Big bucks are the most elusive deer.
Trophy bucks are no more elusive than does of the same age. They're seldom seen because there aren't many of them. Antlerless deer usually outnumber antlered bucks at least 2 to 1. Where the buck harvest is heavy, the ratio may drop to 20 to 1, and only about 5 percent of these have a stand-out rack.
Bucks are warier than does, often following them at a distance to avoid danger.
Bucks follow does to determine if they're in estrus, not to avoid danger. When bucks are preoccupied with breeding, they're actually much less wary than does.
Spooked deer run for miles.
Deer seldom run more than a few hundred yards and are difficult to push out of their home range. Without familiar cover, they're extremely vulnerable to hunters. Those that do leave their home range usually don't live long enough to return.
Old bucks can elude hunters for years.
You may see a gig buck in the same vicinity year after year, but it's probably not the same animal because bucks seldom live more than 3 ½ years. Different bucks may look the same, however, because of inherited antler characteristics.
The rut lasts only a few days
Actually, the rut may last longer than two months. An individual doe is in estrus for only 24 to 36 hours. However, the estrus cycle of some does begins much earlier than that of others, and does that are not bred may come into estrus again 28 days later.
You can tell a deer's age by the size of its antlers.
Antlers tell you very little about deer's age because their size is largely controlled by physical condition and genetics.
If the abdomen is swollen when you recover the deer, the meat shouldn't be eaten.
When a deer dies, gas from digestion is trapped in the rumen and the abdomen starts swelling almost immediately. However, the meat is still edible.
Cutting the throat on a wounded deer is the best way to kill it and bleed it out.
Slicing the throat is an inhumane method of killing a deer and doesn't bleed it out any faster than gutting it. If the wound does not appear to be fatal, shoot the deer in the head before attempting to field-dress it.
It makes no sense to stay on your stand during midday.
The truth is, hunters who can patiently sit through the middle of the day dramatically increase their odds of killing a deer, especially in heavily hunted areas. Many hunters move around at midday, and their activity moves deer. During the rut, bucks are on the move all day in search of does.
When hunting in brushy cover, it pays to use brush busters
Tests have shown that high-velocity, pointed bullets for calibers like .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield are slightly better at penetrating brush than the slower bullets. However, neither type really busts brush; even small branches may deflect them.
If you see small fawns during the hunting season, the deer herd is in poor shape.
The reverse is true. In years, when food is plentiful and weather conditions mild, many of the fawn female become pregnant, but they don't give birth until July, a month or two later than adult does normally would. When the hunting season opens, these late-born fawns are quite small compared to the fawns of adult does. In poor days, fawn females do not become pregnant, so there are no small fawns when the hunting season opens.