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Fool Me Once ...
By Bob Humphrey
We know deer respond to hunting pressure, but what about wounds? QUESTION: What are the chances of a deer with a non-fatal gunshot wound returning to the same location it was shot during the same hunting season? – Clarence S. ANSWER: There are many variables in play, including the type and severity of the wound, the circumstances involved an... READ MORE
Look, a You-Nee-Corn!
By Bob Humphrey
It’s no wonder deer hunters are so fascinated with antlers. QUESTION: What could cause this buck to have three antlers? ANSWER:There are several possibilities. As a body develops in the womb from a single fertilized egg, individual cells differentiate for specific functions. Some become hair, bone and organs. Bone cells of the pedicle further diffe... READ MORE
The Gray Nose Deer
By Bob Humphrey
Question: My son recently harvested a 9-pointer in northeastern Maryland. The buck had a light grey colored nose. We’re curious, has this ever been seen before? — David M.
Answer: White-tailed deer are remarkable creatures, and the more I study them, the more I realize just how diverse they can be. Most folks are familiar w... READ MORE
All In the Family
By Bob Humphrey
How deer, elk, moose and caribou are related, at least according to biologists. QUESTION: Are elk a subspecies of deer or a separate species? Are elk related to domestic cattle? To moose? Why are they called bulls, cows and calves while deer are bucks, does and fawns? ANSWER: I should be able to answer the first two questions fairly easily. The las... READ MORE
Variety Is the Spice of Deer Life
By Bob Humphrey
If you have the room and the means, don’t settle on one food plot seed. QUESTION: I live in St. Lawrence County, New York. I tried planting brassicas, which did well for a few years. Then, I had several years of heavy weeds. I till every year, wait two weeks and spray with a weed killer, wait 10 days and plant. I think I might be tilling in w... READ MORE
When Bucks Attack
By Bob Humphrey
Although rare, whitetails have been known to hurt people. QUESTION: I was in my yard this evening toward dusk and looked down our hill and saw a buck staring at me. I was filling my bird feeders and thought he would run off, but he stood for about 15 minutes just looking at me. I finished what I was doing and went onto my porch, and he just stayed ... READ MORE
Early Dropout
By Bob Humphrey
There are several reasons some bucks shed antlers earlier than others. QUESTION: Our muzzleloader season typically runs into the second week in December. This year a friend said he saw a buck without antlers on December 5. I sometimes see bucks still with their antlers in January. My question is, why did this buck drop its antlers so early. —... READ MORE
SOS
By Bob Humphrey
It’s time to cull the myth and not the spikes. QUESTION: I’ve been trying to establish a new hunt club in middle Georgia, only 400 acres with six members. This is our third year upcoming and we’ve noted several bucks under the age of 2 1/2 to 3 that have one long spike and a button on the other side. We’ve had a lot of discu... 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
Numbers Game
By Bob Humphrey
So how exactly do states determine how many permits to issue every year? QUESTION: The gun season in my state is bucks only unless you are selected for a doe tag. Then you can shoot any deer. The number of doe tags given out changes, sometimes a lot from year to year. My question is, how do they decide how many doe tags to give out? — John D.... READ MORE
Ooh That Smell
By Bob Humphrey
Hanging hunting clothes outside isn’t a guarantee of freshness. QUESTION: I use scent free soap on my body and all my hunting equipment and clothes. If I take the same clothes and hang them in the woods out of the rain, they have a smell that I can smell. Does that scare the deer? ANSWER:I guess that depends partly on what the odor is that you smel... READ MORE
Need a Trim?
By Bob Humphrey
Cutting timber sounds simple, but start with a good plan. QUESTION: I recently purchased a woodlot for hunting and recreation, and we’re going to be cutting some firewood this year. Can you offer some tips on when/how to cut that will help the deer? ANSWER: It’s difficult to be too specific without more information, but I can offer some... READ MORE
Fired Up
By Bob Humphrey
Will the fire that swept through my property help or hurt the hunting? QUESTION: We had a fire on the land we hunt in Georgia, near the Alabama border. How will this affect our deer’s lives and behavior? ANSWER: It’s really difficult to say without more specific information, but I can offer some generalities. Fire is not necessarily a b... READ MORE
Spot On
By Bob Humphrey
QUESTION: I have been reading “The Yearling” by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The writer says several times that the pattern of a fawn’s spots is an indicator of a whitetail’s sex, spots being aligned for males and more random for females. Is that truth or myth? — Nicky ANSWER: Like the book itself, the concept that you ca... READ MORE
Play the Numbers
By Bob Humphrey
Doe groups will always draw bucks during the rut. QUESTION: They say you should hunt does during the rut because that’s where the bucks will be, but that doesn’t seem to work for me. My experience has been that does nearing estrus want to get away from other does. Am I on to something, and if so, where should I focus my rut hunt efforts... 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
Therein Lies the Rub
By Bob Humphrey
Bucks rub their antlers to remove velvet and mark territory, but understanding rub messages depends on when and where the buck made them. QUESTION: On my property in the Catskills region of New York, we see a few rubs in late September and early October, but the majority of rubs do not appear until early November. I want to know if buck rubs are pr... READ MORE
Feathers, Guts and All
By Bob Humphrey
Why do Southerners drag out their deer without field-dressing them first? QUESTION: I am from New York. Last year I did my first out-of-state hunt, in Alabama. The people I hunted with told me not to field dress my deer, but to bring it back to camp whole. At first I thought they were just kidding me, but they were serious. When I asked why, they j... READ MORE
There Will Be Blood Tonight!
By Bob Humphrey
What is the cause of light blood sign where deer congregate? QUESTION: For many years now I have noticed blood where deer have concentrated heavily and remained in one spot for long periods of time to feed in winter months. I only notice this when there is snow on the ground, probably because it stands out so much then. I am sure it is from a deer.... READ MORE
Cradle Robbers
By Bob Humphrey
Where are all these young deer coming from, and where are the giants? QUESTION: I have a 700-acre lease on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina that’s mostly thick cut-over — perfect bedding cover. This is the fourth year we have been attempting to let our deer get bigger but this year we were overrun with spikes, 3- and 4-pointers. We r... READ MORE