where the big boys have come from. Then let's look at how the 2007 season shapes up for finding you a buck of a lifetime.
I think you'll agree that there are some very exciting findings.
PURCHASE REGION
Last season, four of Kentucky's top bucks came out of the Purchase Region to the far west, compared to five the previous season. A two-season total of nine trophy deer (especially given that 2006's top non-typical is among that nine), strongly suggests that this region is coming into its own as a place to find high-quality bucks.
Check these statistics:
Dan Miller dropped a monster Pennyrile Forest (Christian County) non-typical that topped Kentucky's list last season with a score of 246 3/8. His buck is miles ahead of the rest of the biggest non-typicals for 2006.
Coincidentally, another Dan -- Dann Hughes -- shot Kentucky's biggest non-typical the year before in nearby Trigg County, which also lies within the Purchase Region.
Hughes' buck scored 249 3/8 and was "far and away" the leader in that category two seasons ago.
Kentucky Deer Outlook -- Part 2: Finding Trophy Bucks
An observation? If your name is Dan, and you have a place to hunt in the Purchase Region, you're this year's odds-on favorite to score a really big, chart-topping non-typical.
(For the rest of us, perhaps name changes are in order -- as well as some work to get permission on a farm in this region.)
And there's more to note for the Purchase Region, and for Christian County in particular.
Christian County accounted for a big 189 3/8 non-typical in 2005 as well. And Randy Green added a big typical in 2006 that missed the B&C All-Time record (of 170 or better) by a half-inch. Nevertheless, his 169 4/8 bruiser demonstrates that this county has a good trend going into the 2007 season. So keep your eyes open!
Elsewhere in the Purchase Region, Tony Moore stroked the top non-typical bow kill reported for 2006, with a big daddy 185 2/8 that placed his name in the B&C Awards Book.
His buck came out of Crittenden County, one of a handful of counties that has shown trophy-buck potential year after year. It is always highlighted on the maps indicating counties with high potential. The season before, Crittenden gave up the fourth biggest non-typical. Like last season, ironically, it was the top bow kill in 2005.
When the smoke cleared from his muzzleloader in Lyon County last year, David Stevens made the All-Time B&C Club listings with his 170 5/8 typical, rounding out a solid showing for big bucks in the Purchase Region. Many of the bucks qualifying as trophies last year weren't necessarily in the "top" 10 or 15 ranked scores. But all four bucks taken in the Purchase were.
There is good-quality habitat in most of these counties. A lot of crops are grown in this region, giving whitetail bucks the boost they need to generate those record-book antler lengths and circumferences.
"The Purchase seems to kick out three or four trophy-class whitetails each season," said Yancy. "But I believe the potential for more is probably there.
"In recent years," the biologist said, "almost every county has been represented on the list. Perhaps after the 2007 season we will be able to legitimately shade in another county or two on the map for best trophy potential counties in this region."
Yancy's prediction is certainly supported by the "pattern" we described earlier. It's clearly there in the Purchase Region from several angles. Better give this region a hard look this season.
GREEN RIVER REGION
The Green River Region tied for top trophy-producing honors in 2006, with a whopping 11 bucks making the elite cut of being considered trophy whitetails -- out of more than 63,000 bucks taken statewide last fall.
That translates into the top 2 percent of all bucks taken, and so is a remarkable achievement indeed. The Green River Region gives up quality bucks consistently, over and over.
Here's what I'm talking about.
The Green River Region -- and more specifically, Paul Campbell -- claimed the top bow kill in 2006 with a tremendous 192 4/8 buck from Warren County that got things rolling. Hulen Sanders' 176 0/8 Grayson County buck was the best typical from the region, ranking third of all typicals last year.
John Wilcox added a second typical, again from Grayson County. It scored 165 1/8 and helped the Green River Region tie with the Northeast Region for best trophy production last season.
The eight other big bucks from this region that topped Kentucky's charts came from Hopkins, McLean, Union, Edmonson, Todd, Butler, Logan and Hancock counties. Now -- as if we needed another impressive statistic about the Green River Region's trophy-buck potential, consider this:
In the last two seasons alone, at least one B&C Club qualifier has been reported taken -- are you ready? -- in 16 of the 22 counties that make up the Green River Region.
Kentucky Deer Outlook -- Part 2: Finding Trophy Bucks
Yeah, just about everywhere you look. You may have glanced at the Top Trophy-Buck Counties map and wondered why almost all the Green River counties are shaded for high potential. The reason is that they provide big bucks consistently, year after year after year. Historically, there's no better place in Kentucky to encounter a wallhanger whitetail than in this richly agricultural section of our state, so perfectly suited for deer.
While other regions have big years and small years, the Green River counties produce every time.
If a county is off the list this year, it's usually back on the next -- with a record book buck. If history repeats itself, then this region is also one of the best to consider for the hunter seeking a trophy whitetail in 2007 . . . and beyond.
BLUEGRASS REGION
In 2005, Bluegrass Region deer hunters had a bit of a dry year for big bucks. But they got on track last season, according to the KDFWR's official list of B&Cs from 2006.
Trophy bucks jumped from three to nine, again, with some very interesting developments that you need to stay on top of.
Most hunters know that Pendleton County claims Kentucky's best-ever typical buck taken: At the end of the day, Robert Smith came home with his record-book dream-fulfilling 204 2/8 buck -- top 10 in the world.
Over the years, this little county along the Ohio River has produced many trophy-caliber bucks. The 2006 season proved once again that Pendleton County is a hotbed for big bucks anywhere in Kentucky, not in just the Bluegrass Region alone.
Eddie Manning's 169 5/8 typical gun kill and Brandon Bruin's 165 0/8 buck are two more reasons to explore some territory in this area this season, for sure.
But you won't want to stop looking there, in the mid-part of the state.
It's tough to swing permission to hunt on farms in Fayette and Bourbon counties, where extensive horse operations cover much of the land. So you might think it rather strange for me to recommend that you give it a try. Yet it's hard to argue with the facts.
Each of these counties has very limited typical deer habitat, compared to what you'll find in more urban counties. The Bluegrass Region's interior counties aren't generally thought of as top places to find trophy whitetails because they contain so much open, rolling pasture. But as we know, the whitetail is a very adaptable species, capable of doing quite well even in landscapes with fragmented habitat.
But in these two counties, some spots here and there held bucks of a lifetime for three hunters last season -- and for one the season before. In the last two seasons, Fayette and Bourbon counties have yielded two trophies apiece.
It's time to start scanning those big, open fields for more than the next Derby winner. There are some big, big bucks on some of these farms. And if they can, bowhunters especially should be forging some friendships with landowners in this region.
Judging by recent trophy kills, other spots in this region to consider will include Grant County. There, Matthew Jones took Kentucky's top reported muzzleloader non-typical kill -- a 185-class buck.
There too, Rick Pelphrey harvested the top typical muzzleloader from Trimble County when his 165 3/8 buck hit the ground.
True, Bluegrass Region hunters may have to contend with more surrounding pressure than other areas. But that doesn't mean the potential for big bucks isn't present.
Remember that counties in this region have some of the highest deer densities in Kentucky. And when that's the case, just because more deer are present, a buck has a higher chance of making it untouched through three or four seasons.
Kentucky Deer Outlook -- Part 2: Finding Trophy Bucks
Big bucks are good at avoiding getting shot at when there are lots of other smaller deer around to walk out of the woods first. Most hunters will take the first decent buck they see, rather than have the patience to wait and see if a much bigger buck is holding back until he's sure it's safe.
NORTHEAST REGION
Well, what can you say? In recent years, the Northeast Region's production of trophy bucks has been a little volatile -- down, then up. There were only three book bucks in 2005, then all of a sudden, 11 in 2006.
Go figure! But one thing is as sure as anything in the hunting realm can be: If there is only one record buck a year taken in this region, it's going to be from Lewis County.
In six of the last eight seasons -- including the last four in a row -- somebody has taken a trophy buck from Lewis County. I'd almost wager that during the two seasons where no record of one exists, somebody killed one but just didn't report it.
Look what went on during the 2006 season: Dale May dropped a 170-class All Time B&C listing buck with a rifle. Darrell Armstrong and Brian Cooper each took typical 160-class bucks with a gun and a muzzleloader, respectively.
Floyd Bolander even found a 165 7/8 typical in Lewis County.
Four trophies in one season! Is that amazing, or what?
And there were seven more in the region last year, including a 199 2/8 non-typical for Dallas Stacy out of Morgan County -- and the top typical of the 2006 season overall for Larry Walters, with his 180 6/8 gun kill from Pike County.
Morgan County has been out of the picture for a while, but made a good B&C showing last season, when it produced two listings. It was one of about four counties with multiple trophies during 2006 statewide.
So what's the pattern here? Lewis County is the place to be. Sell your house and move, if you have to.
Otherwise, the potential is there, but except for Lewis, no more so in one spot than another. Scouting to find farms not hunted for a few years is probably the best bet in the Northeast Region this season.
SOUTHEAST REGION
For many years, biologists have been highlighting Pulaski County, mostly because of what they believe are some excellent genetics in that part of the Southeast Region. Since 2000, not so many trophies have popped up -- until recently.
In 2005, Darrell Scruggs recorded a big typical. And in the banner year of 2006, Rick Gosser posted a huge non-typical of 202 1/8 of his own, to "re-up" Pulaski as a hotspot for high-quality bucks in Kentucky.
William Bertram also helped out by showing that while the Southeast doesn't always post a lot of trophies, they're generally some of the most impressive when they do show up. Last season, Bertram took a Cumberland County non-typical, scoring 197-plus, that would make any deer hunter envious.
Also among the total five record deer in this region last year were bucks from Bell, Knox and Casey counties, all surpassing the 160 minimum score for typicals.
For the last couple of seasons, Casey County has also been one of the more consistent spots to find a big buck, so don't overlook it this year.
Try to hunt farms where there's some measure of grain growing, or where the habitat's not the same thing acre after acre. Deer like those ecological edges where one type of habitat borders another, and a variety of food supplies are available.
Also key on spots where you find more does congregating. Sooner or later, they'll attract most of the bucks in the area to the same place.
These days, a trophy whitetail can show up about anywhere in Kentucky, at anytime. Play the odds this season, and you'll boost your chances of being in the right place at the right time to eyeball one.
By Norm Minch
The 2006 Kentucky Deer Season was the third-best ever, in terms of the number of Boone and Crockett (B&C) Club trophy bucks reported in a single season. Couple that with the third-best overall harvest on record, and Bluegrass State deer hunters racked up exceptionally well.
In recent years, trophy buck production in Kentucky has been nothing short of outstanding. Each year since the 2000 season, the state has averaged 32 whitetails qualifying for the record book. That includes typical bucks scoring 160 or higher, and non-typical bucks scoring 185 or higher.
The 2005 season produced 27 bucks that met the minimums for B&C recognition. Biologists with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) actually expressed some disappointment that compared to some previous seasons, that number was just average.
Last year, as the law of averages would have it, Bluegrass hunters reported a very impressive 40 bucks that were big enough to make the record-book cutoff scores.
Said KDFWR senior biologist David Yancy, "The 2005 season seemed like a so-so year to us for B&C deer. We questioned ourselves whether that was just a quirk of weather-related hunting conditions, or something else," said the biologist.
"We might have been a little anxious for another big year for trophies, because our track record this decade has been so good.
"It now appears -- after we've gotten the scoop for the 2006 season -- that trophy whitetail production continues to be very good," he said. "We continue to claim a top-five state status in the U.S. for our land size in pumping out Boone and Crockett-class bucks."
Yancy didn't expect 40 trophies from last season, but based on the overall harvest, he believed that there would probably be some increase from the year before.
"It does look like there's a link between the number of deer Kentucky hunters take each season and the number of trophies reported each season," he said.
"Higher harvests correspond with higher numbers of record-book bucks. But to see a jump of 13 from one season to the next is really phenomenal."
What does this information tell us in terms of what hunters can expect from this year's deer season?
Given the history of recent years and the bumper crop of big bucks that showed up last year, we'll highlight it for you here. You'll quickly see that it adds up to another potentially super year for huge bucks in Kentucky.
To find the counties with the best potential, you need to string together a couple of years' worth of information and look for a pattern. Then consider the habitat quality and season structure for each area. When all those factors are positive, you've got a formula for predicting the trends for trophy deer production in Kentucky.
Let's take a look at which regions and counties blossomed last year, and examine some historical data about where the big boys have come from. Then let's look at how the 2007 season shapes up for finding you a buck of a lifetime.
I think you'll agree that there are some very exciting findings.
PURCHASE REGION
Last season, four of Kentucky's top bucks came out of the Purchase Region to the far west, compared to five the previous season. A two-season total of nine trophy deer (especially given that 2006's top non-typical is among that nine), strongly suggests that this region is coming into its own as a place to find high-quality bucks.
Check these statistics:
Dan Miller dropped a monster Pennyrile Forest (Christian County) non-typical that topped Kentucky's list last season with a score of 246 3/8. His buck is miles ahead of the rest of the biggest non-typicals for 2006.
Coincidentally, another Dan -- Dann Hughes -- shot Kentucky's biggest non-typical the year before in nearby Trigg County, which also lies within the Purchase Region.
Hughes' buck scored 249 3/8 and was "far and away" the leader in that category two seasons ago.
Kentucky Deer Outlook -- Part 2: Finding Trophy Bucks
An observation? If your name is Dan, and you have a place to hunt in the Purchase Region, you're this year's odds-on favorite to score a really big, chart-topping non-typical.
(For the rest of us, perhaps name changes are in order -- as well as some work to get permission on a farm in this region.)
And there's more to note for the Purchase Region, and for Christian County in particular.
Christian County accounted for a big 189 3/8 non-typical in 2005 as well. And Randy Green added a big typical in 2006 that missed the B&C All-Time record (of 170 or better) by a half-inch. Nevertheless, his 169 4/8 bruiser demonstrates that this county has a good trend going into the 2007 season. So keep your eyes open!
Elsewhere in the Purchase Region, Tony Moore stroked the top non-typical bow kill reported for 2006, with a big daddy 185 2/8 that placed his name in the B&C Awards Book.
His buck came out of Crittenden County, one of a handful of counties that has shown trophy-buck potential year after year. It is always highlighted on the maps indicating counties with high potential. The season before, Crittenden gave up the fourth biggest non-typical. Like last season, ironically, it was the top bow kill in 2005.
When the smoke cleared from his muzzleloader in Lyon County last year, David Stevens made the All-Time B&C Club listings with his 170 5/8 typical, rounding out a solid showing for big bucks in the Purchase Region. Many of the bucks qualifying as trophies last year weren't necessarily in the "top" 10 or 15 ranked scores. But all four bucks taken in the Purchase were.
There is good-quality habitat in most of these counties. A lot of crops are grown in this region, giving whitetail bucks the boost they need to generate those record-book antler lengths and circumferences.
"The Purchase seems to kick out three or four trophy-class whitetails each season," said Yancy. "But I believe the potential for more is probably there.
"In recent years," the biologist said, "almost every county has been represented on the list. Perhaps after the 2007 season we will be able to legitimately shade in another county or two on the map for best trophy potential counties in this region."
Yancy's prediction is certainly supported by the "pattern" we described earlier. It's clearly there in the Purchase Region from several angles. Better give this region a hard look this season.
GREEN RIVER REGION
The Green River Region tied for top trophy-producing honors in 2006, with a whopping 11 bucks making the elite cut of being considered trophy whitetails -- out of more than 63,000 bucks taken statewide last fall.
That translates into the top 2 percent of all bucks taken, and so is a remarkable achievement indeed. The Green River Region gives up quality bucks consistently, over and over.
Here's what I'm talking about.
The Green River Region -- and more specifically, Paul Campbell -- claimed the top bow kill in 2006 with a tremendous 192 4/8 buck from Warren County that got things rolling. Hulen Sanders' 176 0/8 Grayson County buck was the best typical from the region, ranking third of all typicals last year.
John Wilcox added a second typical, again from Grayson County. It scored 165 1/8 and helped the Green River Region tie with the Northeast Region for best trophy production last season.
The eight other big bucks from this region that topped Kentucky's charts came from Hopkins, McLean, Union, Edmonson, Todd, Butler, Logan and Hancock counties. Now -- as if we needed another impressive statistic about the Green River Region's trophy-buck potential, consider this:
In the last two seasons alone, at least one B&C Club qualifier has been reported taken -- are you ready? -- in 16 of the 22 counties that make up the Green River Region.
Kentucky Deer Outlook -- Part 2: Finding Trophy Bucks
Yeah, just about everywhere you look. You may have glanced at the Top Trophy-Buck Counties map and wondered why almost all the Green River counties are shaded for high potential. The reason is that they provide big bucks consistently, year after year after year. Historically, there's no better place in Kentucky to encounter a wallhanger whitetail than in this richly agricultural section of our state, so perfectly suited for deer.
While other regions have big years and small years, the Green River counties produce every time.
If a county is off the list this year, it's usually back on the next -- with a record book buck. If history repeats itself, then this region is also one of the best to consider for the hunter seeking a trophy whitetail in 2007 . . . and beyond.
BLUEGRASS REGION
In 2005, Bluegrass Region deer hunters had a bit of a dry year for big bucks. But they got on track last season, according to the KDFWR's official list of B&Cs from 2006.
Trophy bucks jumped from three to nine, again, with some very interesting developments that you need to stay on top of.
Most hunters know that Pendleton County claims Kentucky's best-ever typical buck taken: At the end of the day, Robert Smith came home with his record-book dream-fulfilling 204 2/8 buck -- top 10 in the world.
Over the years, this little county along the Ohio River has produced many trophy-caliber bucks. The 2006 season proved once again that Pendleton County is a hotbed for big bucks anywhere in Kentucky, not in just the Bluegrass Region alone.
Eddie Manning's 169 5/8 typical gun kill and Brandon Bruin's 165 0/8 buck are two more reasons to explore some territory in this area this season, for sure.
But you won't want to stop looking there, in the mid-part of the state.
It's tough to swing permission to hunt on farms in Fayette and Bourbon counties, where extensive horse operations cover much of the land. So you might think it rather strange for me to recommend that you give it a try. Yet it's hard to argue with the facts.
Each of these counties has very limited typical deer habitat, compared to what you'll find in more urban counties. The Bluegrass Region's interior counties aren't generally thought of as top places to find trophy whitetails because they contain so much open, rolling pasture. But as we know, the whitetail is a very adaptable species, capable of doing quite well even in landscapes with fragmented habitat.
But in these two counties, some spots here and there held bucks of a lifetime for three hunters last season -- and for one the season before. In the last two seasons, Fayette and Bourbon counties have yielded two trophies apiece.
It's time to start scanning those big, open fields for more than the next Derby winner. There are some big, big bucks on some of these farms. And if they can, bowhunters especially should be forging some friendships with landowners in this region.
Judging by recent trophy kills, other spots in this region to consider will include Grant County. There, Matthew Jones took Kentucky's top reported muzzleloader non-typical kill -- a 185-class buck.
There too, Rick Pelphrey harvested the top typical muzzleloader from Trimble County when his 165 3/8 buck hit the ground.
True, Bluegrass Region hunters may have to contend with more surrounding pressure than other areas. But that doesn't mean the potential for big bucks isn't present.
Remember that counties in this region have some of the highest deer densities in Kentucky. And when that's the case, just because more deer are present, a buck has a higher chance of making it untouched through three or four seasons.
Kentucky Deer Outlook -- Part 2: Finding Trophy Bucks
Big bucks are good at avoiding getting shot at when there are lots of other smaller deer around to walk out of the woods first. Most hunters will take the first decent buck they see, rather than have the patience to wait and see if a much bigger buck is holding back until he's sure it's safe.
NORTHEAST REGION
Well, what can you say? In recent years, the Northeast Region's production of trophy bucks has been a little volatile -- down, then up. There were only three book bucks in 2005, then all of a sudden, 11 in 2006.
Go figure! But one thing is as sure as anything in the hunting realm can be: If there is only one record buck a year taken in this region, it's going to be from Lewis County.
In six of the last eight seasons -- including the last four in a row -- somebody has taken a trophy buck from Lewis County. I'd almost wager that during the two seasons where no record of one exists, somebody killed one but just didn't report it.
Look what went on during the 2006 season: Dale May dropped a 170-class All Time B&C listing buck with a rifle. Darrell Armstrong and Brian Cooper each took typical 160-class bucks with a gun and a muzzleloader, respectively.
Floyd Bolander even found a 165 7/8 typical in Lewis County.
Four trophies in one season! Is that amazing, or what?
And there were seven more in the region last year, including a 199 2/8 non-typical for Dallas Stacy out of Morgan County -- and the top typical of the 2006 season overall for Larry Walters, with his 180 6/8 gun kill from Pike County.
Morgan County has been out of the picture for a while, but made a good B&C showing last season, when it produced two listings. It was one of about four counties with multiple trophies during 2006 statewide.
So what's the pattern here? Lewis County is the place to be. Sell your house and move, if you have to.
Otherwise, the potential is there, but except for Lewis, no more so in one spot than another. Scouting to find farms not hunted for a few years is probably the best bet in the Northeast Region this season.
SOUTHEAST REGION
For many years, biologists have been highlighting Pulaski County, mostly because of what they believe are some excellent genetics in that part of the Southeast Region. Since 2000, not so many trophies have popped up -- until recently.
In 2005, Darrell Scruggs recorded a big typical. And in the banner year of 2006, Rick Gosser posted a huge non-typical of 202 1/8 of his own, to "re-up" Pulaski as a hotspot for high-quality bucks in Kentucky.
William Bertram also helped out by showing that while the Southeast doesn't always post a lot of trophies, they're generally some of the most impressive when they do show up. Last season, Bertram took a Cumberland County non-typical, scoring 197-plus, that would make any deer hunter envious.
Also among the total five record deer in this region last year were bucks from Bell, Knox and Casey counties, all surpassing the 160 minimum score for typicals.
For the last couple of seasons, Casey County has also been one of the more consistent spots to find a big buck, so don't overlook it this year.
Try to hunt farms where there's some measure of grain growing, or where the habitat's not the same thing acre after acre. Deer like those ecological edges where one type of habitat borders another, and a variety of food supplies are available.
Also key on spots where you find more does congregating. Sooner or later, they'll attract most of the bucks in the area to the same place.
These days, a trophy whitetail can show up about anywhere in Kentucky, at anytime. Play the odds this season, and you'll boost your chances of being in the right place at the right time to eyeball one.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties
Article taken from 
We've done all the legwork to let you know the Commonwealth's top harvest counties from last season. Is one near you? (October 2009)
By Norm Minch
Just over 200,000 licenses or permits that allow the purchaser to hunt deer were sold in Kentucky last season. While some of this group, such as seniors or disabled persons, may have not actually hunted deer though their license included that privilege, that's still a good number of people interested in bagging a whitetail. When license-exempt landowners are added in, the number of active hunters easily makes up for those who get a multi-license package but choose not to hunt deer.
Comparing the 120,000-plus animals reported harvested last season with the statewide herd estimate of more than 900,000 deer, there's little doubt that the resource is sufficient to meet the needs of hunters. At the same time, though, Kentucky's whitetail herd is not neatly distributed in equal proportion across its 120 counties. A study of the harvest of recent seasons is an excellent way to predict where the best odds of success lie, and that's what we're going to give you in this review of top harvest counties in the Bluegrass State.
Before we concentrate on how things panned out during the 2008-09 season, let's practice a little biology without a license, and look at a couple of interesting short-term trends over the past three years.
During each of the past three years, more than 40 counties in Kentucky have produced 1,000 harvested deer. There were 47 counties over the 1,000 mark in 2006, 42 in 2007 and 44 last season. Also, during that period, fewer than 10 counties changed to either join the 1,000 harvest club list, or dropped off the list. In other words, most of the leading counties for deer harvest have remained very stable for the past three seasons. We can conclude that will likely be true this year, and into the future, barring any unforeseen catastrophe.
Here are a couple of other interesting facts about the development of Kentucky's deer herd. Ten years ago, the 1998-99 season marked the first time Kentucky hunters reported over 100,000 animals taken -- 103,907 to be exact. It was the first year the tele-check phone-in harvest system became the only way to report a harvested animal, despite a widespread fear that the system wouldn't work. Bowhunters were permitted to buy a bonus deer permit for an extra doe in Zone 1 counties for the first time. Kentucky's statewide herd was estimated at 700,000 to 750,000 whitetails, and the highest deer density county was Owen County with 10.11 deer per square mile of habitat.
Since the 2000 season, Kentucky hunters have remained above the 100,000-harvest mark for eight straight seasons. That speaks well for the consistency of opportunity. The last three seasons have all given up more than 113,000 whitetails, including last season, which surpassed 120,000. There should be equally good results possible this fall.
"We had a good bounce-back season in 2008, after the reduced take in 2007, which was probably somewhat due to the loss of some animals to hemorrhagic disease," said Dr. Tina Brunjes, big-game program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
According to Brunjes, Kentucky's whitetail harvest jumped up almost 7,200 deer last season. Blackpowder hunters really turned it up a notch or were seeing more deer last season, bagging more than 3,000 more whitetails than the year before. The bulk of the rest of the increase can be attributed to modern gun hunters, who found about 3,800 in their scopes.
Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties
In fact, last year's final figures wound up as Kentucky's third-best deer season on record. If Kentucky hunters can knock down 122,500 or more deer this season, the 2009-10 year for deer would take over second place all-time. The best year so far was 2004 when 124,752 deer were reported -- and even that figure is well within the possibility to eclipse.
Now, here's one final trend to watch. Since the 1999 season, Kentucky's deer harvest has been characterized by one lower harvest year, followed by a big increase year. Except between 2002 and 2003 when the harvest was within about 1,500 of each other, the seesaw pattern has been amazingly consistent for the last decade -- especially the last six seasons in a row.
Starting with 2003, for example, the deer harvest bounced from roughly 116,500 to 124,700 in 2004. In 2005, it dropped back to 112,400, followed by 122,200 in 2006. The two most recent seasons repeated the pattern a third time, with the 113,400 down cycle right on cue in 2007 and the rebound to 120,600 last year.
If the trend holds, it would suggest the 2009 season wouldn't be as productive as last year, all else remaining equal. Ironically, Kentucky's deer to hunter ratio is about 3:1, which is as high as it has ever been, and indicates that a greater harvest is certainly possible based on deer availability.
It should make the results interesting, don't you think? Will hunters come through again with a highly successful season and break the trend? Brunjes and the fish and wildlife agency hope so, especially in terms of taking more does from Zone 1 counties. It's the biologist's ongoing objective in high-density areas.
From a regional standpoint, Kentucky hunters will have several choices available to encounter good deer numbers this season. Based on last year's best harvest counties and how the harvest converts into deer density, we can project some of the better places to be for success this time around. Let's look at each region, and see what's "jumping" in your favorite hunting zone.
PURCHASE REGION
Though the Purchase Region in far western Kentucky added no more counties to the 1,000 harvest list last season, it did post two more counties in the top five overall harvest counties for 2008. With Christian and Graves counties joining steadfast Crittenden County, the Purchase Region by-passed the Bluegrass Region in claiming the majority of the top five kill counties last season.
Seven of the Purchase Region counties have reported over 1,000 deer taken each of the past three years, and are the obvious choices for locating some hunting ground in 2009. Crittenden and Livingston counties ranked highest in the region for deer density, with over 11 animals and eight deer taken per square mile last season, respectively. That really shows a lot of deer availability, despite the consistently top shelf deer harvests in these counties year after year.
Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties
Graves and Christian counties are two spots in the Purchase Region that hunters should take a hard look at. Both areas are checking in with about six deer harvested per square mile, though both counties posted approximately 2,500 deer each in the kill column last season. The density of whitetails in these counties is lower simply because there's a lot more deer habitat in these counties. Both counties have more than 400 square miles of habitat, compared with Crittenden and Livingston with 200 to 240, respectively.
Region-wide, nearly 1,500 more deer were checked in from the Purchase Region during the 2008 season versus in 2007. The statistics say there are more than enough whitetails to sustain the 1,500 increase experienced last season. Hunters just have to get in the woods and do their thing.
GREEN RIVER REGION
One of Kentucky's "powerhouse" places for producing and growing whitetails, the Green River Region in midwestern Kentucky shows up nearly completely shaded in on our Top Harvest county map -- and it does so consistently.
With a good smattering of scarcely populated counties people-wise, this big chunk of farmlands and woodlands provide deer very good overall habitat. Their flourishing numbers allow hunters in this area to "rack up" a lot of venison steaks annually. You don't find any of the even dozen Green River Region counties in the top 20 for deer density primarily because there is so much habitat in these counties. The animals are spread out over more territory that can support deer.
The Green River Region as a whole reported a very noticeable upswing in harvest last season. Some 2,100 more deer were taken in the region in 2008 as compared with 2007. Every county that posted more than 1,000 deer harvested reported more animals taken last season than the one before, except Grayson County. Several counties were up 150 to 200 animals, like Hart, Logan and Henderson, indicating growth in those counties is likely occurring.
At the other end of the spectrum, Simpson, Edmonson and Hancock counties have settled into the lowest three harvest counties in this region. However, all three areas saw better harvests last season, which is also probably a result of the herd increasing slowly in those counties.
BLUEGRASS REGION
If there's anywhere in Kentucky where hunters ought to be able to find deer in abundance, it's the Bluegrass Region. The Bluegrass Region holds 17 of the top 20 highest deer density spots based on harvest. Wow! It now takes a ratio of eight deer harvested per square mile of habitat to even break into the top 20 counties, which is where Jefferson County happens to be situated.
The cream of the crop top five counties in the Bluegrass Region last season all posted more than 2,000 deer taken. Combined, these counties produced 13,000-plus animals for hunters, or one-third of the harvest for the entire region. Bottom up, Anderson, Grant, Shelby, Pendleton and Owen counties really rocked last season and should be focal points this year as well.
Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties
And what about Owen County -- the top producer statewide in 2008? Yeah, it blew the doors off last year with an incredible 3,910 deer reported. That might also explain why it comes in as the county with the highest deer density in Kentucky, running at 14 deer downed per square mile of habitat last season.
The Bluegrass Region to some degree is almost like feast or famine for finding good numbers of deer. Counties located adjacent to Fayette and south of the Lexington metro area don't have the same ability to generate big deer herds because of less favorable habitat. To the north and west of UK's hometown, nearly anywhere within the region, hunters are going to encounter a reasonably high number of deer.
There are 10 counties showing more than 10 animals harvested per square mile on our chart. Hunters ought to be finding these animals on the ground this season in these spots as well. Bowhunters have been faring particularly well in Owen, Oldham, Jefferson, Scott, Shelby and Spencer counties in the Bluegrass. In the more urban counties, this is definitely the way to go after deer. Archery is perceived as less intrusive and potentially dangerous in areas closer to people and domestic animals, and hunters can often get permission easier to bowhunt in places where a lot of deer are obviously present.
Selecting the higher density counties for archery hunting just makes sense. The chance of getting an animal in close is simply a greater probability on lands where more deer are living. It helps put the odds in your favor.
NORTHEAST REGION
The Northeast Region roared back this season with nearly every county showing an increase in harvest, and collectively, this region reported just shy of 1,800 more deer taken in 2008 than in 2007. One of only two regions to actually add a county to the 1,000 or more harvest club, the Northeast placed Morgan County on the chart for last season. Mason and Boyd counties missed the list by less than 50 animals each.
The top three recommendations for finding deer this season in this 21-county area will be Bracken, Lawrence and Carter counties. All three areas posted a healthy 1,500-plus deer kill last season. Bracken and Robertson were the only two Zone 1 counties in the Northeast Region last season with unlimited doe harvest.
Lewis and Greenup with their good Ohio River bottom country round out the best of the best in the Northeast for 2009. Both went well over the 1,000 mark in 2008. Zone 2 management and harvest restrictions are generally used for counties that have herds developed in best proportion to the habitat available.
A good portion of the Northeast Region continues to be managed for some herd growth, with some restriction on antlerless deer limits for hunters. That approach will continue into the near future to permit county herds toward the southern half of the region to keep expanding. Deer densities in many of these counties are hovering between one and three deer taken per square mile, which is fairly low.
Bluegrass State Deer Special Part 1: Our Top Harvest Counties
SOUTHEAST REGION
The monster harvest year in 2006 kicked three counties over the 1,000 mark for the first time in the Southeast Region. In 2007, the region couldn't quite manage a single county, though the top three all posted over 900 animals.
Last season, the Southeast Region climbed back in with at least one county above the 1,000 kill threshold -- Green County, which gave up 1,107 animals to successful hunters. Pulaski and Adair counties posted a harvest of 986 and 984, respectively. Overall, the region managed to see just 81 more animals taken in the total harvest of 16,623 in 2008.
Green and Taylor counties, in terms of harvest density, rank higher than Adair and Pulaski for deer per square mile. Green is holding just above four deer per square mile, which is highest in the Southeast, followed by Taylor with just above three deer per square mile harvested. Adair County checks in at 2.62 taken per square mile, though Adair County has 100 more square miles of deer land than Green County.
Pulaski County narrowly missed the 1,000 mark with 986 whitetails reported last season. The density rating of 1.66 deer taken per square mile seems low, but recall that Pulaski County has just shy of 600 square miles of habitat. Only Pike County is larger with 780 square miles of landmass suitable for deer.
Rounding out the top five harvest counties, Whitley and Laurel appear to be two more of the best places to find deer this season. Both counties came in last season at more than 800 animals taken. Each county's harvest was higher indicating growth for which they are being managed.
The last two counties that showed good jumps in harvest during the most recent season were Knox and Cumberland. Knox County is obviously benefiting from deer expansion from the two better populated neighboring counties of Whitley and Laurel. Cumberland County is the only other county to post more than 700 deer out of the Southeast Region the last two seasons in a row, and both counties should still offer some good spots to find whitetails this year.
These counties are clustered to the western side of the region, but herds seem to be slowly picking up strength toward the east. Limited habitat continues to keep these herds from expanding quickly, but most seem to be holding their own or making forward progress. It will take a long time for enough animals to be present in the majority of the Southeast Region counties for a harvest to get above 1,000. Those noted, however, are on the doorstep and deserve a good look for hunters in this neck of the woods.
Kentucky deer biologists continue to want the annual harvest to be in the 120,000 to 130,000 range to keep high-density counties in check and see some growth in those counties with fewer than three animals taken per square mile. Remember to check your animals as required, and if you can take additional antlerless deer, do so and donate it, or give the meat to someone if you can't use it all. You might be surprised how many people would enjoy venison, if they only had someone to offer it to them.
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks in the Great Plains?
Article taken from
Deer hunting is looking so good, it might be easier to say where the big bucks won't be in 2009! But here are the top areas for huge deer, according to experts. (November 2009)
By Tim Lilley
Combined, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota have 318 counties. And according to information compiled by the Quality Deer Management Association with data from Boone and Crocket and Pope and Young clubs, less than 13 percent of those counties did not produce a trophy buck from 1996 to 2005. That's 41 of the 318 counties.
But there is excellent hunting throughout the Great Plains. A big buck could pop up about anywhere in the four states we'll cover. The goal of this story is to help point you in the right direction to find the best of the best when it comes to areas that hold the potential to give you a chance at a healthy, mature buck with big antlers. Here are places to hunt, with a heads up on the places that haven't produced record bucks in recent years.
KANSAS
Biologist Lloyd Fox summed up the Sunflower State's big-buck prospects in one sentence.
"This," he said, "is a wonderful time to hunt deer in Kansas."
Fox went on to talk about the rack from a Morris County whitetail taken last season that he'd just finished scoring in his Emporia office. It taped 193 non-typical inches. He also mentioned two other bucks he'd scored over the past 14 days, both from areas northwest of his office, but not terribly far away.
One scored 202 and was taken in 2007. The other was a 2008 archery buck that scored 196.
"When I talk about just the deer I've seen, that's only scratching the surface of what we have available," said Fox.
Mule deer numbers in Kansas are stable, and the same management units show the best promise for trophy mulies year after year. The best include DMUs 1, 2, 3 and 17. This includes all of northwest Kansas and all the western counties that border Colorado except for the far southwest corner, which is part of DMU 18.
When it comes to whitetails, Fox pointed hunters toward DMUs 5, 7, 8, 14 and 16 for 2009.
If you look at the QDMA map showing B&C and P&Y entries from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, you also can add DMUs 4, 6, 9, 10, 13 and 15. Remember, however, that Fox didn't include those on his list. They represent an observation based on record-book applications from the counties in those units.
If anything, topography and habitat suggest that the units Fox mentioned just might hold the best of the best in the Sunflower State. They encompass a lot of native tall-grass prairie and CRP acreage. Hunting places like these is not like the deer hunting you find in many other states, especially east of the Missouri River, where wooded habitat provides great cover for deer along with at least decent amounts of hard and soft mast.
If you want to hunt country like that in Kansas, by all means check out DMU 10, which includes the Missouri River bluffs in the very northeast corner of the state. There is some truly amazing hardwood deer habitat up there, which I discovered during spring turkey hunts to the area when I first moved to Kansas years ago.
Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?
Three of the units Fox noted -- 7, 8 and 14 -- include portions of the famed Flint Hills region, which is home to the largest remaining contiguous stand of native tall-grass prairie in the country. Units 5 and 16 also contain plenty of wide-open spaces -- the kinds of places many hunters wouldn't expect to find many deer at all, let alone some real bruisers.
"Many hunters think of deer as a forest species," Fox said. "But in these units, they really are shrub and grassland species. These are the places where a big buck will rest out on a grassy knoll where he can see in every direction. If he needs to, he can get up and move in any direction and just disappear into the topography."
Fox also mentioned that these units, by and large, are home to some great plum thickets. I know this first-hand about DMUs 3, 7 and 8. There are some draws and thickets in that country that the buck of a lifetime could escape to and never be found.
NEBRASKA
Most of the great counties for trophy Nebraska bucks are found in one of six management units -- Frenchman, Pine Ridge, Plains, Republican, Sandhills and Upper Platte. These are the six units state biologist Kit Hams included again this year as the best bets for big mulies and whitetails.
It's significant to note that two units -- Pine Ridge and Sandhills -- appear on both species' lists of hotspots. That suggests that hunters willing to visit the northwest corner of the state have a chance at nice mature bucks of either species.
"Although, as I said before, we're still trying to catch Kansas!" Hams said with a laugh. "But deer hunting in Nebraska has never been better. And it keeps getting better, which is wonderful for our hunters."
Last season, 72 percent of the mule deer bucks and 66 percent of the white-tailed bucks were 2 years or older. Those numbers represent two very important elements for Great Plains hunters to consider if they're thinking about hunting Nebraska this season or in the future.
First and most importantly to the state's deer population, that means that hunters are letting many young bucks walk. That definitely is helping to enhance the overall age structure of the state's deer herd. It also means that, as a result, Nebraska's age structure has a chance to at least remain fairly stable, if not improve, on an annual basis.
When hunters aren't taking 1 1/2-year-old bucks out of the population, they grow to at least 2 1/2 and older. Biologists will tell you that bucks are reaching full maturity by age 3 1/2, and there is reason to believe (as suggested by the harvest percentages) that hunters in Nebraska are seeing many mature bucks each season.
Hams' suggestions for the best mule deer hunting are all in northwestern Nebraska -- the Pine Ridge, Sandhills and Upper Platte units. Pine Ridge and Sandhills also make his list for whitetails, along with Frenchman, Plains and Republican.
Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?
Hams encourages hunters to harvest antlerless deer in the units along the Missouri River to help keep the population in check.
They also represent a significant number of record-book bucks, according to the QDMA. From here, whitetail hunters should look at the Blue Southeast, Blue Northwest and Wahoo units. As was the case with some Kansas units, these three do not come from Hams, but rather from the QDMA trophy map.
SOUTH DAKOTA
As is the case in Nebraska, there are two areas in South Dakota that offer good trophy potential for mule deer and whitetails. Both are in the northwest corner of the state -- Harding and Perkins counties.
State biologist Ted Benzon pointed hunters to the West River region for big bucks this season, although he did note potential in the northeast part of the state.
"Any of the northeastern units could be good for whitetails because of the ratios of bucks to does we have up there," he said.
South Dakota's focus on trimming numbers in the northeastern part of the state have led to ratios that Benzon called virtually 1:1 bucks to does. Anytime that kind of ratio exists, there is the potential for big bucks. Brown, Marshall, Day and Roberts counties in the northeast look very good, according to the QDMA.
Like its neighbors to the north and south, South Dakota also boasts significant CRP acreage heading into the 2009 season. But biologists in all four states talked about the potential of significant losses in the not-too-distant future as landowners decide not to renew CRP contracts and return land to production.
A big reason for that is the increased interest in alternative fuels like corn-based ethanol. One of the biologists interviewed for this story put it very succinctly: "Ethanol is no friend to wildlife."
This season, however, South Dakota hunters won't see that habitat has diminished significantly. Instead, they'll face many of the same challenges hunters in the other Great Plains states face when it comes to hunting deer in country that is more open than wooded. Deer adapt very, very well to the topography, and in South Dakota that means lots of CRP with plenty of outstanding bedding and safety cover.
"All in all," biologist Benzon said, "I believe hunters across the state are going to start seeing older bucks because of the steps we've taken to get the buck-to-doe ratios stabilized. Both our mule deer and whitetail populations are in good shape, and there is plenty of CRP cover out there for them."
The state had a typical winter for a change, and there was no significant winter mortality.
Benzon said warming trends arrived at just the right times to offset the potential danger of significant storms that dumped -- and drifted -- lots of snow around the state.
"Everyone was getting worried about the impact of all the snow," he said. "Then we had the big February meltdown that handled most of the concern."
Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?
He also mentioned a series of three major blizzard events in the western part of the state, but each was followed by a warming trend that kept conditions more favorable than not for deer and other wildlife.
NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota biologist Bill Jensen said his state does not manage its deer resources with big bucks in mind. Rather, they strive to offer hunters the best overall hunting opportunities. North Dakota doesn't keep records of big deer taken within its borders.
That being said, Jensen provided an easy reference for hunters after big bucks this season -- go east for whitetails and west for mule deer. Specifically, he mentioned units 2B, 2C, 2F1 and 2F2 for mature whitetails, and 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F for mature mulies. If you look at the map on Page 20, you'll see the general east-and-west breaks. Units 2B and 2C include roughly 80 percent of North Dakota's eastern border counties. Units 2F1 and 2F2 add the east-central counties west of the border counties.
Units 4B, 4D, 4E and 4F represent roughly the southern two-thirds of the western border counties. Units 4A and 4C add additional counties in the west-central section of the state.
He said that winter mortality wasn't a factor in most of the state, although there were some losses in mid-North Dakota because of the tracks of major snowstorms.
"The first bands of heavy snow we got moved from southwest to northeast," he said. "And the later bands moved from northwest to southeast. They had real winter, all winter in the upper-central part of the state where those bands crossed."
QDMA's map shows that units 2B and 2C definitely are good bets for whitetails. However, it also appears as though the southern portion of Unit 2E also could be a good bet for an encounter with a mature whitetail.
In mule deer country, it's also important to note that good numbers of record-book applications for whitetails came from North Dakota units that include 3A3, 4A, 4B and 4C. With that in mind, the "4s" also appear to represent areas where hunters could have a chance this season to encounter mature bucks of either species. As with the other states, note that this is speculation based on a combination of biologist-provided information and the data used to create the QDMA map. It does not represent specific recommendations from Jensen. His, like those of his counterparts in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, are reflected on the map that accompanies this story.
THE BIG PICTURE
When more than 87 percent of the counties in the Great Plains states are shown to have produced at least one record-book whitetail according to the B&C and P&Y data, it's difficult to suggest that there are large expanses of land in any of the states that are devoid of big bucks -- or at least the potential for big bucks.
North Dakota's southern border counties and Kansas' southwestern border counties represent what appear to be the largest contiguous chunks of the Great Plains without a record-book buck being taken.
Although other states around the country get at least as much -- if not more -- publicity for their big bucks and great hunting opportunities, the Great Plains states collectively provide as good a chance for hunters to encounter big mature bucks -- both mule deer and whitetails -- as any other state.
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
Deer hunting is looking so good, it might be easier to say where the big bucks won't be in 2009! But here are the top areas for huge deer, according to experts. (November 2009)
By Tim Lilley
Combined, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota have 318 counties. And according to information compiled by the Quality Deer Management Association with data from Boone and Crocket and Pope and Young clubs, less than 13 percent of those counties did not produce a trophy buck from 1996 to 2005. That's 41 of the 318 counties.
But there is excellent hunting throughout the Great Plains. A big buck could pop up about anywhere in the four states we'll cover. The goal of this story is to help point you in the right direction to find the best of the best when it comes to areas that hold the potential to give you a chance at a healthy, mature buck with big antlers. Here are places to hunt, with a heads up on the places that haven't produced record bucks in recent years.
KANSAS
Biologist Lloyd Fox summed up the Sunflower State's big-buck prospects in one sentence.
"This," he said, "is a wonderful time to hunt deer in Kansas."
Fox went on to talk about the rack from a Morris County whitetail taken last season that he'd just finished scoring in his Emporia office. It taped 193 non-typical inches. He also mentioned two other bucks he'd scored over the past 14 days, both from areas northwest of his office, but not terribly far away.
One scored 202 and was taken in 2007. The other was a 2008 archery buck that scored 196.
"When I talk about just the deer I've seen, that's only scratching the surface of what we have available," said Fox.
Mule deer numbers in Kansas are stable, and the same management units show the best promise for trophy mulies year after year. The best include DMUs 1, 2, 3 and 17. This includes all of northwest Kansas and all the western counties that border Colorado except for the far southwest corner, which is part of DMU 18.
When it comes to whitetails, Fox pointed hunters toward DMUs 5, 7, 8, 14 and 16 for 2009.
If you look at the QDMA map showing B&C and P&Y entries from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, you also can add DMUs 4, 6, 9, 10, 13 and 15. Remember, however, that Fox didn't include those on his list. They represent an observation based on record-book applications from the counties in those units.
If anything, topography and habitat suggest that the units Fox mentioned just might hold the best of the best in the Sunflower State. They encompass a lot of native tall-grass prairie and CRP acreage. Hunting places like these is not like the deer hunting you find in many other states, especially east of the Missouri River, where wooded habitat provides great cover for deer along with at least decent amounts of hard and soft mast.
If you want to hunt country like that in Kansas, by all means check out DMU 10, which includes the Missouri River bluffs in the very northeast corner of the state. There is some truly amazing hardwood deer habitat up there, which I discovered during spring turkey hunts to the area when I first moved to Kansas years ago.
Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?
Three of the units Fox noted -- 7, 8 and 14 -- include portions of the famed Flint Hills region, which is home to the largest remaining contiguous stand of native tall-grass prairie in the country. Units 5 and 16 also contain plenty of wide-open spaces -- the kinds of places many hunters wouldn't expect to find many deer at all, let alone some real bruisers.
"Many hunters think of deer as a forest species," Fox said. "But in these units, they really are shrub and grassland species. These are the places where a big buck will rest out on a grassy knoll where he can see in every direction. If he needs to, he can get up and move in any direction and just disappear into the topography."
Fox also mentioned that these units, by and large, are home to some great plum thickets. I know this first-hand about DMUs 3, 7 and 8. There are some draws and thickets in that country that the buck of a lifetime could escape to and never be found.
NEBRASKA
Most of the great counties for trophy Nebraska bucks are found in one of six management units -- Frenchman, Pine Ridge, Plains, Republican, Sandhills and Upper Platte. These are the six units state biologist Kit Hams included again this year as the best bets for big mulies and whitetails.
It's significant to note that two units -- Pine Ridge and Sandhills -- appear on both species' lists of hotspots. That suggests that hunters willing to visit the northwest corner of the state have a chance at nice mature bucks of either species.
"Although, as I said before, we're still trying to catch Kansas!" Hams said with a laugh. "But deer hunting in Nebraska has never been better. And it keeps getting better, which is wonderful for our hunters."
Last season, 72 percent of the mule deer bucks and 66 percent of the white-tailed bucks were 2 years or older. Those numbers represent two very important elements for Great Plains hunters to consider if they're thinking about hunting Nebraska this season or in the future.
First and most importantly to the state's deer population, that means that hunters are letting many young bucks walk. That definitely is helping to enhance the overall age structure of the state's deer herd. It also means that, as a result, Nebraska's age structure has a chance to at least remain fairly stable, if not improve, on an annual basis.
When hunters aren't taking 1 1/2-year-old bucks out of the population, they grow to at least 2 1/2 and older. Biologists will tell you that bucks are reaching full maturity by age 3 1/2, and there is reason to believe (as suggested by the harvest percentages) that hunters in Nebraska are seeing many mature bucks each season.
Hams' suggestions for the best mule deer hunting are all in northwestern Nebraska -- the Pine Ridge, Sandhills and Upper Platte units. Pine Ridge and Sandhills also make his list for whitetails, along with Frenchman, Plains and Republican.
Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?
Hams encourages hunters to harvest antlerless deer in the units along the Missouri River to help keep the population in check.
They also represent a significant number of record-book bucks, according to the QDMA. From here, whitetail hunters should look at the Blue Southeast, Blue Northwest and Wahoo units. As was the case with some Kansas units, these three do not come from Hams, but rather from the QDMA trophy map.
SOUTH DAKOTA
As is the case in Nebraska, there are two areas in South Dakota that offer good trophy potential for mule deer and whitetails. Both are in the northwest corner of the state -- Harding and Perkins counties.
State biologist Ted Benzon pointed hunters to the West River region for big bucks this season, although he did note potential in the northeast part of the state.
"Any of the northeastern units could be good for whitetails because of the ratios of bucks to does we have up there," he said.
South Dakota's focus on trimming numbers in the northeastern part of the state have led to ratios that Benzon called virtually 1:1 bucks to does. Anytime that kind of ratio exists, there is the potential for big bucks. Brown, Marshall, Day and Roberts counties in the northeast look very good, according to the QDMA.
Like its neighbors to the north and south, South Dakota also boasts significant CRP acreage heading into the 2009 season. But biologists in all four states talked about the potential of significant losses in the not-too-distant future as landowners decide not to renew CRP contracts and return land to production.
A big reason for that is the increased interest in alternative fuels like corn-based ethanol. One of the biologists interviewed for this story put it very succinctly: "Ethanol is no friend to wildlife."
This season, however, South Dakota hunters won't see that habitat has diminished significantly. Instead, they'll face many of the same challenges hunters in the other Great Plains states face when it comes to hunting deer in country that is more open than wooded. Deer adapt very, very well to the topography, and in South Dakota that means lots of CRP with plenty of outstanding bedding and safety cover.
"All in all," biologist Benzon said, "I believe hunters across the state are going to start seeing older bucks because of the steps we've taken to get the buck-to-doe ratios stabilized. Both our mule deer and whitetail populations are in good shape, and there is plenty of CRP cover out there for them."
The state had a typical winter for a change, and there was no significant winter mortality.
Benzon said warming trends arrived at just the right times to offset the potential danger of significant storms that dumped -- and drifted -- lots of snow around the state.
"Everyone was getting worried about the impact of all the snow," he said. "Then we had the big February meltdown that handled most of the concern."
Big Buck Outlook -- Where Are The Trophy Bucks?
He also mentioned a series of three major blizzard events in the western part of the state, but each was followed by a warming trend that kept conditions more favorable than not for deer and other wildlife.
NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota biologist Bill Jensen said his state does not manage its deer resources with big bucks in mind. Rather, they strive to offer hunters the best overall hunting opportunities. North Dakota doesn't keep records of big deer taken within its borders.
That being said, Jensen provided an easy reference for hunters after big bucks this season -- go east for whitetails and west for mule deer. Specifically, he mentioned units 2B, 2C, 2F1 and 2F2 for mature whitetails, and 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F for mature mulies. If you look at the map on Page 20, you'll see the general east-and-west breaks. Units 2B and 2C include roughly 80 percent of North Dakota's eastern border counties. Units 2F1 and 2F2 add the east-central counties west of the border counties.
Units 4B, 4D, 4E and 4F represent roughly the southern two-thirds of the western border counties. Units 4A and 4C add additional counties in the west-central section of the state.
He said that winter mortality wasn't a factor in most of the state, although there were some losses in mid-North Dakota because of the tracks of major snowstorms.
"The first bands of heavy snow we got moved from southwest to northeast," he said. "And the later bands moved from northwest to southeast. They had real winter, all winter in the upper-central part of the state where those bands crossed."
QDMA's map shows that units 2B and 2C definitely are good bets for whitetails. However, it also appears as though the southern portion of Unit 2E also could be a good bet for an encounter with a mature whitetail.
In mule deer country, it's also important to note that good numbers of record-book applications for whitetails came from North Dakota units that include 3A3, 4A, 4B and 4C. With that in mind, the "4s" also appear to represent areas where hunters could have a chance this season to encounter mature bucks of either species. As with the other states, note that this is speculation based on a combination of biologist-provided information and the data used to create the QDMA map. It does not represent specific recommendations from Jensen. His, like those of his counterparts in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, are reflected on the map that accompanies this story.
THE BIG PICTURE
When more than 87 percent of the counties in the Great Plains states are shown to have produced at least one record-book whitetail according to the B&C and P&Y data, it's difficult to suggest that there are large expanses of land in any of the states that are devoid of big bucks -- or at least the potential for big bucks.
North Dakota's southern border counties and Kansas' southwestern border counties represent what appear to be the largest contiguous chunks of the Great Plains without a record-book buck being taken.
Although other states around the country get at least as much -- if not more -- publicity for their big bucks and great hunting opportunities, the Great Plains states collectively provide as good a chance for hunters to encounter big mature bucks -- both mule deer and whitetails -- as any other state.
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
Plan Your Public Deer Hunts
Article taken from 
website.
With all the intricacies of the rules on our wildlife management area hunts, you need to start getting ready now for the action. Here's a look at the places where you can find walk-up hunts this year. (July 2010)
By Carolee Boyles
It's still summer, but the archery hunting for deer is just around the corner. And this year, it's going to be a different season from years past.
No matter where you are, you need to closely monitor season dates for this year, because they've changed. If you're in the South Zone -- now renamed Zone A--you're going to be hunting earlier. Archery season on private land starts July 31, 2010. In most of what was the Central Zone -- and now Zone C -- archery action starts on the third Saturday in September. Zone B -- a portion of the old Central Zone in the Green Swamp basin of Polk, Hillsborough and north Pinellas counties -- archery season won't start until the third Saturday in October. Finally, in Zone D -- the old Northwest Zone, but with a slight boundary adjustment -- hunting will begin Oct. 23, 2010.
These dates are designed so that gun season falls during the rut, which means bowhunters will be hunting the pre-rut in most parts of the state. However, the new season dates do not necessarily correspond to the hunting dates on public land, some of which remain the same and some of which have changed.
The bottom line is you need to play it safe and check the regulations before heading to any area for the first time this year.
Regardless of when the action begins, there continues to be a multitude of places to bowhunt throughout Florida. In order to give you the best idea of where to look on public land under this new Zone system, we've grouped the Wildlife Management Areas according to the new zone boundaries. Each of the WMAs discussed have all or part of the archery season open for walk-up hunting with no quota permit required.
ZONE A
Zone A remains that portion of the state south of State Route 70. Its deer season now starts nearly a month and a half earlier, with July 31 as the new opening day for archery season on private land.
J. W. Corbett WMA is your best bet for archery season in Zone A. This area is slightly more than 60,000 acres, and is in Palm Beach and Martin counties. It's primarily pine flatwoods, cypress domes, and ponds.
This is one of the older areas in the WMA system, purchased by the State of Florida and the old Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission in the 1940s. Its timber was completely cut over then, but now supports some good stands of pines again. In those areas, look for a typical South Florida palmetto understory, with a lot of ponds interspersed throughout the area.
Access to Corbett is better than on some of the other southern WMAs. A series of trails run off road into the interior, providing that access.
No special permits are required during archery season.
ZONE B
This is the smallest of the four new zones and is basically the greater Tampa Bay area. In part, it's made up of the Green Swamp Basin. This new zone lies south of SR 50, west of U.S. Highway 441 and the Kissimmee Waterway, north of SR 60 and east of the Gulf of Mexico.
Because this is such a small zone, public hunting opportunities here are limited.
The Baird Unit of Richloam WMA is your best bet for archery action. However, be aware that the first nine days of the season on the tract are reserved for quota permit holder. After that, all hunters are free to use the WMA. Be sure of your dates before you go!
The Baird Unit is located in Sumter County and is just a little over 11,000 acres. There are, however, some patches of closed or private land inside the WMA. This is one area that requires careful scrutiny of the map before you go.
ZONE C
Zone C follows roughly the boundaries of the old Central Zone, with the southern boundary remaining the same as before. However, the north boundary has been moved slightly west. The new line dividing zones C and D begins at U.S. 27 at the Gadsden County/Georgia state line and runs south along U.S. 27 until it meets SR 61 in Tallahassee. From there, it follows SR 61 south until reaching U.S. 319. There the line follows U.S. 319 south to U.S. 98. It then runs east along U.S. 98 before turning south on Spring Creek Highway (SR 365) and continuing to the Gulf of Mexico.
Arbuckle WMA, located in Polk County, is a good place to bowhunt despite the fact that the habitat doesn't seem too conducive to a good deer population. It has kind of a scrubby habitat, with a lot of sandhills, with the entire area in uplands. There are minimum antler restrictions on the area, so typically it's a fairly good area for big deer.
You need a permit to hunt Arbuckle WMA, but they're issued on a first come, first served basis at the check station. The area covers slightly more than 13,500 acres.
Chassahowitzka WMA in Hernando County requires a quota permit for the first nine days, but after that is open to all hunters. This 33,000-acre area can be hard to hunt. About a third of it is flatwoods and sandhills, with the rest a wet swamp. However, hunters take some large deer out of it.
Two units of the Big Bend WMA -- Tide Swamp and Hickory Mound -- are good places to hunt in this zone. Both units have similar habitat, with some hardwood hammocks, a lot of flatwoods, and some sandhills.
There have been several timber operations going on in recent years, including some slash pine thinning. This could mean better browse for the deer in these areas.
Tide Swamp has a 3-point rule that Hickory Mound doesn't have, but other than that the management of both units is pretty much the same.
Hickory Mound Unit covers almost 14,500 acres in Taylor County, with the Econfina River on its western boundary. Tide Swamp Unit is more than 19,500 acres, and is in Taylor County.
Log Landing WMA is another area with good possibilities. Located right along the Suwannee River in Dixie County, it has a good amount of flood plain swamp. Because it's a fairly new area, it hasn't been heavily hunted yet. However, it's a small area of only a little more than 1,100 acres, so it won't accommodate a lot of hunting pressure.
Joe Budd WMA in Gadsden County is always a good place for deer. Although it doesn't have a general gun season, Joe Budd has archery and muzzleloading gun hunts through the period of time when the rest of the state is open for general gun hunting. It does require a quota permit, but half of them are walk-up permits issued at the check station.
Year in and year out, Joe Budd is a quality area for hunting. It has a variety of habitats and a varied topography, which is rare for Florida. Since this area has gone to a three points on a side minimum antler rule, it's starting to build up a larger population of mature bucks.
Joe Budd spreads over slightly more than 11,000 acres.
Blackwater WMA is another good area to check out. It's a huge area covering more than 191,000 acres. Hunters can find spots that don't receive a lot of pressure, if they spend some time scouting.
Blackwater has some beautiful longleaf pine and wiregrass habitat. There are creek drainages that go through the area that have thicker cover and provide a lot of good funnels for hunters to set up on.
Blackwater WMA is located in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.
Upper Chipola River WMA is a relatively small area, covering only a little more than 7,000 acres in Jackson County. It is difficult to hunt because access is tough. The best way to enter is by boat, and most of the habitat is riverine swamp. Many hunters skip hunting it because of the access issues, but if you like a challenge, it could be a good place to find solitude and a quality buck.
Pine Log WMA in Bay and Washington counties covers slightly less than 7,000 acres. Because it's so small it won't support a lot of pressure. Nonetheless, it has a decent deer population and could be a place for bowhunters to bring out some nice deer.
This WMA has an archery-only area, so even during general gun season you can get in with your bow without being disturbed by gun hunters. However, be aware that there also is some private property within the boundaries of Pine Log, and one other section is closed to hunting entirely.
Apalachee WMA is an area that's been around quite a while. It's located in Jackson County right along Lake Seminole and the Chattahoochee River. Part of the area has planted fields in it, which attracts the deer. The entire area is only 7,900 acres, so it won't support a lot of pressure.
Permits are required on Apalachee WMA, but they're first-come, first-served zone tags available at the check station on the day of the hunts.
Escambia River WMA is a fairly large area in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, covering more than 34,000 acres. This is another area for which access is difficult. It follows the Escambia River, and the most effective access is by small boat or canoe. You'll be hunting in a lot of river swamp here, however, so it's potentially a good area if you can get into it.
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
website.With all the intricacies of the rules on our wildlife management area hunts, you need to start getting ready now for the action. Here's a look at the places where you can find walk-up hunts this year. (July 2010)
By Carolee Boyles
It's still summer, but the archery hunting for deer is just around the corner. And this year, it's going to be a different season from years past.
No matter where you are, you need to closely monitor season dates for this year, because they've changed. If you're in the South Zone -- now renamed Zone A--you're going to be hunting earlier. Archery season on private land starts July 31, 2010. In most of what was the Central Zone -- and now Zone C -- archery action starts on the third Saturday in September. Zone B -- a portion of the old Central Zone in the Green Swamp basin of Polk, Hillsborough and north Pinellas counties -- archery season won't start until the third Saturday in October. Finally, in Zone D -- the old Northwest Zone, but with a slight boundary adjustment -- hunting will begin Oct. 23, 2010.
These dates are designed so that gun season falls during the rut, which means bowhunters will be hunting the pre-rut in most parts of the state. However, the new season dates do not necessarily correspond to the hunting dates on public land, some of which remain the same and some of which have changed.
The bottom line is you need to play it safe and check the regulations before heading to any area for the first time this year.
Regardless of when the action begins, there continues to be a multitude of places to bowhunt throughout Florida. In order to give you the best idea of where to look on public land under this new Zone system, we've grouped the Wildlife Management Areas according to the new zone boundaries. Each of the WMAs discussed have all or part of the archery season open for walk-up hunting with no quota permit required.
ZONE A
Zone A remains that portion of the state south of State Route 70. Its deer season now starts nearly a month and a half earlier, with July 31 as the new opening day for archery season on private land.
J. W. Corbett WMA is your best bet for archery season in Zone A. This area is slightly more than 60,000 acres, and is in Palm Beach and Martin counties. It's primarily pine flatwoods, cypress domes, and ponds.
This is one of the older areas in the WMA system, purchased by the State of Florida and the old Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission in the 1940s. Its timber was completely cut over then, but now supports some good stands of pines again. In those areas, look for a typical South Florida palmetto understory, with a lot of ponds interspersed throughout the area.
Access to Corbett is better than on some of the other southern WMAs. A series of trails run off road into the interior, providing that access.
No special permits are required during archery season.
ZONE B
This is the smallest of the four new zones and is basically the greater Tampa Bay area. In part, it's made up of the Green Swamp Basin. This new zone lies south of SR 50, west of U.S. Highway 441 and the Kissimmee Waterway, north of SR 60 and east of the Gulf of Mexico.
Because this is such a small zone, public hunting opportunities here are limited.
The Baird Unit of Richloam WMA is your best bet for archery action. However, be aware that the first nine days of the season on the tract are reserved for quota permit holder. After that, all hunters are free to use the WMA. Be sure of your dates before you go!
The Baird Unit is located in Sumter County and is just a little over 11,000 acres. There are, however, some patches of closed or private land inside the WMA. This is one area that requires careful scrutiny of the map before you go.
ZONE C
Zone C follows roughly the boundaries of the old Central Zone, with the southern boundary remaining the same as before. However, the north boundary has been moved slightly west. The new line dividing zones C and D begins at U.S. 27 at the Gadsden County/Georgia state line and runs south along U.S. 27 until it meets SR 61 in Tallahassee. From there, it follows SR 61 south until reaching U.S. 319. There the line follows U.S. 319 south to U.S. 98. It then runs east along U.S. 98 before turning south on Spring Creek Highway (SR 365) and continuing to the Gulf of Mexico.
Arbuckle WMA, located in Polk County, is a good place to bowhunt despite the fact that the habitat doesn't seem too conducive to a good deer population. It has kind of a scrubby habitat, with a lot of sandhills, with the entire area in uplands. There are minimum antler restrictions on the area, so typically it's a fairly good area for big deer.
You need a permit to hunt Arbuckle WMA, but they're issued on a first come, first served basis at the check station. The area covers slightly more than 13,500 acres.
Chassahowitzka WMA in Hernando County requires a quota permit for the first nine days, but after that is open to all hunters. This 33,000-acre area can be hard to hunt. About a third of it is flatwoods and sandhills, with the rest a wet swamp. However, hunters take some large deer out of it.
Two units of the Big Bend WMA -- Tide Swamp and Hickory Mound -- are good places to hunt in this zone. Both units have similar habitat, with some hardwood hammocks, a lot of flatwoods, and some sandhills.
There have been several timber operations going on in recent years, including some slash pine thinning. This could mean better browse for the deer in these areas.
Tide Swamp has a 3-point rule that Hickory Mound doesn't have, but other than that the management of both units is pretty much the same.
Hickory Mound Unit covers almost 14,500 acres in Taylor County, with the Econfina River on its western boundary. Tide Swamp Unit is more than 19,500 acres, and is in Taylor County.
Log Landing WMA is another area with good possibilities. Located right along the Suwannee River in Dixie County, it has a good amount of flood plain swamp. Because it's a fairly new area, it hasn't been heavily hunted yet. However, it's a small area of only a little more than 1,100 acres, so it won't accommodate a lot of hunting pressure.
Joe Budd WMA in Gadsden County is always a good place for deer. Although it doesn't have a general gun season, Joe Budd has archery and muzzleloading gun hunts through the period of time when the rest of the state is open for general gun hunting. It does require a quota permit, but half of them are walk-up permits issued at the check station.
Year in and year out, Joe Budd is a quality area for hunting. It has a variety of habitats and a varied topography, which is rare for Florida. Since this area has gone to a three points on a side minimum antler rule, it's starting to build up a larger population of mature bucks.
Joe Budd spreads over slightly more than 11,000 acres.
Blackwater WMA is another good area to check out. It's a huge area covering more than 191,000 acres. Hunters can find spots that don't receive a lot of pressure, if they spend some time scouting.
Blackwater has some beautiful longleaf pine and wiregrass habitat. There are creek drainages that go through the area that have thicker cover and provide a lot of good funnels for hunters to set up on.
Blackwater WMA is located in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.
Upper Chipola River WMA is a relatively small area, covering only a little more than 7,000 acres in Jackson County. It is difficult to hunt because access is tough. The best way to enter is by boat, and most of the habitat is riverine swamp. Many hunters skip hunting it because of the access issues, but if you like a challenge, it could be a good place to find solitude and a quality buck.
Pine Log WMA in Bay and Washington counties covers slightly less than 7,000 acres. Because it's so small it won't support a lot of pressure. Nonetheless, it has a decent deer population and could be a place for bowhunters to bring out some nice deer.
This WMA has an archery-only area, so even during general gun season you can get in with your bow without being disturbed by gun hunters. However, be aware that there also is some private property within the boundaries of Pine Log, and one other section is closed to hunting entirely.
Apalachee WMA is an area that's been around quite a while. It's located in Jackson County right along Lake Seminole and the Chattahoochee River. Part of the area has planted fields in it, which attracts the deer. The entire area is only 7,900 acres, so it won't support a lot of pressure.
Permits are required on Apalachee WMA, but they're first-come, first-served zone tags available at the check station on the day of the hunts.
Escambia River WMA is a fairly large area in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, covering more than 34,000 acres. This is another area for which access is difficult. It follows the Escambia River, and the most effective access is by small boat or canoe. You'll be hunting in a lot of river swamp here, however, so it's potentially a good area if you can get into it.
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Why I hunt? (I part)
It is my opinion that we hunt because it is an activity that breaks our daily routine and takes us back to our roots, is one of the few current human activities makes us break, albeit temporarily, our ties with civilization and, while hunting, we forget everything and we just feel in touch with the universe again, feel the forces of nature in all its splendor in and around us, we experience the emotion that our ancestors, 10,000 years ago, lived.
From the moment our ancestors, hungry and frightened they were to come down from the trees in search of food, walking upright and hunt their first prey using a piece of wood as a weapon, since that time they ceased to be the prey to become the predator, they became hunters and led to what we are today, in humans, that was the first step in human evolution, step that led us to the top of the food chain and become the dominant race on this planet, the ultimate predator.
It is known that primitive man was identified with the animal whose survival depended on, the paintings found in numerous caves show the devotion, respect and admiration professed for those ancient hunters for their prey and their rituals, songs and crafts reflected how intrisic the animal was part of their daily lives. The best hunters were the most admired and respected member of the tribe and later became their natural leaders.It is naive to deny our most primitive ancestry, we are predators and hunting is in our genes, we hunt for meat but deep inside us, as it happend thousand of years ago, we also do it for the respect and admiration of our hunting companions, our friends and family and the unique emotions of that crucial moment when we take our trophy.
This unity between man-animal, that mutual respect, created a natural balance between man and nature that favored social development of mankind.
Over the years things have changed and hunting does not fulfill the same functions as before, today is just a hobby but it is one of the few human activity that most closer take us to our roots, to our quintessential human condition, only the majestic wilderness remember us how insignificant we are, only then we forget our civilized arrogance and realize that our lives depend on we relate to mother nature.
Each state of the American Union have different regulations for hunting but in Florida it is forbidden to use such hunting weapons as automatic rifles, explosive, or using live bait, dogs, you can not shoot an animal that is swimming, lying on the ground or in a feeding area, it is forbidden to hunt at night, etc, the law requires us to hunt in the most primitive way as possible so that our battle against the animal is as even as possible.
We also have to remember that we are not facing a defenseless animals, these are animals that are well prepared to survive in their environment, animals faster or stronger than us, When we go out hunting, we too can become the prey at any time unless we take appropriate precautions. Having a rifle, bow or other weapon only helps us to balance our forces to the animals that we are trying to hunt, but there is no guarantee that if a personal encounter with a bear, a cougar or any other animal happens, everything is going to goes well for us, more than one hunter have paid with his life for underestimating these dangers, for not respecting or properly assessing the strength of the animal that he tries to hunt.
There are other reasons for scientific or economic nature to encourage hunting as in the case of maintaining a proper and healthy population of animals and the controlled supply of certain skins (crocodile, snakeskin, beaver, etc.). These are valid economic reasons but those are not exactly my reasons for hunting.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Elite GT500 Review
Written by Matthew Burrows
Friday, 06 November 2009
Early this spring I began shooting as many different bows as possible. I wanted to see if I was missing something in all the new bows on the market. After shooting the Elite GT500 my mind was made up and I started a new journey with a bow that was totally different than my Mathews. This blog is a follow up to my original review of the Elite GT500 that I did in March.
Overall- This is a great bow for hunting and shooting 3D. I give it 9 out of 10 for the smooth draw, stability/balance, solid back wall, and its exceptional quality. I will be using it in the future primarily for spring 3D and turkey hunting. Next week I am going to start shooting paper with it at a new indoor range to work on my form and release. If you haven't shot this bow at a pro-shop I encourage you to do so. Compare it to other bows and you might walk away pleasantly surprised.
Friday, 06 November 2009
Early this spring I began shooting as many different bows as possible. I wanted to see if I was missing something in all the new bows on the market. After shooting the Elite GT500 my mind was made up and I started a new journey with a bow that was totally different than my Mathews. This blog is a follow up to my original review of the Elite GT500 that I did in March.
After shooting the GT500 on the 3D courses this spring and turkey hunting with it here is a breakdown of what I liked and what I would change.
Accuracy- The first day I shot this bow I was more accurate and consistent at 40 yards than with any other bow I have owned. My groups were tighter and my confidence was higher. I contribute this to the bow being a little longer than I was use to shooting in the past. This gave me more stability and that was reflected in my groups. Additionally, I believe the quality of the materials and workmanship on this bow added to the overall performance and accuracy.
The Grip- One of my favorite design features on the GT500 is the grip. I like a thin grip with a flat platform on the riser. This gives stability through the draw and at full draw. Bows that have a rounded wood grip or rounded riser seem to twist more in my hand as I come to full draw. Adjusting the grip back to its original position once at full draw can cause one to torque the riser.
Riser Shelf- If I had one complaint about the GT500 it would be with the riser shelf. I used two different styles of rests and both contacted the left side of the riser shelf which has a little lip. The GT500 and my Z28 paper tuned to the left of what the laser center shot tool showed. This caused the left fork of my rest to always contact the left lip on the riser and not sit flat on the riser shelf. I don't know the purpose for having a lip on the riser shelf of any bow and in my opinion would look just as good not to have one and have the shelf width increased about 3/8s of an inch.
Quality Parts- One of the main reasons the GT500 stood out to me was the quality parts that are used. The Barnesdale limbs, string, string stop, finish, and machining of the cams. I have had no issues with any of the parts on this bow and if I ever do Elite's warranty is one of the best in the industry.
Overall- This is a great bow for hunting and shooting 3D. I give it 9 out of 10 for the smooth draw, stability/balance, solid back wall, and its exceptional quality. I will be using it in the future primarily for spring 3D and turkey hunting. Next week I am going to start shooting paper with it at a new indoor range to work on my form and release. If you haven't shot this bow at a pro-shop I encourage you to do so. Compare it to other bows and you might walk away pleasantly surprised.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Make Your Own Hunting Video - By Tracy Breen
As the popularity of hunting videos and outdoor television grows, so does the desire of average hunters to video their own hunts. Every spring and fall, hunters across the country pack a video camera in their backpacks and head into the woods with hopes of catching a successful hunt on film. The problem is many hunters head into the woods with a new camera without really knowing how to properly film a hunt. Instead of going home with quality video footage, they go home with footage that looks like it was taken during an earthquake.
“Many hunters run out to the store when they decide to start filming their hunts and buy the first camera they see,” Bychowski says. “Then they bring it into the woods and begin filming a hunt before they understand the basic operation of the camera.” Cameras can be difficult to operate at first, so the best time to get acquainted with a new camera is not when you are staring at a trophy buck 20 feet off the ground. “I suggest a hunter read his manual and understand what most of the buttons do,” he says. “Then he should buy a camera support arm and strap the arm to a tree in his backyard and film his dog or kids playing around. It can take a while to understand how fast to pan back and forth and how to film effectively without moving a lot or making noise that will spook a deer.” If you plan to film your own hunt instead of getting a friend to film over your shoulder, it will be challenging. “When I film myself hunting, I realize before I start that something must be compromised. Either the hunting or quality of video footage will suffer. I choose the video footage because I don’t want to pass up a buck if he presents a good shot opportunity,” Bychowski explains. “Most of the time I have my lens zoomed out most of the way so I can catch the buck walking by and take the shot if I get one. Many hunters make a mistake when they have the camera zoomed in too tightly. When a shot presents itself, the deer has left the frame or the hunter only sees a small part of the deer on film. A wide angle shot might not show a close-up of the arrow hitting a buck, but at least hunters will have the kill shot on film.”
Marc Baird filmed for Scent-Lok for years. He now works full-time as an editor and producer of some of the biggest shows in outdoor television. Baird’s pet peeve is when hunters zoom in and out repeatedly and pan back and forth between several things within a few seconds.
“I tell people who are filming for the first time that when they focus in on something they should do it for at least 10 seconds,” Baird says. “The telltale sign of a home video is when the camera is focused on a squirrel, then a bird, then a deer—all in less than eight seconds. If you are watching a squirrel eat an acorn through the view finder, watch it for a while instead of jerking back and forth between the squirrel and various other things in the woods. Watching 10 different things in a few seconds is confusing and difficult to watch.”
Baird believes hunters need to remember to tell a story with their video camera. “Very often I see short little videos made by hunters that show a kill shot and that’s about it. Hunters should consider taping all kinds of things that pertain to a hunt,” he says. “For instance, if a few friends are going on an out-of-state hunt, they should film the sign that welcomes them to the state or town where they are hunting. Film a few cattle that are in a field near the treestand, film hanging the treestand or glassing from the treestand. A hunt is much more than a simple kill shot, and the film should show more than just the kill. Years later, remembering everything that took place on a hunt will be difficult, but if you filmed different things while hunting, it will be easy to jog your memory.”
Nobody enjoys watching a shaky video or a video that is out of focus or grainy. According to Baird, there are a few things you can do to minimize the chance of this happening. “Videos are often shaky because hunters touch the camera while they are zooming in and out trying to capture something on film,” he says. “You can minimize the shakiness by buying a zoom control, which is a device that attaches to the camera that allows you to zoom in and out without touching the camera. The difference this small device makes is huge.”
Not using a camera’s digital zoom is another way to get clearer, less grainy video footage. “Most cameras are equipped with a digital zoom that allows you to zoom in on something a long way off,” Baird says. “If a buck is 500 yards away with a digital zoom, you can zoom right in on him. But the footage won’t look very good. If you want crystal clear footage, avoid using the digital zoom on a camera.”
According to Bychowski, one easy way to get clearer, better looking footage is to turn off the auto-focus. “Most cameras have an auto-focus feature, but often when videotaping a deer or turkey walking by, the auto-focus will focus on a stick or tree, and that makes the deer out of focus,” he explains. “Hunters are much better off if they learn to use the manual focus.” If you are hunting with a friend and you take turns filming each other, getting the shot on film can be difficult. Placing the cameraman’s stand in the right spot makes all the difference in the world.
Editing Hunting Video
Filming a hunt is only half of the completed video. If you want a quality video, you must learn to edit film. There is a variety of film editing programs available. Most of the professionals in the hunting industry including Bychowski and Baird use Final Cut Pro by Apple. However, iMovie, which comes stock on most Mac computers, works well for beginners. PC computers have also introduced good software for beginners including Campbell’s Video Editor. This program costs less than $150 and is available from Campbell’s Outdoor Challenge. Like anything, the deeper you get into film editing, the more you can plan to spend. The sky is the limit.
“When I am filming a hunt, I like to face the tree and have my camera off to the side and at head level with the hunter,” Bychowski says. “The tree trunk will break up my outline and hide my treestand. With my camera over the top of the hunter, I can easily film over their shoulder. If my stand is too low or too high or too far off to the side, getting the kill shot on film can be difficult.”
Another thing to consider when hunting is the position of the sun. Filming into the sun or moving the camera into the sun can make the footage appear washed out, and deer might see the reflection of the sun in the lens and bolt. “I’ve often seen game spooked from sun shining into a lens. Most videographers have learned that mistake the hard way,” Bychowski notes. When the sun is bright, try to avoid it. You’ll end up with better footage all the way around.
Videotaping a hunt complicates everything, especially if you have two people in the tree. It’s two people who can move at the wrong time, two people giving off human odor and two people who could make noise. All of these things spook game and can ruin a hunt. Do as much as you can before the hunt to ensure nothing goes wrong during the hunt.
“At Pine Ridge Archery, we make a camera support arm called the Pro Bow Cam support. The support comes with a bracket that mounts to the tree,” Bychowski says. “When my friends and I hang stands, we bring several brackets and leave them in the tree so when we show up to hunt, we slide the camera arm into the bracket and hunt. There is no adjusting the ratchet strap, making noise or adjusting the arm because it isn’t in the right spot. All of that is done in advance so we can sneak in and out without making noise.”
It is not always possible to hang stands and camera brackets ahead of time but when you can do it, it can help turn a good video into a great one. “When possible, hunters should hang treestands ahead of time and climb into them and film a little to see if branches or trees might get in the way of making good film,” he says. “This allows them to trim branches ahead of time, film a bit and work out the bugs so when the time to hunt arrives, they are prepared and ready to film.”
Monday, July 5, 2010
BowTech 82nd Airborne Review
Pros
•extremely fast and powerful bow
•solid back wall
•flawless finish
Cons
•not the most forgiving bow
•harsher draw cycle
Review
With the advertised IBO speed of 350 fps, the Bowtech 82d Airborne is one of the fastest bows on the market. As the bow is designed to generate blazing speeds, the draw cycle is rather harsh. It is therefore the ideal choice for experienced shooters who like hitting the target with a lot of power.
Riser
The riser on the 82d Airborne is made from forged aluminum. Being fully machined to add more strength the riser also has a dozen of cut-outs which help to reduce the overall mass weight of the bow.
Shooters notice that the new "InVelvet" finish applied to this bow has a great feel and is very strong. They say it protects from wear and is resistant to chemicals. At the same time the new finish feels warm and soft protecting shooter's hands from the cold. In addition, "InVelvet" acts as a dampener further quieting the bow.
Eccentric system
The engine behind this bow is a new and powerful binary cam system that offers interchangeable module system for adjusting the draw length. This eccentric system is designed to store an incredible amount of energy and is capable of generating smoking speeds of up to 350 fps. The draw length can be adjusted using a bow press. A set of interchangeable modules is available for draw lengths ranging from 26.5" to 30.5" in 1/2" increments. Also, the let-off is adjustable from 65% to 80%. Overall, this cam system delivers great speeds and is very efficient.
Draw cycle
While performance, speed, and efficiency are the characteristics making this bow stand out, the 82d Airborne does not have all these benefits for free. Not surprisingly, many archers say this bow has a harsh draw cycle - this is what makes this bow so powerful. While the 82d Airborne is not the smoothest bow, the back wall is pretty solid once you reach full draw. In fact, some shooters are very impressed on how easy it is to hold the bow at full draw for a considerable amount of time without being tired.
Shootability
While more experienced hunters will enjoy shooting this bow straight away, the beginners might be disappointed with their results if the 82d Airborne is their first bow. Many shooters notice it takes time to get used to this bow due to its short brace height. They do notice, however, that once mastered, the accuracy is not a problem and the bow feels great. In addition, many archers believe this bow is more forgiving than expected due to a longer axle to axle length. So, if you are an experienced shooter or if you are happy to build your form gradually, it's very likely you will admire this bow for its blend of speed and shootabiliy characteristics.
Recommendations for beginners:
If you are a beginner and would like to build your skills first, consider getting a more forgiving bow. For example, you may want to have a look at the DiamondMarquis. While the Marquis is not that fast, it has a longer brace height and a smoother draw cycle.
Summary:
To summarize, the 82d Airborne is incredibly fast and has excellent performance. Although it has a harsher draw cycle, getting used to this powerful beast is only a matter of time or experience. That is why this bow is a great choice for experienced shooters or people who don't mind building their form gradually.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
To hunt or not to hunt that is the question?
Article published in Reel and Steel blog.
Right know here in New Jersey there is a big debate on whether there should be a bear hunt or not. They have one tentatively scheduled for December but it isn’t written in stone yet. There are people on both sides of the coin that have some good points. I for one think the need for this hunt is heard every day either on the police scanner, newspaper or by the stories people are telling.
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t hear on the police scanner were the police are going to a call for a bear either in someones yard or being hit by a vehicle. Or I read in the paper or online were on has wandered into a school yard etc. My neighbor has told me that one just tore up his garbage the other week. I am sure there are more people that have the same issues with them. Just for those reasons alone a bear hunt is needed. I don’t see it being long before we hear about a child was mauled to death by one.
It sure seems that they have no fear of us at all. They are the largest mammal in New Jersey. The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife’s website has a lot of good info on how to take precautions for avoiding them or attracting them. Also here is the number for reporting black bear damage or nuisance behavior in New Jersey it is toll free 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337.
One of my friends had one that was ripping up his garbage and going after his dog. He called the fish and game and they came and tranquilize the bear to move it away. They told him that it weighed over 400lbs.
We usually take a ride up and over the mountain on Sunday evening on our way to take my mother in law home. It is something we have done for years and until lately we never saw a bear. In the last couple years we have seen a good dozen or so bears. And a lot more deer and other wildlife. I use to think that bear won’t bother you but on one of our recent rides over the mountain we say a huge bear in the wheat field. I stopped to get a picture of it. It was about 100 yards or so away. As I was getting the camera ready and looked back at it this bear was in full stride running at my truck. I almost pooped my pants. Needless to say I didn’t get a pic just a slight heart attack. I read on the NJ Fish & Wildlife website were they say if one should attack don’t play dead fight back! Well I can tell you loud screaming does nothing! I also saw were if you get caught feeding them it is up to $1000.00 penalty.
I don’t like to hunt just to shoot something but this is one that I think needs to be done before it is to late!
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t hear on the police scanner were the police are going to a call for a bear either in someones yard or being hit by a vehicle. Or I read in the paper or online were on has wandered into a school yard etc. My neighbor has told me that one just tore up his garbage the other week. I am sure there are more people that have the same issues with them. Just for those reasons alone a bear hunt is needed. I don’t see it being long before we hear about a child was mauled to death by one.
It sure seems that they have no fear of us at all. They are the largest mammal in New Jersey. The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife’s website has a lot of good info on how to take precautions for avoiding them or attracting them. Also here is the number for reporting black bear damage or nuisance behavior in New Jersey it is toll free 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337.
One of my friends had one that was ripping up his garbage and going after his dog. He called the fish and game and they came and tranquilize the bear to move it away. They told him that it weighed over 400lbs.
We usually take a ride up and over the mountain on Sunday evening on our way to take my mother in law home. It is something we have done for years and until lately we never saw a bear. In the last couple years we have seen a good dozen or so bears. And a lot more deer and other wildlife. I use to think that bear won’t bother you but on one of our recent rides over the mountain we say a huge bear in the wheat field. I stopped to get a picture of it. It was about 100 yards or so away. As I was getting the camera ready and looked back at it this bear was in full stride running at my truck. I almost pooped my pants. Needless to say I didn’t get a pic just a slight heart attack. I read on the NJ Fish & Wildlife website were they say if one should attack don’t play dead fight back! Well I can tell you loud screaming does nothing! I also saw were if you get caught feeding them it is up to $1000.00 penalty.
I don’t like to hunt just to shoot something but this is one that I think needs to be done before it is to late!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
How to Watch Wildlife
Watching wildlife has great rewards
Whether you're suffering from an existential crisis or you just want to learn more about the natural world, few activities can make you feel “in touch” with nature like watching wildlife. Wildlife observation is a fun learning experience for people of all ages, and you can do it no matter where you live or travel. Best of all, watching wildlife doesn’t require a big budget or a lot of equipment. In fact, observing animals in your own neighborhood can be just as rewarding as traveling deep into the jungle. No matter where you go, here’s what you should know.
Steps
Decide where you’re going to observe wildlife. Obviously if you want to observe a particular type of animal, you’ll have to go where that animal lives. If you’re more flexible, however, you can find wildlife just about anywhere, even in the middle of the city. Consider your budget and the amount of free time you have available, and then go out and meet nature.
Wildlife & Forestry
Research the wildlife in your chosen location. Find out what creatures you can expect to see, and find out a little bit about them. Pay special attention to information about their daily lives and behavior—their feeding, sleeping, and breeding habits, for example—and what environments they prefer so you’ll know where and when you’re most likely to see them. A little research will also help you figure out what animals are doing when you see them. Look up specific animals on the internet, read about them at your local library, or visit your local nature center or wildlife-watching club for more information.
Prepare for your expedition.
The preparations and equipment you will need will vary depending on where you’re going. Make sure to bring appropriate clothing for the climate, and dress in layers. Let somebody know where you will be and when you expect to be back. Research the area if you’re unfamiliar with it, and get a map and compass or GPS device if appropriate. Remember to bring a pad, pen, and camera to record your observations. You may also want to bring binoculars.
Blend in with your surroundings.
Wear camouflage clothing as appropriate for the setting, or simply wear earth-tone or drab clothes—avoid flashy, bright attire that will call attention to you. Don’t wear colognes, perfumes, scented lotions or hair products. Above all, be quiet. Keep talking to a minimum (use hand signals whenever you can), and step lightly, being careful not to break twigs underfoot. Turn off your cell phone or pager, and wear clothing that does not make excessive noise (cotton is usually a good choice in warm dry weather; wool or polyester fleece for pants and sweaters is smart for safe, comfortable viewing in cold or wet conditions).
Be still and wait.
Perhaps the best way to get a chance to observe wildlife, especially at a wildlife viewing area, is to simply wait for animals to show up. Find a comfortable, partially concealed place from which to observe wildlife. You can use a constructed implement, such as a duck blind, or your can simply crouch low to the ground or hide behind rocks or trees. Be patient. Animals may hear you coming and go into hiding, or they simply won’t show up if they sense your presence, but if you wait long enough and quietly enough, chances are they’ll either not notice you or not feel threatened by you.
Approach wildlife carefully.
Usually your best bet is to sit still in one place (a place where you know you have a good chance of spotting wildlife), but sometimes you’ll see an animal in the distance and want to get a closer look. Remember to remain silent and try to stay downwind from the animal. Move slowly, and use the cover of trees, rocks, and other natural features to your advantage. If the animal is potentially dangerous, you’re better off keeping your distance and viewing it with binoculars or your camera’s telephoto lens. Even if the animal is harmless, respect its space and don’t disturb it.
Use your ears.
Whether you’re searching for wildlife or observing it, you’ll be more successful if you rely on more than just your eyes. Listen for cracking twigs or branches, animal calls, or the flutter of birds’ wings to help you locate animals. While you’re watching animals, listen to the sounds they make. Soon you’ll be able to distinguish different types of animals by sound alone. To amplify sounds, cup your hands behind your ears.
Figure out what animals are doing.
If you’ve done your research you should know a bit about the behavior of the wildlife you’re watching. Try to identify certain behaviors as you observe them in the wild, and make a note of behaviors that you’re not familiar with.
Record your observations.
If you really want to get serious about wildlife watching, you should keep a journal of your observations. Note the types of creatures you see and their characteristics, and jot down what they are doing and where. Make sketches or take pictures and paste them into your journal.
Learn more about the animals you observe.
Once you return from the field, review your journal and do some more research to answer any questions that came up during your observations.
Tips
• Appreciate the little things. Many people think of wildlife as only large animals or birds, but the world is literally buzzing with other creatures. From bees and ants to mice and lizards, small animals offer ample opportunities to learn and to be amazed. They also can be found just about everywhere, so you can see wildlife even in the “concrete jungle” of the city.
• A wide variety of guided watching experiences are available, from nature walks in city parks to wilderness expeditions in distant countries. A naturalist or experienced local guide can help you see more wildlife and learn more about the lives of the creatures you see.
• You'll need a lot of patience: if animals see, hear, or otherwise know you're there, it'll take a while for them to come out. Sometimes you might not see the animal you’re looking for. Don’t be discouraged; take the opportunity to observe other wildlife, and try again another day.
• If you want to photograph wildlife, it’s usually best to have a good telephoto lens (at least 210 mm, and preferably 400 mm or more) so that you can do so from a distance. If you’re observing very small creatures, such as insects, get a macro lens for close-ups.
Warnings
• Stay off private property or obtain permission from the property owner before entering.
• If you’re observing in the woods, exercise caution during hunting seasons. Avoid areas where you know hunters are located, and wear bright orange clothing.
• Many animals, such as bears, walruses, and breeding stags (male deer), can be dangerous. Keep a safe distance away from these animals.
• Even small and harmless-looking animals can bite or otherwise hurt you in defense. Never chase wild animals or try to touch them or get too close to them, no matter what their size. Even if you escape uninjured, the encounter will cause the animal undue stress. If you try to approach a baby animal, you risk encountering a fierce parent. Keep a safe distance from moms with babes, don’t approach babies or get between babies and their mothers.
• Never feed animals or try to lure them with bait.
• Don’t interfere with nature. It can be tempting sometimes to try to rescue a rabbit from the clutches of a fox, for example, but it’s important to understand that such interferences throw off the natural balance and are harmful to at least one of the animals involved. You could also be injured while interfering.
• Never tease, pet, or get too close to animals during the dry season (no matter how cute they look, or how calm they are in the rainy season). This is a time of stress for the animals, and even the calmest or animals could injure you.
• Never get too close to a baby animal! They aren't likely to attack you, but where there's a baby, there's an angry mom.
• You can take pictures, but do not use a flash! Even if they didn't seem to notice you at first, a camera flash could startle them and cause them to injure you!
Now that you know how to watch wildl animal, I hope you have a wondeful experience out there!
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
Whether you're suffering from an existential crisis or you just want to learn more about the natural world, few activities can make you feel “in touch” with nature like watching wildlife. Wildlife observation is a fun learning experience for people of all ages, and you can do it no matter where you live or travel. Best of all, watching wildlife doesn’t require a big budget or a lot of equipment. In fact, observing animals in your own neighborhood can be just as rewarding as traveling deep into the jungle. No matter where you go, here’s what you should know.
Steps
Decide where you’re going to observe wildlife. Obviously if you want to observe a particular type of animal, you’ll have to go where that animal lives. If you’re more flexible, however, you can find wildlife just about anywhere, even in the middle of the city. Consider your budget and the amount of free time you have available, and then go out and meet nature.
Wildlife & Forestry
Research the wildlife in your chosen location. Find out what creatures you can expect to see, and find out a little bit about them. Pay special attention to information about their daily lives and behavior—their feeding, sleeping, and breeding habits, for example—and what environments they prefer so you’ll know where and when you’re most likely to see them. A little research will also help you figure out what animals are doing when you see them. Look up specific animals on the internet, read about them at your local library, or visit your local nature center or wildlife-watching club for more information.
Prepare for your expedition.
The preparations and equipment you will need will vary depending on where you’re going. Make sure to bring appropriate clothing for the climate, and dress in layers. Let somebody know where you will be and when you expect to be back. Research the area if you’re unfamiliar with it, and get a map and compass or GPS device if appropriate. Remember to bring a pad, pen, and camera to record your observations. You may also want to bring binoculars.
Blend in with your surroundings.
Wear camouflage clothing as appropriate for the setting, or simply wear earth-tone or drab clothes—avoid flashy, bright attire that will call attention to you. Don’t wear colognes, perfumes, scented lotions or hair products. Above all, be quiet. Keep talking to a minimum (use hand signals whenever you can), and step lightly, being careful not to break twigs underfoot. Turn off your cell phone or pager, and wear clothing that does not make excessive noise (cotton is usually a good choice in warm dry weather; wool or polyester fleece for pants and sweaters is smart for safe, comfortable viewing in cold or wet conditions).
Be still and wait.
Perhaps the best way to get a chance to observe wildlife, especially at a wildlife viewing area, is to simply wait for animals to show up. Find a comfortable, partially concealed place from which to observe wildlife. You can use a constructed implement, such as a duck blind, or your can simply crouch low to the ground or hide behind rocks or trees. Be patient. Animals may hear you coming and go into hiding, or they simply won’t show up if they sense your presence, but if you wait long enough and quietly enough, chances are they’ll either not notice you or not feel threatened by you.
Approach wildlife carefully.
Usually your best bet is to sit still in one place (a place where you know you have a good chance of spotting wildlife), but sometimes you’ll see an animal in the distance and want to get a closer look. Remember to remain silent and try to stay downwind from the animal. Move slowly, and use the cover of trees, rocks, and other natural features to your advantage. If the animal is potentially dangerous, you’re better off keeping your distance and viewing it with binoculars or your camera’s telephoto lens. Even if the animal is harmless, respect its space and don’t disturb it.
Use your ears.
Whether you’re searching for wildlife or observing it, you’ll be more successful if you rely on more than just your eyes. Listen for cracking twigs or branches, animal calls, or the flutter of birds’ wings to help you locate animals. While you’re watching animals, listen to the sounds they make. Soon you’ll be able to distinguish different types of animals by sound alone. To amplify sounds, cup your hands behind your ears.
Figure out what animals are doing.
If you’ve done your research you should know a bit about the behavior of the wildlife you’re watching. Try to identify certain behaviors as you observe them in the wild, and make a note of behaviors that you’re not familiar with.
Record your observations.
If you really want to get serious about wildlife watching, you should keep a journal of your observations. Note the types of creatures you see and their characteristics, and jot down what they are doing and where. Make sketches or take pictures and paste them into your journal.
Learn more about the animals you observe.
Once you return from the field, review your journal and do some more research to answer any questions that came up during your observations.
Tips
• Appreciate the little things. Many people think of wildlife as only large animals or birds, but the world is literally buzzing with other creatures. From bees and ants to mice and lizards, small animals offer ample opportunities to learn and to be amazed. They also can be found just about everywhere, so you can see wildlife even in the “concrete jungle” of the city.
• A wide variety of guided watching experiences are available, from nature walks in city parks to wilderness expeditions in distant countries. A naturalist or experienced local guide can help you see more wildlife and learn more about the lives of the creatures you see.
• You'll need a lot of patience: if animals see, hear, or otherwise know you're there, it'll take a while for them to come out. Sometimes you might not see the animal you’re looking for. Don’t be discouraged; take the opportunity to observe other wildlife, and try again another day.
• If you want to photograph wildlife, it’s usually best to have a good telephoto lens (at least 210 mm, and preferably 400 mm or more) so that you can do so from a distance. If you’re observing very small creatures, such as insects, get a macro lens for close-ups.
Warnings
• Stay off private property or obtain permission from the property owner before entering.
• If you’re observing in the woods, exercise caution during hunting seasons. Avoid areas where you know hunters are located, and wear bright orange clothing.
• Many animals, such as bears, walruses, and breeding stags (male deer), can be dangerous. Keep a safe distance away from these animals.
• Even small and harmless-looking animals can bite or otherwise hurt you in defense. Never chase wild animals or try to touch them or get too close to them, no matter what their size. Even if you escape uninjured, the encounter will cause the animal undue stress. If you try to approach a baby animal, you risk encountering a fierce parent. Keep a safe distance from moms with babes, don’t approach babies or get between babies and their mothers.
• Never feed animals or try to lure them with bait.
• Don’t interfere with nature. It can be tempting sometimes to try to rescue a rabbit from the clutches of a fox, for example, but it’s important to understand that such interferences throw off the natural balance and are harmful to at least one of the animals involved. You could also be injured while interfering.
• Never tease, pet, or get too close to animals during the dry season (no matter how cute they look, or how calm they are in the rainy season). This is a time of stress for the animals, and even the calmest or animals could injure you.
• Never get too close to a baby animal! They aren't likely to attack you, but where there's a baby, there's an angry mom.
• You can take pictures, but do not use a flash! Even if they didn't seem to notice you at first, a camera flash could startle them and cause them to injure you!
Now that you know how to watch wildl animal, I hope you have a wondeful experience out there!
We suggest you to check The Hunter Store website to find quality hunting gear before going out hunting.
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