Why Do Bucks Lose Weight During the Rut?
Bucks lose weight during the rut because they burn substantially more energy while spending less time feeding and resting. During the breeding season, whitetail bucks increase their movement as they …
Hunting
Hunting Deer With An AR-15
Deer season leaves plenty of AR owners asking the same question. Can the rifle you already own legally go with you on a deer hunt? The answer comes down to …
Best Ways to Improve Deer Habitat Without Food Plots
The best ways to improve deer habitat without food plots are to increase native forage, improve forest structure, create bedding and security cover, manage habitat edges, protect mast-producing trees, maintain …
5 Best Warm-Season Grasses for Deer Habitat
The best warm-season grasses for deer habitat include switchgrass, big bluestem, Indiangrass, little bluestem, and mixtures of native warm-season grasses. These grasses can provide tall, persistent vegetation that gives white-tailed …
Best Timber Cuts for Deer Habitat: 5 Methods Compared
The best timber cuts for deer habitat are clearcuts, patch cuts, selective cuts, shelterwood cuts, and timber stand improvement (TSI), but the right method depends on the existing forest and …
Best Habitat Projects for Small Hunting Properties
The best habitat projects for small hunting properties are projects that correct the property’s biggest habitat limitations while using as little acreage as necessary. On limited acreage, improving existing cover, …
7 Best Natural Barriers for Funneling Deer
The best natural barriers for funneling deer are creeks and rivers, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, steep terrain, ravines and drainages, thick vegetation, and terrain transitions. These features funnel …
7 Best Ways to Create Deer Bedding Cover
Creating effective deer bedding cover requires more than making a section of hunting land thick with vegetation. The best ways to create deer bedding cover are opening the tree canopy, …
Best Crops to Leave Standing for Deer: 6 Top Choices
Corn and soybeans are two of the best crops to leave standing for deer because they provide concentrated food sources during hunting season, while standing corn also creates valuable cover. …
How to Identify an Old Buck by Body Characteristics
You can identify an old buck by evaluating a combination of body characteristics, including overall body shape, neck thickness, chest and shoulder development, belly and back profile, leg-to-body proportions, and …
How to Hunt Deer During a Drought: Complete Guide
Hunting deer during a drought requires you to focus your scouting on the remaining water, available food, secure bedding cover, and the travel routes connecting these resources. The most productive …
How to Use Prevailing Winds for Deer Hunting
Use prevailing winds for deer hunting by positioning yourself so your scent blows away from the areas where deer are bedding, feeding, or expected to travel. The prevailing wind gives …
How to Create a Deer Sanctuary on a Small Property
Creating a deer sanctuary on a small property starts with one priority: give deer a secure area where human disturbance stays low throughout the hunting season. A property does not …
How to Hunt Deer Near Suburban Development
Hunting deer near suburban development requires more planning than hunting large rural properties because legal restrictions, private-property boundaries, nearby homes, roads, and fragmented deer habitat all affect whether a location …
How to Predict Deer Movement After Crop Harvest
Crop harvest can change deer movement quickly because it alters three things whitetails use to make daily travel decisions: food, security cover, and human disturbance. A field that held standing …