Derrick | Whitetail Hunting

Hunters Prepare for Texas’ Deer Season

The beginning of November has marked the beginning of Texas’s general deer hunting season for years. Most gun hunters have waited over 9 months for another shot at their favorite game animal, the white-tailed deer. The deer are still out there, or so says Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). And they should know, they base their county hunting regulations based on deer surveys conducting in late summer and early fall.

And speaking of regulations, I noticed in TPWD’s Outdoor Annual that deer hunting regulations have changed throughout many Texas counties. In many cases, hunting regulations have gotten more liberal, adding crossbows to the Archery season, raising doe bag limits for many places, and adding in the late doe and spike season for additional counties, as well. So read up the regs before jumping in the bind, and good luck! Continue reading Hunters Prepare for Texas’ Deer Season

Are Texas’ Antler Restrictions Working?

Question: Some counties in Texas have antler restrictions on bucks that can be legally harvest. I hunt in one of these counties now, but for you guys that have been in these type counties for a while, is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s antler restriction program working? Has the whitetail hunting improved? My lease buddies and I just don’t seem to see any increase in buck antler size that is proving to me it is working?

Answer: Yes, the buck antler restrictions are working, and no I’m not being biased. I live and hunt in one of the first counties that were experimental. Yes, it took a few years to see the difference, but the regs did have an impact it on the buck age and antler quality. Before the antler regs, you could not find a buck with antlers no more than the size of your hand with both thumbs overlapping.

However, once implemented, we were still a 1 buck county as the other 5 counties and hunters were not going to use that tag on anything other than either a buck with 6 points on one side, a buck with a 13 inch inside spread or greater, or an unbranched antler (spike) on at least one side. The 6 point on one side was thrown out after the first year or two.

Sure, deer hunters saw numerous whitetail bucks that could have been shot the previous years, and the majority of those were 1.5 to 2.5 yrs old, but as time went on for 2 or 3 seasons, residents and hunters in those original counties were seeing bucks that had better antler growth, better body mass, and older due to letting them walk (because of the regs). Antler restrictions worked in my part of Texas, but it will take some time for them to work.

Do Whitetail Deer Have Canine Teeth?

Question: What percentage of deer have canine teeth? On the last day of the rifle deer season I harvested a whitetail doe. At first appearance, the doe seemed… well, normal. However, upon further inspection I felt something hard and sharp in the front, upper part of her jaw, where there are not supposed to be any teeth. Using a knife, I uncovered a small canine-looking tooth in the doe’s mouth. What I am wondering is how common is this occurrence in a doe? When I searched the Internet, I could only find information on this in whitetail bucks.

Answer: Lower canines are present in all normal whitetail frrt, but upper canines are rare. Of the eight front teeth on a whitetail’s lower jaw, six are incisors and the outermost two are canines. These canines have simply moved forward through evolutionary adaption to look and function like incisors. Deer feed with these front teeth by pinching a leaf or bud against their upper palate and tearing it away from the plant.

Hunting to Control Urban Whitetail Deer

Whitetail hunting can be a safe and effective way to control white-tailed deer populations in urban and suburban areas. However, not all areas are willing to allow hunting to keep deer numbers in check. Many places that once banned hunting are now looking at expanding harvest opportunities for sportsmen. Of course, not all towns and cities are the same. Too many deer can be a big issue, but people that are too narrow-minded can make a big issue even bigger.

When the issue of overpopulation becomes an issue, deer control by some method is warranted. The trapping and removal of deer is very time consuming and, as a result, expensive. Direct harvest, on the other hand, through either gun or archery can help keep local deer densities at managable numbers. However, the killing of animals does not come without critism.

Source: “For a decade or so, towns, villages and counties in the New York region, similarly concerned about too many deer, have dispatched bowhunters and sometimes sharpshooters to cull the herds. But now the cull is getting bigger, as one of the largest local jurisdictions — Westchester County — allows culling for the first time in its own parkland, and a few towns and villages within that county are considering similar moves. What’s more, these places, more densely populated than many of the communities that currently authorize such culling, are focusing on bowhunting rather than shooting, for safety reasons. That preference is prompting criticism from animal-rights groups, who see bowhunting as particularly cruel.”

Whitetail Deer Rut Report

Whitetail Rut Report

The whitetail hunting season is upon us and the deer are not the only ones getting ready to roll! Everyone, including the bucks we hunt, are looking forward to the whitetail deer rut. The rut gives us an opportunity to take advantage of bucks doing what they don’t normally do — acting stupid. Big bucks that are normally nocturnal all of a sudden are chasing does throughout the day. So is the whitetail deer rut on in your area?

Source: Down in Texas I spoke with Johnnie Hudman, a long time friend and hunting partner of mine from near Albany, Texas. “Bucks are chasing does and acting like teenage boys in love. The rut is definitely underway, at least the early stages. By week’s end or the beginning of November they’ll be going strong…which really seems a little early.”

I also spoke to my brother, Glenn Weishuhn, who hunts on several places in the eastern half of Texas. “Around home (Colorado County, Texas) our rut is just about over. I saw a couple of bucks chasing does, but it’s slowed down. In East Texas where I hunt (north of Houston about a hundred miles) we’re seeing a lot of rubs, scrapes and some rutting activity. The cooler weather we’ve been having is starting to get the deer a whole lot more active. I’d say the rut is underway in East Texas, especially based on what some of the other hunters on our lease are seeing.”

Tumors in White-tailed Deer?

Question: I came across a photo of a deer with horrible tumors on it’s neck. I’ve seen deer that looked like they had internal tumors on their neck and around their jaw, but the tumors in this photo are huge and external. What is the deal with this deer’s tumors? Is it cancer?

Answer: Wow, that is a lot of tumors on that deer. I’ve never seen a deer that looked that bad off, so I did some looking around and this is what I found. The deer was obviously shot, but I suspect that it would have died either directly from the tumors or from complications because of the tumors.

Source: I’ve never seen tumors that agressive before. And that deer seems to be pretty young, and the tumors seem to have developed at a pretty agressive rate. From what I know about tumors, these cutaneous growths can be malignant and the result of a cancer similar to BPV. It is true that these tumors will somtimes slowly heal somewhat, often times they will eventually kill the deer by blocking their mouth, nose, or eyes.

If the growths around this deer’s mouth get higher or bigger, I think they could easiliy interfere with it’s ability to eat food, resulting in a slow and pianful starvation. Because of this large chance (and the remote possibility of complete healing) I would suggest harvesting this animal. Personally, I would not suggest consuming the meat. Its true that these fibromasts can be contained to the skin, but sometimes they are the result of internal problems. There is no way to know without an autopsy by a trained professional. I think the deer would be more valuable if you donated it to a vet school or research center.

Bowhunter Bags 190 Inch Illinois Whitetail

When it comes to whitetail hunting and big bucks, the state of Illinois is about as good as it gets. One lucky hunter bagged a 190 inch Boone and Crockett monster while bowhunting, but it did not happen by accident. The well thought hunter tracked the big whitetail using his game camera as his antlers developed, then he found out where the big boy was spending his time. When the time was right, the bowhunter moved in for a successful harvest.

Source: This spring as the bucks started showing their racks in June and July once again the buck showed up on my trail cameras, this time a little bit more consistently. It appeared that he had moved his core area into the heart of my hunting spot and was living there for good. Now I had to come up with a plan to finally harvest him.

When the 2008 bow season opened I did my best to hold off hunting this spot until the time was right, and last week I decided that it was. With the pre-rut just starting these big bucks are up on their feet during daylight more often now, so I figured I might be able to catch up with him. After several close encounters with this giant I was finally able to pinpoint his bedding area and on the evening of Ocotber 28th he presented me with a 10 yard shot as he walked along a trail from his core area headed towards a doe bedding area.

Using a Drill for Deer Food Plots

Question: When using a drill to put in whitetail food plots, how do you plant the seeds in rows without going over the same row that you’ve already planted? I’ve broadcasted seeds before and I would broadcast the appropriate pounds of seeds per acre until the plot is finished, but how do you do that with a drill?

Answer: It will take a little practice using a seed drill, but using your drill will become very easy over time and really help you get your food plots in fast. First, planting seeds in tilled ground is much easier to see where you’ve been and probably the best way to learn. Start out by making the first pass along the outside edge of the plot. Once you’re at the end, just raise the drill, make a sharp turn and start planting again right beside the first pass, you should be able to see where the last “row” is. Just get it as close as you can without overlapping or leaving a gap of unseeded ground.

Most drills are equipped with a seed metering system, which controls the seed drop rate. Once you determine what seed you’re planting and how many pounds per acre, look either on the drill or owners manual for which gear or gearbox setting needed to achieve that rate with that particular seed. Using a drill involves a learning curve, but it’s well worth the trouble for a good food plot that provides valuable supplemental food. Good luck with your plot and your deer management.