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Not a Flat Tire
By Bob Humphrey
If you hear this sound in the woods, get ready! QUESTION: I was watching two yearling bucks sparring in my food plot, and I heard a noise that sounded like a deer blowing its nose or hissing. Out stepped a bigger buck, and the two yearlings stopped sparring and kind of moved away. Is this normal? ANSWER: What you likely heard is referred to as a sn... READ MORE
Under Pressure
By Bob Humphrey
Weather can get deer moving, but it’s not a simple formula. QUESTION: Several articles I’ve read recently said some weather fronts get deer moving during daylight. What should I be looking for? And is high or low barometric pressure better? ANSWER: There’s not a lot of supporting research, but my personal observations and those of... READ MORE
Decoys: Hype or Hope?
By Bob Humphrey
If you’re having trouble with fooling bucks, you’re not alone. QUESTION: I’ve been experimenting with a deer decoy, and so far it seems to spook everything that sees it. Is that normal? I thought I’d have bucks rushing in to investigate. – Larry P. ANSWER: Using a decoy is much like using scents, calls or rattling. Mor... READ MORE
Too Many Deauxs
By Bob Humphrey
Don’t believe exaggerated tales about massively skewed doe-to-buck ratios. QUESTION: I live in northern Louisiana. Can you tell me the buck-to-doe ratio where I live? Also, is it okay to take one doe out of the area in the first week in December? — Jimmy S. ANSWER: Without contacting the state wildlife biologist responsible for the area... READ MORE
Yellow Turkey Legs
By Bob Humphrey
QUESTION: In the spring of 2014, I was in Minnesota and shot a wild turkey that had yellow legs. There was a very light pinkish hue to them. What would cause this? Was it a mutation, a released raised bird or a dietary problem? — Craig K.
ANSWER: It’s difficult to say without more information, but any of the causes you listed are possi... READ MORE
Hair Club for Deer
By Bob Humphrey
Our biologist considers the different factors that contribute to a buck’s coloring. QUESTION: I am curious why some deer have a different color toupee. For example, we hunt a private track of land in Illinois. All of the deer taken over the years have had the typical grey face/toupee. I got a deer this year with an orange toupee. This buck ha... READ MORE
All in the Family
By Bob Humphrey
Don’t be surprised to see several generations of does together. QUESTION: Last fall while hunting over my food plot, I saw what I believe were the same does almost every night. There was obviously a big doe with three fawns, but there was also another doe that was smaller than the big one but bigger than the fawns. Could these deer be related... READ MORE
Florida is for Lovers
By Bob Humphrey
Is it possible to see a buck chasing does in turkey season? QUESTION: While turkey hunting in Florida this spring, I saw a buck chasing a doe, and the buck still had hard antlers. It was not inside an enclosure. This seems way out of the normal rutting time, and shouldn’t the buck have dropped its antlers by then? ANSWER: The whitetail rut is... READ MORE
Gut Shots Happen
By Bob Humphrey
The key to recovering paunch-shot deer is to back out quietly and wait.
QUESTION: I’m hoping you can settle an argument. A friend told me that he would not hesitate to gut-shoot a deer if it was the only shot he had because he knows he’ll recover it. I say it’s a poor shot choice due to the high probability of not recovering the ... READ MORE
Ghost Deer
By Bob Humphrey
How is it possible to see so many tracks without seeing the deer that made them?
QUESTION: Please, please help. I have been hunting for 20 years and I have just received permission to bowhunt two properties in northern Ohio. Both are small properties: 5 acres and 10 acres. I was more excited than I had ever been about deer hunting. They are in sub... READ MORE
That Theory Stinks
By Bob Humphrey
New hunters take note: Don’t judge a deer by its droppings. QUESTION: I’m still new to deer hunting, but some of the more experienced guys I hunt with claim they can tell the sex of a deer from its droppings. They say small pellets are from does and fawns while large clumps are from a buck. Is there any truth to this? ANSWER: No. The shape and cons... READ MORE
Tweak My Food Plot
By Bob Humphrey
If your food plot isn’t attracting deer like you want, change it. Test for fertilizer and lime use, add some fruit trees and vary plantings to create a deer cafeteria.
QUESTION: I hunt in the Northeast, about 3 hours north of New York City. I have a 15-acre parcel of land that’s bordered by several hundred acres of woods on one side wi... 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
Where the Girls Are
By Bob Humphrey
Should you find a new place to hunt if all you see are does? QUESTION: My trail camera is loaded with doe pictures, and the area I hunt is filled with does. I have seen a few trophy bucks, but at random and never consistent. Should I look elsewhere for a hunting spot if the bucks aren’t showing themselves? — Chris W. ANSWER: If your goa... READ MORE
Bug Problems
By Bob Humphrey
QUESTION: I live in the middle of the coast range in Oregon. I have always given my dogs brewers yeast with garlic and never had fleas or ticks. This year we have had both deer and elk in our yard almost every night. My dog now has fleas. Is this from the deer and elk? Both my dog and I have had deer ticks on us that we have removed. What can I do ... READ MORE
It’s a Date!
By Bob Humphrey
Calendar-based baiting law has our biologist stumped. QUESTION: My state just enacted a ban on feeding deer that begins June 1 and ends Dec. 15. I’m a little confused as to why they would do this. Any ideas? — Travis E. ANSWER: It does seem a little strange, and there are multiple possibilities. There are about as many different baiting... READ MORE
Oh where have they gone?
By Bob Humphrey
Disappearing deer are looking for the same thing—bedding cover, high calorie leftovers and love.
Question: I hunt on Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, Ill., and there is food, water and cover everywhere. Where are the deer traveling in early December? To cover or to food? —John T.
Answer: Though your question is geogra... READ MORE
Yikes!
By Bob Humphrey
Cringe-worthy growths likely not nearly as bad as they look. QUESTION: I recently saw a video of a deer covered with tumors. Do deer get the bubonic plague? ANSWER: Bubonic plague, sometimes called the black death killed more than 20 million people in Europe (a third of the continent’s population) in roughly five years in the 1300s. Fortunate... READ MORE
Public Land Big Boys
By Bob Humphrey
How do we better our odds? We know they're there!
QUESTION: My wife and I hunt on public land here in Kentucky and enjoy great success in the limited time we can hunt. During the off-season, we set up trail cameras and capture thousands of deer photos of all shapes and sizes: from does and spikes to huge 13- and 14-pointers.
But we rarely see the... READ MORE
When HD Is Bad
By Bob Humphrey
HD is great for televisions, but not so much for white-tailed deer. QUESTION: Last summer I got a trail cam picture of a doe with floppy ears. I’ve never seen this before. Any idea what’s wrong with this deer? ANSWER: It’s difficult to say without more information, but there are a few things that suggest at least one possibility. ... READ MORE