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Entries for September 2020
Restricting Antlers
By Bob Humphrey
Our biologist weighs in on the question of antler restrictions. QUESTION: Texas has decided that antler restrictions improve buck antler growth, but we have surveyed this for the past four years. When you take the trophies out, older deer with deformed antlers and those that don’t meet the restrictions do all the breeding. Then you never see ... READ MORE
You New in Town?
By Bob Humphrey
It probably doesn’t matter where a deer is from when it comes to scent. QUESTION: There are so many brands and types of doe-in-heat scent, so I’d like to know if one works better than others. Do deer smell different from region to region? For example, will an off-the-shelf doe in estrous scent work the same in Wyoming as it would in Ill... READ MORE
Just Scraping the Surface
By Bob Humphrey
Like most rut activities, scrape-making is fairly predictable. QUESTION: Do bucks start making scrapes as soon as their antlers are hard? ANSWER: Most scraping activity occurs in the fall and signals a sort of unofficial beginning to the rut as bucks paw the ground and deposit urine and other scents to signal they are ready, willing and able to bre... READ MORE
Better Late than Never
By Bob Humphrey
While we sometimes see late-born fawns, it’s not the norm. QUESTION: I live in southeastern Connecticut, and this past season through the month of October I watched a doe and her fawn. The fawn was very small and still had its spots. The last week of October the doe was killed by a car in front of my property. I saw the fawn wandering around ... READ MORE
It All Depends
By Bob Humphrey
There is no set way to prepare a food plot since conditions are different everywhere. QUESTION: How soon after spraying to kill weeds and grasses can you plant a food plot? Should the plots be disced, or planted using a no-till drill? — Harold ANSWER: Conventional wisdom suggests you wait about two weeks between spraying and planting. As for ... READ MORE
Talk About Perfect
By Bob Humphrey
First-time food plotter’s ideal setup could be even better with this. QUESTION: Hi from Elizabethtown, Ky. This summer, I cleared a 4,000-square-foot spot in the middle of my woods for a food plot. The pH was above 7 and did not need lime, and I fertilized according to the soil sample. I ran irrigation to the plot. I planted an annual mix of ... READ MORE
Timing Is Everything
By Bob Humphrey
We talk about breeding as an absolute window, but it’s not that exact. QUESTION: I’ve been running trail cameras year-round for a while now and never saw a picture of a fawn born in April until this year. Most years, it’s June before I see any. This doe must have been bred early, or she’s got a fast reproductive system. Just... READ MORE