Bowhunter bags record-breaking elk in Montana

 

Most hunters get cagey when asked where they got their trophy elk, but Steve Felix doesn’t balk.

“This was killed on public land,” said the potential owner of the newest world record for typical American elk taken by archery. “It’s a testament to great habitat and great management and the importance of public lands.”

To be a little more specific, Felix brought down the 7x8-point bull in Powder River County, in the southeast corner of Montana. The Boone and Crockett Club has confirmed its rack scores 430 inches, making it the largest elk taken in the state and the fourth-largest ever recorded in the club’s records. No. 1 scored 442 5/8ths, and No. 2 and No. 3 were both taken before 1900 – all with rifles. The current world-record archery kill scored 412 1/8, taken in 2005 in Arizona.

“History was made right here in Montana,” said Justin Spring, records director at Missoula-based Boone and Crockett. “It’s a milestone in the success of our commitment to this iconic species. Animals of this size do not happen by chance. It takes the combined commitment of wildlife managers and biologists, landowners, sportsmen and above all else, it takes the best habitats we can set aside for elk in elk country.”

Felix, who lives near Seeley Lake, made the eight-hour drive to his hunting area solo in September when his regular hunting partner couldn’t get away for the weekend. He spotted the bull early in the morning, and spent about an hour stalking it to get a shooting position.

A single arrow at 61 yards brought the elk down 30 seconds after he shot it. Approaching, Felix said he knew he had bagged the biggest animal he’d ever pursued. But he wasn’t sure how big.

It took five backpack loads over two days to bring out the meat. At first, Felix hoped to bring out the antlers and skin in a single load.

“I got about 60 yards and said this is not going to work,” he said. “It was just too heavy.”

He stopped at the Cabela’s store in Billings to compare his bull to some of the trophies hanging there.

“They had a rack that scored 400 there, so I took a quick look,” he said. “Then I went back out to my truck and went, ‘Oh, boy.’”

Realizing he had a contender on his hands, Felix next stopped at John Berger’s taxidermy shop in Bozeman. After a preliminary measurement hinted the bull was in striking distance of a world record, they called Fred King, an expert trophy grader in the Gallatin Valley. In its fresh, “green” state, the antlers scored 440 inches. Montana’s existing record was 412 inches.

Antlers shrink a bit as they dry. After 60 days, the final measurement totaled a net 430 inches. A final, official score for Pope and Young Club World's Record status will occur before a panel scored by a group of highly qualified P&Y and B&C measurers just prior to Pope and Young Club's Biennial Convention and Big Game Awards Ceremony April 5-8, 2017, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Felix said the hunting district doesn’t have a trophy restriction like the popular Missouri Breaks or Elkhorn Mountain regions of Montana. But it did have great grass, healthy wildlife and public opportunity.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in that country,” Felix said. “The first eight days I was there, I never saw an elk. That was the first arrow either my partner or I have ever shot there for elk.”

How to Choose Locations of Your Deer Hunting Blinds/Treestands,and When to Hunt Them

 As I said in my last deer hunting post,there is no substitute for boot leather in the field,you have to get out there and scout,you have to locate bedding areas,water sources, food sources,and deer trails.
You also have to plan ahead because ag fields get harvested,and the summer/early fall food sources change. What deer are feeding on now,and in the opening weeks of bow season will change as soon as local ag fields are harvested.
Once acorns drop-that's the primary food source,deer will eat white oak acorns above all other foods in fall. Apples are a close second. In NE Ohio,the crabapple becomes a food source when other foods aren't available.
When you pick your stand/blind sites,you have to consider multiple things,first are bedding areas and water sources,then food sources,then comes trails leading to and from these areas.
You have to be able to get to your stand/blind without spooking bedding deer,there are two ways of doing this,first is to get to your blind long before deer return to the bedding area-which means in the dark,at least an hour before legal shooting light.
Second is to locate your blind/stand far enough away from the bedding areas,that you don't spook deer.
This approach is best for afternoon/evening hunts,as the idea is to catch the deer leaving their bedding areas to drink water and feed.
You may have to go to your blind on one trail,and leave on another to avoid spooking deer-figure this out now.
It's best to pick several sites,so you can hunt no matter which way the wind is blowing.
If you are hunting on a ridgeline/rise in the land,remember that in the morning,as it warms up,air moves from low to high,it does the opposite in the evening,so pay close attention to the wind direction,if it's parallel to the ridge/rise it's okay to hunt,if the wind is blowing at your back-pick another place to hunt,wind in your face means the wind will carry your scent over the ridge,and it will go to the bottom behind you,and not the bottom if front of you,so you're good to hunt that site.
Same with any other blind site-keep the wind in you're face,so it's carrying you're scent away from any approaching deer.
  While you are hiking through the woods now and in early Sept,take binoculars with you,and scan the tops and branches of the oak trees,find a few with more acorns than the rest,and use these trees to set up your stand/blind near.
Another great stand/blind location is what is known as edge cover- the brushy areas between woods and fields. This is where bucks make rubs year after year,look around and you should be able to spot last year's rubs. If there's a lot-put a stand/blind near the edge cover,preferably just inside the woods,where there are known buck trails.
Locate another stand right on the field edge,pick a spot where there's a few small trees with branches about the height of a deer's head,then pick a couple more so you can hunt the edge cover from either the field side or the woods side in any wind direction.
Once you've got your blind/stand sites picked out- take a small rake,a folding saw,and a pair of hand pruners with you into the woods. Clear any branches that you would brush against,or snag your pack,bow,or clothing on. then rake the leaves and debris from the trail. You'll have to do it again after the leaves drop,but it's much easier to rake the leaves away if you've already cleared your trails.
Do this now,or real soon,as deer notice changes in the woods.

Starting the last week of October,make a two or three fake scrape lines,pick small trees with a branch the bucks can reach that's toward the open area/field.
Rake away all the dead grasses,leaves and debris in about a 3' semi-circle under the trees,use a stick,or old deer antler to make marks in the dirt like a deer was scraping it's antlers to clear debris from the scrape.
Make a line of these,4-6 to a line,and either use a scent like Active Scrape,or drink a lot of water before you head into the woods and piss in the scrapes yourself-I've done it for years,and it works just fine.
Starting the last week of October/first week of November,hunt the scrape lines every evening hunt.
I'll start hanging scent wicks with doe in estrous scent near the scrape lines starting the first week of November. I do not leave them out-I use bottles with a wick that can be re-capped and reused all season,you just have to add more estrous urine every so often.
These are what I use...
Tink's reusable scent bottles
The whitetail rut in NE Ohio hit's the peak around the 15th of November every year,breeding starts around the first of November. This is when you want to hunt for a big buck,if that's what you're after.
The last week of Oct. until the last week of Nov. is the time to rattle and use a grunt tube and estrous bleat call.
 Pay attention to the rut,because any does not bred in Nov. will cycle back into estrous 28 days later-in Dec. then in Jan. there's a much smaller period of breeding.
I'll do a post on rattling and using grunt tubes doe and fawn bleats and estrous bleats before the rut hits.
The guys who get a deer every year are the guys who get out there and scout,get their hunting spots picked out/set up long before the rut hits,and stay in their blind/stand once they get to it.
So get out there,find your stand/blind sites,get your shooting lanes cut now,clear your trails to and from your blinds now and you'll be way ahead of most deer hunters.

Deer Archery Season Less Than a Month Away in Ohio- Some Deer Hunting Basics

First-
Now's the time to step up your target practice.
I go from my 18-36 arrows a day all summer,to shooting 36 arrows twice a day,morning and close to last  legal shooting light,which is one half hour after sunset here in Ohio.
You have to go by the ODNR's sunrise-sunset tables-not other sources,their tables are the legal hunting times,if you use the times in the newspaper,or online sources,then you may be off by several minutes.
That could lead to large fines and/or suspension of hunting license/right to hunt.
Plus,if your hunting privileges are suspended in Ohio-they are also suspended in the rest of the U.S. except for two states-New Jersey and Nebrasaka- due to the Interstate Wildlife Violater Compact
 Your blind or stand should be already set up if you hunt private land,shooting lanes cut,and blind/stand "brushed in" using the branches you trimmed for your shooting lanes.
Now is also the time to start putting out corn if you feed the deer where you hunt.
You should have had mineral blocks out since early spring,as it helps with antler growth,and provides deer nutrients that are lacking in the natural foods available.
I keep blocks out all year,in spring I put out one of the "rack rock" type blocks made for antler growth. In fall,I put out apple,sugar beet, and acorn scented blocks. Once the rut is over,I add blocks as needed,but switch to stockman's blocks available at your local feed store-or farm supply,Tractor Supply,etc. This helps provide the newly pregnant does with a boost in nutrients.
If you put out corn,and don't use a feeder,spread it out,rather than make one big pile,as it will help prevent deer from passing diseases to other deer when spread out. If you just dump corn in a big pile,the deer can transmit diseases to other deer.
I hunt a 70 acre or so private property,and we do mange the deer as much as possible,which is why we put out food and mineral blocks. Over the years,there have been some monster sized deer taken there,both in body size,and antler size. There's only 4 people who regularly hunt the property,and another 4 guys we let hunt gun season. Usually it's no more than 4 people hunting on any given day of the season.
The property is surrounded by ag fields-most years it's about half corn,half soybeans-this year for some reason,it's all soybeans.
That's good for us-the beans will be off the fields before the rut kicks in,and there will be no standing corn during gun season.
I also put out apples from the time they start dropping off the trees,up until the end of muzzleloader season in Jan. since I get them for free from a neighbor. If you have local apple orchards,ask the owners,they'll usually give you extra or bruised,wormy,etc apples for free or a really reduced price.
I freeze a bunch for use later in the season,the deer still eat them,and when there's snow on the ground,some apples spread around 30 yards or so from your blind will draw hungry deer in from all over the area.
 I hunt a lot on public land,where you can't put out any kind of bait,no corn,no apples,no mineral blocks.
No big deal,deer travel the same trails all the time,the key to finding deer on public land is to find the major trails,then find the bedding areas,the water sources,and the food sources. Deer have to drink water at least twice a day,usually soon after they move from their beds,and again after feeding.
When you find the trails,anywhere from 5-15 yards from the main trails-you will find smaller,less used trails.
These are the older buck's trails,yearling bucks usually still travel with the does up until the rut begins.
Find a spot near a water source,a food source,or on the trail the deer use to get to the bedding areas.
Deer feed all night during hunting season,if you set up near a bedding area,and are trying to get a deer heading to bed-you have to be able to get to your blind long before first light,and do it without spooking deer.
I usually use the opposite approach-I set up far enough away from the bedding area that I can get to me blind any time during the day,and try to get the deer as they move out of the bedding area.
If you find the food source,pick a spot that's either still back in the woods a little,or right at the edge of a field.
When there's a lot of acorns on the ground,deer aren't going to eat much of anything else,so concentrate on water sources and trails to and from bedding areas.
The single most important thing you can do is get out in the woods,and see what the deer are doing where you hunt,there's no substitute for scouting-none.
I don't use trail cameras,because unless you own a huge farm/property,and have dozens of cameras,all you'll find out is where the deer were,not where they are,where they're going,what they're eating,where they're bedding-which are the things you need to know to be where the deer will be after you get in your stand/blind.
You have to pay close attention to wind direction-and have more than one stand or blind set up so you have another choice if the wind is not blowing towards your stand or blind. I have 4 locations,so I'm covered every day I hunt. The public land that I hunt-I also hunt different spots when the wind is from different directions. The best public land was hit with a severe EHD outbreak in 2012,we didn't see a single deer hunting that gun season at the Ladue public hunting area,and we hunted it for 5 days. This year should be good there,as the 2013 fawns will be 3 1/2 now,2014 fawns 2 1/2. Next year will probably be better at Ladue,as there should be plenty of 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old bucks.
I'll probably hunt there at least 2 days of gun season this year,just to see what the deer numbers are like.
Deer can smell you from a long ways off,unless you are hunting in an area where they are used to people-like the suburbs-they aren't going to come within bow range if they smell you.
Use the wind to your advantage,I also will take a trash bag into the wods with me a couple weeks before hunting season,and pack it full of leaves and twigs from the area I'm going to hunt.
Then I put the leaves into paper bags,and put them in plastic bins with all my hunting gear.
I've been doing this for years-it works,I've had deer walk right by me when I'm in an ground blind and the wind shifted so it was blowing at my back-and they still didn't smell me.
I don't use the scent control clothing or products-my method has worked just fine for over 40 years-why change it now?
I would rather spend the $$$ I save by not paying extra for scent control clothing and products on new broadheads,arrows,and crossbow bolts.
Wear camo that matches your surroundings-wearing solid earth tone colors is better than wearing something like woodland camo in Ohio in November.
Either wear some kind of face mask,or use camo face paint-deer recognize the shape of a human face-so hide your face.
Don't hike around the woods during the day once deer season starts-stay put. As long as you picked a good location,the deer will come to you. If you are hunting public land,there's enough people moving in and out of the woods  to push deer right to you,another reason to sit still,stay in your blind.
 Pack enough snacks plus a lunch,bring plenty of water,and if you're like me-pack a thermos of coffee.
Make sure you have some surgical gloves,hand soap-I use an empty one of the 99 cents at the qucikie mart hand sanitizer bottles filed with Dial antibacterial hand soap-plus hand sanitizer,and a towel/washcloth to wash your hands after to field dress your deer.
Either buy a deer drag,or make your own-I just use an 18" piece of 3/4" oak dowel rod that I tie my rope to,makes it much easier to drag the deer.

Ohio deer hunting regs/info...

White-tailed Deer Hunting

Species	Opening Date		Closing Date		Daily Bag Limit
Archery	September 24, 2016		February 5, 2017	The statewide bag limit is six deer. Only one may be antlered. You cannot exceed an individual county bag limit . Refer to the Deer Hunting Section for details on zone and bag limits.
Deer Youth Gun	November 19, 2016	November 20, 2016
Gun	November 28, 2016	December 4, 2016
	December 17, 2016	December 18, 2016
Muzzleloader	January 7, 2017		January 10, 2017

 


The statewide bag limit is six deer. Only one may be antlered. You cannot exceed an individual county bag limit.
No more than two deer may be taken from a two deer county during the 2016-2017 deer hunting season. Both deer need to be tagged with an either-sex permit. The antlerless permit is not valid in a two deer county.
No more than three deer may be taken from a three deer county during the 2016-2017 deer hunting season. The antlerless permit is not valid in most three deer counties. Check the antlerless permit map on this page to determine if the antlerless permit is valid in the county where you hunt. One deer may be tagged with an antlerless permit in specific three deer counties, and two deer may be tagged with either-sex permits. The antlerless permit is not valid in specific counties after Nov. 27, 2016. Three deer may be tagged with either-sex permits if the antlerless permit is not valid or not used.
No more than four deer may be taken from a four deer county during the 2016-2017 deer hunting season. One deer may be tagged with an antlerless permit and three deer may be tagged with an either-sex permit. The antlerless permit is not valid in specific counties after Nov. 27, 2016. Four deer may be tagged with either-sex permits if the antlerless permit is not used.

Two Deer County	Three Deer County	Three Deer County	Four Deer County
A hunter may kill no more than two deer in a two deer county during the 2016-2017 season.	A hunter may kill no more than three deer in a three deer county during the 2016-2017 season.	A hunter may kill no more than three deer in a three deer county during the 2016-2017 season.	A hunter may kill no more than four deer in a four deer county during the 2016-2017 season.
Up to two either-sex permits.	Up to three either-sex permits.	Up to two either-sex permits and one antlerless permit. - OR - Up to three either-sex permits.	Up to three either-sex permits and one antlerless permit. - OR - Up to four either-sex permits.
Antlerless permits are NOT valid.	Antlerless permits are NOT valid.

 


I'll do a post on stand/blind site selection in the next day or two.
If you haven't been out in the woods yet,get out there,boot leather in the woods and fields equals venison in the freezer.

Ladue should have decent deer hunting this year for those of you around here...




More info on Ladue here

Ohio deer hunters increase take over last season

 The increase came even as the state lowered bag limits

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio wildlife officials say good weather and other factors led to an increase in the number of deer killed by hunters this past season.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says hunters checked 188,335 white-tailed deer dating back to the opening of archery season in the fall. That’s up from the 175,745 deer checked during the 2014-2015 season.
The increase came even as the state lowered bag limits and eliminated antlerless permit use in most counties. Coshocton and Licking counties produced the most tagged deer.
The state says that until recently deer populations in nearly all of Ohio’s counties were well above the wildlife agency’s goal. In the last few years, the population in most counties has been brought down to near the goals.

Female Bow Hunter Receives Death Threats

Why Was this Bow Hunter Threatened for Teaching Kids How to Hunt?

 

The anti-hunting crowd has once again proven that they are far more violent than the hunters they seem to hate so much.
Jen “The Archer” Cordaro, a prominent, female bow hunter from California revealed in a recent interview that she has received death threats after teaching children how to hunt.
“The initial reaction to the ‘Bring a Kid’ campaign actually was all positive,” said Cordaro on The Palin Update with Kevin Scholla. “I have more letters from kids than I can keep up with.”
However, it wasn’t long before the anti-hunting crowd found out about the campaign and the usual violent, hate filled threats followed shortly thereafter.

“People want to murder my first born child,” Cordaro said. “I don’t have any kids, but that’s pretty scary to think about.”
“What I really haven’t talked to the media about at all is the things that are happening at my home and my place of employment,” said Cordaro. “So the death threats and the harassment and vandalism has gone beyond social media at this point. I’m dealing with it every day in my mailbox, at my house, on my car, at my work. Because they’re very close to home the proper authorities are involved at this point … I’m not stopping. There’s no reason for me to stop. If I stop they win.”

Source
*** This was written in Feb. 2015,and I had saved to post last year,but just now found it again.
It's still relevant,as it points out the evil sh*t anti-hunting zealots do.

Western States Move Forward with Potential Yellowstone-area Grizzly Hunts

Via Field & Stream

After 40 years of federal protection, grizzly bears may become fair game for hunters, as a handful of Western states push for the responsibility of managing the animals.
The Associated Press reports that a plan drafted by wildlife officials from the greater Yellowstone states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana estimates how many grizzly bears could be harvested while still maintaining viable populations if the species were no longer protected under the Endangered Species Act. 
Though the proposal doesn’t specify the number of bears each state would permit to be harvested, it does specify a 19,300-square-mile management zone that includes the wilderness and national forests near the Yellowstone National Park. Further, the proposal allocates a 58-percent share of the permitted harvests to Wyoming—likely because it’s home to most of the region’s grizzlies—while Montana would get 34 percent and Idaho 8 percent.
Officials estimate that there are more than 700 grizzlies in the defined management zone, though biologists say that there are likely more living outside the borders, as the bears have expanded their range as their populations have grown.
In a December 4, 2015, joint letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe, the states’ wildlife directors urged the federal government to retract the bear’s threatened status. “It is critically important that we capitalize on our tremendous progress and momentum. . . by proceeding with a long overdue delisting,” the letter stated.

The last legal grizzly hunt in the Lower 48 was in the early 1970s, and a total of 58 bears were harvested in the five years leading to the species’ being listed as threatened, in 1975, as the AP notes. Since that time, the bear's numbers have rebounded. Opponents to the proposal, however, argue that it’s too soon to consider hunting as a management tool because grizzly populations are still too low.
Quentin Kujala, chief of wildlife management for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, says that the harvest quotas will likely be modest and on a sliding scale to help maintain viable bear populations and to avoid any chance of the species reverting back to federal protection. Hunting will be allowed if there were more than 675 bears, and it will be barred if the number drops to fewer than 600, Kujala said. Likewise, Wyoming Game and Fish spokesman Renny MacKay told the AP: “We’re definitely not talking about a large number. We’re not talking hundreds or anywhere near that.” 
The Christian Science Monitor points out that tourism is a $1-billion industry in the greater Yellowstone area, and that, according to research, the park could lose $10 million without the potential of spotting bear near the roadside.
If the FWS removes grizzlies from federal protection and the states proceed with the plan, the proposition will need to undergo a public-comment period. The FWS is expected to make a decision on whether to release grizzlies from federal protection early this year, but barring any court
challenges, it could take up to a year for any rule changes to go into effect.

Ohio Deer Harvest

According to the ODNR,the 2015-2016 deer season harvest is up slightly...
Up by 3,742 over last year,however,the deer season was changed,there was no
Oct. doe only muzzleloader season
plus there's an extra two days of gun season,tomorrow and Tues.
The muzzleloader season is a week later than last year as well.
Jan. 9th-12th is this year's muzzleloader season.
We hunted 5 of the 7 days of gun season,and never saw a deer in gun range.
We hunt in Ashland county,the harvest there is almost the same as last year,
there's an eight deer difference.
The ODNR apparently listened to us hunters at the meetings they held last year,
when we said there were way too many does being harvested,and deer numbers
were way down from the year before,and have been dropping for the years-as
antlerless permits were only sold in ten counties.

2015/16 Deer Harvest Totals

The 2013/14 and 2014/15 deer harvest totals here

There's still plenty of time to get a deer,and get some venison in your freezer,
we have the 2 days of gun season,the four days of muzzeloader season,
and the archery season is open 'till Feb 7th.
What's important to deer now is food and cover,they need more food because
 it's colder,and the bucks are still recovering from the rut.
For morning hunts,set up so you can catch the deer coming back to the
bedding area,for evening hunts,set up so you catch them going from
bedding area to food source. If there's a water source  between the bedding
 area and the food source-that's the perfect spot ot set up-as the deer will
drink water on their way to the food source and on their way back to the bedding area.

Read.
Learn.
Train.
Do more PT.

 http://Wwildlife.ohiodnr.gov/portals/wildlife/pdfs/hunting/122315deerharvest.pdf#page=1&zoom=80,-201,0

12 Reasons Why Your Venison Tastes Like Hell

By Will Brantley

Is your deer meat tough, dry and gamey-tasting? It shouldn't be. Check out this list of 12 deer-butchering sins to find out why your venison tastes bad -- and how to make it better

I’m often amazed at the people, deer hunters included, who tell me they just don’t like venison. That statement is usually followed by a qualifier: it’s tough; it’s gamey; it’s dry. And so on.

In warm weather, deer should be skinned and quartered ASAP. I’ve eaten a lot of good deer meat. But I’ve eaten some really bad deer meat, too. I’m only a self-trained butcher, but I process five or six animals each fall, and have been doing so for a decade or more. I’m no Scott Leysath, either, but my wife and I do eat venison in some form two or three meals per week, year-round. I think we eat pretty good.
Some things consistently make venison really tasty. And some things will ruin the flavor, too. Here are a dozen of the worst offenders.
1. Poor Field Care
In the real world of hunting, things happen. We all make bad shots on occasion. And while we know not to “push” a deer that’s been hit marginally, realize that the longer it takes for the animal to die and the farther it runs, the more adrenaline and lactic acid builds up in the animal’s system and muscles. Ever had a glass of good-tasting acid? I didn’t think so.
The faster a deer hits the ground and can be field-dressed, the better the meat will be. Some of the best-tasting deer I’ve ever had have been shot in the head with a gun. The animal is killed instantly, and the meat is uncontaminated by blood and entrails from the chest cavity. That said, head shots are risky. The lungs remain the best place to aim.
2. Failure to Cool Quickly
Internal bacteria rapidly takes over after death, expelling gases and causing the animal to bloat. That’s the first step in decomposition. This process is accelerated in warm weather. Learn how to field dress a deer, and get to it ASAP. Removing those organs is the first step in cooling the animal down.
On a cold night—in the mid-30s or lower—a deer can be left hanging skin-on overnight. In especially cold weather, some hunters like to age a deer in such a manner for several days (more on aging in a bit). I live in a warm climate, and most of the deer I shoot in a season’s time are during early bow season, so I don’t have that luxury. When I find my deer and get it field-dressed, I plan on having it skinned, quartered and on ice within the hour.
3. Shot the Wrong Deer
Modern deer hunters are in tune with deer herd management. We’ve learned of practices that contribute to the health of a herd, including which deer to shoot. Given the chance, most of us want to shoot a mature buck with big antlers. Me included.
Old bucks are perfectly edible, but rarely the best. Muscles get tougher with use and stringy with age. An old buck that’s spent a full autumn fighting, rubbing, scraping and chasing does will be lean. Expect chewy steaks. Same thing goes for an old doe that’s burned all her summertime calories producing milk to nurse fawns. I usually make hamburger, sausage and jerky out of such animals.
For steaks, you can’t beat a young, crop-fed deer. Deer that spend a summer munching on corn and soybeans have an easier life—and more fattening food sources—than those that spend a lifetime wandering the big timber in search of scattered mast and browse.

The tastiest venison I’ve ever eaten came from a 1 ½-year-old fork horn shot through the neck near a picked corn field during early bow season.

That young deer had nothing to do all summer except get fat. Am I saying to forgo everything the QDMA is teaching and whack every young buck that walks by? No. But I am saying if a deer for the freezer is your goal, young bucks from the early season are usually good eating, and have more meat than does to boot. If you want to shoot one and it’s legal, go for it. You don’t owe anyone an apology.

Field dressing is the first step in cooling a deer down. Get to it fast, especially if the weather is warm.
4. Failure to Age / Purge I’ve been told that aging venison on ice is a mistake, but I don’t buy it. The mercury rises above 50 degrees on most days of deer season in my area. That’s too warm to let a deer hang, so icing them down is my only option. I line the bottom of a cooler with a layer of ice, add my deer quarters on top of that, and then cover them with more ice.
I keep the cooler in the shade with the drain plug open and on a downhill incline. That’s very important. The idea is to let the ice slowly melt and drain from the cooler. This not only keeps the meat cold, but purges an amazing amount of blood from it. Do this for at least two days, checking the ice a couple times per day in especially warm weather. (Note: if you do this without a drain plug, you’ll get the opposite effect; deer quarters that are essentially marinated in bloody, dirty water. Does that sound tasty? Didn’t think so.)
5. Dirty Knives and Power Saws
A deer’s legs are held together just like yours: with ball-and-socket joints and connective tissue. Learn where these are, and you can cut an entire skinned deer apart within minutes with a good pocket knife. Laying into a deer’s legs and spine with a power saw puts bone marrow, bone fragments and whatever mess was on the saw blade into your venison. Would you season your steak with bone fragments and wood shavings? Didn’t think so.
I keep three sharp knives handy when I’m cleaning a deer. One is for field-dressing. This one will be a stout knife with a drop point for prying through bone. Another is for skinning. Though a skinning blade with a gut hook is nice to have, I’ve been using a long-bladed fillet knife the last couple seasons, and it works beautifully. These knives can be honed to a razor’s edge and quickly re-sharpened. Other than quickly dulling a knife’s edge by slicing through hair, skinning is not taxing on a knife’s blade, so a flexible fillet knife works fine. Finally, I swap over to another knife—again, with a heavier blade—for my quartering. The point to take from all this is to keep your knives separate so you reduce contamination of the meat with blood and hair.
6. Poor Trimming
Unlike beef fat, deer fat does not taste good. Neither does the sinew, membranes and other connective tissues holding the various muscle groups together. Venison, whether destined for steaks or hamburger, should be trimmed free of anything that’s not rich, red meat.

For great deer burger, try blending the ground venison with a little cheap bacon.
7. Burger is Too Lean Ironically, because fat needs to be trimmed away for the best flavor, venison often becomes too lean for hamburger purposes. Patties made for grilled double cheeseburgers often fall apart soon after hitting the hot grate. The solution is to add some fat, either beef or pork, when you’re grinding venison. We use cheap bacon, mixed at a rate of 5:1 (5 pounds of venison per pound of bacon). It makes our patties stick together, and the bacon adds a great flavor.
8. Used a Cut-Rate Processor
Some commercial deer processors do a great job. But some do not. I once took a deer to a processor, filled out my paperwork and watched him disappear to the freezer room. He weighed my animal and returned with a corresponding amount of packaged, frozen venison. “We mix all our meat together and package a lot of burger at once,” he said.
For all I knew, the deer I was getting could’ve been gut-shot, left to hang in 90-degree heat, and then dragged along a black-top road en route to the processor. No thanks. That was the last deer I ever took to a processor. Insist on getting your own deer back when you have processing work done. If that’s not possible, I’d advise doing business elsewhere.
9. Marinade Problems
“First, soak for 48 hours in Italian dressing …”
It’s enough to make a venison-lover cringe.

Look, Italian dressing and BBQ sauce taste fine, but you’d better be a ravenous fan of them if you’re using them to soak venison steaks for two days. At the end of those two days, your steaks will taste just like … Italian dressing or BBQ sauce.

There’s nothing wrong with a little splash of flavor enhancement, but try lighter flavors that complement, rather than mask, the flavor of deer meat, and keep the marinade time short. My usual maximum is three or four hours. A favorite marinade for grilled venison steaks is a mixture of olive oil, a spoonful of balsamic vinegar, a spoonful of Worcestershire sauce, some minced garlic (with the juice), a squirt of mustard and salt and pepper to taste.

Good venison needs to age a few days. One good way to age is in a cooler of ice with a drain plug open and pointed down-hill. This purges blood from the meat.
10. Cooked Too Cool, for Too Long Venison recipes, especially grilled recipes, often call for removing the meat after a couple minutes per side. For many, the result of that is, “this is raw and gross.” And so they place it back on the grill. After a while, it turns gray, chewy, dry … and still gross.
Grilled venison is best when eaten with a medium-rare interior, but the outside needs to be cooked. In order to do that, your grill needs to be hot enough to instantly sear the meat surface and lock in those flavors and juices. Flip your venison steaks one time. If you don’t have nice grill marks after three or four minutes, the grate isn’t hot enough.
11. Improper Packaging and Freezing
Freezer burn doesn’t help the flavor of ice cream or anything else, deer meat included. Modern vacuum packaging systems are handy and save on space, but I’ve used some that resulted in freezer-burned meat after a few months. If you’re buying a vacuum-sealing unit, get a good one.
We package our deer the old-fashioned way, first wrapping our portion in clear plastic wrap, and then covering that with heavy-duty freezer paper. Each package is clearly labeled, not only so we know what cut of meat is inside and when it was killed, but also which deer it came from. If one animal proves especially tough, we know to use that meat for slow-cooking recipes.
12. Getting too Fancy
There’s no big mystery or secret to cooking venison. Treat it as you would treat very lean beef, and you’ll get outstanding results day in and out. We substitute deer burger for beef hamburger in virtually everything—chili, tacos, sloppy Joe’s, burgers on the grill, spaghetti and who knows what else. We never plan on a “wild game night” at the house. We just plan to cook dinner, and that usually means wild game by default.

(Editor's Note: This Retro Realtree article was originally published in October of 2012)

source

Hunting: How to Skin a Deer with an Air Compressor

         quincycompressor.com/how-to-skin-a-deer-with-an-air-compressor/

Read the Original Article at Ammo-Land

Making Fake Scrape Lines to Get Big Bucks

I wrote about this last year Here and Here and Here
*since I wrote those posts last year,I’ve seen 8-10 bucks raking antlers on branches above their scrapes-was too busy hunting to write up a new post on the subject during last year’s rut.*
I’m putting lots of hunting info up long before deer season gets underway.
It’s now September 12th-Ohio’s archery season for deer starts on September 26th-that’s two weeks away people-get out there and get set up,only a month or so away from the time to be making fake scrape lines-so read up on it…
Via Field & Stream Here
Minnesota whitetail nut Billy Jerowski is a fair-minded, modern husband—one whose manhood isn’t threatened by doing dishes or hanging laundry. But he never imagined his domestic experience would improve his deer hunting. That is until after he’d been watching numerous bucks work scrapes, when it dawned on him that the licking branch doesn’t have to be parallel to the ground. “I realized that bucks love getting their antlers up into anything—a deadfall or a vine—whether it hangs vertically or horizontally,” he says. “That got me to thinking.”
The Scrape Line
Always ready to experiment, Jerowski drove to his hunting area and strung a wire tightly between two trees, like a clothesline. To this wire, he hung short lengths of rope, a green tree branch, even a section of grapevine. “I roughed up some dirt below the wire to start the scrape,” he says. “But I doubt I needed to. The bucks just hammered those overhanging ‘branches.’ When I came back to check my experiment, the little scrapes I started under each had been hit so many times they’d melded into one giant scrape.”
Jerowski feels his technique trumps the standard mock scrape for several reasons. “First, I can put it wherever I need it—no need to find the right tree, with the perfect overhanging branch,” he says. Second, hanging several different “branch” materials seems to ensure that a buck will become interested in at least one. “Bucks are curious, and once one starts getting his antlers up into one branch and pawing the ground, it isn’t long before other bucks are in on the action, and hitting all of them.”
Hang Tight
When it comes to constructing this mock scrape line, the keys are “tight and strong,” says Jerowski. Bucks can pull down a light line easily, so use strong wire, cable, or a stout rope. Stretch it tightly between two trees, and tie it securely. “To attach the hanging vines or branches, I use zip-ties and I make sure they’re cinched down tight or bucks will pull them off,” he says. “You can scrape up the ground to get bucks started, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Once they start working those hanging ‘branches,’ the scraping comes naturally. In a couple of weeks you’ll have a super scrape right where you need it to be.”

Sit Tight
Where you hang your “scrape line” should be determined by the best possible stand location. Start by picking a tree that offers a good combination of cover and shooting lanes. Then look for another similarly good stand tree nearby that will allow you to hunt a totally different wind. If you position your mock scrape line so you can shoot to it from either tree, you’ll have a buck magnet you can hunt in almost any breeze, and one that’ll stay hot right through the start of the rut.
Read.
Learn.
Train.
Do more PT !

Start Shooting More Arrows-and More-Archery Deer Season is Only Two Weeks Away

Ohio’s archery season starts in two weeks.
That means you’ve only got two weeks left to target shoot.
You should be shooting at first and last light as much as possible,and wearing the clothes you will wear hunting.
Get out in the woods,check your stand/blind set-ups-you picked your stand/blind locations and cut shooting lanes back in August right?
You already cleared debris and sticks/branches from the trails to your blind/stands right?
You already know the distances to the most likely areas the deer will approach from right?
You can already put all 6 arrows into 6″ or less from those distances,right?
You already know where all the food and water sources and bedding areas are in relation to your stands/blinds,right?
You know what stands/blinds to hunt depending on wind direction right?
You know which stands/blinds you can NOT hunt in early morning or late evening because the sun will be in your eyes,right?
Where it’s legal,you already have salt/mineral blocks out right?

Where it’s legal,you have corn in feeders already setup and filled,right?
You already planted fall/winter food plots with a variety of grains and brassicas right?
You already washed all your hunting clothing and let them hang outside for a day,right?
Then you put said clothing in a clean plastic bin(s) with some pine cones,and pine,oak, or cedar branches in several small paper bags spread out among the clothes in the bin(s),right?
Your early-season hunting boots are in the same bin,right? Already waterproofed and aired out for a few days,right?
Your day pack is in the same bin(s) too,right?And your rain gear?
Got a map of the area you plan to hunt,a compass,fire starting kit,first aid kit, etc. in your day pack right?
Along with all the stuff I wrote about last year in this post,right?
If for whatever reason,you made a bad shot on a deer,you do know how to track a wounded deer,right? If not,read this I wrote that last year also.
You know how to process your deer like I wrote about Here, and Here ,right?

Get out in the woods-scout your hunting area,find all the deer trails,water and food sources,bedding areas,and the trails between bedding area and water source,food source and water source,food source,water source and bedding areas. Pay attention to what the deer eat at what time of year,plant winter food plots where legal-and you’ll have a shot at a late season buck as his body is seriously nutrient depleted  from the rut,and he’ll be drawn to high quality food after the rut has ended. The same food plot will attract does as well,so you have no excuse for not filling your freezer with venison this year !
If you want the local deer herd to remain at optimum numbers of deer-shoot every coyote you see during deer season-shoot enough of them,and the furs will cover your hunting costs for the year!
Fewer ‘yotes mean more deer,studies have shown coyote predation can kill up to 90% of whitetail fawns in areas with a lot of ‘yotes-eastern coyotes are an invasive species,as such,they need to be extirpated.
If there are feral hogs in your area-shoot every one of those you see as well-they eat many of the same foods deer eat.
Feral hogs are an invasive species as well-extirpate them-look at them as bacon on the hoof !
Get out in the woods,get your blinds/stands ready,clear debris from trails you use to and from your blinds/stands-shoot arrows every day,make sure your broadheads are razor sharp,use a safety harness if you hunt from a treestand!

Hunt safely,hunt smart,know your quarry’s habits-if you want to take a big buck,you have to get out in the woods and work for it-it ain’t like the hunting shows on the tee-vee!
Read.
Learn.
Train.
Do more PT!

Full-Velvet 200-Inch Kentucky Giant

Via Field& Stream Here

by Dave Hurteau

 

If you’re following the Rut Reporter posts, you know that I’m hunting the opening week of bow season with Cabela's Outdoor Andventures at Whitetail Heaven Outfitters in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Last night, I climbed out of my stand when I saw my driver approaching the field in his truck. He was barreling through the alfalfa, crazy fast, and hardly slowed down when he reached me. Owner Tevis McCauley stuck his head out the window and yelled: “Hang tight. We’ve got a 200-incher on the ground!”
Later back at camp, 40-some hunters and family members and guides and cooks gathered in the driveway, watching the Ram 2500 pull up in the pitch dark, honking its horn the whole way. Hunter Buddy Deville, from Denham Springs, Louisiana, stepped out of the truck grinning, dropped the tailgate, and showed us all this colossal velvet buck. He jumped up into the bed, like it was a stage, and told us all about it.
Buddy hunted the same stand for four days, and never even picked up his bow last night when a 150-inch 10-pointer came in. It was a good call; this giant taped out at 202-1/4. (The buck in the background was no slouch—a 147-inch 9-pointer that Daniel Wilson of Tennessee 10-ringed at 50 yards. John Draper with the NRA also brought in a old, big-bodied buck with very cool nontypical rack.)
We’ll have much more about this great buck, including video, on the Rut Reporters page soon. For now, I figured you might want a look.
(The photo above is courtesy of Whitetail Heaven guide J.C. Hall, who by the way has arrowed three 200-inchers himself.)

Hogs a major problem for deer hunting

 This is a problem anywhere there's a large population of feral hogs or "wild boars",not just in Louisiana.
Killing off feral hogs is just as important as killing off coyotes for healthy deer herds.
The more of both you remove from the habitat-the better off your local deer herd is.
Both animals are prolific breeders,especially hogs. It's much easier to control the coyote population,as they only have pups once a year,hogs can have several litters of piglets a year,with each sow having as many as 8-10 piglets-that's 30 new hogs from just one sow's litters.
The boars kill fawns,and that puts a double whammy on your local deer herd-fawns now have to make it through the coyotes and the hogs alive-the coyote fawn kills in NE Ohio are staggering-I've seen no fewer than 30 dead fawns this year-and the entire month of June here was rain,so I wasn't out in the woods as much as I usually am,which means the 'yotes likely got many more fawns who's remains I didn't find.
In many parts of the country,hogs and deer eat a lot of the same foods-especially acorns.
It will help your local deer herd immensely if you start shooting as many feral hogs as you can-think of them as bacon on the hoof. The meat from feral hogs is excellent,better than farm raised pork.
So there's a double benefit to hunting feral hogs-you get lots of tasty free range pork-and your local deer herd gets more food,and exposed to fewer diseases.
It's best to hunt hogs at night,like coyotes. You can have lots of success hog hunting at dawn and dusk as well.
Feral hogs are smart,they learn quickly,so you have to change up tactics and hunting locations often.
Hunting hogs will also make you a better deer hunter,as you get practice at picking blind/stand locations,being quiet,controlling your scent,and at using your bow, muzzleloader,shotgun,or rifle.
If there are feral hogs in the areas you hunt deer-get out there and start getting some of that free bacon!
There's plenty of recipes and detailed instructions on making your own bacon on the 'net.


While loss of habitat is likely a main driver in Louisiana’s falling deer populations, biologists say feral hogs “continue to be a primary concern” even as the number of hogs killed is skyrocketing
A mail survey of hunters indicates 299,500 hogs were killed during the 2014-15 hunting season, according to the 2014-15 Louisiana Deer Report.
That’s a staggering 63-percent increase from the 183,600 hog kills reported in the 2013-14 deer report.
And, even more telling, is the comparison of hog kills to last season’s deer harvest.
“The mail survey hog harvest estimate was … over twice the current deer harvest estimate and higher than any recorded deer harvest estimate,” the 2014-15 report states.
The report attributed the transport of hogs from region to region as being one of the “areas of concern.”
Those who move hogs around in the belief that they are simply increasing their hunting options should understand that hogs aren’t a benign addition — the species actually impacts the ability of deer to survive.
“Hog populations affect deer numbers through direct competition for food resources and fawn predation,” the report sated. “Hogs carry infectious diseases such as Leptospirosis, brucellosis and pseudo-rabies.”

 source

Time to Scout for Deer Season,and get Blind/Stand Locations Ready

I know it's only early August,but it's time to hit the woods,scout the local deer,pick stand/blind locations,and cut shooting lanes.
Save the cut branches to start brushing in your blind or stand.
Be sure you go with a friend,one of your kids,whoever,just have another person go with you,and have them stand in the areas deer will approach from,then cut your shooting lanes.
Now's the time to put fresh mineral blocks out-(if legal in your state)-I always put a few of the reddish colored stockmans blocks from Tractor Supply out for mineral blocks.
Same minerals as the much,much more costly blocks made by several companies as "specially formulated for deer" mineral blocks. I keep them out year 'round,along with regular salt blocks.
Now's also the time to start getting fall/winter food plots ready-at least in most of the east and NE.
Scouting now,finding trails if you're hunting a new area,hanging trail cameras if you use them,and figuring out the best stands/blinds to use goes a long way towards a successful hunt  if you want to get a big buck.
Pay attention to the angle of the sun in early morning and late evening,then guesstimate what the angle will be during early bow season and choose your stands/blinds accordingly. You don't want to be facing into the sun in am or pm,you want the sun at your back.
As you find the deer trails-look about 5-10 yards to either side for trails made by a single deer-that is often  the trail of the dominant buck in the area,it's a buck trail for sure,may not be the big one-but you'll know from trail cam pics,or the size of the tracks,and size and number of scrapes during pre-rut.

Here's a good article from Field&Stream...
Early Season Whitetail Tactics

Another from Outdoor Life...

How to Scout for Summer Whitetails

20-year Battle Ends in Victory for CT Bowhunters

It’s time for Connecticut bowhunters to celebrate! The 20-year battle to allow bowhunting of deer on private property on Sundays is over thanks to the passage of a bill by the Connecticut Senate last Wednesday. Senators approved the bill by a vote of 28 to 8. 
According to CTNow, Robert Crook, a longtime lobbyist for sportsmen, says that the spread of Lyme disease and increase in motor-vehicle collisions with deer made suburban legislators more sympathetic to the need for deer management. At 77 years old, Crook hoped the measure would pass, saying, "I told someone the other day I’d like to see it passed before I passed. I’m happy, and I think many sportsmen are going to be happy, too."
According to wildlife biologists, healthy deer populations should have 20 deer per square mile, yet some parts of Connecticut have up to 80 per mile. This illustrates the importance of deer management, especially within the suburban/urban environment.
Passage of the bill was assisted by the departure of Donald E. Williams, Jr., who was the longest-serving leader of the Senate. In 2013, after epic political back-and-forth, the bowhunting bill nearly passed, linked to a series of deals promoting early childhood education and the prevention of animal cruelty. When Williams, who did not seek re-election last fall, killed the Sunday bowhunting bill, House GOP leader Lawrence F. Cafero, Jr., retaliated by blocking the early childhood bill supported by Williams.
"That’s plagued us for years, tradeoffs," says Crook.
Supporters of the bill like Sen. Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) spoke about the importance of its passage, noting that environmental groups like the Nature Conservancy support the bill because it “encourages wise land management.”
The House approved the bill by a vote of 132 to 32. Final approval now goes to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

It may be a bit too early to claim victory -as  anti-gun,anti-hunting Gov Malloy is likely to veto anything even remotely related to firearms.

Ga. Study On Coyotes Aims To Help Deer Fawns Survive

White-tailed deer fawns, by their youth and size, are an easy target for most coyotes.
Researchers in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina hope to figure out how to protect the fawn, to some extent, by studying coyote behavior.
“We would potentially try to see if we could make alterations to the environment to change how coyotes are behaving thereby influencing the probability that they will prey on fawns,” says Dr. Michael Chamberlain, a professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia.


Chamberlain says the coyotes are seriously threatening the fawns in the Southeast.  Starting next week, researchers will trap, tag and monitor the coyotes over the next two years throughout the three states.

Coyotes pose a serious threat to white-tailed deer fawns says Dr. Michael Chamberlain, a professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia.

Credit USFWS Mountain-Prairie / Flickr.com/usfwsmtnprairie

“Ultimately can we take that information and manipulate the landscape to influence coyote behavior, thereby influencing their impacts on their prey,” says Chamberlain.
The coyotes will not be harmed during the trapping and tagging process.
DNA samples will also be studied to help determine colonization routes.

http://wabe.org/post/ga-study-coyotes-aims-help-deer-fawns-survive

Knife Sharpening

Since I’ve spent a considerable amount of time butchering deer for guys lately-90% of them had knives so dull they couldn’t be used-which is why I always bring my own if going to someone else’s home to cut up their deer.
Guys have handed me these “really great game processing knives and tools” that they wasted their $50.00-$75.00 or more on,and the pieces of crap wouldn’t cut through a cake without tearing it up.
Sharpening a knife is not all that complicated,it ain’t rocket science,you don’t need an engineering degree to get your knives sharp and keep them sharp.
You need a few basic things-a set of sharpening stones-( whetstones)-a butcher’s steel-a real one,not the 8-10″ pieces of shit that come with the equally useless knives in the wooden block on most people’s kitchen counters-an 18″ butcher’s steel-go to any restaurant supply store,any store that sells top quality cutlery,or order one online.
Lastly,you should have ceramic sharpening “sticks’-either the sticks that go in a wood block,or the inexpensive plastic sharpeners that have carbide sticks on one side,and ceramic on the other.
I have a tri-hone set of 3 sharpening stones made by Smith’s,it’s a coarse,a medium,and a fine stone,attached to a triangle shaped piece of wood that rests in notches in the wood base-you just turn it to whatever stone you need,as you do not always need to start with the coarse stone,sometimes you just need to “touch up” a blade.
I have a real butcher’s steel,have had the same one for 35 years or so,got it way back when I was a line cook,before I finished the apprenticeship and became an executive chef.
I’m on my 3rd tri-hone,they seem to last about 10 years-less if you’re keeping a bunch of knives sharp as you’re running a kitchen in a country club.
I use a small sharpener that has carbide and ceramic “sticks” ,along with a diamond coated,tapered rod for sharpening serrated blades.
The key to sharpening your knives is to be able to hold the same angle every time as you move the knife across the stone.If you can not do that-cut yourself some wood wedges,and hold those under the blade.
You want to use a 20-25 degree angle-( 20-25 degrees for each bevel-or a 40-50 degree inclusive angle)- for knives used to butcher game animals,mine always seem to end up at around 22.5-23 degrees,which works fine for me,if I need something more like a razor blade edge,I use a flatter angle-closer to 18-20 degrees-which is what I use for my filet knives.
As long as your knife blades are not full of nicks,or have chunks missing,you should only need 10-15 strokes on each side,starting with the coarse stone and repeated for the med. and fine stones,follow that up with 8-10 strokes on each side on the steel.

Read the rest @

http://starvinlarry.com/2015/01/14/knife-sharpening/

This is why everyone who hunts deer needs to hunt coyotes. This past summer,in late June/early July, I found 3 fawns in one week that were hiding behind condos,two of them were behind the A-C units,since the people who live there,and the township cops ain't too fond of gunshots in the condo complex-I called them to come and shoot the fawns to end their suffering. two of them had huge chunks missing from their hindquarters,and the wounds were infected-complete with maggots.The township cops told me that they had to shoot an average of 6 fawns a week that had been attacked by 'yotes in May and June. Not sure how many they had to shoot the rest of the summer,as I was not working much in the area,and didn't find any more wounded fawns behind homes.
In NE Ohio,between fawn and adult deer predation by 'yotes,the EHD that hit hard in 2012,and last winters extended brutal cold-deer numbers are way down.
The only way to get the population to increase again is to take out as many 'yotes as possible. Wildlife biologists say that 'yotes can not be controlled state wide by hunting them-but they can be controlled in local areas,if enough of them are taken.
Whatever your favorite deer hunting area is-get as many guys and gals as you can to start hunting 'yotes-no bag limit-no closed season. Makes for good target practice too. Another plus is in Ohio,you can hunt 'yotes with rifles-not just the straight-walled rifle cartridges legal for deer hunting-any rifle caliber is legal for hunting 'yotes.
I'm going to hunt them with my muzzleloader,then with my crossbow,then with my compound,then with my recurve. My youngest daughter is going to hunt them with a 30-30 to practice for deer hunting in W.Va next year,with her 20 gauge using deer slugs,and with a borrowed 45-70 since that's legal for deer in Ohio.
Hopefully,we put enough of a hurtin' on the 'yote population to improve fawn survival rates by slowing 'yote predation on the fawns and pregnant does.
If everyone does the same thing in their favorite hunting area-the deer population will rebound quickly-most of those wall-hanger bucks are only 3-3 1/2 years old.
We should all stop taking does,or at least only take one-not the 9 deer total bag limit currently in effect for the state-that will help the deer population rebound faster,and cause 'yote predation to have less of an effect on deer population.

N.E. Ohio Whitetail Rut Winding Down

Rut activity appears to be slowing down a lot. In most years,in NE Ohio,the peak of the rut falls the second week of November. More deer are bred on or within a day or two of November 15th than at any other time during the rut.
That doesn't mean the rut is over-far from it-what it means is that the peak has passed. Deer are still being bred,does are still coming into estrous,and bucks are still trying to breed them.
The does that are in estrous are either being "tended" by a buck right now- have a buck following them everywhere,never leaving the doe's side-or have a buck-or bucks- following them. The majority of does who still have not come into estrous are going to do so this week.

Read more @

http://starvinlarry.com/2014/11/22/n-e-ohio-whitetail-rut-winding-down/

Whitetail Deer Tip: Follow the Breeder Track an estrous doe and you'll have bucks in your pocket

Photo by Donald M. Jones
When fresh snow falls overnight, most big-woods hunters are out at first light looking for the track of a trophy buck to follow. That’s a good early-morning strategy. But if you can find and follow the right doe trail, big bucks will actually come to you.
Lady = Luck
An estrous doe, including any late-cycling female coming into heat a month after the primary rut, makes every effort to attract amorous bucks. She may stay on her feet all day, lingering near scrape lines, milling along edges, and feeding in openings where she’ll be seen easily. In short, she’s a buck magnet. Get close and you can tap her drawing power.
But first, you have to get on the right track. When you find doe prints, follow them and watch for rose-colored urine stains in the snow. This is a dead giveaway that she’s in heat. Also, look to either side for the tracks of a flanking buck or two. If she’s close but not quite ready to stand, bucks will zigzag her trail like skiers running a slalom course, each using his eyes, ears, and nose to keep tabs on her exact whereabouts. You can’t miss it.
The Solo Doe
When you find only the rose-colored stains, and it’s clear the doe hasn’t caught the attention of a buck yet, follow her trail, being careful not to spook her. And keep an eye on the flanks. Eventually, a passing buck is apt to spot her, move in to check out her breeding status, and give you a shot.
Should you spook the curious buck, let him go, allow things to calm down, and get back on the doe’s trail. Sooner or later, the buck will circle around and try to intercept her, or she may attract another suitor in the meantime.

Read more at...

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2014/11/whitetail-deer-tip-follow-the-breeder?cmpid=enews110714b&spPodID=020&spMailingID=7268701&spUserID=NjI2NzA0MjQyMzcS1&spJobID=560719208&spReportId=NTYwNzE5MjA4S0