White-tailed deer leave a variety of recognizable indications of the activity. To find deer, try to find sign. Some sign is significant, some are more subtle. Deer tell stories using the sign they depart from. With taking note of sign, you will get insight of their behavior which enables you to approach your hunting plans.
New scrapes can be found almost year-round, but the largest percentage of scrapes come into sight when breeding time begins. As the bachelor groups formed in summer months divide and bucks become solo travelers, scraping activity raises to a great extent. This happens a couple weeks before the first females breed.
Practically all active scrapes will present an overhanging branch. White-tailed bucks, nibble, chew, lick, sniff and thrash the overhanging branch above the scrape. They grasp it using their teeth and pull it down. They twist it and rake their antlers through it and rub their forehead scent glands on it. Doing this is careful and planned - bordering on absolute euphoria. Does that visit scrapes in addition smell and lick the overhanging branch.
Buck rubs are an important part of the communication system of deer. We detect rubs - the white scars of the forest - by sight. More often than not deer identify them by smell. A buck rubs agree through the base of his antlers, not the tines. In the act, he deposits fragrance from glands in the forehead. Usually, the bigger the tree rubbed, the larger the buck responsible for the rub.
Deer hunters often times use the terms 'runway', 'trail' and 'crossing' interchangeably, but they aren't totally the same thing. Deer paths are distinct and noticeable paths, or runways, in the low-lying vegetation as a result of frequent use. A crossing is really a limited place which deer are likely to pass through. In regions of heavy grass or ferns, search for body-width trails where deer have broken down foliage.
Deer droppings frequently signify the only or principal indication we have of the presence of deer. Droppings can vary considerably in shape, color and form at different times of the year. During the winter months, when deer feed on browse, the pellets are hard and become harder as the winter season progresses; they are numerous tones of brown and about three-quarters of an inch long. In the summer, when deer nourish themselves on soft vegetation, the droppings consist of clusters of soft, green pellets that are more or less stuck together in a single mass.
Deer beds are oval-shaped depressions in leaves, grass, dirt or snow where deer rested to conserve energy, or chew the cud. Deer bed down for as long as a hour and a half at a time. It is not known how much actual sleeping is done by a deer in its bed, or whether deer sleep at all. Deer sometimes will lay their heads back on a flank or hind leg, their eyelids will droop, and total alertness will be lost. For practical purposes, this can be considered sleep.
Many whitetails have easy access to salt put out for cattle and horses. In addition, deer use natural mineral deposits in the woods. Natural licks are often found in poorly drained soil in bottom lands. Water collects in these areas and stands until dissipated by evaporation, leaving its dissolved minerals.
When deer run, they leave prints with their hooves and dewclaws. Dewclaws also show up in the tracks of heavy deer when walking on soft ground or snow. Generally, the more toe spread and the deeper the impression, the larger the deer.
Can you distinguish the difference among a buck track and a doe track by shape and size of the track? Some hunters and scientists believe they can; others say the only sure way is to see the deer that made the track. If you find prints that are prominently longer and deeper than other tracks in an area, the maker could by an exceptional buck-or a very large doe.
As a buck's supply of testosterone decreases in winter, a separation layer forms at the pedicel of the antlers and thy fall off. In the north, this casting of antlers occurs from mid December to late January. Farther south, some bucks retain their antlers until March or April. Latitude itself, however is not the main cause for this difference in timing.
New scrapes can be found almost year-round, but the largest percentage of scrapes come into sight when breeding time begins. As the bachelor groups formed in summer months divide and bucks become solo travelers, scraping activity raises to a great extent. This happens a couple weeks before the first females breed.
Practically all active scrapes will present an overhanging branch. White-tailed bucks, nibble, chew, lick, sniff and thrash the overhanging branch above the scrape. They grasp it using their teeth and pull it down. They twist it and rake their antlers through it and rub their forehead scent glands on it. Doing this is careful and planned - bordering on absolute euphoria. Does that visit scrapes in addition smell and lick the overhanging branch.
Buck rubs are an important part of the communication system of deer. We detect rubs - the white scars of the forest - by sight. More often than not deer identify them by smell. A buck rubs agree through the base of his antlers, not the tines. In the act, he deposits fragrance from glands in the forehead. Usually, the bigger the tree rubbed, the larger the buck responsible for the rub.
Deer hunters often times use the terms 'runway', 'trail' and 'crossing' interchangeably, but they aren't totally the same thing. Deer paths are distinct and noticeable paths, or runways, in the low-lying vegetation as a result of frequent use. A crossing is really a limited place which deer are likely to pass through. In regions of heavy grass or ferns, search for body-width trails where deer have broken down foliage.
Deer droppings frequently signify the only or principal indication we have of the presence of deer. Droppings can vary considerably in shape, color and form at different times of the year. During the winter months, when deer feed on browse, the pellets are hard and become harder as the winter season progresses; they are numerous tones of brown and about three-quarters of an inch long. In the summer, when deer nourish themselves on soft vegetation, the droppings consist of clusters of soft, green pellets that are more or less stuck together in a single mass.
Deer beds are oval-shaped depressions in leaves, grass, dirt or snow where deer rested to conserve energy, or chew the cud. Deer bed down for as long as a hour and a half at a time. It is not known how much actual sleeping is done by a deer in its bed, or whether deer sleep at all. Deer sometimes will lay their heads back on a flank or hind leg, their eyelids will droop, and total alertness will be lost. For practical purposes, this can be considered sleep.
Many whitetails have easy access to salt put out for cattle and horses. In addition, deer use natural mineral deposits in the woods. Natural licks are often found in poorly drained soil in bottom lands. Water collects in these areas and stands until dissipated by evaporation, leaving its dissolved minerals.
When deer run, they leave prints with their hooves and dewclaws. Dewclaws also show up in the tracks of heavy deer when walking on soft ground or snow. Generally, the more toe spread and the deeper the impression, the larger the deer.
Can you distinguish the difference among a buck track and a doe track by shape and size of the track? Some hunters and scientists believe they can; others say the only sure way is to see the deer that made the track. If you find prints that are prominently longer and deeper than other tracks in an area, the maker could by an exceptional buck-or a very large doe.
As a buck's supply of testosterone decreases in winter, a separation layer forms at the pedicel of the antlers and thy fall off. In the north, this casting of antlers occurs from mid December to late January. Farther south, some bucks retain their antlers until March or April. Latitude itself, however is not the main cause for this difference in timing.
About the Author:
Whitetail deer hunter expert and knowledgeable Ethan O. Tanner explains the different types of how to whitetail deer hunting tips the checklist for identify whitetail deer for advance knowledge in whitetail deer hunting.
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