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Down But Not Out
By Bob Humphrey
Deer are tough – there’s just no other way to put it. QUESTION: This winter, I shot a buck and knocked it right down, but then it got up and ran away. We tracked it for a long way and found two large puddles of blood but did not find the deer. Then we brought in tracking dogs and jumped the deer, but it ran away and we did not recover i... READ MORE
They’re Not Squeamish
By Bob Humphrey
It’s okay to keep hunting an area where someone else has taken a deer. QUESTION: I’m a pretty new hunter and hear and read lots about deer and their fantastic noses. Will blood from a wounded deer keep other deer away from that area? If so, how long will they avoid the blooded area? – Bill F. ANSWER: The short answer is probably n... READ MORE
There’s the Rub
By Bob Humphrey
Don’t confuse buck rubs with activity associated with licking branches. QUESTION: Will a buck rub limbs 5 to 6 feet high in a tree, and will a buck rub in early February? – Tyler N. ANSWER: The answer depends partly on your location. Dr. John Ozoga is credited with being the first to recognize the importance of an overhanging limb in re... READ MORE
A Little Help from my Friends
By Bob Humphrey
Your buddies might be right about food plots, but they might not be. QUESTION: I have a small 20-acre tract on the Edwards Plateau around Harper, Texas. I would like to create a food plot but don’t know what to use, where to buy it, and if everything I’ve heard about food plots is accurate. I know where feed stores are, but I would appr... READ MORE
She Didn’t Do It
By Bob Humphrey
We’re still learning about how whitetails interact with scrapes. QUESTION: Does the hot doe ever pee in a scrape to let the buck know she is ready? – Scotty W. ANSWER: It was once widely thought that bucks opened scrapes as an invitation to does, and that the does would then urinate in the scrape to announce they are ready and willing t... READ MORE
Go the Distance
By Bob Humphrey
To beat the pressure on public land, get off the beaten path. QUESTION: I hunt in Oconto County in Wisconsin. It’s made up of a lot of tall hardwoods and pines but does have some diversity. I’ve put 10 miles on foot scouting and cannot locate any deer. The land is heavily pressured. I tried getting off the paths and going way back into ... READ MORE
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
Who Started It?
By Bob Humphrey
We just don’t know everything there is to know about scrapes. QUESTION: Who starts the scrape, and what do the does have to do with it? – Scotty W. ANSWER: Bucks typically do most of the scrape initiation and tending. While we still don’t fully understand their function, it is largely accepted that scrapes represent a scent signp... READ MORE
It’s a Guy Thing
By Bob Humphrey
Buck decoys seem to draw more attention in more situations. QUESTION: When hunting during pre-rut or the rut, is a doe or a buck decoy more enticing? – Jim ANSWER: If I had to pick one or the other, I would opt for a buck in both situations. During the pre-rut, before does start coming into estrus, bucks are still working out and maintaining... READ MORE
God Bless You!
By Bob Humphrey
You’ve probably heard a deer blow-snort, but have you heard one sneeze? QUESTION: I have heard deer blow or snort many times, but this fall I heard a deer making a noise that sounded more like a person sneezing. I know it was a deer because I saw it doing this. It was much quieter than a snort, and the deer kept doing it. What is the signific... READ MORE
If You Build It...
By Bob Humphrey
Deer get used to permanent stands, but they also learn to avoid them. QUESTION: I put up a shooting house this fall in a location where I found several heavy trails crossing. Then I noticed during bow season that most of the deer I saw passed by some distance out of range. Do you think they are avoiding the stand, and should I move it? ANSWER: Ther... READ MORE
Don’t Spoil the Meat!
By Bob Humphrey
Here's another buck myth that needs to go away. QUESTION: I harvested my first deer this fall, a buck. When my neighbor came over to see it, he told me I needed to cut the tarsal glands off or it would spoil the meat. I never heard that and am wondering if that's true. ANSWER: No, it's not. I guess you might call that a rural legend. Myths like onc... READ MORE
One Tough Myth
By Bob Humphrey
The spike question has more lives than Rasputin. QUESTION: Does a spike always remain a spike? Or next year could he become something more? It seems like people believe once a spike always a spike, but when I ask someone they all say that’s what I’ve been told. I don’t know who this person is, but he or she sure seems to know a lo... READ MORE
A Spoonful of Sugar
By Bob Humphrey
It might take your deer some time to start using a brassica plot. QUESTION: I planted brassicas for the first time this year, and so far the deer have not touched them. They seem to be using our other plots but not the brassicas. Is there anything we can do to attract deer to these brassica plots? ANSWER: I had a similar experience the first time I... READ MORE
No Guts, All Glory
By Bob Humphrey
Why it's okay to leave field-dressing remains in the woods. QUESTION: I'm hoping you can settle an argument for me. When I shoot a deer, I always field-dress it where it lays. I was recently hunting out of state, and they asked me to bring out the whole deer because gut piles in the woods attract predators. What are your thoughts? –Rodney D. ANSWER... READ MORE
Night Shift
By Bob Humphrey
Could year-round food plots encourage night movement? QUESTION: We are hunting 200 acres and have 12 acres of food plots. The first two years we had mostly daylight movement the whole season. But we did not have any year-round food at that time, just fall plots. We are on year six now. For the past two years we also have year-round food plots and h... READ MORE
Bucks Are Tough, But...
By Bob Humphrey
Whitetails can survive serious injuries, but some don’t leave much hope.
QUESTION: Do you believe this buck will ever recover? My main concern is infection or damage to his brain. The buck has been injured approximately two weeks and is still active and feeding but I’m concerned this injury may cause him to decline. Any suggestions wou... READ MORE
Forever Six
By Bob Humphrey
A spike might not remain a spike, but what about mature bucks? QUESTION: I have been hunting whitetails in Oklahoma for 35 years. For years, I have been running trail cameras and feeders on several acreages that we hunt. All of our bucks are recognizable from year to year, and most all of them tend to be 8-pointers with a few 10-pointers. Every onc... READ MORE
Too Hot for TV
By Bob Humphrey
Temperature spikes affect movement, but not rut timing. QUESTION: I’m not seeing as many deer this year as I usually do. We’ve had warm weather where I live, and I’m wondering if that’s it. Does this mean the rut will be late? ANSWER: There are many reasons why deer movement might be off where you hunt, although temperatures... READ MORE
Where Are the Deer?
By Bob Humphrey
If they aren’t visiting your food plots as much, look in the oak stands. QUESTION: I’ve noticed that deer are not coming into the fields this fall like last year. Is it because there is a lot of feed this year in the woods? ANSWER: There could be several reasons, but that is the most likely. When there is a lot of natural food available... READ MORE