The Murray State News – The Great Outdoors 11-6-09

Putting down the rod

By Steve Miller Outdoor columnist

The woods of Kentucky are on the brink of explosion.

While I have been on the water more than in the woods during the last few weeks, the deer have taunted me with all the activity that accompanies the rut.

Every morning, like clockwork, it never failed. With the boat behind me on the way to the lake, I saw all the signs that the full throttle action of the rut is here: bucks shadowing does along the roads, sparring on field edges in the evening and making rare midday appearances out in the open and away from protected sanctuaries.

As the climax of the rut nears, deer will become more and more unpredictable. Their preoccupation with mating will make them to drop their guard.

Bucks will chase mates around the woods with no daily routine or pattern. During the weeks or days before the peak, however, deer are still vulnerable to unpredictable movements. Setting up a stand over good rubs or scrapes is the closest thing to a sure bet in the first phases of the rut.

The dominant bucks believe they have some breeding ownership over the females in their neck of the woods. A buck marks his territory by rubbing his antlers against trees along the boundaries of “his” area. With a mature buck, the marks on a tree look more like he used a chainsaw and not his antlers. This is a clear sign to other bucks: No trespassing!

Scrapes are areas on the ground where bucks paw the soil with their hooves. They vary in size from as small as a foot-and-a-half wide to sometimes seven or eight feet. During the first phases of the rut, deer visit their rub or scrape lines at least once a day. They prefer to mark routes from bedding areas to food sources.

Therefore it is logical to assume they will stop and tend to scrapes and rubs on their way back to bedding areas in the morning and on the way to feeding areas in the evening.

Setting up a stand over these buck territories makes sense, but it’s not as simple as just picking a tree and waiting for a mature deer to walk by.

First of all, bucks will approach the area from the downwind side because they may not even need to come close but will smell the scrapes from a distance to interpret the activity.

Secondly, the deer will be vigilant to signs of competition moving into their area, so a grunt call can bring a deer lingering on the edge of safety into shooting range.

The buck’s sense of smell also heightens from checking the scrapes and rubs for the presence of hormones from does or other bucks.

Twenty years ago, research claimed scrapes were used for bucks to be able to find out when a doe was in estrus or getting close to estrus.

Recent research I have studied claims this is not the case. Many still believe does will urinate on a scrape and pheromones in the urine communicate breeding readiness.

Whatever school of thought you choose to believe, scent concealment is important. A good tool to use is doe-in-heat and dominant buck scents. They will not only cover your scent, but will also serve as an attractant.

I consider these first phases of the rut the best time to shoot a mature deer worth adorning your wall.

Right now, deer are easier to pattern than they will be during the peak of the rut when they may travel miles in search of a mate.

I can no longer ignore all the signs telling me it is time to put down the fishing rod and pick up my bow.

A full moon, cooler temperatures and fallen leaves send clear signals to the deer and the deer hunter. It’s that time of year and buck fever has hit me full bore.

The lake will just have to wait until I get some relief in the way of climbing a tree stand and watching the magic of fall abound in the theater of the woods.

Contact Miller at steven.miller@murraystate.edu.

via The Murray State News – The Great Outdoors 11-6-09.

300,000 Ohio bowhunters expected to try for deer – toledoblade.com

Some 300,000 bowhunters, representing more than half of all Ohioans who hunt deer, are expected to participate in the statewide archery deer-hunting season, which opens Saturday for a four-month run.

The state’s deer managers are not necessarily forecasting another record bag this year, but it is altogether possible as seasons, bag limits, and permits remain liberal.

During last year’s four-month archery season, bowhunters killed 85,856 deer, an increase of 9 percent from the previous year. Crossbow hunters took a record 46,480 of that number and longbow hunters took a record 39,376. Overall, archers accounted for nearly 34 percent of 252,017 deer taken during Ohio’s combined archery, muzzleloader, and gun seasons.

Licking County led the state in both the vertical bow and crossbow harvest. Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Ashtabula, and Holmes rounded out the top five counties in crossbow harvest, and Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Knox, and Holmes made up the list of top five counties in vertical-bow harvest.

Again this year, hunters who purchase an Ohio hunting license and $24 deer permit will be eligible to buy the $15 antlerless-deer permit, which is valid Sept. 26 through Nov. 29. The $15 antlerless-deer permit will be valid through Dec. 6 in Zone C only. The $15 permit may be purchased only until Nov. 29.

“There is no doubt that progress toward reducing the statewide deer herd is being made,” said Mike Tonkovich, deer biologist for the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

“Bowhunters participating in our annual statewide survey have reported seeing fewer total deer from their stands for the past two years. Work remains, but there is certainly good reason to thank Ohio’s hunters for their hard work and continued support of our deer program.”

This fall’s preseason statewide deer population is estimated at 650,000, down 50,000 from a year ago. More larger bucks also seem to be available. But select regions, especially in the southeast and in urban zones, still are considered to be deer-heavy.

Ohio hunters again are encouraged to take more does using the $15 permit and to donate any extra venison to the needy. The state is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison.

While funds for the effort last, hunters who donate deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost. More information about this program can be found online at fhfh.org.

After Nov. 29, archery hunters must use a $24 deer permit for antlerless deer. Using the $15 antlerless deer permit, hunters can take one additional antlerless deer in Zone A, up to two additional in Zone B, and up to three additional in Zone C.

The antlerless-deer permits will also be valid for Division of Wildlife controlled deer hunts and for hunting deer in urban areas.

This year’s statewide archery season remains open through Feb. 7, including during the week of gun season for deer, Nov. 30 through Dec. 6.

Gun hunters will be able to enjoy an additional weekend of deer hunting Dec. 19 and 20. Archers may hunt one half-hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, except during the statewide gun, youth, and muzzleloader seasons when they are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Archers hunting during the statewide gun, youth or muzzleloader seasons must meet the hunter orange requirements of those seasons.

To hunt deer in Ohio, hunters must possess a deer permit in addition to a valid hunting license. State law allows hunters to take only one antlered buck a year, regardless of the type of deer season, deer permit, or weapon used.

The 2009-2010 hunting licenses are not printed on weatherproof paper. Hunters are advised to protect licenses and permits by carrying them in protective pouches or wallets.

A detailed listing of deer hunting rules is contained in the digest, 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting Regulations, which is available where licenses are sold. It also may be viewed online at wildohio.com.

via toledoblade.com –.

The Morehead News – Deer tracking tips

By Hayley Lynch

I got lucky with my first deer. I took a shot with my .243 rifle and the deer ran straight towards my tree stand, dropping 20 yards away. That early dose of beginner’s luck was just what I needed to build my confidence and bring me back for my next hunt. But as I get ready for my fifth deer season, I’ve learned just how rare that scenario really is.

Even the best shots often result in the need to track a deer. A lethally shot deer can run 100 yards or more, leaving the hunter to pick through thick brush in search of tiny drops of blood. Avoid common mistakes and follow these guidelines to make deer tracking easier this season.

“The first big mistake people make is not paying very careful attention to where the deer was standing when they shot it,” said Tina Brunjes, a long-time deer hunter and big game program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The second thing they do is jump right down after they shoot the deer and go after it.”

Immediately after you take a shot, memorize the spot where the deer stood by identifying trees or other landmarks close by. If bowhunting, you may even want to shoot a blunt-tipped arrow into the ground where the deer stood. The landscape looks different from the ground than it does from a tree stand.

Brunjes gets down from her stand soon after she shoots a deer – but she doesn’t begin tracking right away.

“Usually I come straight down and go to where the deer was standing,” she said. “I look at what I’m dealing with. I’m looking for evidence that I hit the deer, like blood and hair. Then I wait. I give the deer 30 to 45 minutes.”

Hunters who begin to track immediately risk pushing an injured deer farther into the woods. A well-hit deer may lie down soon after the shot, but it could jump up and run if it feels threatened by an approaching hunter.

Hunters should begin tracking from the spot where the deer was hit after waiting for a time.

“If you’re lucky there will be a blood trail and you can follow it; but you have to really search for those drops,” Brunjes said. “What you don’t want to do is just take off in the direction you think the deer went and stomp all over that trail. Follow it as closely and carefully as possible.”

Mark each drop you find with flagging tape, toilet paper wrapped around weeds or small limbs, or anything else you have in your pack that will stay put. If you lose the trail, you can return to your last marked place and begin again. If you’re having trouble finding the next drop, walk in increasingly large circles, like a bull’s-eye, around the last place that you found a drop.

The shape of a blood drop can tell you a lot. If the drop is round, that means the deer was standing still. But if the drop is teardrop-shaped, that means the deer was moving. The pointed end of the teardrop will point in the direction the deer traveled. Keep in mind the drops may be spread out quite a bit. Be patient. Also remember you must have permission to cross onto another landowner’s property if the track leaves the farm or wildlife management area where you are hunting.

Lastly, before you go afield be sure to pack a few things that will make deer tracking easier. Brightly colored flagging tape is a tremendous help in marking a trail. Some kind of light is a necessity in case you have to track at night. If you’re not familiar with the terrain you are hunting, consider taking a map, compass or GPS, since tracking a deer can take you much farther into unknown territory.

Kentucky’s statewide archery deer season is going on now. Youth-only firearms weekend is coming up Oct. 10-11, and early muzzleloader season is Oct. 17-18. For complete hunting regulations, pick up a copy of the 2009-10 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, available at fw.ky.gov and wherever hunting licenses are sold. Hunters should also be sure to visit fw.ky.gov to print an updated page 3 of the guide. The updated page clarifies equipment regulations for holders of valid concealed carry deadly weapon permits.

Author Hayley Lynch is an award-winning writer and associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. She loves deer hunting, shotgun sports and introducing women to the outdoors.

via The Morehead News – Deer tracking tips.

Public Input Sought on Deer Management During Series of Meetings This Month

Frankfort, Ky. – The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is holding a series of six public meetings to gather input from hunters, landowners and concerned citizens about deer management in the coming years. People can voice their opinion about season dates, hunting zones and bag limits, the primary ways Kentucky manages its deer herd.

“This is an opportunity for the public to provide their thoughts on the direction of long-range deer management in Kentucky,” said Tina Brunjes, big game coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We want people to be active partners in helping us decide the direction to take.”

Kentucky’s deer herd number is at an all-time high. The state consistently ranks in the top five nationally for trophy bucks recognized by the Boone and Crockett Club.

“The deer resource is better than ever across the state, thanks to the management program enacted nearly two decades ago,” Brunjes said. “To continue this, we feel it is time to examine the state of our deer program and assess methods for its continued success.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials plan to revise the state’s deer management plan, which was originally written to grow the deer herd. The new plan will serve as a map to keep the population of deer at acceptable levels to the public while maintaining the quality of Kentucky’s white-tailed deer.

“Before we lay pen to paper, we need the input of our hunters and landowners,” Brunjes said. “They are the critical tool in managing deer.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials will hold six public meetings this month across the state for public input. All meetings will begin at 6 p.m. local time.

Scheduled locations and dates include:

Bowling Green: Kentucky Community and Technical College System, 221 Commonwealth Boulevard, Transpark Center, Aug. 10.

Northern Kentucky: Lloyd Wildlife Management Area (WMA) clubhouse, Crittenden, Aug. 11.

Paducah: West Kentucky WMA Club House, 10535 Ogden Landing Road, Kevil, August 19.

London: North Laurel High School Gym, 1300 East Daniel Boone Parkway, London, August 20.

Ashland: Northeastern Fish and Game Association Club House, Herbert C. Ross Drive, Aug. 24. From Ashland, follow US 60 West to KY 180. Continue until passing underneath the Interstate 64 bridges, then turn right on South Big Run Road. Go 1.6 miles, turn left on Herbert C. Ross Drive.

Frankfort: UK Extension Office, Rooms E & F, 101 Lakeview Ct, Frankfort, August 27.

Those unable to attend these meetings may also provide written comments about deer management in Kentucky. Send letters on this issue to: Tina Brunjes, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, #1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, Ky. 40601

via Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – Public Input Sought on Deer Management During Series of Meetings This Month.

Earn-A-Buck regulations are put on hold – JSOnline

Madison – Responding to mounting criticism and unprecedented input from hunters, the Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday a moratorium on Earn-A-Buck deer hunting regulations for most of the state in 2009.

According to DNR Secretary Matt Frank, the department will recommend a regular deer hunting framework, without even an October antlerless gun hunt, for the fall seasons in most of the state. Earn-A-Buck regulations will be offered only in Chronic Wasting Disease management zones.

“Deer hunting is a rich tradition in Wisconsin, and the DNR takes our role in protecting this important part of our heritage very seriously,” Frank said. “In light of the recommendation from the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, and the concerns of hunters expressed at meetings across the state, the DNR is recommending a break from Earn-a-Buck this year.”  Click linkd below for full story

via Earn-A-Buck regulations are put on hold – JSOnline.

Two Friends Fulfill Last Wish Of A Dying Hunting Companion – Tyler Morning Telegraph

By Steve Knight

It was a promise made to a friend who was dying.

It was a simple request of one hunting buddy to two others that was easy to keep because of the type of friendship they had, a friendship forged through hunting.

It started last July, just days before Whitehouse’s Don Oxford died. Tyler’s Johnny Hill was visiting Oxford and telling him about a recent trip to New Zealand when Oxford asked the favor.

He had a grandson, 9-year-old Mason Rodriquez, whom he had introduced to hunting. The Owens Elementary student seemed to enjoy the time they spent shooting and the couple of trips they had made the previous years to deer seasons. However, Mason’s parents, Jerry and Mandy Rodriquez, didn’t hunt. Oxford, knowing that cancer would soon take his life, realized that he would need his friends to continue Mason’s adventures in the outdoors.

“Donny asked me if I would see that Mason got to go hunting,” Hill said, recalling the tears in his friend’s eyes as he spoke. “I said don’t worry about it, I would make sure that happened.  Click link below for full story!

via Tyler Paper – Tyler Morning Telegraph.

State proposes liberal limit on antlerless deer – Ohio Hunting, Fishing, Outdoor Sports | The Great Outdoors – cleveland.com

by D’Arcy Egan

Friday January 09, 2009, 7:26 AM

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has proposed eliminating the bag limit for antlerless deer in Ohio’s five urban deer zones for next season to help manage an overabundance of deer.

The urban zones surround the Cleveland-Akron, Toledo, Youngstown-Warren, Columbus and Cincinnati areas. Currently, there is a four antlerless deer season bag limit. While deer herds continue to grow in the urban zones, available hunting land is shrinking.

Today’s deer regulations astound those who began hunting in the 1950s and 1960s, when spotting a white-tailed deer in the woods was special. The deer herd is now so large and the regulations so liberal that a dedicated hunter is allowed to bag seven deer each year.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via State proposes liberal limit on antlerless deer – Ohio Hunting, Fishing, Outdoor Sports | The Great Outdoors – cleveland.com.

LancasterOnline.com: One vote for big bucks

By P.J. REILLY, Staff Writer

State tag lottery could bring trophy whitetails to Pa.

•••

Anyone who wants Pennsylvania to become a true trophy whitetail state, raise your hand.

(My own arm is pointing skyward right now.)

I’m not talking about having a decent number of 120-class bucks running around.

I’m talking about having a legitimate shot, every time you go into the woods, at crossing paths with multiple bucks scoring 140 or better, and a very real possibility of bagging a Boone & Crockett class deer scoring 170 or better.

This is the type of hunting that trophy whitetail states such as Illinois, Iowa and Ohio offer.

Under the current deer management program and hunting regulations, Pennsylvania never will become a trophy whitetail state.

There are just too many hunters here with too many opportunities to kill non-trophy-class bucks.

I’m not saying this as a criticism of the state Game Commission’s management program, because, as the agency’s chief deer biologist — Chris Rosenberry — told me, the program is not intended to produce trophy bucks of the caliber I’m talking about.  Click link below for full story!

via LancasterOnline.com:Outdoors:One vote for big bucks.

Hartford Advocate: News – The Quiet Kill

WhiteTail Solutions thins the herd in the suburbs without waking up the neighborhood

By Nick Keppler

Four deer were lazily hanging out in Joe Tucker’s yard, right along his driveway. They did not gallop away when I pulled in. “That’s part of the problem,” Tucker’s buddy Dan Beyer told me later. “They’ve lost their fear of man as a predator.”

This is why WhiteTail Solutions exists. The company considers its employees “deer management consultants,” and use bows and arrows to hunt their prey.

And this is why the company is most active in the affluent suburbs, areas the state Department of Environmental Protection has deemed troublesome for their abundance of deer and lack of hunters. Ninety-nine percent of their hunts, says Tucker, who co-owns the company with his brother Chris and Beyer, occur in Fairfield County.

Man isn’t much of a predator here. Deer hunting “is not a way of life” along the Gold Coast, says Patricia Sesto, chair of the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance and director of Environmental Affairs for the Town of Wilton. “People haven’t grown up with it and aren’t educated about it. … It’s just not our pastime.”

Land here has been developed in a way — golf courses and wetlands separating office parks — that leaves open space where deer can eat well and breed plentifully, says Howard Kilpatrick, the DEP’s biologist in charge of deer management.

When the deer population increases, so do Lyme disease, car collisions and ecological damage.

The number of deer per square mile reaches 60 in some parts of Connecticut, says Kilpatrick. While he says it’s difficult to say how many are “too many” for this type of terrain, his educated guess is closer to 10 per square mile.

So, there’s WhiteTail Solutions, a company headed by 40-year-old commercial well-driller Joe Tucker, who runs WhiteTail Solutions from his Oxford home. Click link below for full story!

via Hartford Advocate: News – The Quiet Kill.

Ohio Deer Hunters Prepare for Statewide Muzzleloader Season, December 27-30

A total of 178,838 deer have been harvested so far this season when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early muzzleloader season and the first six weeks of the archery season. That compares to a total of 167,965 killed last year during the same time period. Hunters took a total of 232,854 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.

Prior to the start of the hunting season, Ohio’s deer population was estimated at 700,000. The Division of Wildlife expects as many as 265,000 hunters will hunt deer during the muzzleloader season.

Ohio deer hunters must possess the proper permits. Regardless of zone, method of taking or season, hunters may take only one antlered deer during the 2008-2009 deer hunting season.

Legal hunting hours during the statewide muzzleloader deer season are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Deer must be checked by 8 p.m. on the day after harvest, except those killed on December 30, which must be brought to a deer check station by 8 p.m. that day.

Ohio’s small game, furbearer and waterfowl seasons also will be open during the muzzleloader season. During those overlapping four days, small game hunters and deer hunters must visibly wear a coat, jacket, vest or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange in color.

Hunters have been encouraged to kill more does this season and donate extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need. The Division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 6th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 4th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $1.5 billion economic impact in Ohio. Hunting related retail sales in Ohio total more than $700 million.

Additional hunting regulations and maps of deer zones are contained in the 2008-2009 OhioHunting Regulations. This free publication is available where hunting licenses are sold and from the Division of Wildlife by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE or on the Internet at wildohio.com.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com

via Ohio Deer Hunters Prepare for Statewide Muzzleloader Season, December 27-30.

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