Category: Deer Hunting

The whitetail deer gun hunting season opened this past weekend in Oklahoma and I my top target was a big mature 8 point buck that I had caught on camera on several occasions. I was willing to hunt hard to bag this buck, so I spent 8 hours in the deer stand on opening day, first catching a glimpse of him at 9 o’clock in the morning as he jumped a fence about 425 yards away. At least, I thought it was him.

This “sighting” was enough of a relief for me, as I had heard at least a 10 rifle shots since sunrise within a mile of our deer lease. The big buck appeared again shortly after 10 o’clock as he had moved closer, but the buck was still moving through a bunch of trees at around 200 yards with enough brush and sticks and grass to obstruct a clean shot. I thought my deer hunting season was really going to start off with a bang as I waited about 10 minutes for him to reappear closer and on the edge of the brush. That didn’t happen.

As it turns out, the buck went downhill, moving down into a deep, heavily wooded draw. I lost him. With the “video” of the big buck playing through my brain, I waited and hoped that he would turn around and head back my way. I had identified this Oklahoma buck as a shooter from my game camera photos, and after seeing him in person I knew he was the real deal. Continue reading Oklahoma Buck Gets Hammered!

One of the biggest ongoing disputes around almost any deer hunting camp is the answer — or lack thereof — to this question, “What is a cull buck?” Well, the answer will vary from property to property depending on the quality of whitetail bucks found there, but there are some general rules that apply. Many hunters will shoot spike bucks for cull bucks, but this is not recommended if you have a low number of bucks compared to the number of does. If your deer lease or land has plenty of bucks, then the harvest of spike bucks would be warranted.

Other bucks that qualify as cull bucks or management bucks are those deer with unfavorable antler characteristics. These could be bucks that lack 1 or both brow tines, bucks that are 7 points or less and 2.5 years old or older, or 3.5 and 4.5 year old bucks that have 8 points or less, without broken beams or tines. These 3.5+ year old 8 point deer are now commonly called “management bucks” because the theory is these are good bucks to remove for management of the deer herd. By removing all these cull bucks, it allows hunters and landowners to let the good young, middle aged, and mature bucks to do the breeding and pass on their genes. Continue reading Deer Hunting: What is a Cull Buck?

Sometimes hunters do some crazy things when it comes to deer hunting, especially when it comes to stand location. Or stand better stated, when it comes to stand locations. Deer hunting success is a lot like good real estate: location, location, location! But sometimes as hunters we get overzealous and want to place hunting stands all over the place. It is always good to have options, but too many options can drive a hunter crazy.

I have a buddy who had a 600 acre property that his family owned and only he hunted. The place was less than an hour from his house and it held a good number of deer. Sounds like a total deer hunting dream, right? The only drawback was that he had set up 5 hunting stands and feeders and had multiple food plots. This would be okay if 4 or 5 people hunted the property, but he for the most part was the only guy deer hunting it every year. Continue reading Deer Hunting: Too Many Stand Locations?

A hunter or landowner interested in managing whitetail for better deer hunting is often unaware of many of the methods to produce and grow future trophies. Bucks are just one component of a deer herd, but hunters should always know how to age deer. How old are the bucks that you’re seeing? If they are young bucks, then they need to grow to maturity before they should be harvested. I don’t mean to insult anyone, but in my experience there are a lot of hunters that have no clue on how to age a deer.

If you do nothing else, shooting only mature bucks is the best way to get the age structure and antler development most hunters want. It takes time and patience to get there, but it can happen. Of course, the only way to shoot a mature buck is to recognize one when you see it. In order to get those bucks old and experience better deer hunting you must also know a young buck when you see it or a lot of mistakes will be made, and time wasted. Continue reading Deer Hunting for Sucessful Deer Management

Reader Submitted: With deer hunting and deer management becoming more popular every year, aging bucks property is becoming more important. I was browsing the net and found a company that claims to tell the deer age by looking at a slice of the tooth root. Have you heard of or every used them?

Deer Hunting Pros: I am familiar with all the methods of deer aging and know exactly what you are referring to. The technique you are referring is the cementum annuli method. I have used this type of company 3 times in the past and been satisfied with the results of their services. They delivered results in the stated time frame each time.

In the past, I shot two bucks and a doe and after aging by tooth wear I did not agree with what I was seeing from their body. On the bucks, each time I had estimated the bucks to be 5.5 years old and then when I pulled the teeth they showed no wear. They looked like the teeth of a 3.5 year old deer based on wear. Continue reading Deer Aging: Slice The Tooth?

When it comes to deer hunting, there is never a bad time to be outdoors and in the woods. Being an avid deer hunter, I always get asked two questions by other hunters: “What the best deer hunting times?,” and “How often do you deer hunt all day long?” Although I thoroughly enjoy deer hunting, I have to admit that I do not typically hunt throughout the day, at least for the most part. However, on occasion I have toughed it out with great results.

In general, I think the best time to be out deer hunting is in the morning even though I’ve had good success in the evenings as well. In fact, I’ve had better success in the evenings lately, having harvested 3 of my last 4 bucks during the last hour of daylight. But this is a matter of opinion. Both are great deer hunting times because deer are crepuscular, meaning they move mostly during the early morning and late evening. Continue reading Best Hunting Times for Whitetail Deer