October, 2010 | Whitetail Hunting

Scent Control While Whitetail Deer Hunting

Question: I went whitetail deer hunting the opening weekend of bow season and although I thought I was set up well, almost every deer that I saw was acting spooky. The only thing I can think of that would be bothering them is human scent. That got me wondering about scent absorption clothing. Do you think this would be a good investment and would it help my whitetail hunting?

Answer: Scent absorption clothing has become all the rage in the bowhunting community, but it does not typically work as well as it says. It does work, to some degree, but it is not foolproof by any means. All of the scent absorption hunting cloths use carbon, which is what is supposed to absorb human scent and other odors. However, the carbon does not work forever and must be maintained. The manufacturers claim the carbon can be reactivated in your dryer, but most dryers do not get hot enough to do that. Continue reading Scent Control While Whitetail Deer Hunting

Hunting the Rut: Bucks Trailing Does

Question: When out whitetail deer hunting, whenever I think the rut is close or on, when a doe steps out I don’t even think of shooting her… hoping that a nice buck may be trailing her. I always keep and eye out for that rutting buck, even 45 minutes after first seeing the doe. In your hunting experience, what is the furthest (time wise) you’ve seen a buck trailing behind a doe? Just curious because I’d like to get some meat in the freezer, but I’ve also seen some rutting activity.

Answer: In all my years of whitetail deer hunting, most rutting bucks will be right the doe, or at least within one minute of her. Only on a few occasions have I seen bucks come much later that I thought were on the doe’s trail. Of course, these bucks could have simply been walking the same trail, but I don’t think so. Continue reading Hunting the Rut: Bucks Trailing Does

14 Point Coleman County Buck Shot!

This is what each and every whitetail hunter heading into the woods each season hopes to bag. You guessed it — a big ole brute of a Texas sized buck! All I have to say is that Chad Dodson of Abilene is one lucky dude because he shot a monster 14 point Coleman County buck on October 29, 2010. I doubt he will give up whitetail hunting, but let’s fact it, he is going to be hard pressed to find another buck this big. Here come the stats.

This 14 point monster scored 192 1/8 Boone and Crockett. The buck was harvested in Coleman County near the town of Burkett. It appears the ranch this deer was shot had been involved in a deer management program for quite some time and is the Pecan Bayou Wildlife Management Association. It looks like the management has definitely improved the whitetail hunting. Congrats to Pecan Bayou WMA landowners and to Mr. Dodson!

Biggest Non-Typical Texas Whitetail Video

Earlier this month, Mark Barrett of the Las Raices Ranch harvested what will likely be Texas’ new non-typical whitetail buck record. The massive buck will score over 300 Boone and Crockett inches and really is one amazing animal. The video above shows some scouting footage of the deer prior to the whitetail hunting season. The ranch owner’s ironically referred to the buck “Mini” at a very young age. Nice deer!

How to Make a Mock Scrape

Question: I have enjoyed whitetail hunting for years, but have never learned how to make a mock scrape. Can you give me some instructions on areas to look for and some mock scrape tips so that I can use them to attract bucks to my hunting area? Any info on mock scrapes will be greatly appreciated!

Answer: Mock scrapes can be an excellent way to bring in the big boys to your deer hunting area. The act of making a mock scrape is relatively simple, so don’t get too bogged down in the details, but the whole idea behind creating a fake scrape is to make any buck in the area think there is another buck there, too.

You can do this by actively working a found scrape or by making a mock scrape. When creating your scrape, first make sure you are scent free and then be sure that there is a licking branch located about 40 inches above the ground — this is a must!. Start out by working the ground with the heel of your boot to reveal some fresh dirt. Create a circular shape of fresh dirt that is about 20 to 24 inches in diameter. Continue reading How to Make a Mock Scrape

Melanistic Fawn Photos

Many that head out whitetail hunting are looking to bag a big buck, but there are some trophies in the woods that are much more rare. And they may or may not have antlers. These are whitetail deer that have color abnormalities. Recently, I received an email with a fawn that was much different than your everyday, run-of-the-mill, normally-colored fawn. This whitetail fawn is black!

It is not unheard of for most mammal species to occasionally be different colors. It’s all based on their genes. Most animals of the same species end up looking much like each other, but sometimes those recessive genes show up. Many times hunters and non-hunters alike will report seeing albino deer, but melanistic black deer are even more rare. Melanistic deer are, of course, not what a normal whitetail deer should look like! Continue reading Melanistic Fawn Photos

Whitetail Hunting and High Fences

High Fences and Whitetail Deer Hunting

Question: There always seems to be a big debate in the whitetail hunting community over shooting deer on a high fenced ranch. I don’t understand why some hunters get so bent out of shape that other hunters pay to shoot deer on high fence ranches. Big deal. There are many Texas hunting ranches that operate this way, but many others that do not. Besides, some hunters pay to shoot deer on low fenced ranches.

I don’t have a problem with hunting deer within a high fence. It’s not like the hunters who harvest them are filling the record books with them. I would rather shoot a truly wild buck, but what do you think is best? Continue reading Whitetail Hunting and High Fences

Whitetail Buck Shot Near Fredricksburg

The central part of Texas is know for high deer populations, but not necessarily big deer. But that may be changing. It looks like the Hill Country region of Texas is on the map and making history with a big whitetail buck! On Saturday, October 9th, a whitetail buck was shot near Fredericksburg, Texas, and is likely to become the new world record SCI typical whitetail buck.

The monster buck was harvest on the Bang Whitetail Ranch and the deer gross green-scored 253 2/8th inches gross. The big buck netted out at 250 1/8th inches. Now that is what I called record-breaking whitetail buck! In addition, biologist estimate the big deer to be only 4 1/2 years old.

I suspect this big whitetail is older that 4.5 years because deer that eat a lot of protein do not show as much tooth wear as deer that eat primarily native plant forages. Without natural tooth wear, it is even more difficult to age deer accurately. But age really does not matter at this point — it’s dead!