A majority of us were taught how to hunt when we were little, but what if you didn’t come from a hunting family?
QUESTION: What books or resources about deer movement would you recommend for someone new to hunting. — Jack
ANSWER: Why do I feel like you’re setting me up with this question?
First, if you’re not already a member, you need to join Buckmasters (and this isn’t just a sales pitch). At one time or another, I’ve written for just about every hunting magazine, and I believe that Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine is among the top two or three in terms of providing legitimate, useful information for deer hunters. They work with several writers with scientific backgrounds who keep up on the latest deer research and are able to read, understand and translate it to regular deer hunters.
As for books, I queried my friend Jim Casada, a writer, hunter, bibliophile and book seller, for advice. He suggested anyone just getting into deer hunting should read Rob Wegner’s Deer & Deer Hunting — Books 1, 2 and 3. “In them, he covers the major writers and their contributions on all aspects of the sport. He also did a bibliography of works on deer hunting, but that’s more for the advanced collector and student of the literature of the sport.”
The internet has a ton of information, but you have to sift through a mountainous pile of chaff to get to the wheat (credible sources). Here again, I would steer you toward reputable sources like the websites of popular hunting magazines or national whitetail organizations, where the information is first filtered through an editor for verification.
Otherwise, there’s a lot of advice coming from regular guys. Some have a great deal of practical field experience while others merely perpetuate long-standing fallacies. The rub is determining which sources are credible. There are a lot of self-proclaimed experts, some of whom have made a name for themselves solely on providing internet content, which may or may not be credible.
Send your questions to: askthebiologist@buckmasters.com