Why Do Bucks Stop Using Rubs? 7 Main Reasons
Bucks stop using rubs when changes in the rut, travel routes, food sources, bedding areas, hunting pressure, or home-range use alter where and how they move. A buck can also …
Deer Hunting
8 Best Habitat Improvements for Deer Hunting Land
The best habitat improvements for deer hunting land increase usable food, secure bedding cover, water access, productive vegetation, and protected travel routes while reducing human disturbance. The most effective improvement …
Best Natural Browse for Whitetail Deer: Top Plants
The best natural browse for whitetail deer includes greenbrier, blackberry, raspberry, dogwood, sumac, wild grape, honeysuckle, poison ivy, maple, and other tender woody or broadleaf vegetation available within a deer’s …
Best Cover Crops for Deer Food Plots: 6 Top Crops
The best cover crops for deer food plots include clover, cereal rye, winter wheat, oats, brassicas, and chicory because these crops provide attractive forage during different parts of the year. …
Best Trees for Deer Rubs: What Trees Do Bucks Prefer?
Bucks rub many tree species, but the best trees for deer rubs are typically smaller trees and saplings that provide a suitable trunk for antler rubbing and occur along areas …
Best Shrubs for Whitetail Deer: Food & Cover
The best shrubs for whitetail deer provide browse, seasonal food, dense cover, or a combination of these three habitat benefits. American plum, elderberry, dogwood, hazelnut, blackberry, raspberry, serviceberry, and sumac …
5 Best Native Grasses for Deer Bedding Cover
The best native grasses for deer bedding cover are switchgrass, big bluestem, Indiangrass, little bluestem, and eastern gamagrass. These grasses can create the height, density, and vertical structure whitetails need …
Best Trees for Deer Habitat: 10 Trees to Plant
The best trees for deer habitat are white oak, red oak, chestnut, persimmon, apple, crabapple, pear, mulberry, plum, and pawpaw. These trees improve hunting land by providing hard mast, soft …
How to Use Thermals When Deer Hunting: Full Guide
Using a thermal when deer hunting involves scanning likely deer habitat for heat signatures, identifying the animal, observing its movement, and using that information to make better hunting decisions. A …
How to Hunt Deer Around Mast Crops
Hunting deer around mast crops starts with finding the food sources deer are actively using, not simply locating oak trees, acorns, or other mast-producing plants. Mast availability can influence where …
How to Identify Community Scrapes: 7 Key Signs
A community scrape is identified by repeated use from multiple deer, consistent activity at the licking branch, and its connection to established deer travel routes. Scrape size alone does not …
How to Find Buck Staging Areas: Step-by-Step Guide
Buck staging areas are transition locations that bucks use between secure bedding cover and primary destinations, such as feeding areas. To find buck staging areas, identify likely bedding cover and …
How to Hunt Thermal Hubs for Deer: Complete Guide
Hunting thermal hubs for deer starts with identifying terrain where multiple air currents interact and determining how those currents carry scent through areas deer use for bedding and travel. Thermal …
How to Identify a Deer Travel Corridor: 7 Signs
A deer travel corridor can be identified by looking for repeated deer sign along terrain that connects bedding areas, feeding areas, water sources, and other frequently used locations. The strongest …
How to Identify Deer Bedding Areas: 7 Key Signs
Deer bedding areas can be identified by 7 primary signs: visible ground depressions, flattened vegetation, deer hair, tracks, droppings, concentrated trails, and secure surrounding cover. A single track or pile …