Buck Manager | Buck Manager

Checking Buck Scrapes for Activity

Hunting Buck Scrapes

You’ve been lucky enough to find a buck scrape. Now, is it active? One method to identify an active scrape is to cover it with leaves and later re-check it a day or few later. This is the most basic approach in finding out whether a white-tailed buck is still in the area and visiting his scrapes.

If you find the scrape has been freshened upon returning you are probably going to want to set up to determine the quality of the buck working the scrape. However, it’s not uncommon for a smaller, or larger, bucks to stop by and leave their own scent-stamp directly over another buck’s scrape.

Hunting a Scrape

In this case, you already know a buck is working the scrape, but is he what you want to harvest? You now have two options. First, you could set up downwind of the scrape, as most bucks wont approach directly and prefer to use the wind to check their scrape, and see what stops by.

Or, you can use a game or trail camera set near the scrape to get photos of all the deer moving through the area. If you see a big, mature buck on your photos, then it’s time to move in as quickly as possible and make all of your work pay off!

Too Many Deer – Problems With Overabundance

The white-tailed deer is one of the most popular and recognizable species of wildlife in the eastern half of the United States. They are a significant recreational resource among hunters and those who just like to watch and enjoy wildlife. White-tailed deer are also an important economic resource to many rural land owners who lease hunting rights on their property and businesses that profit from traveling hunters.

Whitetail, as they are commonly referred to, are also an increasingly common animal in and around many urban and suburban communities, often in overabundance. An overabundant deer herd can be described as one that exceeded the capacity of the native plant community. Overabundant deer herds can result in concerns for the deer, for the native plant communities, for urban landscapes and also the health, safety, and economic well-being of local communities.

Neighborhoods across the U.S. are beginning to confront these issues which have been a concern of communities in the northeastern states for several decades. As overabundant white-tailed deer reduce the health of native plant communities, other wildlife species become less common. Having too many deer causes health problems within the herd such as starvation, increased numbers of parasites, and more disease.

Overabundant deer herds cause concerns such as:

— Automobile accidents from deer collisions or drivers trying to avoid deer.

— Severe damage to landscaping.

— Buck deer that are unafraid of people can be dangerous during the breeding season (rut).

— Increased numbers of disease causing agents such as ticks carrying Lyme’s disease.

— Deer feeding resulting in more reproduction and further aggravation of all overabundant deer conerns.

Solutions for controlling deer numbers:

Within urban and suburban areas, controlling whitetail deer numbers can difficult. To control any population, one must either reduce the current population or curtail reproduction. This can be difficult to accomplish because of conflicts within communities. For every person that sees too many deer as a problem, there is someone that does not want to trap, remove, harvest, or otherwise “impact” the animal.

Fencing for Deer: What Not To Do

Thinking about building a new fence on your property? Well, if you have any consideration for the white-tailed or other deer living in your area, avoid building fences that look like the one pictured. Basically, any variation of the ornamental (wrought) iron fence seen here should be avoided to prevent continually finding dead deer hanging around your residence, property. It’s important to do it right the first time, and the same principle applies to building fences in areas where deer are found.

This buck was found hanging on this pointed-iron fence after attempting to cross. The deer was likely trying to gain access to the tempting, irrigated yard which looked like a food plot ripe for the picking. In addition to making wildlife-friendly fences, be sure that are gates constructed in an equally deer-friendly fashion as deer will try to pass through them as well.

Think ahead, get the word out to hunters and non-hunters alike and let the whitetail deer grow a little older in your area!

The Importance of Aging Deer

As a biologist and hunter interested in quality white-tailed deer management, there are a few questions people always seem to ask me: “What do you think he’ll score?” This is usually followed by their second question, “How old is he?”

Although these are both good questions, they usually are not asked in the proper order. The very first question you should ask before pulling the trigger is “how old?” For any hunter that is interested in harvesting a mature whitetail buck, the best way to improve the odds is to pass on harvesting good young and middle-aged deer. If you aren’t willing to let them live another year, how then do you expect to shoot a larger buck? Luck?

Estimating the age of deer can be hard. This can be especially difficult if the buck is a hundred or more yards away, the deer is obscured, moving, and the hunter is trying to make up his mind as to whether or not to squeeze the trigger.

The fact is that hunters make the ultimate management decision as to whether or not the deer lives to grow older, and ideally gets older and grows into a bigger deer with a larger set of antlers. It’s not THE goal for every hunter, by no means, but many hunters desire bucks with larger antlers. The most direct way to achieve this goal is to let deer age, get older. This is why aging a deer on the hoof is important. In general, letting bucks get older will allow them to get bigger. However, not all bucks will reach 150, 170, or 200+ inches on the Boone & Crockett scoring system.

Why is age important you ask? Whitetail bucks as a group tend to produce their very best antlers once they mature and complete their long-bone growth. With most bucks, their skeletal growth is completed when they are about 4-years of age. It varies though. Some bucks may be fully-mature at 3 and others at 5-years old.

Until a buck’s bones are completely developed, body development will always take precedence over antler development. Now you can appreciate why bucks produce bigger antlers as they age and the largest-antlered bucks tend to be the biggest-bodied.

If you want whitetail bucks in your area to produce bigger antlers they need to be allowed to mature. In addition, they need good nutrition, which can be provided through good habitat management and even supplemented through a feeding or food plot program.

Providing good habitat includes keeping deer populations at or below the carrying capacity a given area of habitat can support. Bucks with good genetic potential will never grow big if they don’t have enough to eat! Ever notice that the biggest bucks always seem to come from areas with a low deer density?

The quality of deer habitat is reflected in the antlers of mature bucks. Good habitat with sufficient food produces good antlers. You can see this phenomenon between “drought” years and “wet” years. During dry years, bucks will have lower body weights and antler quality will be below average for age classes, but during years of abundant rainfall deer will be larger and have larger antlers. Managing deer is about manipulating both habitat and deer for optimal or high quality conditions year after year.

Hopefully, I have given you a better understanding of the important of aging deer in the field. Removing a great 3 1/2-year old buck will not allow you to harvest a truly awesome 5 1/2-year old later. Pass on him and take an inferior buck or a buck that has reach his maximum potential (which may not be that impressive). Base your shots on age AND antler size, not just antler size, and you will see the difference within just a year or two.

Tips For Whitetail Deer Hunters

White-tailed deer hunters are a varied lot. Just as with deer, some are young and naive while others are older, wiser, and pay a lot more attention to detail. And hunting, like life, is all about the details. Trust me, a mature white-tailed buck pays a lot of attention to details and so should you. With that said, here are a few hunting tips to take with you next time you head into the woods. New hunters, file these tips away. Seasoned hunters, consider it a refresher. Now, here are some key tips when heading out whitetail hunting:

Look for Food Sources

This is rather simple. In wooded areas, look for mast producing trees like oaks and pecan. If trees have mast under them, deer will be there. If agricultural fields are nearby, deer will get there. Look for standing corn, wheat fields, alfalfa, and oats. Oh, and do not miss areas that have been either intentionally or unitentionally burned recently. Deer will frequent these areas to get succulent regrowth and cool-season forbs.

Learn the Lay of the Land

By knowing the area where you’re hunting, you’re more likely to be successful. So you know where the food is, but where are the deer coming from? What routes offer the best protection and are the easiest travel corridors for deer to use? Identify the terrain and natural funnels and take advantage of them. This could be anything from a wooded fenceline to a draw on a hill to a trail beside a river.

Know When to Call and Rattle

Just because you have a deer call doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing. The same goes for a set of rattling antlers. I once heard that timing is everything. This is very true when it comes to using audible noices to attract bucks. Whitetail bucks are much more active and likely to respond during certain periods. Discover when this time is in your neck of the woods. Learn what vocalizations are effective and when, then learn to immitate them. Learn when, where, and how to rattle effectively. Know the limitations of rattling.

Take Advantage of the Rut

During rutting season, hunt specific areas where you know there are lots of does. In addition, hunt those areas in the general area where you know a mature buck resides. This offers your best chance at having a smart deer make a stupid mistake. Because bucks are preoccupied during this time, choose to hunt areas that offer good visibility.

Hide Your Scent, Use Theirs

Scent is the number one way deer detect danger. Even though numerous products are on the market that disguise human scent, they all fail at some point. Pay very close attention to the direction of the wind. Have two or more locations to hunt depending upon the direction of the wind. Learn how deer communicate through leaving and detecting deer scent. Eliminate your scent and use theirs to give you the advantage.

Hunt the Cold Fronts

This is very important at southern latitudes where cold weather comes and goes rather quickly during the fall and early winter. Whitetail deer will be more active and more visible the first few days after a cold front passes through an area. If you can hunt cool weather during the rutting period, your odds are that much better.

Be Safe and Prepared

Hunting is all about getting outdoors and having fun. Make sure you keep your equipment in excellent working condition and it will save on the frustration and keep you in a good state of mind. Don’t take chances. Unload your gun before crawling over a fence. Use a safety lanyard when climbing and hunting from an elevated position. Be careful when cleaning game by yourself. A fall from a tree or even a serious cut can become life-threatening when others are not around to assist you. Do not under estimate caution and check out this article for more hunting safety tips.

Leave a game plan with a friend, spouse, or family member to let them know where you are going, when you are going to check in, and when you are returning home. If you have a cell phone, carry it. Keep a first-aid kit in camp, in your truck, and in your hunting pack. I hope you never need it. But if you do, you’ll be glad you have it.