deer hunting | Whitetail Hunting

Big Kaufman County Whitetail Buck Harvested

Eric Minter with 27 Point Non-Typical Buck

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game warden Eric Minter is living large. That’s because on October 21 he found himself as the lucky hunter staring down the buck of a lifetime from a Gorilla treestand hung high in a creek bottom filled with white oaks raining acorns. When all was said and done, it was Minter putting his own tag on a whopper 27-point non-typical Kaufman County buck. There is no official green score number on the multi-tined monster yet, one look at the photos from the buck would lead one to believe that this deer will score well above the 200-inch mark on the non-typical side of the Boone and Crockett scoring sheet.

“I’ve been kind of leery of telling everybody just yet because I don’t know what he scores and I don’t want to guess and it be a lot lower or higher than I expected,” Minter said. “But this is unbelievable.” Some observers who have looked at the whitetail think it’s possible that the Minter buck could potentially challenge the existing Pope & Young Club state record non-typical in Texas, a 225 7/8 inch buck taken by bowhunter Jeffery L. Duncan on the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge back in 2001. Not bad for Minter’s first bow buck. Continue reading Big Kaufman County Whitetail Buck Harvested

Deer Management on Small Acreage

Question: A couple fellow deer hunters and I were talking about managing whitetail deer on low fence land. The topics of buck to doe ratio, mature bucks, and letting deer go and grow all came up. The question nobody could give a good solid answer to was “if you start taking doe to get a better ratio, will the bucks leave the ranch to go where there are more does?” Most of these hunters hunt properties ranging from from 200 to 900 acre low fence properties. What do you think, because I was of the opinion that property size would play a big role? Less deer means more food for the ones there already, but I can also see where the bucks might just go to another ranch that has an abundance of doe?

Answer: The positives of a good deer management program definitely out weigh all of the concerns you mentioned regarding your local deer population. A better buck to doe ratio will give you a more defined rut, but you also have to realize that if you reduce the number of deer on your property, then neighboring deer will also move into your ranch. Particulary when times are tough. Antlers will get better with a lower deer density. Of course, with a better buck to doe ratio you will see more of your bucks, and it just makes the hunt more fun in my opinion.

If you have small acreage then concentrate on improving your deer habitat and making certain parts of your ranch sancuary areas that you simply stay out of. Thats the way to hold mature bucks on your property. Most people hunt every square inch of small properties and that’s where they go wrong. Bucks can roam as much as 3 to 5 miles in one day during the rut, so you will not be able to hold all your bucks, but you will probably gain some, too. I have regularly harvested does on our ranch and activity during the rut is awsome. We also see some of the same bucks year after year.

I know some guys that have been managing a 640 acre low fence place for the past 12 years with some outstanding results. And yes, the ranches around us are deer hunted, too.

Whitetail Hunting: Not Seeing Any Bucks?

Question: This my first year on a new deer hunting lease. The habitat is great and I am sure it will be good hunting. Anyway, last week I put out two game cameras over two different deer feeders. After checking out the pics, I am only seeing does; large groups of does and no bucks at all. All of the other hunters on the lease who have cameras out are getting pictures of some very nice whitetail bucks. The land we hunt is basically the same with no notable difference and we are all throwing corn, so why am I not seeing any bucks at my feeders?

Answer: Stay calm. If you have does hanging around then you will have bucks. A lot of hunters think deer feeders are a cure all for deer hunting. Don’t think that you will shoot a good buck at a feeder, but think that you will attract does to your feeder and then the does will attract the good bucks. If you have the does, the bucks will surely come your way come the rut.

In the past, I’ve tried all kinds of deer scents, including doe in estrus and drag rags. The absolute best deer attractant of all of them is a whitetail doe in heat. So, if you say you have lots of does on the cameras, then relax and wait. You are in a good place. Now, it’s only a matter of time before they go into rut. Get in the stand around the rut and you will see all kinds of action. The bucks will be looking for does, and guess what? You’ve got them!

Deer Hunting Joke: Search for the MONSTER Buck

We used to deer hunt with a guy that always went way overboard with what ever he was doing, and whitetail hunting was no different. To make matters worse, this guy would talk non-stop about the huge bucks that he was hunting, yet he never killed anything. A good friend of mine had found a mule deer shed in Colorado with an astounding 34 inch main beam and a 16 inch tine and a 12 inch tine on it, so the idea was hatched.

A fellow hunter in our camp was very good at carving, so he carved us a huge deer track that was attached to a long pole. You can see where this is going. The footprint was an inch longer than any whitetail buck track that anyone has even seen. So we had the huge antler and the huge track, our deer hunting joke had legs (literally).

So the huge shed was left within 20 yards of his deer stand, and it took him several hunts in that stand before he even noticed it. I mean, really? Open your eyes, dude! To sweeten the pot, we made rubs on trees that were 18 to 20 inches in diameter and several scrapes that were 4 to 5 foot across. And, we of course lots of HUGE deer tracks.

This guy obsessively hunted what he called the world record 6 point the entire season before he received a tip on where his monster whitetail buck could be found. Needless to say, he got a lot of whitetail hunting in that year, and we got a lot of laughs. And he took it pretty good, too. That kept him quiet for a little while.

Whitetail Rutting Activity in Schleicher County

11/20/09

I went whitetail hunting North of Highway 190 between Menard and Christoval last weekend. I observed lots of really healthy deer, bucks and does. The area we hunt had a bluetongue epidemic about three to four years ago, so we still do not see as many 4.5 to 5.5 year old bucks as all the hunters would like. As other hunters I know have stated, the deer look great and it should be good year in Schleicher County. They received much more rain than a lot of the State, so there was abundant food. Antlers and body condition should be well above avergae.

I saw both mature and immature bucks all weekend, but never saw any rutting activity by the deer. I even used some doe in estrus scent just to see if I could get any reaction, but nothing. The mature bucks I saw completely ignored the hot scent and ignored the does themselves, too. The big bucks were still more interested in pushing the others away from the feeder and filling their bellies. Most years, the rut kicks off with the first major cold front in early November.

We will see what happens this year. A lot of things have gone good this year, so we can only hope for the best. If any of you guys hunt out here, drop a line so we can see how the hunting is going.

Where Have All the Bucks Gone?

Question: I have 13 different bucks on game camera on my property and have not been seeing any of these deer on our lease. In all, we have 900 acres with 8 guys whitetail hunting on it. I shot a nice 9 point first week in October with my bow, and opening day of the general season another guy shot a nice main frame 10 with 3 kickers. It was a nice buck, but those are the only 2 bucks that have been seen and killed by hunters on our lease.

I just had 2 new bucks show up on camera in the last week, but we just aren’t seeing them while hunting. Most of the photos are at night of course, but one buck showed up during the day time (on camera). I have tried grunting, rattling, can calls, but have had no luck.

We have 900 acres and the lease next to us has about 1,600. The one to our north has 500 and then there are several other lease properties with about 200 to 300 acres of food plots. Will we see any bucks?

Answer: If you’ve got bucks on camera, then they are around. Whitetail bucks can stay under the radar very well, but they lose their cool when the rut kicks off. When they start rutting, you will see those bucks moving around, as well as chasing does. I know it may be hard to believe that with all the different bucks you have on camera that you are not seeing them, but just give it time. The neighbors may have them using their food plots at night, too. However, the rut will mix things up. Just be ready when it happens, and hope your whitetail hunting turns out good.

What Time Should I Go Deer Hunting?

Question: What time do you usually get into the woods or your deer stand on opening day? I live about 30 minutes from the property that I hunt and am curious on when I should get in my stand for optimal whitetail hunting?

Answer: Opening day is typically the best day of the year as far as the element of surprise goes. I like to get there at least 45 minutes before daybreak, which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes before official sunrise. The earlier the better really, just so the hunting area can settle down. Often times, white-tailed deer will “creep” into an area well before sunrise so that they have firsts on a food plot or at a deer feeder.

The worst feeling in the world is walking up to a stand and hearing deer running off. I would also have nightmares that it was a monster buck running off, so now I get there early. To give you an idea of what deer really har, make sure you listen good on opening morning. Listen to all the noise other hunters on neighboring properties will make. You will hear vehicles starting up and driving on the roads, car doors and tailgates slamming, and people talking, and radios off in the distance.

The trick is for you to get into position first, so that they will scare the deer out of their hunting area when they move in too late and the run into yours. So, about 1 hour and 15 minutes before official sunrise for optimal morning whitetail hunting.

Do Turkey Decoys Calm Whitetail?

Question: I have tried different types of deer decoys over the years. From my experience, most of the whitetail deer I have observed seem to lockup once they see the deer decoy. Deer seem to know something is wrong. However, while turkey hunting I have had deer come in to my turkey decoys several times. Although a little skittish, deer seem much more comfortable and inquisitive about the turkey decoys. They will most often almost touch them. I think I am going to give them a try next time I head out whitetail hunting. Has anyone tried them for deer?

Answer: That’s a new one, but you really never know! Hunters commonly use deer decoys when deer hunting to lure deer in for a closer look. Bowhunters commonly use decoys to get aggressive bucks to come in and do battle. As such, many bowhunters use buck decoys, but some will also use doe decoys with added scent to make mature whitetail close the distance.

In the waterfowl world, confidence decoys have been used for years. If we take a note from them, then turkey decoys may have the same effect on whitetail deer. The turkey decoy may act as a confidence booster for whitetail. As most deer and turkey hunters know, turkey are about 10 times more spooky than your average whitetail.

I think you may be on to something here. Give your turkey decoy a shot because I surely don’t think it will hurt. Good luck with your experiment and whitetail hunting!