How well do you know deer?
 

How well do you know deer?

Over 40 years ago when I used to wait for my dad to get home from hunting, I would eagerly wait by the window for his car to pull into the driveway. I couldn't wait to run out there and examine the deer that he and his friends would bring home. I was fascinated by these animals. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about deer. This fascination still holds true today.

I don't know about you, but for me and most people I know, when a deer is spotted it is a head turning event, a big deal. You just don't hear people screaming, "Honey, look!!! A SQUIRREL!!!" But with deer you do.:D

I have to say that by studying deer I have vastly improved my success at hunting them. Bucks and does alike. I will also say that mature bucks are are almost like studying another species by themselves.

The bottom line: Knowing your quarry intimately will increase your success in hunting them, dramatically.

Where does your knowledge fit?

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

above average,I am still learning and have a long!! ways to go.I always seem to find and kill more deer than anybody on our lease and I only hunt with a bow.My biggest learning curve has been on mature deer,I have pictures of some reallynice ones but did not see any of them all season.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I chose advanced. Call it young cockiness and maybe it is but i read literally everything i can get my hands on that has anything to do with deer!!! My roomate says that i am obsessed and he loves bowhunting!!! The difference is that i love deer on a completely different level than he does.I have been feverishly studying deer for the last 3 years. I try to read each new study that comes out on deer behavior. I am currently pursuing a double major in Environmental Science and Biology so that I can enter the field of wildlife biology and learn even more about deer through my own research.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I'm not sure how much I "KNOW". I've got some ideas and theories ......but I don't think I know that much about deer. Absolutes in deer hunting are something I try not to be a part of.

I feel like I'll get grilled for this....but so what.

They have brains the size of small pears. We catch them going to eat......coming home form a night out.....or while letting their guard down during the mating process. These things I know.

I'll say it again.....this isn't rocket science.....and I'm content not labeling myself.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I chose above average, i read, A LOT.

However, if I knew as much about deer, as turkeys...I'd be golden. Maybe some day.

I'm majoring in Biological sciences, with a concentration in Wildlife Biology...if that tells you anything.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I said advanced.

After 33 years of chasing these critters, the last 15 with a bow, I think I have them sort of figured out. But never completely. This year will tell me a lot.Seeing if I can figureout my new property and how to hunt it.

HOWEVER, I AM STILL LEARNING!!!;)

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I picked advanced,seem to be able to pattern up to 3.5 year olds lots of the time. The 3.5 an up take on a whole new approach they seem to do more traveling an you have to spend a lot oftime learning the land an when an where they are traveling.They seem to be more of a secluded creature.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

If you don't have anything non bubble popping to say then... well, you know the rest. LOL jk

Seriously, I consider and will consider myself a beginner til I can consistently reach into the woods and pull out a top tier buck or doe.

I understand that they are intellectually inferior but it doesn't mean that beating them in their element means nothing. (not that I think Jeff thinks it means nothing) I respect them as masters of their own domain and am proudeach time I amstealthful enough to be in position to "pull it off".

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Somewhere between above and advance.
I wish I could say the same for the tech side of things.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I picked above average.I am a self taught hunter and learned everything I know by constantlyreading,listening,watching and alot of ground pounding in the woods.The way development and other hunting pressures and climate changesare now deer have to change habits all the time now to survive.I think I will never be able say I know everything maybe just be content with efficent.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I picked Advanced, it was a tough pick between advanced and above average. 99% of the time I don't give myself enough credit but this time I think I'll do just that a little. I've been bow hunting for 22 years (started at age 12). Out of them 22 years the last 17 of them I've been passing up bucks 125" and under. I've let go I'm guessing close to 50 125" bucks in pursuit of that P@Y whitetail the last 17 years. So many times I've had these 130" to 150" bucks within 30 yards with my recurve but thats a little out of range for me. I can't say this for sure but odds are I would have my share of P@Y bucks on the wall if I was still shooting compound. I'm not complaining one bit with my recurve, it finally got me my 1st P@Y buck this last fall. I've got a long ways to go on these 4.5 year old bucks though, these guys are something else and there a whole new beast!!! Every time I see a nice buck shot by someone it really makes me smile, Its a damn good feeling though when your the one in the picture.;)

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I picked average. I am always learning and willing to learn. I say the day I lose interest in the chase, the hunt, the fascination, of deer and deer hunting, I will quit. It's not just knowing about them, it's being able to learn more. Yeah, you can do some things some of the time and come out on top, others, you might never catch a glimpse of what this mystical animal even looks like that we call, "The Whitetail Deer". Call them dumb, call them curious, call them whatever you want, but one day, the biggest one you ever saw will turn you into a babbling fool.

LT

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Well said Tomkat.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

This might just be my new, favorite quote!!![:-]

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Rocket science it isn't, but if you under estimate them, you will lose. It is always better to error on the side of caution.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Damn you hit the nail on the head there!!! Good post, I love the last part and its so true!:D

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Since you said DEER and not monster bucks, I would say above average ..... you can put me anywhere there are whitetails and i'll be able to kill a few of them without a problem ..... but them suckers will ALWAYS pull things over on me EVERY season, leaving me shaking my head and empty handed manydays .......you gotta love 'em!

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I chose above average. I have hunted them for almost 30 years and have seen alot of deer act in alot of different ways during that time. I think you can only read about deer so much. You have to be in the woods and actually observe them.

That being said I will steal GregH's signature...

"I learn something new about the game I hunt every season"

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I would say that I'm slightly between agerage and above agerage ,I have read and studied alot about the whitetailed deer and though the 15 plus years of hunting them I have learned alot from those hunts but I'm still learning and will coninue to do so.
I can find where they bed , feed and travel to and from , I can also identify many plants , browse and diffrent food sourchs on which they feed on though out the year in any given area.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I pretty much know what I need to know, but I would love to learn more.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

above average, thnx to the web

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

With deer I am average, now if elk is in the poll, I would put Expert. Not that I am trying or wanting to be cocky, but given the fact I give elk calling seminars and also that I am a competition elk caller who does rather well. I have many who think I am a expert. So that is why I would say I am. Now with that said truth be told I don't feel one pereson can truly master all the knowledge a game animal can teach ya. With elk I have found to a degree,that in one area I can patten them, knowing what time they are out and about moving around, eating, drinking, breeding. As well asknowing what calls they like the most what wallows they like to visit, what routes they like to travel, and on and on. Then in the same year in the same state I can go to another area and the elk there will act totaly different, and will need totaly different hunting tactics and knowledge that I may or may not have.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I marked advanced only because I have studied/hunted them for a long time, but advanced might be a bit of a stretch otherwise and here is why.


I am not grilling you but I will respond in a way that will sound harsher than I intend but that is how it goes with the written word.

This may be true if you are just talking about deer in general. But I beg to differ in regard to killing the true mature deer in your area. I know you think you have killed the biggest deer in your area, and since I have never hunted or been in your area, maybe so.

But I highly doubt it. Just the biggest ones you have seen. Why do I say this? Because of my own experience over many years and I suspect it is true for most of us.

Onetopic that I know we will agree on is relativity. I have killed 3 Pope and Young deer but then again I live in an area that produces a higher percent of P/Y deer than most areas. So the fact that I have 3 deer over 125" by itself doesn't mean anything, hence the relativity. None of the three have scored over 135".

But I can also attest that they are the biggest deer I have ever seenon the hoof.But that doesn't mean anythingeither other than I am not yet smart enough or lucky enough to shoot the really big boys that I know live right under my nose. How do I know that bigger deer are there if I haven't see them? Three specific examples.

1. 5-6 years ago I found a dead deer on my property that was hit by a car on a nearby county roadthat scored around 155 that I HAD NEVER SEEN even though I had hunted that farm over 30 days directly prior to finding him dead that season.

2. I found a shed about 3 years ago that would have been in the same category as the deer mentioned above with a huge droptine. I never saw the deer anytime of the year and haven't yet. And again, I hunt A LOT OF DAYS and use trail cameras as well.

3.I had a picture on a flash camera a couple of years ago of a very large and unique deer that would have scored in the 140's that only showed up on camera one time and I have never seen on the hoof.

Now these are only three incidences in over 20 years of intensehunting of the same farm. But they were all within the last 6 years and to me they are more than random coincidence.
Until these three incidences, I was convinced I was shooting the biggest and most mature deer in my area in any given year. WRONG

It may not be rocket science, but then again I am no rocket scientist.:D

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Just average for me on deer...it would be a different story if we were talking about hogs or bear...

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

i really do not know how much i know about deer.

up until 2006, i was a deer hunter period. hunted rifle season and flintlock season...mainly by stand hunting in a funnel, relying on the pressure of opening day or saturdays to move deer through a funnel or thicket, or by setting up on drives with the crew. dad loves venison and is far from picky...if its legal and he doesnt think its a button buck, hes drilling it unless i already layed it out...he said he took his bucks and used to be all about antlers..but now hes about filling the freezer and just being out there...sure, dad taught me ALOT about deer sign, habits, feeding scouting, stand selection etc etc....but i really feel the methods we hunted were ALOT different from bow hunting and DEER HUNTING period. yes, we scouted..found the sign etc...but we were always in a thicket, thicket edge, bottle neck etc...sure they might make good bowhunting spots, but in reality, without pressure, alot of deer may never came through the areas we hunted...

dad got out of bowhunting before i became old enough to hunt...i always wanted to bowhunt but dad didnt wanna get back into it. 2006 i bought my first bow...been learning everything i could since and learned that what i knew helped, but wasnt enough. i never had to scout on my own. never had to pick my own trees. never had to worry about how far from the deer i was, just as long as i could see them. never cared where they bedded or where they fed..just mattered that i would see them...cared somewhat about wind, but not a ton...scent control? ha! ive killed a pile of deer within 50yds of me...seems when someone else scares them, they dont care/have time to check the wind..by the time they do its far too late.

2006 was an eye opener..i struggled to see deer period. 2007, i did more scouting, did more learning, applied what i learned and i feel im becoming a different hunter. 2007, i was into bucks from day 1. no monster bucks...but i was into bucks and deer pretty much every hunt. i saw the difference...

i just spent the afternoon trimming shooting lanes and clearing a small path to access my favorite spot quietly..things i never before did. im learning more all the time. learned that spot is a hot spot because it is a saddle, and is just deer heaven....chestnut oaks, cover, bedding areas, corn, beans, alfalfa all within 100yds of my stand. but i have many spots...thats just my favorite and where i focus on because yearly it always seems to draw in and hold 1 or 2 GOOD bucks...small woodlots on farm land is one thing...

i also hunt BIG woods up north at school. i REALLY struggled up there. i grew up rifle hunting there and took a pile of deer from those same woods...bow season i didnt see a tail. couldnt find the deer. i didnt know where they ate...didnt know where they bedded...woods are huge..no fields..last year i saw my first 2 deer from stand up there...

im getting there....theres ALOT to be learned...but im getting there..

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

This is easy to say......because it can always be claimed and can never be proven. Regardless.....of if they were THE biggest/oldest.....they were mature. Good enough.

I have never claimed this as "easy". Hell I may have to eat my words on teh rocket science thing when I go into new woods this fall. We'll see.

But regardless of where you hunt......what I said hold true. We catch them going to eat.......coming home.....or thinking about making little deer. If we do a little homework, we can find them.

Some people have this down to a science. Some people think it's far less complicated than that. Truth be told.....they're probably both right.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Good post.

I suspect that this might be true for most hunters. I live and hunt in areas that can produce bucks that will go 200+ inches. In the 17 years that I have hunted for mature bucks I have only seen 6 that were 170 or above and was fortunate to kill two that were 170 and over. I have used cameras for three years and have not gotten any buck over 150. These super bucks are usually loners that are super hard to see let alone tag one of them. They are something that you just don't see all the time, but they are there.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I put average however after thinking more about it I think beginner would be closer to the truth. I have bowhunted deer for three years now and have killed 7 deer in that time. I took 20 years off from hunting before that. When I was younger I was a gun hunter and did all I could to learn about my prey. I'm trying again to learn all I can not just about my prey but also about my gear. I have a long way to go but it is an enjoyable ride.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I have no idea. I doubt I know much of what is avalable.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I put expert mor michigan deer and where I hunt. But in diffrent areas of the country I would say advanced. Deer are and act diffrent in other states.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

It is a good post and your comments go along with something that, well... How is it you can say this when the deer herd is so out of wack? I think most of the complaining is done by guys who want the fame without putting in the time. What's your take? The part that bothers me is when they take it to a govermental level. They don't manage things well, everybody knows it.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

i do read about anything on deer, however spending time in the woods will teach a lot more

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I have to agree with all the above. I know I know a lot about the deer on the properties I hunt, but mature bucks still put me to shame on a regular basis! Using a trailcam, I get pictures of some whoppers every fall that I never see...and every other deer on that property I know very well. I know where the big doe an twins will likely bed given the conditions, and where the basket racked seven point will likely show up in the evening....but the only reason I have be quite successful on big boys i am afraid is there are quite a few of them locally[&:].

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I see them in the field sometimes. They are pretty.

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You lost me. How can I say what? That I've seen 6 bucks 170 and over in 17 seasons? If so, I guess that I may have seen more if the herd wasn't so out of wack. Also, the reason may be that even with the herd so out of wack I spend an enormous amount of time in the field every year. Another thing is that I have gradually started passing up trophy bucks that I normally wouldn't have, in order to hold out for the truely big ones. By doing so I've started seeing even bigger bucks. Not a lot though as they don't grow on trees.

I hope this is what you were talking about, if not, please try again. Sometimes I'm slow.[&o]

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

First let me qualify my opinions as being based on private property albeit small parcels that still gets lots of hunting pressure but I have no way to compare it to some of the hunting pressure described my some of you guys on here about public land.

Second, we know and I think most accept the fact that the two things that make bigger deer within the same genetic pool of an area is age and nutrition.

So with this thought in mind, an out of whack deer population may cause (this is all theoretical on my part) a 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 year old deer that could have possibly scored a 160+ may actually only score 140 due to the overpopulation and competition for nutrition.

But I submit that there are more of these age group deer that outsmart us and survive that allows most areas to have more BIG deer around than what most hunters think.

And I will continue to believe (believe? heck, I know. How's that for arrogance?) that calling a 3 1/2 year old deer mature is incorrect if the category "mature" is used to define the most challenging animal in the woods. With a little time and effort I can kill a 3 1/2 yo every year. Not true with a 4 1/2 yo or older.

But my acceptance of the above is what still motivates me to get out there every chance I get and continue to observe, learn and grow as a hunter.

As the old saying goes, Are you a hunter that has hunted 20 years but has one year's worth of experience 20 times over or do you really have 20 years experience.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Well I haven't meet any deer I haven't liked, unfortunately they don't like me.
Try and run away and stuff, not very cordial...
I try and get close but they just push me away.
I would say they need counciling!

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

I'm anExpert at eatingTag Soup,since I have only filled 3 bow tags in the last 10 seasons.
On a brighter note they have all been book size deer, and come from an area not known to produce such.
I am content just watching, learning and waiting till the right one comes along.

I have been at this now for over 40 years and what amazes me is how an annimal with the brain the size of a Pear can humble so many of us.

But then most of us dont have the luxury of luring them inoff ofour local suburbia park with a corn feeder. Now that ain't rocket science.

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

Ahhh....I was waiting for someone to stoop to personal insults.

I've never shot a deer over bait. But if it makes you feel better to diminish another man's accomplishments....have at it. Just keep it factual and you can say anything you like. The pear thing is a good example;)

RE: How well do you know deer?
 

It was an example, you have assumed I was typing at you?