CCal Bergsma with a Pending Illinois State Record.

Boone and Crockett Club

MISSOULA, Mont. --(Ammoland.com)- Trophy whitetail entries from 2011 hunting seasons are beginning to pour into Boone and Crockett Club headquarters.

But while the sporting world waits to see which states are hot, or not, producers of giant bucks, North America’s overall robust trend in whitetail entries is a story for all conservationists to celebrate.

B&C historical records show that trophy whitetails are up 400 percent over the past 30 years.

“It’s worth remembering where America’s favorite big-game species stood not so long ago, at the brink of extinction, said Ben Wallace, Club president.

“In 1900, less than 500,000 whitetails remained. But habitat programs, research, science-based management, regulations and enforcement, all led and funded by hunters, brought this game animal back to extraordinary levels. Today there are more than 32 million whitetails!”

The Boone and Crockett system of scoring big-game trophies originated in 1906 as a means of recording details on species thought to be disappearing. Over time, these records evolved as an effective way to track the success or failure of conservation efforts.

As North America’s whitetail herd has grown, numbers of big bucks also have risen.

• For the period 1980-1985, hunters entered 617 trophy whitetails into Boone and Crockett records.
• For the period 2005-2010, the total jumped to 3,090, an increase of 400 percent.

During this 30-year span, many states and provinces saw percentage gains much greater than the continental average (see data below). For example, trophy whitetail entries from Wisconsin have risen 857 percent. In Illinois, the increase is 896 percent. Ontario went from a single entry to a whopping 41—a 4,000 percent gain!

Six states and provinces had zero entries in 1980-1985. For 2005-2010, they combined for 48.

Boone and Crockett offers two premier ways to trace and detail historic conservation developments, not just with whitetails but many other species as well.

A book, “Records of North American Big Game,” offers detailed tabular listings for trophies in 38 different categories of game. Each entry includes the all-time entry score, date harvested, location of kill, hunter and owner names, and selected measurements. At 768 pages, the book retails for $49.95.

A searchable online database, called “Trophy Search,” is another exceptional resource. By buying an annual subscription, users can sort B&C archival data in infinite ways to identify national as well as local trends. An annual subscription is $50.

Boone and Crockett Club Associates receive discounts on both items. Order online at www.boone-crockett.org or by calling 888-840-4868.

The list below includes state-by-state rankings for whitetail entries during the period 2005-2010, plus comparative data from 1980-1985.

B&C Trophy Whitetail Production, 2005-2010
(Typical and non-typical trophies combined)

1. Wisconsin, 383 entries (1980-1985 rank 3rd, 40 entries)
2. Illinois, 299 entries (1980-1985 rank 6th, 30 entries)
3. Iowa, 224 entries (1980-1985 rank 2nd, 59 entries)
4. Ohio, 215 entries (1980-1985 rank 14th, 16 entries)
5. Missouri, 214 entries (1980-1985 rank 9th (tie), 25 entries)
6. Kentucky, 199 entries (1980-1985 rank 9th (tie), 25 entries)
7. Indiana, 195 entries (1980-1985 rank 16th, 14 entries)
8. Kansas, 181 entries (1980-1985 rank 4th, 35 entries)
9. Minnesota, 172 entries (1980-1985 rank 1st, 76 entries)
10. Saskatchewan, 147 entries (1980-1985 rank 7th (tie), 27 entries)
11. Texas, 132 entries (1980-1985 rank 12th, 19 entries)
12. Alberta, 115 entries (1980-1985 rank 7th (tie), 27 entries)
13. Nebraska, 78 entries (1980-1985 rank 18th (tie), 12 entries)
14. Oklahoma, 48 entries (1980-1985 rank 22nd (tie), 7 entries)
15. Ontario, 41 entries (1980-1985 rank 42nd (tie), 1 entry)
16. Arkansas, 40 entries (1980-1985 rank 34th (tie), 3 entries)
17 (tie). Michigan, 39 entries (1980-1985 rank 17th, 13 entries)
17 (tie). Mississippi, 39 entries (1980-1985 rank 18th, 12 entries)
19. North Dakota, 31 entries (1980-1985 rank 31st (tie), 4 entries)
20. Pennsylvania, 26 entries (1980-1985 rank 45th (tie), 0 entries)
21. New York, 25 entries (1980-1985 rank 28th (tie), 5 entries)
22. South Dakota, 24 entries (1980-1985 rank 20th (tie), 8 entries)
23 (tie). Georgia, 23 entries (1980-1985 rank 5th, 31 entries)
23 (tie). Maryland, 23 entries (1980-1985 rank 28th (tie), 5 entries)
25 (tie). British Columbia, 19 entries (1980-1985 rank 24th (tie), 6 entries)
25 (tie). Maine, 19 entries (1980-1985 rank 11th, 20 entries)
27. Virginia, 17 entries (1980-1985 rank 22nd (tie), 7 entries)
28. Tennessee, 15 entries (1980-1985 rank 20th, 8 entries)
29. Colorado, 13 entries (1980-1985 rank 42nd (tie), 1 entry)
30. Idaho, 11 entries (1980-1985 rank 24th (tie), 6 entries)
31 (tie). Massachusetts, 8 entries (1980-1985 rank 45th (tie), 0 entries)
31 (tie). Quebec, 8 entries (1980-1985 rank 45th (tie), 0 entries)
33. Delaware, 7 entries (1980-1985 rank 42nd (tie), 1 entry)
34 (tie). Louisiana, 6 entries (1980-1985 rank 28th (tie), 5 entries)
34 (tie). Manitoba, 6 entries (1980-1985 rank 15th, 15 entries)
34 (tie). Washington, 6 entries (1980-1985 rank 31st (tie), 4 entries)
37 (tie). Montana, 5 entries (1980-1985 rank 13th, 17 entries)
37 (tie). Alabama, 5 entries (1980-1985 rank 34th (tie), 3 entries)
37 (tie). North Carolina, 5 entries (1980-1985 34th (tie), 3 entries)
40 (tie). Connecticut, 4 entries (1980-1985 rank 38th (tie), 2 entries)
40 (tie). New Hampshire, 4 entries (1980-1985 rank 38th (tie), 2 entries)
42 (tie). New Jersey, 3 entries (1980-1985 rank 45th (tie), 0 entries)
42 (tie). New Brunswick, 3 entries (1980-1985 rank 24th (tie), 6 entries)
42 (tie). West Virginia, 3 entries (1980-1985 rank 34th (tie), 3 entries)
45 (tie). Mexico, 2 entries (1980-1985 rank 24th (tie), 6 entries)
45 (tie). Wyoming, 2 entries (1980-1985 rank 38th (tie), 2 entries)
45 (tie). South Carolina, 2 entries (1980-1985 rank 45th (tie), 0 entries)
45 (tie). Nova Scotia, 2 entries (1980-1985 rank 31st (tie), 4 entries)
49 (tie). Oregon, 1 entry (1980-1985 rank 38th (tie), 2 entries)
49 (tie). Rhode Island, 1 entry (1980-1985 rank 45th (tie), 0 entries)

About the Boone and Crockett Club
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and associated wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair-chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include enlarging and protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For details, visit www.boone-crockett.org.

Winchester Introduces Power Max Bonded Ammunition just for Whitetails

Winchester Ammunition

East Alton, IL – -(Ammoland.com)- When it comes to whitetail deer hunting, Winchester has your back.

Introducing Power Max Bonded. Designed specifically for the whitetail deer hunter, Power Max Bonded delivers maximum performance at an affordable price.

The proprietary bonding process welds the lead core to a contoured copper allow jacket.

The aerodynamic profile of the protected hollow point (PHP) bullet design promotes long range accuracy and initiates maximum expansion to provide dramatic knock down power.

With long range accuracy, maximum bullet expansion and dramatic knock down power, you won’t be disappointed.

Dr. James Kroll Named as Deer Trustee for State of Wisconsin

NACOGDOCHES, Texas --(Ammoland.com)- After years of hunter frustration over the deer management policies, the State of Wisconsin has turned to one of the industry’s most respected authorities on whitetail deer. Dr. James C. Kroll (aka ‘Dr. Deer’)has been appointed as the state’s first Deer Trustee to help manage the state’s deer herd.

Dr. Kroll will conduct an objective, scientific study of Wisconsin deer management practices and work to restore soured relations between the state’s hunters and the Department of Natural Resources.

“Wisconsin is well-known for its outdoor traditions, and I’m excited to be working alongside wildlife officials and sportsmen to help ensure Wisconsin’s hunting heritage exists for many generations to come,” says Dr. James Kroll, who also serves as the director of the Institute for Whitetailed Deer Management and Research at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU).

“From land fragmentation to habitat to general health, our research will be reviewing all influences on Wisconsin’s deer herd and we’ll be actively looking for input from hunters across the state.”

Dr. Kroll will hold a series of ‘listening sessions’ in the coming months to hear the opinions and concerns of Wisconsin sportsmen.

“A management plan based on science is definitely the correct approach, but part of that science is social science and we need to listen to the landowners and the hunters in the field,” says Dr. Kroll.

“The habitat and management needs can vary greatly in different parts of the state and, for a proper management plan, we need to account for all of those unique conditions.”

The director of the Institute for White-tailed Deer Management and Research and Henry M. Rockwell Chair of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), Dr. Kroll has authored more than 300 technical and popular articles, ten books and numerous videos. Over the past three decades, he has appeared on TNN, ESPN, the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, Wild TV and Pursuit Channel, winning two awards for his Dr. Deer contributions. He appears weekly on North American Whitetail TV, and stars in Winchester presents Dr. Deer.

Dr. Kroll has also recently introduced his all-new Dr. Deer Management System, the industry’s first automated deer management consulting service. Developed in partnership with GMS, the Dr. Deer Management System helps hunters and land owners keep accurate records on their hunting properties and receive a professional analysis and consultation by Dr. Kroll within just a few hours. The program provides more than 27 different reports, year-to-year comparisons as well as geographical analysis for property and production quality. For more information on the Dr. Deer Management System, visit www.DrDeer.com

Based in Nacogdoches, Texas, Dr. James C. Kroll has celebrated the lives of whitetails for four decades and he is often considered the Father of Modern Deer Management. Through Dr. Deer Inc., Dr. Kroll provides information on the latest applied research and consulting services through the all-new Dr. Deer Management System. For more information on Dr. Deer Inc, visit www.DrDeer.com

Bass Pro Shops

Springfield, Missouri --(Ammoland.com)- Pressured, rut-weary bucks like to stage and browse in cover before hitting a field at dusk or after dark.

On cold afternoons, glass for bucks feeding or loafing on sunny slopes that face south or southwest.

On windy and frigid days, hunt deer down in draws or creek bottoms.

If a doe comes flitting by your stand kind of antsy and shaking her tail, then get ready.

Brenda Valentine is co-host of “100% Real Hunting” on Versus.

She might be coming into late heat and a buck might be coming along behind her.

When weary and skittish bucks don’t move a lot, sometimes it pays to go to them. If your stands aren’t producing, still hunt, especially if there’s snow on the ground.

Follow fresh tracks or hunt along a hillside and glass down into draws and bottoms. Any of these tactics could lead to success.

Brenda Valentine is co-host of “100% Real Hunting” on Versus.

For more tips, log onto basspro.com

About Bass Pro Shops Group:
Bass Pro Shops -56 retail stores in 26 states and Canada visited by over 110 million people annually, international catalog and internet retailing, American Rod & Gun wholesale division selling to over 7,000 independently owned retail stores worldwide, Outdoor World Incentives also selling Bass Pro Shops gift cards through over 132,000 retail outlets across America and a restaurant division with 26 locations. For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops store locations, products or special events, please visit www.basspro.com. To request a free catalog call 1-800-BASS PRO.

Bass Pro Shops

Springfield, Missouri --(Ammoland.com)- It will not mean doomsday for the deer herd if you shoot does! Just think about this!

If an area has 100 does and hunters take half of them, that would seem like too many.

But if those remaining 50 does all had twins, which is normal, there would now be 150 deer where the year before there were 100.

Compute the same way again the next year and your total is 225.

Larry Whiteley is host of the award-winning Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Radio.

Ten years later and the numbers are staggering. It is obvious then that hunting is no threat to a deer herd but too many deer for the available food supply is.

Besides, it takes just as much skill to take a wary doe as it does an 8-pointer. Mature does need to be culled and they offer the finest tasting venison of all.

Larry Whiteley is host of the award-winning Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Radio.

For more tips, log onto basspro.com

About Bass Pro Shops Group:
Bass Pro Shops -56 retail stores in 26 states and Canada visited by over 110 million people annually, international catalog and internet retailing, American Rod & Gun wholesale division selling to over 7,000 independently owned retail stores worldwide, Outdoor World Incentives also selling Bass Pro Shops gift cards through over 132,000 retail outlets across America and a restaurant division with 26 locations. For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops store locations, products or special events, please visit www.basspro.com. To request a free catalog call 1-800-BASS PRO.

N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission

North Carolina --(Ammoland.com)- Recent actions by the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission to confiscate and euthanize deer prompted numerous responses, some of which are based on incomplete or inaccurate information.

Our actions were performed in the interest of wildlife conservation and public safety.

Our officers and biologists implemented agency policies in strict accordance with state law and with the utmost professionalism, respect, and consideration. In keeping with the agency’s mission to conserve wildlife resources and to communicate the importance of healthy wildlife, I offer the following clarification of the reasons those actions were undertaken.

White-tailed deer are native wildlife that are important to the ecology of North Carolina and belong to all citizens of the State. To safeguard this public trust, it is unlawful for individuals to hold or confine deer without a permit. Requirements for holding deer in captivity are necessary to safeguard the health and safety of wildlife resources, livestock, and humans.

North Carolina law requires that any deer, elk or other member of the family Cervidae held in captivity must be in a facility licensed by the WRC. Strict record keeping of the origin and movement of cervids, as well as health, status, and disposition of animals in a licensed facility is required. These requirements are in place to minimize the potential for transfer of dangerous wildlife diseases, including Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and tuberculosis. They also are designed to provide early detection and containment of diseases should they be discovered. In addition to testing captive cervids, the Wildlife Resources Commission also tests free-ranging white-tailed deer in accordance with surveillance protocols established in North Carolina’s Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan. For video information about CWD, click here.

Since the 1980s CWD has been detected in 19 states, including West Virginia (2005), Virginia (2010), and Maryland (2011). CWD is a fatal and debilitating disease that has caused serious ecological and economic impact in areas where it has become established. Due to the severity of the potential impacts from CWD, extensive surveillance programs that monitor CWD distribution and prevalence have been instituted nationwide. In order to minimize the threat of its importation and establishment, North Carolina in 2003 implemented stringent requirements and restrictions on importation and confinement of cervids. These requirements are instrumental in preventing the establishment of CWD. Modeling research in the state of Wisconsin where CWD was detected in 2002 suggests that, if left unmanaged, CWD will spread throughout Wisconsin resulting in an infection rate in adult deer of at least 40%. These research results are mirrored by current data in Colorado and Wyoming, where in some areas average infection rates exceed 40% across thousands of square miles, suggesting the disease continues to spread widely across the landscape. Our actions are intended to avoid these consequences in North Carolina.

There are two types of authorized facilities for holding deer in North Carolina. Both are required to be permitted or licensed and inspected for humane care and compliance with requirements for thorough record-keeping and disease testing. Fawn rehabilitators are specially trained to rehabilitate injured or orphaned white-tailed deer fawns. They are authorized to temporarily hold fawn deer for release back into the wild. Free-ranging adult deer held in captivity even for relatively short periods, can lose their natural fear of humans. These deer are not suitable for reintroduction into the wild and pose serious public safety risks including human injury and death.

The other authorized type of facility for holding deer in North Carolina is a captive cervid facility. North Carolina has more than 50 licensed captive cervid facilities including deer farming operations. These facilities operate within established guidelines, and the licensees recognize the need for proper enforcement in order to protect their property, as well as the public’s wildlife, from potentially devastating diseases.

Protecting and conserving the wildlife resources of the State is an important responsibility. In August 2011, our staff became aware of an individual possessing captive deer in Randolph County without license or permits. The facility operator had been notified on several occasions, dating back to 2003, that licensure and strict operational guidelines were required to hold deer in captivity. In February 2004, the operator was sent notification that he was ineligible to possess cervids in captivity. After learning of the presence of captive cervids at this location, we conducted due diligence in investigation, initiating legal process including obtaining a warrant, and continued close monitoring. In September 2011, nine deer were confiscated and euthanized with rifles and a shotgun so they could be tested for CWD. Firearms such as these are accepted forms of humane euthanasia for wildlife, and all personnel involved had been trained in the practice by a licensed veterinarian. Euthanasia was required because the origin of these deer could not be verified, and because continuous containment within the facility could not be assured. Unfortunately, there is no approved testing procedure available for live deer because protocol for CWD testing requires either a lymph node or brain tissue sample. Furthermore, the CWD incubation period can range from 16 months to five years; therefore, a negative test result for an individual deer from a group provides no assurance that the remaining deer in the group would test negative.

Also in August, our staff learned of deer held in an unlicensed facility in Surry County. In this instance, two fawns had been held in captivity for several months with an adult male deer of unknown origin. If the fawns had been turned over to a licensed facility for rehabilitation when they were found they most likely could have been returned to the wild with a high chance for survival. However, due to the intense level of human interaction, all three deer were unlikely to survive in the wild. Additionally, because the fawns were commingled with a deer of unknown origin, their origin and health status could not be verified. As a result, the animals were euthanized with immobilizing drugs and a bolt gun.

The risks to wildlife resources and public safety from disease transmission and human habituation are very serious. It is unfortunate that the actions of otherwise well-meaning persons can result in the destruction of these resources.

The WRC urges all NC citizens to learn more about issues associated with holding wildlife in captivity by visiting our website www.ncwildlife.org or calling 919-707-0050 for more information.

• People Urged to Leave Fawns Alone
• Touching, Feeding Young Wildlife Can Endanger People, Animals
• Maryland White-tailed Deer Tests Positive for CWD
• North Carolinians Hunting in Virginia Must Follow CWD Rules
• Public Urged to Leave Fawns Alone
• Wildlife Commission Urges Public to Leave Young Animals Alone
• Deer Tests Positive for CWD in North Dakota
• Deer Tests Positive for CWD in Missouri
• Deer Tests Positive for CWD in Virginia

Mossy Oak

WEST POINT, MS --(Ammoland.com)- Q: What time of the year do you do your scouting?

A:My scouting is done 365, 24-7. I divide my yearly scouting into thirds. The first trimester starts in the beginning of April and last through August. The first four months of this third, April, May, June and July, my scouting efforts are almost exclusively through the eyes of trail cameras strategically positioned over mineral licks.

The bucks’ antlers are starting to show promise at this time but not to the extent that you can tell which buck is which from the previous hunting seasons. As August approaches and the deer are hitting natural food sources like corn, soy and alfalfa, I add a few cameras to the arsenal in the travel corridors heading toward those areas.

Mossy Oak Pro Staff Member Mike Monteleone

The second trimester is September, October, and November. At this time the deer have sprouted their antlers to full potential and have distinguished characteristics. Trail Cameras are still used but moved from mineral licks to travel routes, food plots, crop fields, acorn flats and bait stations (dependent upon game laws in each state). By this time each deer can be recognized from prior years or you’ll see new deer that moved in from other areas. Each deer is cataloged and noted. As the trail cams are taking photos 24-7 in dense cover, long range scouting where possible is done at dusk with spotting scopes and binoculars. When late September and early October arrives and the acorns are littering the ground, 50 percent of 30 trail cameras are then moved and strategically positioned to take photos of oaks that are about 12-15 inches in diameter. My experience has taught me that these trees attract more deer than the smaller or larger trees. Archery seasons in the East, specifically Maryland and Delaware, starts in September, so while the trail cameras are scouting these oak flats I’m normally in a tree hunting. But more importantly, I’m observing for hunting the month of November.

November – Need I say more! Obviously hunting is the priority during this month. November is in my second trimester of scouting but not the current November – it is November from the previous hunting season that is so important here. Ninety percent of my November scouting is done from an elevated hunting position or from low-impact scouting as I walked to and from my treestand the year before. In general, bucks of all ages will have the same habits the current year as their predecessors the years before. And if you’re lucky, and a “hit-list” buck you spotted the prior year may return and give you a chance that you didn’t get before.

The third trimester begins in December and lasts through March. Some older bucks are still searching for receptive does in December but for the most part they have returned to their wintering grounds. Bucks are trying to replenish the fat and muscle loss from the strenuous rut so scouting is done at a distance with binoculars when possible and hunting over late season food sources in states where hunting seasons are still active.

When the cold weather hits in January and the hunting pressure is minimal due to most hunters taking refuge in front of the fireplace, you can bet the bucks will be hitting the food wherever they can find it. I set up cameras on the edges of the thickest cover bordering natural food sources, crop fields and food plots.

My February, March and the beginning of April scouting is done via foot in all areas of my hunting grounds, including bedding areas and designated sanctuaries. Shed hunting is the key to locating the core areas of bucks you have been hunting and will be hunting in the coming year. You will lay a lot of shoe leather but it is necessary in determining which bucks survived the hunting season and brutal winter.

Q: Do you use trail cameras to help you scout?

A:Yes, they are important in my scouting techniques as mentioned above.

Q: Do you use food plots or other food type attractants?

A:Yes, food plots, mineral licks, crop fields and oaks.

Q: How do you hunt big bucks before the rut and early in the bow season?

A:September and October hunting strategies are based on prior scouting methods, usually by hunting over food sources or on travel corridors to and from food sources. Bucks are still in bachelor groups and still somewhat calm. Contrary to popular belief, big bucks can be patterned for a brief period of time in early September. If you are lucky enough to hunt a state that allows bowhunitng in September; this is the time to ambush a big buck before he sheds his velvet. After their velvet is shed, mature bucks normally go underground and can be found at food sources in thick cover before dark. Mature bucks wait for the cover of darkness before entering open crop fields so hunting a travel route in between a staging area and a crop field is the way to go when hunting afternoons and evenings. Morning hunting setups should be similar – ambush a buck as he leaves a crop field or before he goes to bed by hunting a travel route in between the two. As Late October approaches start hunting the downwind side of doe bedding areas. The last week of October is when the larger bucks appear in daylight, so think about hunting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the next two weeks.

Q: How do you hunt scrapes during the pre-rut?

A:I don’t hunt scrapes just to hunt a scrapes. I feel the chances of a big buck showing himself before dark at a scrape are slim to none. And Slim just left town. So that being said, I hunt downwind of a known food source and make my own mock scrapes about 40 yards upwind of my stand location. Normally, I hunt these areas only in the afternoons and evenings. During this phase of the rut, a buck’s priority is to feed first then mate so morning hunting is not a priority of mine. Until the chase phase kicks in, I believe that most big bucks are in bed before we get out of bed so I’m sleeping in!

Q: Do you use scent control products?

A:Definitively! Scent control products, whether carbon or anti-microbial clothing or scent reducing sprays or the like will never eliminate all of your human odor, but they do minimize a human’s scent tremendously. So much so, that if a buck decides to appear unexpectedly downwind of your location, he may feel that his enemy is further away than he thinks and it may give you that extra second that you need to pull off the shot. Or, if an unexpected wind shift or thermal sends your scent in a forbidden direction, you may go undetected by the skittish doe that has a buck in tow. Scent control products will give you that extra edge.

Q: How important is wind direction when deciding where to hunt?

A:You should always have wind direction in your favor. A deer’s first defense is through its sense of smell, especially if it is a mature deer. I’m sure I’ve been busted by a buck and didn’t even know it. On many occasions I’ve watched a buck cross my track hours after I walked on a trail, jump out of his skin and bolt in the opposite direction. I’ve also watched younger bucks walk the same trail I walked smelling every step I took, eventually to learn that the trail was getting stronger the closer he got and move in the opposite direction.If a mature buck catches your scent in any form, be assured you won’t see him walking in your direction. He’ll be heading south in most cases.

Q: What is your favorite time of the hunting season to hunt?

A:I love to hunt whitetails no matter the time of year. The key is to change strategies as the year progresses to maximize your success and your enjoyment. An individual’s hunting season is full of ups and downs and if you keep at it the entire season, you’ll maximize your chance of success.

The Mossy Oak ProStaff is a group of top outdoors men and women from across the country that act as spokespersons for the Brand. Members of the Elite ProStaff are people the hunting community will recognize from their hunting expertise and accomplishments, videos, TV and magazine articles. Our Regional ProStaff is a group of accomplished hunters who promote Mossy Oak in various regions across the U.S. They also manage a more localized Field Staff in their regions. From event support to retail store grand openings to radio and TV appearances, our ProStaff adds value to the Mossy Oak Brand nationally, regionally and locally.

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA --(Ammoland.com)- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today announced that test results from a wild deer have confirmed that epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) has been found in Northampton County. This sample was collected Aug. 18.

EHD also has been confirmed in captive deer in Northampton County in the vicinity of the wild deer. Additionally, one captive deer in Erie County was confirmed to have died of EHD, based on a sample collected Aug. 13.

Residents are encouraged to call their respective Game Commission region office to report dead or sick deer. Contact information is available on page 5 of the 2011-12 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, which is presented to each license buyer, and also on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “About Us” in the menu bar at the top of the page and then selecting “Regional Information.”

To provide the public with more information about EHD, the agency has posted an EHD information page on its website (www.pgc.state.pa.us). To view the information, place your cursor over “Wildlife” in the menu bar at the top of the page, then put your cursor over “Wildlife Diseases” in the drop-down menu listing and then click on “Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).”

EHD is a common but sporadic disease in white-tailed deer populations of the United States, and is contracted by the bite of insects called “biting midges.” In more northern states, such as Pennsylvania, EHD occurs less often and affected deer are less likely to mount an effective immune response. The virus usually kills the deer within five to 10 days. It is not spread from deer to deer by contact. While EHD is not infectious to humans, deer displaying severe symptoms of EHD are usually not suitable for consumption because of the rapid deterioration of the meat and secondary bacterial infection.

“Reports of dead or dying deer are important to us,” said Doug Killough, Game Commission Southeast Region Office director. “Though an actual count of afflicted deer is impossible to obtain, because of rapid decomposition and the area where the outbreak is occurring, we still value these reports. Also, tissue samples must be extracted within 24 hours of death to be suitable for conducting tests. That is why it is so important that we hear from residents as soon as possible after they find a suspect deer.”

There is no evidence that humans are at risk from EHD, but other diseases could be transmitted by careless hygiene when processing deer.

“As a routine precaution, all hunters are encouraged to wear rubber or latex gloves when handling or field-dressing any animal, and wash their hands and tools thoroughly after field dressing,” Killough said. “As with any wild game, meat should always be thoroughly cooked.

“Even though some EHD symptoms are similar to those of chronic wasting disease (CWD) – such as excessive drooling, weakness and a loss of fear of humans – there is no relationship between EHD and CWD. However, because these diseases coexist, deer submitted for EHD testing also are being tested for CWD.”

EHD is one of those diseases in which the mortality rate can be amplified by anything that serves to congregate deer, such as supplemental feeding, and placement of salt or mineral blocks. While the disease is not spread through deer-to-deer contact, congregating animals through feeding does make transmission easier by allowing midges that carry the virus greater access to a larger number of animals in a more confined area. Therefore, such feeding activities should be discontinued immediately.

In 1996, EHD was suspected to be the cause of death in nearly 25 deer in Adams County, but test results in that case were inconclusive. Other outbreaks in Pennsylvania were confirmed in 2002 and 2007.

New Jersey Fish and Game

Trenton, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is informing the public that the NJ Fish and Game Council has approved all proposed amendments to the 2011 – 2012 Game Code.

The Game Code governs the activities relating to the taking of wildlife classified as game animals, game birds, or furbearers.

The approved amendments included, but were not limited to, the following:

• The addition of five days to the rabbit and hare hunting season
• A statewide closure of the bobwhite quail season, with the exception of the Greenwood and Peaslee WMAs and existing semi-wild and commercial shooting preserves
• The elimination of separate black bear hunting seminars as bear hunting will now be included in the regular hunter education classes
• The creation of special black bear farmer permits
• The addition of a second Saturday to the fall turkey hunting season
• Expansion of the early bow and arrow-only coyote and fox season, and regular coyote and fox season dates
• Removal of the requirement for youth hunters to take an antlerless deer before an antlered deer during the early fall bow deer season
• Inclusion of five additional deer management zones (DMZ) into the Antler Point Restriction program
• Creation of a new deer regulation set, 3a
• Boundary changes to DMZs 19, 23, 25 and 65

The Game Code amendments will be incorporated into this year’s hunting season regulations which are published in the Hunting Issue of the NJ Fish and Wildlife DIGEST. The 2011 Hunting Digest will be available at license agents the first week of September and on this website at the end of August.

For more information on the Game Code amendments, including a link to the full proposal document, visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2011/gamecode11-12_approved.htm on the division’s website.

Big Rack Classic

Marthasville, Missouri –-(Ammoland.com)- Big Rack Classic, LLC introduces the Big Rack Challenge 2011, a big buck challenge to showcase Missouri’s whitetails.

Top honors in both the archery and firearms divisions will take home more than $15,000 in cash and prizes with the top 10 places in each category getting a cut of the $125,000 being awarded.

To be eligible for the Big Rack Challenge 2011, hunters must become members of the BRC, LLC prior to November 1, 2011. Any Missouri whitetail buck legally taken from September 15, 2011 –January 15, 2012 and scored by an official Boone & Crockett or Pope & Young scorer is eligible for entry. All bucks must be taken after membership fee is received and confirmed.

“For a first year event we are getting a lot of positive feedback; not only from members but our sponsors as well,” said Steve Molitor, co-founder of Big Rack Classic, LLC. “A membership into the BRC, LLC not only allows you to enter the Big Rack Challenge 2011, but many of our sponsors are offering discounts to members.”

In conjunction with the Big Rack Challenge 2011, BRC, LLC is hosting the Big Rack Jr. Challenge open to Missouri youth hunters, 15 years old and under. No membership is required. The top 10 bucks in the Jr. Challenge will win prizes.

“We also are donating to the youth hunting and conservation programs in Missouri like the NWTF’s JAKES program,” said Molitor.

All prizes will be awarded at a banquet to be held in Columbia, Missouri on April 14, 2012

For rules, eligibility and how to sign up for the Big Rack Challenge 2011 go to the website www.bigrackclassic.com/big-rack-challenge

For more information on Big Rack Classic, LLC go to www.bigrackclassic.com. Be sure to follow Big Rack Classic, LLC on Facebook, Facebook.com/Big-Rack-Classic-LLC and Twitter, Twitter.com/BIgRackClassic.

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Delaware --(Ammoland.com)- The fawning season for white-tailed deer in Delaware has begun, with most fawns born during the last week of May through the first week of June.

With the season’s onset come the inevitable calls to DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife about “abandoned” fawns, and how “doing the right thing” means “saving” these newborns by bringing them home or to a wildlife rehabilitator.

Actually that’s the wrong thing to do and the wrong approach to take with your concern, according to DNREC wildlife biologist Joe Rogerson: “There are a number of things people who remove fawns from the field may not realize,” he said. “First and foremost, the fawn hasn’t been ‘abandoned’ at all.

“Newborn fawns need to feed every few hours so the mother never strays far. So even if a fawn appears to be alone, the doe is likely bedded close by,” Rogerson said. “Fawns don’t become active enough to start traveling with their mothers until they are about two months old, so the survival instinct of a newborn fawn is to stay very still and ‘hide’ from predators.”

Furthermore, research has shown that many fawns cared for by people have a greatly decreased chance of survival once they are released back into the wild, compared to their counterparts raised by their mothers. Fawns raised in the wild are able to learn survival instincts from their mothers that people simply cannot teach them.

Not only is removing a fawn from its hiding place not in the animal’s best interest, it is also illegal for an individual in Delaware to possess a live white-tailed deer. If found guilty, such an offense is punishable by a fine not less than $250, nor more than $1,000, plus the costs of prosecution and court costs; the person may also be fined and imprisoned for up to 30 days. In addition, any deer held illegally in captivity will be removed by the Division.

“The bottom line is, if you really care about the fawn and its well-being, please leave the animal alone. Its mother will return and the animal will have a far greater chance at survival than if you take it home,” Rogerson added.

For more information about fawns or Delaware’s white-tailed deer, please contact Joe Rogerson, DNREC Wildlife Section, at 302-735-3600.

Game Management Solutions

WACO, Texas --(Ammoland.com)- As the No. 1 game management software in the deer and wildlife industry, GMS is proud to announce its new partnership with Dr. Deer Inc. for the deer industry’s first automated deer management consulting service.

The all-new Dr. Deer Management System gives property owners, hunt clubs and individual sportsmen access to exclusive information about raising deer and managing wildlife on their land from Dr. James C. Kroll, renowned author, instructor and expert on whitetail deer.

After years of working closely with landowners and committing countless resources, GMS has created this new one-of-a-kind tool that helps hunters and land owners keep accurate records on their hunting properties. With a click of a mouse, a hunter or land manager can have Dr. Kroll (aka Dr. Deer) analyze the data and provide professional feedback and consultation within just a few hours. The program provides more than 27 different reports, year-to-year comparisons as well as geographical analysis for property and production quality.

“We’re very excited about this new innovation that opens the door to quality deer management for everyone interested in having healthier and higher quality deer on their property,” says Mike Owens, president of GMS. “In the past, an individual had to hire a consultant, schedule a field visit, spend untold hours collecting data, and then wait for the consultant to ‘get back to them’ with advice. The whole process was expensive and time consuming. However, with the new Dr. Deer Management System, a property owner can collect the data throughout the various seasons and then send the data directly to Dr. Kroll via GMS software.”

The Dr. Deer Management System, designed by GMS, offers three different operating packages. The Dr. Deer Management System Basic provides a license for GMS software and a copy of all the available reports delivered electronically once a year. The Dr. Deer Management System Plus includes the Basic package and includes personal comments by Dr. Kroll on each report. The Dr. Deer Management System Pro package includes all of the benefits of the Plus package and also includes a one-day on-site visit and consultation from Dr. Kroll. For more information and pricing, call GMS at 254.752.1608 or visit www.DrDeer.com.

Widely recognized as the Father of Modern Whitetail Management, Dr. Kroll is director of the Institute for White-tailed Deer Management and Research and Henry M. Rockwell Chair of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU). He has authored more than 200 technical and popular articles, ten books, and has produced videos for NBC, TNN, and the Outdoor Channel networks, as well as a video management series. Kroll is a regular contributor for 38 magazines, including North American Whitetail, Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunter, and Game & Fish magazines. He is recognized as the authority on intensive whitetail management and economic development of wildlife-recreation enterprises and one of the founding fathers of the Texas Deer Association.

GMS software is considered by most industry experts to be the most user-friendly game management software on the market today. GMS helps hunting operations and land owners manage properties whose focus is on quality deer and game management (including deer farmers/breeders), organize and maintain all of the pertinent information needed to manage a successful ranch. Innovative and comprehensive, the GMS program allows users to begin quality deer management, track all aspects of a hunting property, develop plans to help maximize herd health, quantify herd ratios, compositions and age structures, develop a wildlife management plan, schedule hunts, record information in the field via Pocket PC technology and much more.

To learn more about GMS and the Dr. Deer Management System, call 254.752.1608, email gamesolutions@sbcglobal.net or visit www.wildlifemanagementsoftware.com.

Located in Waco, Texas, GMS offers technology for successful game management and is the No. 1 Game Management Solution in the Deer Industry. For more information on GMS, call 254.752.1608 or visit www.wildlifemanagementsoftware.com.

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA --(Ammoland.com)- “Each spring, deer congregate on the grassy areas along the state’s busy highways, and cover greater distances in search of food,” Roe said. “This activity makes vehicle collisions with deer all but inevitable.

“For the sake of public safety, the Game Commission is asking motorists to watch for deer and to drive defensively after dark and before sunrise, which is when deer are most active. Your efforts can help to keep accidents to a minimum, which, in turn, will reduce or eliminate hardships to your family and other Pennsylvanians.”

Roe noted that being more knowledgeable about deer can help Pennsylvanians steer clear of a deer-vehicle collision. For instance, in spring, young deer – last year’s fawns – are on the move as does chase them away to prepare to give birth to this year’s fawns. Yearling does usually travel no farther than necessary and will often later reunite with the doe after her new fawns begin traveling with her. However, young bucks typically disperse farther to set up their own home range.

“Unfortunately, these young deer make tragic mistakes when crossing roads in spring and moving through areas unfamiliar to them,” said Roe. “They’re no longer following the leader, they’re moving independently. And that increases the potential for an accident, especially in areas harboring large deer populations.”

If a deer steps onto a road, Roe said, motorists should slow down and come to a controlled stop as soon as possible, and turn on their hazard flashers. Stopping may not be an option on busy highways, unless the driver can reach the shoulder of the road.

“Don’t risk trying to drive around a deer,” Roe said. “Since deer usually move in single file, more deer may be following, so you should stop, or at least slow down, to make sure all deer have passed.

“Also, deer sometimes abruptly reverse their direction right after crossing a road. This is a defensive mechanism that often kicks in when deer are startled, and they retrace their footsteps to other deer they’re traveling with or return to an area they’ve already checked for danger.”

Deer in northern counties spend a good deal of time in spring feeding on the tender shoots in grassy areas alongside busy highways. Motorists should slow down immediately whenever they see grazing deer along roads. While deer dining next to busy highways and interstates are often not bothered by the traffic, deer along rural roads seem less tolerant and are more edgy.

“The only thing predictable about whitetails is that they’re definitely unpredictable,” Roe said. “The moment you think you have them figured out, they start showing you something new.

“However, we also know that deer are creatures of habit. If you see a deer-crossing sign posted along a road you’re traveling, it’s a good idea to slow down especially around dawn and dusk. These signs are placed in areas where deer have been crossing roads for years. Ignoring these signs is asking for trouble.”

Drivers who hit a deer are not required to report the accident to the Game Commission. If the deer dies, only Pennsylvania residents may claim the carcass. To do so, they must call the Game Commission for a permit number within 24 hours of taking possession of the deer.

However, to report a dead deer for removal from state roads, motorists can call the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.

The permit number issued by the agency lets meat processors and law enforcement officials know that possession of the deer is legal, and not the result of poaching. Antlers from bucks killed in vehicle collisions must be turned over to the Game Commission.

If a deer is struck by a vehicle, but not killed, drivers are urged to stay their distance because some deer may recover and move on. However, if a deer does not move on, or poses a public safety risk, drivers are encouraged to report the incident to a Game Commission regional office or other local law enforcement agency. If the deer must be put down, the Game Commission will direct the proper person to do so.

Other tips for motorists:

• Stay alert and don’t count on deer whistles or deer fences to deter deer from crossing roads in front of you. Deer can’t hear ultrasonic frequencies and there is no scientific evidence that deer whistles are effective.
• Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulders of roads. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
• Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population; where deer-crossing signs are posted; places where deer commonly cross roads or are struck by motorists; areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forests; and whenever in forested areas between dusk and dawn.
• Deer do unpredictable things. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing. Sometimes they cross and quickly re-cross back from where they came. Sometimes they move toward an approaching vehicle. Assume nothing. Slow down, blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road. Stop if a deer stays on the road; don’t try to go around it.

Fertilizing selected oaks can encourage a bumper crop of acorns in good years.

J. Wayne Fears

Pottstown PA --(Ammoland.com)- It was raining pieces of white oak acorns, so loud that I was concerned that a buck would walk up and I wouldn’t hear him.

I was on my climbing stand in a large pine which grew on a brushy fencerow some 20 yards from the “noisy oak”.

The big white oak was loaded with acorns and every squirrel in the area had gotten up early to feed in the tree.

I was proud of this oak, and its bumper crop of acorns, as I had something to do with abundance of mast this tree produced.

As it became light enough to see I watched two doe ease out of the woods and under the big oak. The oak was growing in the edge of a pasture and was not crowded with other trees. It was near enough to the woods line deer and other wildlife felt safe feeding under the tree during years it produced acorns.

J Wayne Fears applys granular fertilizer all the way from the drip line in to within three feet of the tree’s trunk with a hand held seeder/fertilizer spreader.

The last two years it yielded a record harvest of acorns and deer, wild turkey and squirrels had enjoyed the feast. The previous year, I had taken two above average bucks feeding here and I had high hopes of doing better this year.

As the does begin to feed, they kept looking up and staring at what appeared to be the base of the pine I was in. Suddenly a long tined nine-point buck jumped the fence and trotted under the big oak and started feeding. I waited to draw my bow, looking for the perfect broadside shot. As I waited, four, then three more wild turkey hens sailed out of the woods behind me and landed at the feet of the buck. Like a flash, the does and the buck ran into the woods. The “feast tree” was paying off and it was only the beginning of the season. I knew it was only going to get better, and it did.

Selected Oaks Respond to Fertilizer
The large white oak in this article didn’t have a track record of producing acorns every year in abundance. In fact, some years it didn’t produce acorns at all. I had selected the tree and others similar to it to fertilize annually to increase its acorn production and after a period of time it paid off and it is still paying off.

Research by foresters have proven that carefully selected oak, and other mast producing trees, can be helped nutritionally by following a fertilization program and after a period of time, if other conditions are favorable, the tree will produce a high yield of mast. To the hunter this can mean having a number of trees he has selected and with the use of fertilizer and other improvements we will discuss, have several stand sites that hold a lot of potential for attracting bucks. Developing the project is a fun spring activity and, while it takes time, sometimes years, when the “feast trees” do entice a buck, there is a lot of satisfaction knowing you teamed up with Mother Nature to have a successful hunt.

Here are the steps to having your own secret “feast trees”.

Selecting Trees to Fertilize
The word “select” is the key word in fertilizing oaks for deer. I have seen many hunters go out and pick out a large oak and fertilize it with little or no results. It is a lot more to it than that. The first thing that is necessary is to get to know the kind of oak you are going to work with. Since there are about 80 different oaks in this country I am going to use the white oak as an example in this article.

The white oak is my favorite oak to fertilize because it is found throughout much of eastern U.S. and it is a favorite food of deer. The reason it is sought out by deer in the fall when acorns are falling is because the white oak acorns have less tannin than the red or black oaks. Tannin causes acorns to be bitter to the taste. Indians and early explorers and settlers ate white oak acorns and made them palatable by boiling the meat of the acorn. I have eaten acorns prepared that way and it is not bad. It is even sweeter to the taste when the acorns are from an oak that has been fertilized a few years.

Having a few secret oaks that you fertilize does not guarantee hunting success but it helps put the odds in your favor for quality bucks.

It comes as a surprise to some hunters to learn that many white oaks, as well as other oaks, do not produce mast every year. Some do not have a record of ever producing acorns. Individual white oak trees tend to have either a very good or a very poor seed crop and are consistent in seed production from year to year, be it good or bad. Trees growing free of competition, with ample sunlight and growing in fertile soils have been known to produce acorns as young as 25 years of age. Other trees growing in thick forest conditions with lots of competition, poor sunlight and in poor soils may not produce acorns until they are well over 50 years of age or older. Some may never produce acorns.

All of this to say that just picking a white oak tree and fertilizing it is not the answer. You must take a lot of time and select white oak trees that you know produces acorns and then go to work to make it even more productive. Sometimes this takes a couple of years or more. Once you find a good seed producer mark the tree so you can find it again. It is a good idea to mark its location on your topo map and to store its location in your GPS.

I like scouting for good seed producing trees in the early fall when squirrels are feeding in white oaks. Find a white oak full of feeding squirrels and you have probably found a good “feast tree”. Also, you will have the makings of a squirrel stew.

Keep in mind that even the best acorn producing white oaks can have a bad year. White oaks, and many other oaks, flower when the leaves begin to emerge at the first of spring. Dry winds or freezing temperatures can be detrimental to flower development and that year’s acorn crop is lost.

For this reason, and the fact you don’t want to hunt too hard around just one tree and cause the deer feeding there to become nocturnal, it is a good idea to have several trees in a variety of settings to fertilize. At the present I am working with six trees, three are in bottomland setting and three are on a mountaintop setting. If a late frost gets some of them there is a chance the others will not be damaged. In good seed producing years I have six good places to hunt without putting too much pressure on any one.

Reduce Competition
As I stated above, to be good seed producers oaks must be as free of competition as possible. Tall oaks with crowns reaching above the upper level of the forest canopy receive a lot of sunlight and are usually among the best acorn producers. Oaks out in the open even better. The best “feast tree” I ever developed was the one I wrote about in the beginning of this article. It was just out of the woods in the edge of a pasture. It still is known as the “buck tree”.

If the oak tree you have selected to fertilize has other trees crowding it you need to eliminate as many as practical. This is especially true with those which touch the crown. The more open the tree, the better as far as potential acorn production is concerned. Studies have shown that acorn producing white oaks growing in thick woods may produce 10,000 acorns in a good year, a tree in a more open environment may produce 20,000 or more.

How to Fertilize
Fertilizing a selected oak is more than a matter of scattering a handful of fertilizer at its base. There are two methods of fertilizing your selected oaks. The first is the use of 13-13-13 granular fertilizer. This should be applied in early spring. Apply it at a rate of 2 pounds per 1000 square feet of crown. A mature white oak with a crown measuring 80 X 80 feet, or 6400 sq. ft., would require about 13 pounds of fertilizer.

You want to apply the fertilizer from the edge of the drip line, that is the outer edge of the further most tips of branches from the tree trunk, to within three feet of the trunk of the tree. If there is a lot of leaves and limbs on the ground in the fertilizer area than you will want to take a rake and rake them away so that the fertilizer comes in contact with the soil quickly. I like to lightly disc up the soil where I am going to fertilize under an oak with an ATV pulled disc. Use a Cyclone-type hand seeder/fertilizer spreader to distribute the granular fertilizer uniformly.

A second method is to purchase a box of fruit or shade tree fertilizer spikes at a nursery or garden supply store and follow the instructions on the box. They are more expensive than granular fertilizer but easy to carry into the woods for use.

Deer enjoy the less bitter taste of white oak acorns and are attracted to trees which produce a good crop of acorns.

Results Takes Time
While this is a good way to increase the acorn production of a selected oak don’t expect to see bushels of acorns appear on the tree the next fall. Based on my experience it is usually the third year, all other things going right, such as no late spring frost, that you can see a significant increase in the acorn crop. Like most habitat management, it take time and this is a long term project that requires fertilization every year.

This is not only a good habitat improvement project for deer hunters but it is a good technique for squirrel hunters and wild turkey hunters as well. On my farm in Heflin, Alabama I had a friend who was an avid coon hunter and he found two of my “feast trees” by accident. Every time he turned his dogs loose near the trees they would tree a coon in them and often there were several coons in the trees. Not knowing I had been fertilizing the trees for several years he once ask me why those two trees always attracted so many coons in the fall. He will know when he reads this.

Be sure to select and fertilize several oaks in the area where you hunt. I have known hunters who developed only one “feast tree” and they hunted it almost every weekend during the deer season. The trees worked great the very first few days of the season but it didn’t take long for the bucks, and does, to catch on and they fed only at night.

Also mark the trees you fertilize or have a way of finding them when the hunting season opens. I have seen hunters put a lot of effort into fertilizing oaks only to not be able to find them opening day. However, keep your trees a closely guarded secret. Share your “feast tree’s” whereabouts to one or two and soon there will be a parade coming to your tree to watch the acorns grow, or fall.

This same method of fertilizing oaks can work just as well on almost any mast producing tree, whether it is soft mast or hard. I use it on selected persimmon trees, old apple and pear trees, and saw-tooth oaks. It is not a guaranteed buck, but it sure adds to the odds in your favor.

Check out J Wayne Fear’s Book How to Manage Native Plants for Deer for more info on deer habitat management.

American Deer & Wildlife Alliance

AUSTIN, Texas --(Ammoland.com)- The American Deer & Wildlife Alliance (ADWA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Dr. Deer Inc., the industry’s leading voice for modern deer management.

ADWA and Dr. James C. Kroll, known nationally as ‘Dr. Deer,’ will work together to promote the deer industry and increase public awareness for issues relating to deer, hunting and wildlife management.

“Dr. Kroll is widely recognized as the Father of Modern Whitetail Management, and it’s a privilege and honor to be working with him to promote the benefits of deer management,” says John Meng, president of the American Deer Association.

“There are many misconceptions today, even among sportsmen, about deer management and the benefits that well-conceived management plans can bring to properties of all sizes. We will work closely with Dr. Kroll to create greater awareness for how hunters and land owners can improve hunting experiences through wildlife management, a practice we know will ultimately increase overall hunting participation.”

The director of the Institute for White-tailed Deer Management and Research and Henry M. Rockwell Chair of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), Dr. Kroll has authored more than 300 technical and popular articles, ten books and numerous videos. Over the past three decades, he has appeared on TNN, ESPN, the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, Wild TV and Pursuit Channel, winning two awards for his Dr. Deer contributions. He appears weekly on North American Whitetail TV, and stars in Winchester presents Dr. Deer. He is recognized as the authority on intensive whitetail management and economic development of wildlife-recreation enterprises and one of the founding fathers of the Texas Deer Association.

Dr. Kroll has also recently introduced his all-new Dr. Deer Management System, the industry’s first automated deer management consulting service. Developed in partnership with GMS, the Dr. Deer Management System helps hunters and land owners keep accurate records on their hunting properties and receive a professional analysis and consultation by Dr. Kroll within just a few hours. The program provides more than 27 different reports, year-to-year comparisons as well as geographical analysis for property and production quality. For more information on the Dr. Deer Management System, visit www.DrDeer.com

The American Deer & Wildlife Alliance is a non-profit organization working to promote the deer and wildlife industry and to preserve our American outdoor traditions. As a part of its public education efforts, ADWA produces Points Journal, a full-color magazine covering industry news, wildlife management issues, products and services; Spikes Magazine, a quarterly youth publication distributed to summer camps and public libraries across the country; and www.iHuntAmerica.com website, a comprehensive search engine for hunting ranches, game preserves and outfitters. ADWA also sponsors Keith Warren’s Deer & Wildlife Stories, a nationally broadcast television program on the Pursuit Channel, and the Outdoor Patriot (www.OutdoorPatriot.com), a monthly podcast which features commentary and industry guests.

To learn more about the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance or for membership information, visit www.deerwildlifealliance.org or call 877.331.8607.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth of the deer and wildlife industry, and to help educate consumers and the youth on the conservation issues which effect deer and wildlife as well as the industry. For more information on the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance, call 877.331.8607 or visit www.deerwildlifealliance.org.

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

PRATT, KS --(Ammoland.com)- The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) reminds all nonresident deer hunters that the application deadline for 2011 permits is April 29, the last Friday in April.

All applications must be made online through the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us, or by phoning 620-672-5911 and asking for Licensing.

Mail-in applications are not available, and none will be accepted. Phone applications will be accepted through normal working hours on Friday, April 29. The online application deadline is midnight on April 29. This application applies to nonresident either-sex deer permits only. Nonresident Hunt-Own-Land and Antlerless White-tailed Deer permits will be available beginning July 25 over the counter.

Nonresident either-sex deer permits allow the taking of one white-tailed deer buck, doe, or fawn. The cost of the permit is $322.50, and if successful in the drawing, the applicant must also purchase a nonresident hunting license, $72.50, prior to hunting. The hunter applies in one of 18 deer management units and may also select one adjacent unit in which to hunt. Applicants also select one equipment type and season choice (archery, muzzleloader, or firearm) at the time of application. Muzzleloader permit holders may hunt during early muzzleloader season and regular firearm season using muzzleloader equipment only. If unsuccessful in the draw, the hunter receives a $301 refund and a preference point for next year’s draw.

A nonresident who successfully draws an Archery or Muzzleloader either-sex deer permit in Unit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 16, 17, or 18 may also apply for one of a limited number of Mule Deer Stamps for an additional fee of $102.50, submitted at time of application; if drawn, the applicant’s archery or muzzleloader whitetail permit converts to an either-species/either-sex archery or muzzleloader permit. Preference points do not count toward this stamp. If unsuccessful in the Mule Deer Stamp draw, the hunter will receive a $101 refund and be issued the whitetail permit.

A nonresident hunter who doesn’t want to hunt in 2011 can purchase a preference point online for $22.50. The preference point will count toward a nonresident whitettail either-sex deer permit in a future drawing.

To apply for a nonresident either-sex deer permit, go to the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us and click “Licenses/Permits” in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Then click “Buy your License/Permit Online” and follow the directions. To learn more about permits you may qualify for, go to kdwp.state.ks.us/deer_permit_guide.

Rattlebox - The Easy, Realistic Way To Rattle In Big Bucks

Back Mountain Outdoor Products

Dallas, PA - -(Ammoland.com)- The Rattlebox is an innovative new product designed to make rattling in deer easier, with minimal movement and best of all, more productive.

The Rattlebox is the world’s first rattling product acoustically designed to match the frequency, pitch and tone real antlers produce during sparring episodes of whitetail bucks.

The inventor Mike Castner made the announcement:

“Rattling in bucks has become a vital part of the hunting process utilized by more successful, savvy hunters. We developed the Rattlebox using a special polymer material and design that alters the size, shape, flexibility and thickness of material of each individual nodule in the Rattlebox. By engineering the materials and design as we do, we are able to authentically replicate a full range of real antler tones.

The authenticity of these tones was then tested and confirmed in a professional sound lab through a Frequency Spectrum Sound Analysis. The Rattlebox is the only rattling product that can show this relationship to real antler sounds scientifically. It’s also the only rattling product with true one-hand operation. With the Rattlebox there is nothing to put down or away, if a buck runs in you simply let it go and take your shot.”

The Rattlebox replicates the sounds made when two mature, full racked 120” class 8 point bucks lock antlers (unlike standard ½ racks from other companies). The Rattlebox is uniquely designed to be used with either hand and can be worn around leg or attached to a tree and to be used with minimal movement. The Rattlebox can also be regulated for light sparring to major fights.

Castner concluded by saying, “The Rattlebox is guaranteed to sound more realistic and be easier to use than any rattling product available today or we will refund your money.”

Rattlebox: “If it doesn’t sound like real antlers how do you expect deer to come to it?”

Dealer Inquiries Welcome: For more information contact: Mike Castner (570) 674-5500

Back Mountain Outdoor Products
542 Jackson Road
Dallas, PA. 18612
www.bmoproducts.com

RealTree

ST. LOUIS, Mo. --(Ammoland.com)- Realtree has partnered with Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, the leading animal nutrition company in the U.S., to both implement Purina’s wildlife program at Realtree Farms and the southern Georgia area and to take part in their grassroots wildlife educational campaign called the Purina Wildlife Series.

Purina’s wildlife management program is focusing on growing the biggest deer possible at Realtree Farms, utilizing current research-based nutrition technology and conducting ongoing research to assure the long-term improvement in not only deer antler growth, but also in herd health and reproduction.

The goal is to use various wildlife management tools and superior supplemental nutrition to produce bucks on Realtree Farms that rival those produced anywhere in the United States.

“Purina is proud to partner with Realtree to improve the quality of wildlife on Realtree Farms,” says Scott Hohensee, wildlife specialist with Purina. “We look forward to working closely with the Realtree team to raise some monster whitetails on their property in South Georgia.”

Purina Deer Chow

Realtree has also recently become a sponsor of the Purina Wildlife Series, which is a grassroots wildlife educational program hosted by various Purina Dealers across Texas and the Southeast. This free community event provides educational seminars for wildlife enthusiasts and novices in rural parts of the country. The Purina Wildlife Series sponsors include leading wildlife industry brands and professional wildlife biologist to provide the latest trends in wildlife management and nutrition. Community events will kick off in July and run through the end of the year. Check out www.antlermax.com for the schedule and latest information regarding these educational events.

“Purina will no doubt bring out Realtree Farms’ full potential,” says Bill Jordan, founder and CEO of Realtree. “Not only are we excited to watch our deer herd flourish under their AntlerMax Deer Chow feeding program, but we’re also happy to play a role in their efforts to educate the community about wildlife nutrition and management.”

The companies continue their relationship through Purina AntlerMax’s 1st and 2nd quarter sponsorship of Realtree Outdoors. Purina’s QuickDraw Attractants are a sponsor of Realtree Roadtrips for the 3rd and 4th quarters.

For more information about Purina, check out www.wildlife.purinamills.com.

About Realtree
Realtree (Jordan Outdoor Enterprises, LTD; www.realtree.com) is the world’s leading camouflage designer, marketer, and licensor with over 1,500 licensees utilizing the Realtree camouflage brand. Thousands of outdoor and lifestyle products are available in Realtree camouflage patterns. In addition, Realtree is committed to supporting individuals and groups that work to ensure our outdoor heritage, the conservation of natural places and the wildlife that resides there. In fact, Realtree is one of the nation’s leading contributors to conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and others. Realtree promotes its products and relationships widely on Outdoor Channel and other television networks, as well as through Realtree.com and many other outlets. For more information, check out www.realtree.com.

About Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC
Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC (www.landolakesinc.com) is a national organization serving producers and their families through 4,700 local cooperatives and independent dealerships throughout the United States. The company, in combination with its wholly owned subsidiary Purina Mills, LLC, is North America’s leading feed company, providing producers, cooperatives and dealers with an extensive line of animal feed, ingredients and services designed to help agricultural producers, dealers and cooperatives compete in the global marketplace.

Ohio Department Natural Resources

BELLEFONTAINE, OH --(Ammoland.com)- A Logan County man pled guilty to three wildlife violations stemming from the illegal taking of a trophy white-tailed deer in the Bellefontaine Municipal Court on Monday, January 3.

As a result, he will be required to pay $23,816.59 in restitution, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

James C. Alspaugh, 39, of West Mansfield pled guilty to three charges including hunting by the aid of a motor vehicle, shooting from a roadway, and hunting without permission. The Honorable Judge John Ross presided over the case and ordered Alspaugh to pay $400 in fines, an additional $151.50 in court costs, and to forfeit the deer. Alspaugh was ordered to spend 48 hours in the Logan County Jail.

Man Pleads Guilty to Poaching $23,000+ Trophy Buck

In addition, Alspaugh will lose his hunting privileges for two years. He will be entered into the Wildlife Violator’s Compact and most likely will lose hunting rights in 36 other states.

The Division of Wildlife is also imposing restitution for the deer in the amount of $23,816.95. This is in accordance with Ohio’s revised restitution law for illegal taking of white-tailed deer. The law went into effect March 2008 and allows the Division of Wildlife to seek an increased recovery value on all illegally harvested wildlife.

The non-typical trophy deer, scored according to Boone & Crockett (B&C) guidelines, netted an impressive 218 7/8.

A concerned citizen contacted Ohio wildlife officers Adam Smith and Jeff Tipton about the questionable shooting of the trophy deer in December 2010. Officers were able to recover the deer and determine that it was unlawfully taken.

The Division of Wildlife is encouraging citizens to report any illegal activity they observe by contacting the TIP line. Tips may be phoned anonymously to 1-800-POACHER.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at ohiodnr.com.

Editor’s Note on Restitution: The recovery value for an individual white-tailed deer is derived from the formula listed in 1531.201 of the Ohio Revised Code. The value is determined by measuring the antlers and using the following formula plus the value derived for wildlife. The formula for white-tailed deer may be applied to all illegally taken deer whose gross antler score exceeds 125 Boone and Crockett (B&C) inches. The formula is:

Recovery Value = [(gross score - 100)2 x $1.65] + the value derived in the Wildlife Value Formula ($500 as of 3/08).

Ohio Department Natural Resources

COLUMBUS, OH --(Ammoland.com)- COLUMBUS, OH- Ohio’s popular deer-gun season will run an additional weekend, Saturday and Sunday, December 18-19, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

The extra weekend days were added beginning in 2006 in response to comments received from hunters for more weekend time to hunt. Deer can be hunted with a legal muzzleloader, handgun or shotgun from one half-hour before sunrise until sunset on December 18-19. Ohio’s pre-hunting season population was estimated at 750,000 white-tailed deer.

So far this season, 189,297 deer have been taken. A total of 75,319 deer were killed during the first nine weeks of the statewide archery season, which began September 25 and continues through February 6, 2011. The special youth season, held November 20-21, resulted in young hunters bagging 9,024 deer. Hunters checked 104,442 deer during the statewide deer-gun season, November 29 – December 5. Another 512 deer were taken during the early muzzleloader deer season held in October at Shawnee, Salt Fork and Wolf Creek state wildlife areas.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

Ohio is divided into three deer hunting zones. After November 28, a limit of one deer may be taken in Zone A (11 counties) and two deer in Zone B (39 counties). Beginning on December 6, the bag limit is three deer in Zone C and antlerless deer permits are no longer valid. Any time a hunter is allowed to take more than one deer, they must purchase an additional permit.

Those hunting in urban units and at Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts will have a six-deer bag limit, and those deer will not count against the hunter’s zone bag limit. Antlerless deer permits can be used for the entire season in urban deer units or Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts. Antlerless deer permits are no longer available and must have been purchased prior to November 28.

Hunters may take only one antlered deer, regardless of zone, hunting method or season. A deer permit is required in addition to a valid Ohio hunting license. Hunter orange is required. Only deer, coyote and waterfowl can be hunted during the extra deer-gun weekend.

Donations of extra deer will be accepted through the entire deer season which ends on February 6, 2011. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

Additional hunting regulations and maps of the state’s deer zones are listed in the 2010-2011 Ohio Hunting Regulations. This free publication is available wherever hunting licenses are sold, online at wildohio.com or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

Ohio hunters and birdwatchers are reminded that they will need to be aware of one another as they pursue deer and birds on this shared weekend. Hunters need to remember that there may be other people—both hunters and non-hunters— in the woods. Birders are also reminded that hunters are allowed to hunt wherever they have written permission to hunt. And, while hunters are required to wear hunter orange in the field, birders should consider wearing a hunter orange vest or hat during the deer-gun weekend.

The 2010-2011 licenses will not be printed on weatherproof paper. Sportsmen and women should protect their licenses and permits from the elements by carrying them in a protective pouch or wallet.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

HAVRE, Mont. --(Ammoland.com)- Final figures compiled from the FWP Region 6 hunter game check station outside Havre show a higher number of white-tailed deer and mule deer were checked in as compared to other recent hunting seasons.

According to FWP biologist Scott Hemmer, the number of pronghorn antelope, elk, pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian (gray) partridge brought in was in each case less than the average checked in recent years.

This season 333 pronghorn antelope, 689 mule deer, 314 white-tailed deer, 33 elk, 707 pheasants, 156 sharp-tailed grouse and 50 Hungarian partridge were brought to the check station by hunters.

Hemmer said check station data indicate the 2010 antelope harvest was down 17 percent, the mule deer harvest was up 11 percent, the white-tailed deer harvest was up 24 percent, the pheasant harvest was down 32 percent, and the sharp-tailed grouse harvest was up 3 percent.
While numbers of elk and Hungarian partridge were also down this year, state biologists said not enough of these species come through the Havre check station to provide meaningful harvest trend data. FWP will also be conducting the annual telephone harvest survey this winter, which will give more accurate harvest information by species for individual hunting districts.

FWP Region 6 Wildlife Program Manger Mark Sullivan noted that mild fall temperatures and excellent habitat conditions during the first part of the big game season reduced movements and feeding activity by big game animals in many areas.

“Although big game numbers were generally good across the Region, animals were not very visible during the first half of the season,” Sullivan said. “Weather conditions changed abruptly during the fourth week of the season as temperatures dropped to well below freezing, and repeated snowfall made hunting conditions and travel difficult. This caused animals to be much more visible and concentrated, but hunter numbers dropped in many hunting districts the last two weekends due to snow, cold and poor road conditions.”

Sullivan said FWP field personnel noticed a significant increase in big game hunter numbers in Region 6, particularly in the hunting districts between Glasgow and Havre. Most of these were deer hunters who may have been displaced from other parts of the state due to lower deer numbers in their traditional hunting areas.

See bucks like Larry Weishuhn's - Best Buck Ever

Sportsman Channel

New Berlin, WI --(Ammoland.com)- Sportsman Channel, the leader in outdoor TV for the American Sportsman, is giving fans of the whitetail deer an early holiday present with “Whitetail Wonderland,” three weeks of special programming dedicated to North America’s most popular game animal.

Sportsman Channel offers more programming about whitetail deer hunting than any other network on television with market-leading shows like North American Whitetail, Whitetail Properties, Heartland Bowhunter and Midwest Whitetail with Bill Winke.

“The whitetail deer remains the most popular game for sportsmen nationwide and we are proud to showcase our programming about all things whitetail,” said Gavin Harvey, CEO of Sportsman Channel.

“The network will continue to deliver superior programming, from the top hosts, about this exciting species, season after season. It’s just one of the reasons why we are the ultimate destination for the American sportsman.”

“Whitetail Wonderland” marathon kicks off on December 8, during Big Game Wednesdays presented by Wildgame Innovations, as the network presents five hours of whitetail programming from 7pm – 12am EST. Shows like Midwest Whitetail with Bill Winke, North American Whitetail and Whitetail Properties will showcase their best whitetail episodes all evening. The special programming continues on Friday, Dec. 10 with whitetails taking over the primetime programming block during Full Draw Friday Night presented by Rack1 with series Own the Zone TV and Arrow Affliction. “Whitetail Wonderland” primetime programming will continue every Wednesday and Friday night in December through Christmas Eve.

“Whitetail Wonderland” Special Programming

• Wednesday, Dec. 8: 7pm – 12am EST
• Friday, Dec. 10: 8pm & 9 pm EST
• Wednesday, Dec. 15: 8pm – 9pm EST
• Friday, Dec. 17: 10pm -11 pm EST
• Wednesday, Dec. 22: 8pm – 9pm EST
• Friday, Dec. 24: 8pm – 9pm EST

About Sportsman Channel:
Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel is now available in HD, check with your local cable or satellite provider. Acquired by InterMedia

Outdoors Holdings in 2006, Sportsman Channel reaches 27 million U.S. television households and is a part of the nation’s largest multimedia company targeted exclusively to serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts. Visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com, follow on Twitter, @SPORTSMANchnl (www.twitter.com/SPORTSMANchnl), become a Fan on Facebook, www.facebook.com/sportsmanchannel and download Sportsman App at www.itunes.com/appstore

J. Wayne Fears

Pottstown PA --(Ammoland.com)- Oftentimes your hunt really begins once you’ve shot or arrowed a deer.

Only after you’ve recovered the animal can you call your hunt a success. Let’s look at 10 steps to help you locate your downed whitetail.

You can learn more about hunting deer in my book, “Deer Hunter’s Pocket Reference” at the previous link .

1) Look. As soon as you squeeze the trigger on your bow or rifle, watch the reaction of the deer, especially the deer’s tail. A raised tail means you may have missed the deer. If the deer’s tail points out, you more than likely have hit the deer. A deer with a tucked tail generally means you have a good hit. After watching the deer for as far as you can see him travel, pick-out a landmark that you can find at ground level where you’ve last spotted the deer.

2) Listen. If you don’t see the deer go-down, listen to see if you can hear the deer stumble and fall. Often you can hear a deer fall, when you can’t see it. Try to determine exactly from where you think the sound has originated. Listen for any-other sounds that may indicate the movement of the deer.

3) Wait. If the deer has fallen, it won’t go anywhere. If you’ve only wounded the deer, by waiting, you’ll give the deer a chance to succumb. If you don’t wait, you may startle the wounded deer, causing him to jump-up and run-off. Oftentimes the longer you delay your search for the deer, the more your odds will increase for recovering that animal.

4) Get a bearing. Before you leave your tree stand or ground blind, use your compass or global positioning system (GPS) receiver to mark the direction of flight the deer takes away from your tree stand to the last point where you’ve spotted the deer. Take another bearing to mark the place where you think you’ve heard the deer fall, because the terrain may look differently once you’re at ground level. Taking these bearings will help you stay on-course as you travel from your stand to where you expect to recover your deer.

5) Identify the point of impact. When you leave your stand, go directly to the spot where you think the shot has hit the deer. Search for hair, blood, bone and stomach content. The hair you discover often will tell you where the shot has hit the deer. The deer’s shortest and darkest hair covers the top of his back; his stomach will have the lightest-colored and longest hair; and he will have short white hairs under his chin, inside his ears and on his tail. Too, if you locate blood with air bubbles in it, you’ve more than likely made a lung shot. If you find stomach content, you’ve probably hit the deer low and may need to wait several hours before you begin tracking the animal. Try to obtain all the information you can from the place where you’ve hit the deer.

J Wayne Fears Tracking his next record Deer

6) Follow blood and tracks. If there’s no blood trail, you may have to rely on tracks and what you’ve already seen and heard to find your buck. Study the tracks of the animal, noting the size and shape. Identify any characteristics that will help you distinguish this deer’s track from another’s.

7) Leave a Trail. Leave a flagging-tape trail, which will enable you to see the deer’s direction of travel. You also can find your way back to your tree stand and the last place where you’ve located the deer’s blood with flagging tape.

Go slow. Many hunters fail to find the deer they’ve shot because they hurry too much and lose the trails. Go as slowly as required to stay on the trail, even if you have to get on your hands and knees to search for pinhead-sized drops of blood or study tracks.

9) Look up. Oftentimes you may find no blood on the ground. But if you’ll look up, you may pinpoint blood waist-high on trees, bushes and leaves, due to the surrounding foliage smearing-off the running deer’s blood before it can fall to the ground, especially if you’ve made a lung shot.

10) Repeat. Know what to do when the blood runs-out or the trail stops. When the blood trail ends, and I no can longer find a trail, I hang flagging tape as high in the tree as possible to allow me to see it from a long distance. Then I begin to walk in a circle, expanding the radius of the circle with each revolution. If you have a GPS receiver that will mark a trail as you walk in a circle, you can see on the receiver’s screen where you’ve walked. Many times when the deer’s trail runs-out, you’ll discover the deer within 100 yards of the trail’s end. Knowing that a wounded deer often tries to bury-up in thick cover, thoroughly check-out downed trees, brush piles and any other thick-cover areas within that 100-yard circle. Also, continue scanning for tracks and blood while you walk the circle.

I may follow a deer for 4 hours or longer using these steps before recovering the animal. These tactics will work for you too.

To Learn more about J Wayne Fears to www.jwaynefearsbrand.com.

Sitka Gear

Elkton, MD --(Ammoland.com)- Successful whitetail deer hunting means investing some long hours in the treestand in pursuit of whitetails.

You scouted, planted food plots, set up your trail cameras, sighted in your gun and bow but you still need a system…

A clothing layering system that is!

Layering, or the use of multiple layers of performance clothing, is a key component whether you are spending a day hunting in your local wood lot or planning an extended back country hunt.

Having multiple layers of clothing made with technical fabrics that whisk away moisture, block wind or capture heat is the key part of any successful layering system and Sitka Gear with GOR OPTIFADE makes a great selection of layering gear for the modern whitetail hunter.

In the above video Sitka athlete, Jeff Simpson, walks you through the core Sika Gear clothing that makes up a flexible, science based system that breeds hunter success.

The Sitka Gear with Gore Optifade Camo System Components:

• Base Layer: Your base layer is practically essential to any and every Sitka System, the Core base layer series is purely for moisture wicking and comfort utilizing 4-way stretch fabric. Designed to literally pull moisture off the surface of your skin, the Core garments are critical for keeping you dry from the inside out. The Core Series is made of 100% polyester bi-component technology that actively moves moisture away from the skin. To ensure an odor resistant hunt, the Core fabric utilizes silver encapsulated technology that reduces odor-causing bacteria. The Core layers are designed as a next-to-skin layer.
• Insulation: Although a base layer is critical to wicking moisture and keeping you dry in extreme conditions, the insulation layer is actually most responsible for keeping you warm. An effective insulation layer should be extremely warm for its weight, flexible (so you can move around comfortably), and it should shed moisture quickly, so you don’t feel clammy.  The Sitka Gear Kelvin jacket and vest boast an extreme heat-to-weight ratio. Both were specifically designed to be lightweight and packable, yet they’re also Sitka’s warmest insulating jackets and vests. Created to withstand the most extreme conditions, both the Kelvin jacket and vest are filled with high-tech Primaloft, a synthetic insulation that is several times lighter and warmer than down. The Kelvin jacket and vest are designed to layer comfortably over your base layer and under a weatherproof outer layer, for maximum protection from the elements.
• Outerwear: Outerwear constructed with Gore’s WINDSTOPPER laminate, like the Jetstream Jacket from Sitka Gear, offers great protection against cold wind and light precipitation. Designed to pack light, this construction stops the wind, and yet offers breathability and mobility in more moderate weather conditions. The outerwear’s soft-shell fabric permits a smooth and virtually seamless finish, creates practically no noise as you move around, and helps to ward off light drizzle and snow flurries. Its fully articulated arms and stretch fabric enhance comfort, while its full-length zipper provides easy on and off.
• Accessories: Sitka brand Hats, Gloves, Face-masks and Gear Bags all made with Gore products like Windstoper combine to make a flexible for human’s but deadly for deer hunting system.

Try the Gore system builder and customize your own set of gear at www.sitkagear.com/system-generator.aspx

Sitka Gear System Builder

About W.L. Gore & Associates (www.gore-tex.com)
Perhaps best known for its consumer products like GORE-TEX fabric and ELIXIR guitar strings, Gore is a leading manufacturer of thousands of advanced technology products for the electronics, industrial, fabrics and medical markets. The company is headquartered in Newark, Delaware, posts sales of approximately $2.6 billion, and employs 9000 associates at 30 locations throughout the world.

GORE, GORE-TEX, OPTIFADE and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.© 2010 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., 295 Blue Ball Rd., Elkton, Maryland, 800-431-GORE, gore-tex.com.

About Sitka Gear, Inc. (www.sitkagear.com)
Sitka Gear is the leading manufacturer of high-performance hunting apparel that utilizes cutting-edge technology to keep hunters warm, dry and comfortable in any condition. For more information about Sitka visit www.sitkagear.com or call 877.SITKA-GR.

WhiteTail Deer Hunters Increase Kill on Opening Day of Gun Season

Ohio Department Natural Resources

COLUMBUS, OH --(Ammoland.com)- COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio hunters had near ideal weather for the opening day of deer-gun season. Hunters took 37,805 white-tailed deer on Monday, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The deer-gun season remains open through Sunday, December 5, and then reopens for two days on Saturday and Sunday, December 18-19.

The preliminary figures from deer check stations throughout the state show an increase of 12.5 percent from last year’s opening day total of 33,607.

Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer checked on Monday included: Tuscarawas – 1,806; Coshocton – 1,536; Harrison – 1,439; Guernsey – 1,406; Holmes – 1,312; Licking – 1,259; Washington – 1,192; Ashtabula – 983; Muskingum – 930; and Athens – 886.

Combining the results of Monday’s harvest with those from the early muzzleloader season, the first six weeks of archery season and the recent youth deer-gun season, a preliminary total of 97,371 deer have been killed so far this deer hunting season. That number compares to 97,371 harvested last year at this time. In all, hunters took a total of 261,314 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.

Approximately 420,000 hunters are expected to participate in the statewide deer-gun season. Ohio’s deer population was estimated to be 750,000 prior to the start of the fall hunting seasons.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has an $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

Division of Wildlife Chief Dave Graham challenges all deer hunters to make this year special for Ohio’s hungry by labeling Saturday, December 4, as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) Day. Last year, hunters showed they cared by donating nearly 467,000 meals to Ohioans in need.

Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

Hunters who wish to share their success can submit a photo of themselves and the deer they killed this year for publication on the Division of Wildlife’s Web page.

A detailed listing of deer-hunting rules is contained in the 2010-2011 Ohio Hunting Regulations, available wherever licenses are sold, and online at wildohio.com.

The 2010-2011 licenses will not be printed on weatherproof paper. Sportsmen and women should protect their licenses and permits from the elements by carrying them in a protective pouch or wallet.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE NUMBER OF DEER CHECKED AND TAGGED BY HUNTERS DURING THE FIRST DAY OF DEER-GUN HUNTING SEASON. THE NUMBER TAKEN DURING THE 2009 SEASON IS MARKED IN ( ): 2010 (2009)

Adams –502(481); Allen –90(118); Ashland –793(619); Ashtabula –983(836); Athens –886(925); Auglaize –87(80); Belmont –844(640); Brown –364(240); Butler –121(89); Carroll –680(691); Champaign –150 (232); Clark –100(87); Clermont –420(297); Clinton –191(186); Columbiana –851(628); Coshocton –1,536(1,353); Crawford –306(288); Cuyahoga –30(25); Darke –68(55); Defiance –425(293); Delaware –199(179); Erie –96(112); Fairfield –499(609); Fayette –37(74); Franklin –62(68); Fulton –188(123); Gallia –607(455); Geauga –268(188); Greene –64(63); Guernsey –1,406(1,284); Hamilton –99(72); Hancock –119(153); Hardin –198(169); Harrison –1,439(1,374); Henry –203(88); Highland –490(543); Hocking –703(793); Holmes –1,312(1,165); Huron –477(367); Jackson –720(776); Jefferson –774(767); Knox –700(761); Lake –83(63); Lawrence –406(320); Licking –1,259(1,182); Logan –333(255); Lorain –233(210); Lucas –72(76); Madison –55(42); Mahoning –307(238); Marion –114(96); Medina –200(146); Meigs –717(569); Mercer –98(79); Miami –37(35); Monroe –638(670); Montgomery –52(37); Morgan –610(579); Morrow –354 (260); Muskingum –930(799); Noble –741(745); Ottawa –19(12); Paulding –322(140); Perry –681(631); Pickaway –149(188); Pike –211(300); Portage –177(122); Preble –60(39); Putnam –242(196); Richland –449(404); Ross –734(638); Sandusky –43(67); Scioto –450(249); Seneca –341(255); Shelby –165(141); Stark –602(487); Summit –88(62); Trumbull –639(572); Tuscarawas –1,806(1,763); Union –165(125); Van Wert –125(55); Vinton –629(548); Warren –172(117); Washington –1,192(1,010); Wayne –285(220); Williams –364(253); Wood –138(99); Wyandot –231(167); TOTAL: 37,805(33,607)

Seneca White Deer

SenecaWhiteDeer.org

Canandaigua, NY --(Ammoland.com)- Heron Hill Winery is partnering with the Seneca White Deer, Inc. in an effort to raise awareness and funds to benefit the preservation of these unique and treasured animals. This collaboration will help to protect the special herd of White Deer that reside at the former Seneca Army Depot located on the eastern side of Seneca Lake.

This fall and winter, $2 from every bottle of Heron Hill’s Semi-Dry Riesling sold at the winery and at their two tasting rooms will go directly to benefit the Seneca White Deer. This is the winery’s most popular wine as it exemplifies the bright fruit flavors, crisp acidity and the mineral characteristics that make the Finger Lakes the premier Riesling region in North America.

Heron Hill Winery’s owner, John Ingle, is an avid conservationist and animal lover, saying “We’re honored to stand up for these unique and beautiful creatures and urge you to learn more about them and support our efforts to preserve them.” Dennis Money, President of Seneca White Deer, Inc., a not for profit organization dedicated to promoting ecotourism for a significant part of the Seneca Army Depot stated,

“We applaud the support from Heron Hill Winery. Helping to promote our mission shows the environmental stewardship of the winery and their support for promoting tourism in the Finger Lakes.”

The Environmental Stewardship Luncheon at the German House in Rochester, N.Y. on October 6, 2010 which is being hosted by Seneca White Deer, Inc. will mark the start of this fundraising partnership. The Semi-Dry Riesling will be available at all three locations; Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake, their tasting room on Seneca Lake and their newest tasting room in Bristol on the Canandaigua Wine Trail.

For more information about Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake and their two tasting rooms on Seneca and Canandaigua Lakes, visit www.heronhill.com. For more information about Seneca White Deer, Inc., and the October 6 luncheon go to www.senecawhitedeer.org.

One of those small town bar n breakfast joints that smelled of coffee, smoke, burned bacon & eggs, good smells to a deer hunter.

Sporting Classics Magazine

Columbia, SC --(AmmoLand.com)- Five a.m., opening day breakfast hadn’t changed much.

Hank, Frank and Floyd, two of the brothers nursing hangovers, Pastor Fred, Harry and Earl still commandeered the corner table, raucous as crows in a cornfield.

Earl owned the place, “The Shot,” he named it, one of those small town bar/breakfast joints that smelled of coffee and smoke and burned bacon and eggs, good smells to a deer hunter. Folks ladled out jam and jelly with a communal spoon and poured cream from the same pitcher and sugar from the same jar. Winston still tasted good like a cigarette should, everybody carried lever actions and wore wool, and most downed a deer by season’s end. A shot of Earl’s coffee in the morning, a shot at a deer during the day, and a shot of Earl’s whiskey in the evening . . . no matter what, everybody took a shot. Hence the name.

Time seems to stand still in a small town.

Jack Troutwine sat in a back booth sipping bitter black coffee and listening to their voices. Twenty years gone as a boy and back as a man, no one had recognized him but he remembered them, the rhythm and cadence of their words familiar as old friends. Snippets of conversations reached across the restaurant and across the years to his booth, making him smile.

“Dogs and dopes are going to inherit the earth and I hope it’s the dogs,” Father Fred intoned, disgusted with some chicanery somewhere.

“Not the poor?” Frank winked at Floyd, figuring he’d goosed Pastor Fred in the gospel for once.

“Hell no. That’d mean dopes like you two would be in charge. Give me a Chihuahua anytime. At least it has enough sense to sit in an old woman’s lap instead of chasing her from bar to bar half the night and throwing away good money hand over fist.”

Whistles and jeers greeted the retort, flushing the brothers deep red as the Woolrich coats that hung from their chairs. “Don’t think I didn’t hear about you two boys stuck in a poor man’s hoist last night.”

Floyd shrugged. “I sure didn’t.”

The brothers glared accusations at one another before Frank spoke. “How’d you know we were in the ditch? We didn’t tell anybody, did we, Floyd?”

Pastor Fred grinned like he had God in his back pocket. “The Lord is my shepherd, boys, and keeps a good watch out for the wolves who threaten my flock.”

About then Earl’s wife dropped steaming plates of breakfast around the table, stilling the din for a second, long enough for Hank to lambaste the food starting with the bacon, an opening day tradition.

“Hey Earl, these pigs of yours fly?”

“What do you mean, Hank?” Earl winked and played along while everybody leaned in for Hank’s jibes, wondering how he’d outdo last year’s tirade.

“Pardon me, Pastor, but for chrissakes, Earl, the bacon looks like a couple of hummingbird tongues, the eggs look like scrambled canaries, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say the toast is burned blacker than the stain in a hobo’s undies. You expect us to eat this mess?”

Laughter and disgust drowned most of the conversation and as the restaurant filled, the last voices Jack heard were Harry’s complaining how his deer-chasing shorthair always ripped his tongue on briars and bled like he’d “swallowed a box of knives,” and one of the brothers bragging how his new girlfriend could swat down grouse like she was “backhanding stepchildren.” From their gestures, though, he knew they’d turned to buck stories, each measuring invisible spreads bigger than the others.

Finishing his coffee, Jack rose to leave, never able to eat on opening day, his nerves likely to jitterbug with anything in his stomach, his excitement keen as ever.

“Jack? Jack Troutwine? Well I’ll be damned,” Pastor Fred remarked, catching Jack’s eye and rising to stand unsteadily on his cane.

Jack reached across the table, careful not to squeeze the pastor’s hand too hard, and nodded at the others. He noticed a walker behind Hank, his face a geography of gullies and ravines, and grey hair curling from beneath the brothers’ caps. Even Harry, the youngest, wore a web of spider veins in his cheeks, the patina of age purpling his skin. Time had found another entrance, separating then from now.

“Home for the hunt?”

“Yessir.”

“How’s your father? I haven’t seen him in a month of Sundays.”

“Good. A little slower.”

“Aren’t we all.”

“You hunting the marsh or the swamp field?”

“The swamp field, I think.”

“It’s as good an opening day spot as any, I suppose. Been an awful dry summer, though. From what I heard, even the turtles were packing canteens. Collar-up weather today, though.”

Jack grinned and nodded. “How ‘bout you?”

“None of us old farts hunts much more than memories, Jack,” Pastor Fred responded for the group. “We still do breakfast, though, and talk deer like when you were a kid, and Earl still antes up a free drink if you shoot a good one. Right, barkeep?” He slapped Earl on the back and laughed.

Small talk gave way to pause, allowing Jack to leave before the silence stretched to awkward. Good lucks followed him out the door where a light snow drifted across the parked trucks, swirled into small tornadoes by the wind. Backing out, he glimpsed crow tracks walking the edge of his eyes, shook his head ruefully and pointed his headlights toward the swamp field.

Rituals remain, he thought, hearing the whispers of his own mortality, but we don’t. Grateful to still be part of the hunt, he watched the restaurant fade in the rearview mirror.

An hour later Jack Troutwine shivered in the darkness before dawn, happy with his discomfort while awaiting the most important morning of the year. He believed in hunting the hard way, with no blinds or bait, just an overturned bucket in a field overlooking a cedar swamp with the wind in his face. Jack had always hunted this way, believing a level playing field made the experience true.

Pulling the gun to his shoulder like an old friend and aiming at an oak across the field, he felt confident knowing it fired where it pointed and huddled down into the rhythm of the hunt as snow stung his skin like slivers of ice. Weaving among ragged, grey clouds, a half-moon glowed like a gem in the black ear of night and the sky wore a sparkly number sequined with stars, both promising sunrise despite the snow that powdered the trees and clung to his coat. It reminded Jack of an old time ticker-tape parade layering the landscape with confetti.

The snow also coated the fur of a swollen-necked buck resting under a cedar deep in the swamp after a night of carousing. If Jack had known, he would’ve shivered with more than cold.

The morning’s music was sung by the usual choir, owl song and pheasant reveille followed by mallard chuckle and the whistle of wood ducks seeking refuge elsewhere. Woodpeckers banged the timpani, startling loud-winged doves onto the low branches of a hawthorn. Bluejays shouted the sun’s coming as the sky brightened beneath clouds turned to cotton candy in the pink wash of dawn, pools of blue forming between them as if someone had broken through ice. Across the field young maples mixed with birch and poplar began to glow like sparklers in the gathering light, their yellow leaves bright as finches, while a clump of shrubs blushed red knowing nakedness was soon to come. Of all moments, these were Jack’s favorite, the hymn of color and sound that foreshadowed morning.

Minutes later three apparitions hugged the swamp edge. The color of shade, they eased from the cedars cautiously and angled toward him, jittery in the wind, ears alert, ghosting into the brown grass invisible as chameleons. Lifting and lowering their heads in syncopation, they moved with stealth, furtive and shy and impossibly silent as they closed within 15 yards, eyes locked to his, sensing wrong. Jack hung a crosshair on the biggest deer when all three heads dipped.

Pow!

He heard the shot in his imagination and watched the doe fall before lowering his rifle, dry run done. Cutting man-scent in a swirl of wind, the deer whirled, grabbed her sisters by the hand, it seemed, and disappeared as if never there.

“Goodbye, girls,” Jack whispered, staring at an empty field except for the trees and grass and rising wind that loosed snow squalls from a bank of black clouds. The rest of the morning snow and sun traded turns as Jack squinted for another glimpse of the supernatural.

By noon his concentration flagged and his mind sifted through memories of other hunts. He remembered every deer he’d ever killed, from the orchard eight-point to the first one as a 14-year-old boy, a doe taken with a .410 slug on the last day at dusk deep in the cedar swamp he studied now. Searching in the dark, uncertain of his aim, he finally found it dead under a thicket of pin cherries when his flashlight reflected green off the doe’s vacant, iridescent eye. Bending to touch its fur, he choked back tears, overcome with joy and sorrow.

Gathering himself, he struggled the deer to a small stream that meandered among the dense cedars, in his mind feeling again the cold water pressing against his boots as he floated the doe downstream through the swamp on a starry, cold night toward camp.

Hearing the shot, his father had waited anxiously in the light of a gas lantern, the hiss of its mantle sinister to the old man as he watched for his boy before breaking into a grin when he caught sight of him holding his gun in one hand and a hoof in the other. Together they gutted the deer and dragged it to the truck, their breath white as moonlight in the cold, before emotion overwhelmed him and Jack cried openly.

“It’s the way you’re supposed to feel,” his father counseled. “If you felt otherwise, you wouldn’t be a hunter who honors what God gives you; you’d be a poacher, which is the same thing as a killer. Wait here.”

He went to the animal and returned to touch its blood to Jack’s lip. “You’re not a boy anymore.”

Jack accepted the covenant, understanding that hunting had imbued in him a compassion and respect for life unlike any other experience, teachings he would honor for the rest of his life, and he knew that day he could no more stop hunting than he could stop breathing. The music played too loudly in him. The irony of taking a life to revere it, however, was not lost on him, a dilemma he would never resolve, and he knew his elation in taking an animal always would be tempered by grief for its death.

Late that afternoon.
The resting buck arose rejuvenated and hungry. Sidestepping a downed cedar, he moved silently through the thick underbrush toward the edge of the swamp where a gnarled oak littered the ground with acorns, the same one Jack aimed at in the morning. Wind-gusts paused his pace and the deer stood still as a statue while reading a thousand sights and sounds and smells from the landscape, recognizing them all, sorting safety from each.

Jack saw no movement even after the deer entered the field to follow the doe trail. By now evening veiled the swamp and joined the deer, draping shade over the snow-powdered grass.

Something out of place caught Jack’s eye, something extra, a stump he hadn’t noticed before. Raising his rifle slowly, he laid the crosshairs against the object just as sunset seeped under the clouds to reveal a row of red candles glimmering in the dusk, seven in all, a moment’s menorah.

Swamp buck, Jack thought, noting the reddish-dark horns. Heart racing, he braced his elbow on his knee and aimed. In the instant between the touch of the trigger and the sound of the shot, the buck fell, heart and shoulder shattered by the bullet.

Trembling from the hunt’s crescendo, Jack racked the rifle and watched for the deer to rise and run. Struggling to quell his emotion, he waited 20 minutes before walking toward the oak where the buck lay dead. A red splash darkened the snow like spilled wine. Taking a thin wafer of the dark snow, he placed it to his lips and listened to the wind sing in the field.

Swamp buck, noting the reddish-dark horns. Heart racing, he braced his elbow on his knee and aimed.

“Thank you,” he murmured, kneeling to care for the deer before heading back to Earl’s, his heart filled with the song of the hunt.

Sporting Classics Magazine

About:
Sporting Classics is the magazine for discovering the best in hunting and fishing worldwide. Every page is carefully crafted, through word and picture, to transport you on an unforgettable journey into the great outdoors.

Travel to the best hunting and fishing destinations. Relive the finest outdoor stories from yesteryear. Discover classic firearms and fishing tackle by the most renowned craftsmen. Gain valuable knowledge from columns written by top experts in their fields: gundogs, shotguns, fly fishing, rifles, art and more.

From great fiction to modern-day adventures, every article is complemented by exciting photography and masterful paintings. This isn’t just another “how to” outdoor magazine. Come. Join us! Visit: www.sportingclassics.net

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in Deer

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

GLASGOW, Mont. –-(Ammoland.com)- Scattered reports of white-tailed deer being found dead in recent weeks in parts of Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 6 have prompted state biologists to enlist the help of landowners and hunters.

“Folks who are out in the field and notice deer that have recently died from unknown causes are asked to call our office in Glasgow at (406) 228-3700 to report the number of animals and the exact location,” said Region 6 Wildlife Program Manager Mark Sullivan.

“We’ve been awaiting the results of testing on several deer that have recently been found to determine whether they’ve died from epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) or some other traceable cause,” Sullivan said.

“We just learned that a sample from one of the deer tested positive for EHD. There doesn’t appear to be reason for alarm, but we are seeing a few deer dying rather suspiciously. With help from the public, we hope to determine the extent of the incidents. It may not be widespread at all.”

EHD is an acute, infectious, often-fatal viral disease of some wild ruminants, especially white-tailed deer. The disease, characterized by extensive hemorrhaging, fever, and a resultant urge to be near or even immersed in temperature-controlling fresh water, has been responsible for significant die-offs over the years in the northern United States and southern Canada.

A similar hemorrhagic disease commonly called bluetongue also occurs throughout the U.S. and Canada, but the two diseases are clinically different. Both diseases can affect mule deer and pronghorn antelope, but not as commonly as white-tailed deer.

Outbreaks of EHD and bluetongue most commonly occur during the summer and early fall, and animals typically develop signs of EHD about a week after exposure. Along with dead deer, landowners and hunters are asked to watch for deer that have lost their fear of humans, may be weak and salivating excessively or are semiconscious.

In cases of bluetongue, hemorrhaging and lack of oxygen in the blood may result in blue coloration in the animal’s mouth. Overall, the hemorrhages from these diseases range widely in size and involve a variety of different tissues and organs. Infected animals usually die within 36 hours of showing symptoms.

At this point there is no known treatment or control of these diseases, which researchers say have not been found to affect humans. EHD is spread by tiny biting flies, so a hard frost that kills these insects ends the spread of any ongoing outbreaks.

Mossy Oak

WEST POINT, MS --(Ammoland.com)- Deer Hunting Interview with Mossy Oak Pro Staff Member Mike Monteleone

Q: How important is pre-season scouting?
A: Post-season is the most important time to find the hideaway habits and travel routes of big deer. However, pre-season is the time to fine tune your game plan when trying to seal the deal on a mature whitetail in a new season, especially if your season starts in early September as in some cases in the east and south.

During early September the bucks are still in bachelor groups and very easy to pattern. My best pre-season scouting tactics consist of a hand full of trail cameras and long range spotting scopes. The spotting scopes will help you determine the exact location of a deer entering a field at dusk and the trail cameras will help you determine the trails he used to go back to bed in the morning.

As soon as the bucks shed their velvet they become a different beast. They are now on constant alert until late October and early November. At this time of year, try to catch the big boy in transition between bedding and feeding but as close to bedding areas as possible. Mature bucks won’t leave the security of cover until late.

Pre-season scouting is important but also very tricky. Try not to spook game because the season is fast approaching. Check your cameras right before or during a rain storm. Do not study the pictures on the camera at the base of the tree it is attached to. You’ll leave too much scent in the woods and possibly alert the deer to your presence and location. Open the camera, switch the chips and move on. Always practice scent control while walking through the ground of your adversary.

Mossy Oak's Mike Monteleone

Q: How do you go about scouting early season before the bucks are making scrapes?
A: Deer are very social animals. They communicate in many different ways, and scraping and rubbing are the signs hunters see the most. The majority of scrapes and rubs are seen during the rut, but what most hunters do not know is that deer scrape all year long to communicate with other deer in their community. A scrape may be made in November by a love struck buck but there is a chance that the communication may still go on throughout the summer and into the fall of the following season. Although the activity of scraping is substantially less, it does still occur.

Active scrapes in preseason are sometimes hard to find; difficult at best. The best places to look are still the usual places – stream bottoms, transitions between thick cover and open hardwoods, edges of agricultural fields, etc. But be careful when traipsing through the woods during preseason. You do not want to alert deer of your presence.

No matter where you hunt in the country, a deer’s instinctive habits are the same for the most part. They all use heavy cover, transitions, funnels and agricultural fields to eat, travel or sleep, so use bottleneck type spots in between or around these areas to setup stands. Even if you are unfamiliar with the area, after you hunt the first few days, you should be able to fine tune your location to get closer to your quarry.

Q: Do you prefer to hunt in the woods or along agricultural fields?
A: The best place to ambush a buck is in the woods on a travel route to a food source. I believe most bucks don’t leave the security of cover until late and there may not be enough shooting light left by the time the buck reaches an agricultural field. Your best bet is to find a transition zone that is in a direct path of a buck as he heads to his final destination. Usually an oak ridge with a few good producing trees or a logging road with a sweet browse like honeysuckle will stop the deer for a snack before he gets to the field. Bucks are not as edgy while staging and feeding in these areas either, because typically they are under some type of cover.

If you’re trying to harvest a doe, sometimes a field edge is your best bet. The does always reach the field first and a lot of the time, hours before dark. Once a doe enters a food plot or ag-field it is as though she drops her guard just a little which will allow a bowhunter better opportunity.

There is a huge positive when hunting a food plot or field. It is a concentrated food source and the deer will definitely be there if it is of good quality. Also, it is in an open space with very little to no cover which allows the hunter to stay on stand longer. The additional light helps when judging whether or not the deer is of mature caliber and also allows a late evening stand hunter better light for shooting accuracy.

If you’re hunting a field edge, be sure to locate your stand in a spot that will allow you to get out at dark without being detected.

Q: How high should you hang a treestand?
A: The answer is simple. As high as you can comfortably and accurately shoot your bow.

As we all know a deer’s sense of smell is beyond comprehension. So the higher you are, the more your scent disperses before it reaches deer nose level.

If you play the wind correctly, stand height might not play a role other than hunter movement. However, what if the deer you are hunting decides to appear from an unexpected direction? If this were the case, I’d rather be camped-out in the limbs 20 feet up rather than on the trunk of a bare poplar tree in a 12-foot ladder stand.

My preferred heights are between 17 and 22 feet. Any higher than 25feet, the shot angle is too steep and the vital area exponentially gets smaller.

Q: Can you have success hunting from the ground?
A: There are a bunch of hunters that choose to hunt from the ground. Maybe it is because they are afraid of heights or maybe it is because they are physically incapable of climbing a tree. Or, maybe it is because there’s no place to hang a treestand. Whatever the case – many deer have met their demise from hunters in ground blinds and hunters on the stalk.

Does hunting whitetails from the ground increase your odds? It depends on the situation. If the wind is just right and hunting from the ground is the only way to get close enough to send an arrow through a smart animal, I say go for it!

Q: Are doe or buck decoys effective?
A: Depending on the situation and the age class of deer you are trying to harvest, a decoy can be effective all season long.

During early season, it is best to use a small doe decoy or a young buck decoy. The smaller decoys seem to reassure younger deer that “it’s safe to come and play”. I particularly don’t like to use decoys during early season just because I don’t want to lug the thing around the woods.

However, during the late pre-rut and early rut I sometimes carry as many as three decoys in the field. I set up two doe decoys and one big buck decoy. If there is a mature deer in the area and he sees the spread, he’ll come fast. Do not set your buck decoy haphazardly – make sure he is quartering to you so the approaching buck gives you a quartering-away shot.

Q: Is scent control important when hunting from a treestand?
A: Scent control should be practiced at all times. It should start at home with unscented detergents for body and clothing, including towels that you dry off with after you take a scent-free shower. Your hunting boots should be put on before you go into the woods, not before you get in your truck. Boots should be doused heavily with a scent-killing spray, and you should plan your entry to your stand very carefully to minimize the chances of deer crossing your path.

Carry a small bottle of scent-killing spray in your pack and to your stand. Once you’re settled and harnessed in, spray yourself again just to destroy any scent you may have sweated out. Use a gel or lotion type scent killer for your face, hands and hair before entering the woods also.

Maximize your chances by utilizing good scent control practices no matter if you hunt from the ground or stand. Good scent control will get you that much closer.

Q: What calls do you carry?
A: There are many calls a hunter can carry but there are three calls that every whitetail hunter should have in his fanny pack.

A standard grunt tube is good but a grunt tube that can be adjusted for different tones and age class grunts and bleats is better. There are times when an aggressive, deep guttural grunt might spook a deer whereas a softer, higher-tone grunt will bring an aggressive buck to the base of your stand. An adjustable grunt tube will afford the opportunity if needed.

A doe “bleat-in-heat” call. The Primos “Can” is the best sounding bleat I have found. It works wonders during the rut on deer of all ages. Typically, the can is turned over to create the “bleat-in-heat” but try blowing through the can to create more authentic and longer drawn-out bleats.

A rattle bag or authentic antlers. Rattle bags work well but nothing can compare to the authentic sound real bone makes when clashed together. Authentic antlers also allow you to finesse the sounds, whether you tickle the antlers, grind or clash them together.

There is a draw back when using antlers and that is their size and poor pack-ability compared to a rattle bag. The best size of antler to minimize the bulkiness is a set of 2×2 mule deer antlers. They sound great and are easy to nest together and strap to your fanny pack or back pack.

About:
The Mossy Oak ProStaff is a group of top outdoors men and women from across the country that act as spokespersons for the Brand. Members of the Elite ProStaff are people the hunting community will recognize from their hunting expertise and accomplishments, videos, TV and magazine articles. Our Regional ProStaff is a group of accomplished hunters who promote Mossy Oak in various regions across the U.S. They also manage a more localized Field Staff in their regions. From event support to retail store grand openings to radio and TV appearances, our ProStaff adds value to the Mossy Oak Brand nationally, regionally and locally.

Rack One CHAOS Deer Feed - Bring Them In & Keep Them Coming Back

Rack one

GRAYLING, Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- With the antler growing season winding down and the hunting season about to kick off, now is the time to unleash the Chaos, the Scout feeding phase of IGNITE, the leading Whitetail Hunting System.

As part of the Scout phase, Chaos is scientifically formulated to attract the deer and keep them coming back for more.

Pinpointing the location of big bucks this time of year plays a vital role in the success of any whitetail hunter, and Chaos has been designed to be an extremely valuable weapon in any whitetail hunter’s arsenal.

Containing 23 percent protein, this specially designed attractant should be used by hunters everywhere during the spring and summer scouting seasons. Whitetail deer can’t resist Chaos’ flavorful and nutritional formula. In addition to putting bucks right in front of your trail cameras, Chaos provides a nutritionally balanced feed that will aid both animal health and antler growth. No other product on the market attracts and holds big whitetails in a hunter’s core hunting areas like Chaos.

Ignite your herd with Chaos now! To purchase Chaos or any other phase of the Rack one Ignite Whitetail System visit www.huntrack1.com today. Remember, success in this business is measured in inches. Don’t come up short.

Rack One’s IGNITE whitetail hunting system is comprised of four phases and five products. In the Condition phase, Overload is the post-season calorie-consumption feed that helps your bucks recover from the strenuous schedule of fighting, chasing and breeding. In the Grow phase, Xcellerator is packed with minerals and nutrients that promote herd health and maximizes antler growth. In the Scout phase, Chaos is specifically formulated to drag those elusive Booners right in front of your trail cams. In the Hunt phase, Rut Fuel is the premium year-round attractant that whitetails just can’t resist, and Acorn Crush brings the madness of acorn attraction to the feeding frenzy at the foot of your stand. Like the products themselves, strong branding and distinctive packaging distinguish Rack One from its competition.

About Rack One
Headquartered in Grayling, Michigan, Rack One LLC is a family-owned and operated company with a combined 60 years of devotion to the hunting industry. Check out all of Rack One’s fine products at your local retailer this season or online at www.huntrack1.com.

Sitka Gear GORE OPTIFADE Forest Pattern Camo Now at Retailers

Sitka Gear

Elkton, MD –-(Ammoland.com)- W.L. Gore & Associates, a leading manufacturer of advanced technology products including the GORE-TEX brand, and Sitka Gear today announced that Sitka Gear with GORE OPTIFADE Forest pattern is now available at select retailers throughout the country. The gear is optimized for hunting whitetail deer in tree stands and wooded environments.

The new line from Sitka marks its first entry into the whitetail market. Sitka’s forest line anticipates the long hours that treestand hunters may have to endure adverse weather conditions, such as extreme cold and precipitation, incorporating advanced technical fabrics for maximum warmth and protection from the elements. Ingredient technologies include GORE-TEX waterproof breathable fabric, windproof, breathable WINDSTOPPER fabric and 700 fill goose down. The forest gears also features a lightly brushed face for quiet.

Sitka’s forest gear features the new GORE OPTIFADE Concealment Forest pattern. Like the Open Country pattern, which was introduced to the market last year, Gore’s new Forest pattern is based on the study of animal vision. In addition to considering how whitetail deer see, both spatially and colorimetrically, the Forest pattern takes into account the specific elements of hunting from a treestand. The pattern has been tweaked to make it more effective in light of the elevated angle of attack, the vertical visual effect of trees and the closer engagement distances common in whitetail hunting.

This is the second year in which Sitka and Gore have brought gear featuring OPTIFADE concealment to the hunting market. Gear featuring the original OPTIFADE Open Country pattern, the first-ever concealment designed from the prey’s point of view, was optimized for spot and stalk hunting in a mountain west environment. The companies report 2009 sales as robust.

Leading outdoor retailer, Cabela’s was one of the first to carry Sitka gear with the original OPTIFADE concealment pattern. Its stores now offer the new forest pattern gear.

“Cabela’s is very satisfied with sales we have experienced to date. Deer are being pressured more and more, and hunters, particularly bowhunters, need a higher level of performance from their concealment. New technologies are where the excitement is, and the forest pattern is a fresh approach,” said Ev Tarrell, divisional director of merchandising: huntingwear for Cabela’s. “As hardcore hunters ourselves, Cabela’s is excited to bring the innovation of Gore and Sitka to like-minded customers among our family of devoted outdoor enthusiasts.”

“OPTIFADE represents the future of visual concealment for hunters,” said David Dillon, hunting category leader at Gore. “We will continue to use our scientific understanding of animal vision to develop concealment that makes hunters seemingly invisible to their prey, and, as with the new Forest pattern, we will optimize that animal-based concealment for different environments and terrains. Our goal is always to provide our hunters with the best possible outcomes in the field.”

“Sitka was founded by hunters. We understand that when you are comfortable, you are more focused and effective out in the field,” said Jonathan Hart, founder of Sitka. “From our complete layering system, to the most scientifically advanced visual concealment patterns, to the smallest details of our gear, Sitka is focused on the ultimate comfort of every serious hunter.”

Sitka Gear featuring the GORE OPTIFADE Forest pattern is available at select retailers. To search retailers, visit www.optifade.com or www.sitkagear.com.

About W.L. Gore & Associates (www.gore-tex.com)
Perhaps best known for its consumer products like GORE-TEX fabric and ELIXIR guitar strings, Gore is a leading manufacturer of thousands of advanced technology products for the electronics, industrial, fabrics and medical markets. The company is headquartered in Newark, Delaware, posts sales of approximately $2.6 billion, and employs 9000 associates at 30 locations throughout the world.

GORE, GORE-TEX, OPTIFADE and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.© 2010 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., 295 Blue Ball Rd., Elkton, Maryland, 800-431-GORE, gore-tex.com.

About Sitka Gear, Inc. (www.sitkagear.com)
Sitka Gear is the leading manufacturer of high-performance hunting apparel that utilizes cutting-edge technology to keep hunters warm, dry and comfortable in any condition. For more information about Sitka visit www.sitkagear.com or call 877.SITKA-GR.

Wisconsin's Operation Deer Watch’ Kicks Off August 1

Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, WI – -(Ammoland.com)- Beginning August 1, Wisconsin citizens will have a new opportunity to be part of managing white-tailed deer in Wisconsin.

Dubbed Operation Deer Watch, people are being asked to record and report all deer they see between Aug 1 and Sept 30. Go to the Department of Natural Resources website [dnr.wi.gov] and click on the Operation Deer Watch button to get started.

“All deer seen including bucks, does and fawns should be reported during this two month period,” said Jason Fleener, assistant DNR deer specialist.

“The observations will be entered into a database and will be used to determine doe to fawn ratios, which are a part of the population estimation equation.”

Summer deer observations have always been part of the population estimation process, according to DNR biologists. The number of deer seen and the number of fawns seen with each doe are indicators of annual production in deer herds. In addition to deer seen, observers are asked to note date and location. Only deer seen between sunrise and sunset are to be counted.

In previous years, the observation period lasted three months and only state and federal biologists, foresters, law enforcement and other government staff participated.

“One of the recommendations of a panel of experts that that reviewed our deer population estimation model a few years back was to increase the number of observers and to shorten the summer deer observation period to two months from three,” said Fleener

“We hope to capitalize on the intense public interest in Wisconsin’s whitetail deer population. It’s a great chance for the public to help keep an eye-on-the-herd and add a lot more observations to our database.”

Operation Deer Watch is yet one more way in which the deer enthusiasts can help monitor the herd. In 2009, the department launched a hunter observation website that asked hunters to record observations from their trips in the woods. Valuable information on species distribution, as well as, data the number of hunting days, hunting hours and environmental conditions they experienced was gathered. Nearly 20,000 hunting trips were logged into the online database. In addition, similar new data questions were added to the deer registration form that successful hunters complete and this provided over 320,000 observations.

“We expect the value of these citizen-based monitoring efforts will grow with each additional year. We will be able to look at year-after-year changes that provide insights to our deer populations across Wisconsin” added Fleener.

Visit: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/harvest/summerdeer.htm

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Manwell – (608) 264-9248, Jason Fleener – (608) 261-7589 or Jessica Rees – (608) 221-6360

Mossy Oak's Deer Thugs Debuting on Pursuit Channel

Mossy Oak

WEST POINT, MS --(Ammoland.com)- Deer Thugs, a new series from Mossy Oak Productions, is debuting Sunday, July 4 at 9 p.m. EST on the Pursuit Channel.

Mossy Oak’s Deer Thugs follows five of the hardest of hardcore whitetail hunters, outfitters who make their living putting their clients on big deer every day of the season, to learn what they know that sets them apart.

With weekly input from five of the most experienced, authentic and whitetail-savvy hunters in the game, this series reaches to the core of the tradition and places hunters of every stripe alongside those most attuned to the ways of the whitetail.

Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland, Senior VP of Productions at Mossy Oak, said: “For almost 20 years the Mossy Oak Camo Cameras have traveled all around the country filming whitetail hunts and over those years we’ve been fortunate enough to meet all types of whitetail hunters. Of all those hunters, these five outfitters have consistently shown themselves to be among the most knowledgeable we’ve ever hunted with. For them it’s not about big endorsements or becoming famous hunters, instead these are the guys out there every day planting food plots, hanging stands, checking trail cameras and putting their clients on big deer all season long. They know what they’re doing and they love every minute of it-in short, they’re Deer Thugs.”

Deer Thugs features outfitters Justin Eakins of Canadian River Hilton, Kevin Burleson from Heart of Texas Bowhunting, Charlie O’Brien from Catch 22 Ranch, Fred Law of Enon Plantation and Jimmy Riley from Giles Island.

Starting July 4, Deer Thugs is airing 26 weeks on Sundays at 9 p.m. on the Pursuit Channel. For more information, log on to www.pursuitchannel.com or visit www.mossyoak.com.

T.H.U.G. (Today’s Hunters Uniting for Good): Mossy Oak has teamed up with Frank Lickliter II of the PGA tour to raise funds for Wounded Warrior Project. A portion of sales from THUG-related items and all the money raised from special auctioned hunts will be handed over to Frank Lickliter II at his yearly golf event for Wounded Warrior Project. T.H.U.G. Gear is available by clicking “We Get It” at www.mossyoak.com/store.

Chronic Wasting Disease In Deer

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Delaware --(Ammoland.com)- Nearly 600 brain and lymph node tissue samples taken from white-tailed deer in all three counties of Delaware in 2009 showed no evidence of chronic wasting disease (CWD), the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife announced today.

The samples were submitted to the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center for testing. Final test results just received showed all the 2009 samples to be negative for the disease for the seventh straight year. This latest sampling brings the total number of Delaware deer tested since 2003 to nearly 3,500, and none so far have been positive for CWD.

During the October muzzleloader and November shotgun deer seasons last fall, 592 tissue samples were collected at meat processors across the state from deer harvested by hunters. The Division’s goal is to test and sample 200 deer within each county. Last year, the Division achieved this goal in Kent and Sussex Counties but despite collecting samples from two deer processors, it came up a little short in New Castle County.

“A full 600 samples would have provided us a 99 percent probability of detecting the disease if it existed in one percent or more of the deer population. The only way to be certain that every deer in Delaware is free of CWD would be to test every deer, and that would not be practical. While this doesn’t provide 100 percent assurance of no disease, we are encouraged by these results,” said DNREC Game Mammal Biologist Joe Rogerson.

CWD is a neurological condition found in deer and elk in which an abnormal protein material called a prion invades and gradually destroys the animal’s brain. It is thought to be 100 percent fatal and believed to be transmitted from close contact with infected deer. The disease wasn’t known until the 1960s. In the 1970s, CWD was identified as a transmittable neurological disease. Extensive research has found no evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans.

Surveillance programs such as Delaware’s have been established in all eastern states and monitoring will continue in future years. So far, most eastern herds seem to be disease free. The closest state to Delaware in which CWD has been detected is West Virginia, while the most recent states to detect the disease are Missouri and Virginia, which found CWD in their state’s deer herd this past year. DNREC will continue monitoring in Delaware for the disease with plans for more tissue sampling this fall.

Several years ago, the Division passed two regulations in an attempt to ensure that Delaware remains CWD free. The first regulation bans the importation of high risk parts such as the brain, spine and lymph nodes from deer harvested in areas where CWD has been detected. A second regulation requires mandatory notification to the Division by a hunter if a deer harvested out of state by a Delaware resident tests positive for CWD.

Hunters should be aware that more news regarding CWD will likely be available as more information is learned about this disease. In the event a deer does test positive for CWD in Delaware, or a surrounding state (Maryland or Pennsylvania), the Division is in the process of finalizing a CWD Response Plan so that action can be taken immediately. Under the plan, additional regulations also may be created in an attempt to keep Delaware free of CWD.

More information can be found in the 2010-2011 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide (available soon), on the Division’s CWD Awareness Page at

http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Pages/CWD%20not%20in%20Delaware.aspx

or the CWD Alliance’s website, www.cwd-info.org/.

For more information about CWD in Delaware or any other deer related issue, please contact Wildlife Biologist Joe Rogerson at 302-735-3600.

What You Should Know If You Find A Seemingly Abandoned Fawn

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Delaware --(Ammoland.com)- The end of May marks the beginning of the fawning season in Delaware, with most born during the last week of May through the first week of June.

Some fawns will be born as late as August. Each year around this time, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife receives numerous calls regarding “abandoned fawns.” In an attempt to “do the right thing” individuals may attempt to “save” these animals and bring them to a wildlife rehabilitator.

“There are a number of things people who remove fawns from the field may not realize. Fawns actually don’t become active enough to start traveling with their mothers until they are about two months old, and the survival instinct of a fawn is to stay very still and “hide” from predators,” said DNREC Wildlife Biologist Joe Rogerson. “Also, even if a fawn appears to be alone, the mother is likely bedded close by. Newborn fawns need to feed every few hours so the doe never strays far.”

Furthermore, research has shown that many fawns cared for by people have a greatly decreased chance of survival once they are released back into the wild, compared to their counterparts raised by their mothers. Fawns raised in the wild are able to learn survival instincts from their mothers that people simply can’t teach them.

Not only is removing a fawn from its hiding place not in its best interest, it is also illegal for an individual in Delaware to possess a live white-tailed deer. If found guilty, such an offense is punishable by a fine not less than $250, nor more than $1,000, plus the costs of prosecution and court costs; the person may also be fined and imprisoned for up to 30 days. In addition, any deer held illegally in captivity will be removed by the Division.

“The bottom line is, if you really care about the fawn and its well-being, please leave the animal alone. Its mother will return and the animal will have a far greater chance at survival than if you take it home,” Rogerson added.

For more information about fawns or white-tailed deer in general, please contact Ken Reynolds, Rob Hossler or Joe Rogerson, Wildlife Section, at 302-735-3600.

Source Outdoor Group

Gainesville, GA --(AmmoLand.com)- Grow big-bodied, large-antlered deer on your property and keep them there with the help of the Mineral Mizer Bag from 3D Buck-Bag.

The Mineral Mizer Bag provides a constant fresh drip of nourishing minerals to the surface of the ground with the help of moisture in the air and an occasional rain shower. Deer find this ground mineral lick, as well as the built-in lick at the base of the bag, irresistible and will continue to return for more.

The Mineral Mizer Bag makes any dry granular mineral last longer than conventional pour-and-stir methods by producing a controlled constant drip that constantly refreshes the ground lick from above. You’ll not only save money, but you’ll save trips replenishing the lick, which helps keep the area free of human scent longer. Porous and UV-resistant, the strong geo-textile bag is easily refillable and can withstand years of Mother Nature’s abuse without showing signs of wear or corrosion. The Mineral Mizer Bag works over any soil and is hog-proof so it can’t be rooted or rolled away like traditional mineral blocks.

Although the Mineral Mizer Bag works with any dry granular mineral, to help deer reach their full potential, fill the bag with MAX-I-MIZER Mineral – a scientific blend of digestible phosphorus, potassium, calcium and essential minerals. This combination of minerals is not only extremely attractive to deer, but it gives fawns a better-than-average chance of developing into healthy full-bodied adults.

Stop pouring money on the ground. Get the long-lasting results you want with the Mineral Mizer Bag and MAX-I-MIZER Mineral.

For more information, check out www.mineralmizerbag.com.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb --(AmmoLand.com)- The Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners on Friday adopted regulations designed to increase the harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer in 2010.

A record deer harvest was expected in 2009, but a late crop harvest, a cold winter with record snowfall and low interest in the October Antlerless season resulted in an antlerless white-tailed deer harvest that fell below objectives.

In 2009, 29,711 antlerless whitetails were harvested. The goal for this year is 42,000.

Commission deer management goals are to reduce white-tailed deer populations, especially in eastern Nebraska, and along the major river corridors, and to allow mule deer populations to increase in eastern and southwestern mule deer units.

Among the deer regulations the board adopted at its regular meeting in Lincoln are:

• Expanding the October Antlerless season – The season is lengthened from three days to 10, and the hunting area is expanded. The hunting area includes land in the following Season Choice Areas: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 River, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. An unlimited number of permits, which allow the harvest of two antlerless whitetails each, will cost $10 for residents, $54 for nonresidents. Hunter orange no longer is required of archers during the October Antlerless season, but the requirement remains in place for firearm hunters.
• Earn-a-Buck – This tool, designed to increase doe harvest, requires hunters with Elkhorn and Wahoo unit November firearm permits to check in a doe before or at the same time as they check in a buck. The November firearm season will be extended two days for hunters in these units.
• Mule Deer Conservation Area – The area is comprised of the Buffalo, Frenchman, Republican, and Platte units. The only hunters who may harvest a mule deer buck are youth, landowners and those with the new Republican mule deer buck, Buffalo, Platte, or Frenchman permits. These permits allow harvest in archery, muzzleloader and November firearms seasons. Restricted statewide buck, archery and muzzleloader permits will not be valid for mule deer bucks in the Mule Deer Conservation Area.
• Establishing new Season Choice Areas – The following Season Choice Areas are established within existing areas: SCA 8 West, SCA 9 North, SCA 9 River, SCA 17 White River, SCA 24 River, and SCA 25 North. These are intended to allow for additional pressure on white-tailed deer in riparian areas and to allow for mule deer doe harvest where needed.
• Expanding January late antlerless season – The season is lengthened from 15 to 24 days and begins Dec. 26. Hunter orange is required for archers.
• Using bow with firearm permits – Archery equipment will be allowed as a legal weapon on firearm permits in November and January. Hunter orange is required.
• Establishing new Statewide Whitetail Buck permit – This permit will be unlimited in number and valid in archery, muzzleloader and November firearm seasons. The bag limit will be one whitetail buck and one antlerless whitetail. The permit price is $72.50 for residents, $521 for nonresidents.

More permits available – An additional 45,000 antlerless permits and bonus tags will be available statewide.

Regulation changes to antelope hunting include increasing the landowner quotas from 20 percent of general tags to 50 percent, making electronic checking available for archery and muzzleloader seasons, establishing a new Cherry Late firearm unit and a corresponding late doe season for that unit.

Regulation changes to elk hunting include increasing permit quotas in most units and expanding elk zones in many units to increase landowner eligibility.

Following are the 2010 big game season dates:

Deer

• Archery – Sept. 15-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31
• Mule Deer Conservation Area – Sept. 15-Dec. 31
• October Antlerless (any weapon) – Oct. 2-11
• November Firearm – Nov. 13-21
• Earn-a-Buck November Firearm (Wahoo and Elkhorn units) – Nov. 13-23
• Muzzleloader – Dec. 1-31
• Season Choice (antlerless) – Sept. 15-Jan. 18, 2011 with bow; Dec. 1-31 with muzzleloader and Nov. 13-21 and Jan. 1-18, 2011 with firearm
• Youth and Landowner – Sept. 15-Dec. 31 with bow; Dec. 1-31 with muzzleloader; Nov. 13-21 with firearm; and Dec. 26-Jan. 18, 2011 (antlerless only) with bow or firearm
• DeSoto Muzzleloader – Oct. 16-17; Oct. 30-31; Dec. 11-12; and Jan. 8-9, 2011
• Boyer Chute – Oct. 23-24; Nov. 20-21 and Dec. 18-19

Antelope

• Archery – Aug. 20-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31, but closed during firearm antelope season in all areas open to firearm antelope hunting
• Muzzleloader – Sept. 18-Oct. 3
• Firearm – Oct. 9-24
• Late Firearm (Cherry Late unit) – Oct. 9-Nov. 12

Elk

• Bull Permits – Sept. 25-Oct. 24
• Antlerless Permits – Sept. 25-Oct. 24 and Dec. 1-21
• Boyd Unit – Aug. 15-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31

In other business, the board:

• – Adopted changes to underwater spearfishing regulations. The regulations give underwater spearfishers the same daily bag and possession limit on walleyes as hook-and-line anglers: four walleye over 15 inches, of which only one can be 22 inches or longer. This replaces regulations allowing the take of two fish greater than 15 inches, one of which had to be 22 inches or longer.
• – Approved regulations allowing the Commission to sell expired permits and stamps for no more than $25.
• – Adopted a resolution to expand the focus area of activities for the Focus on Pheasants plan in Nebraska. The plan is an effort of landowners and conservation partners to increase pheasant habitat and populations as well as hunter opportunities.
• – Approved a gift of the O. John Emerson Tract in Holt County from the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation. The land has been managed by the Commission as O. John Emerson Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
• – Approved the acquisition of 40 acres of land in York County for wildlife diversity and hunting and designated it as an addition to Kirkpatrick Basin WMA.

Texas Deer Association

SAN ANTONIO, TX --(AmmoLand.com)- A cooperative research study between the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University and the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Station determined that tissue residues on the 11th day post-treatment in chemically immobilized white-tailed deer were at minimal levels.

A total of thirty-three adult white-tailed deer donated by the Texas Deer Association were immobilized with a combination of the predominantly used capture drugs, Xylazine and Telazol, and then reversed 45 minutes later with Tolazoline.

All injections were given intramuscularly in the neck above the shoulder. The dosages used were in the upper range of dosages recommended by a panel of five practicing veterinarians and two wildlife biologists all with a minimum of 10 years experience immobilizing whitetail-tailed deer.

Body weights were estimated prior to drug treatment, and the dose was calculated as would customarily be done when darting deer on the hoof in a permitted facility. A blood sample was collected from each deer prior to and following drug treatment to assure all deer received a full dose of each immobilizing and reversal drugs. After anesthesia and prior to reversal, actual body weights were taken and exact dosages in mg/Kg of body weight were determined. After the deer recovered from the reversal of anesthesia, they were returned to their resident pen, given unlimited access to feed, water, and shelter for the following ten days.

On day 11 post-drug injection, the deer were brought into a Cervid Handling Facility, blood samples were collected, and then the deer were humanely sacrificed by a penetrating captive bolt by trained Texas Parks & Wildlife personnel. At necropsy, tissue samples were collected from the right and left side of each deer’s neck muscle, right and left hindquarter muscle, and liver. All the collected tissue samples were taken to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for analysis of metabolites of the injected drugs. Triplicate samples of all tissue and blood samples were analyzed and the results are summarized. Mean tissue residues for Xylazine, Tiletamine and Tolazoline were all below 1 part per million (ppm) and below 1.4 ppm for Zolazepam. The levels of Xylazine and Tolazoline in the deer tissue were ten times less than those published as safe for human consumption in beef following a withdrawal period of three days in a New Zealand study.

The results of the present study in white-tailed deer indicate that there is no evidence that any residue present in venison eleven days post-treatment at the dosages delivered would have any adverse pharmacological effect in humans. Specifically, at 1 ppm (i.e., 1 mg/Kg and a Kg is 2.2 pounds), a person would have to consume 35 oz (2.2 lbs) of venison in a few hours to ingest 1 ppm of the subject pharmaceuticals. The study indicates that a withdrawal period of ten days is sufficient and safe for Xylazine, Telazol and Tolazoline in white-tailed deer at the usual and customary dosages of these drugs utilized in the immobilization of white-tailed deer.

Dr. Donald S. Davis is Associate Professor, Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

About:
Headquartered in San Antonio, the Texas Deer Association is the only non-profit organization solely committed to improving the quality of Texas deer herds through improved habitat practices, modern harvest strategies and use of superior deer to enhance the deer herds. To learn more about the TDA or for membership information, visit www.texasdeerassociation.com or call (210) 767-8300.

TDA’s Superior Genetics Whitetail Deer Auction grossing $888,000 at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.

Texas Deer Association

SAN ANTONIO, Texas –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Texas Deer Association’s (TDA) latest event raised the bar not only for the quality of Texas’ whitetail deer herd but also for the knowledge of wildlife enthusiasts and the future of students in agricultural pursuits.

With the TDA’s Superior Genetics Whitetail Deer Auction grossing $888,000 at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, approximately $8,000 will go to the scholarship fund of the San Antonio Livestock Exposition.

The TDA has donated nearly $60,000, including $15,000 from the San Antonio chapter’s banquet last year, to the rodeo’s scholarship fund since the deer auction became the first in the nation to be conducted at a stock show in 2005.

The seminars, co-sponsored by Purina Mills, were another highlight as more than 500 people packed the Auction Barn on the rodeo grounds on Feb. 12.

Pen to Pasture Deer Release, covering how to adapt genetically superior deer to a free-range life, drew a lot of audience participation with seminar leaders Charles DeYoung, Ph.D., research scientist and professor emeritus at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, and wildlife consultant and biologist Warren Bluntzer.

“It showed the interest and the care people have for the white-tailed deer of Texas and how far education has taken wildlife management today,” Bluntzer said.

Farmers and ranchers walked away with a better understanding of how to take care of their resources and the land to produce agricultural products and a healthy wildlife population that can add to the diversification of their income, he said.

“All of the Texas wildlife species benefit from these practices. It’s a win-win situation for Texans who own land, sportsmen and the wildlife,” Bluntzer added.

Common-sense approaches were addressed, too, such as how to adapt deer from their diet in the pen to what they will find in the pasture, TDA executive director Karl Kinsel said.

“Some of the things, like how a deer will find water, are something people don’t think about,” Kinsel said. “You put water along fence lines because, while the deer may not find water in the middle of a pasture, they will find a fence and walk along it – and they’ll find water if you put it there.”

One of the most important aspects of releasing superior deer to the native herd is that one big buck will not work wonders, Kinsel said.

“One super buck won’t change the dynamics. You need to replace 50 percent to see a visual impact,” he said.

Kinsel praised officials with the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo for incorporating wildlife into the traditional agricultural exhibition.

“In today’s agriculture it takes that diversity for any farm or ranch to stay profitable, and to have all the wildlife facets represented as well as the farm equipment and sheep and goats is a commendable step for the rodeo,” he said.

In addition, having the auction and seminars on the stock show grounds also drew a number of people who normally would not be exposed to a wildlife event, he said.

Meanwhile, the auction attracted a standing-room-only crowd of more than 1,000, as it has every year since 2005.

The highest lot, selling for $42,500, was for the sister to a buck that scored 252 at 3 years old. The doe, from High Roller Whitetails, was bred to 20/28, a buck that scored more than 310.

The second top lot came from Gene Gonzalez of Sacred Oaks Whitetails. A 4-year-old doe, the offspring of Dreambuck who scored 321 at age 4 and was bred to Kid Dynamite 282 at 2, went for $42,000.

The third highest lot, going for $37,500, was from Venado Creek Whitetails, a doe fawn not yet born that was sired by Max Dream (a Gonzalez buck and womb brother to Kid Dynamite), which scored 341-7/8 at age 2.

“This shows that deer with proven pedigrees are doing really well in the market these days,” TDA auction manager Jayce Kalmbach said.

While the lots averaged about $7,000 each, nine lots sold for more than $20,000. Straws of semen averaged between $1,000 and $1,500.

For the first time at a TDA auction, mule deer went on the block. A buck and doe sold for $26,000.

“Mule deer are a growing Texas market, and people are getting a good vibe about them after seeing the growth in whitetails,” Kalmbach said.

The next event on the TDA calendar will be the second annual Spring Gala & Deer Auction March 5-6 at the Embassy Suites Outdoor World in Grapevine.

“It started out as one of the banquets that TDA does across the state. It’s more of a fun event with silent and live auctions, Kinsel said.

The economic impact of Texas’ deer breeding industry is more than $650 million, including more than 7,000 jobs, according to a study in 2007 by Texas A&M University.

To learn more about the Texas Deer Association or for membership information, call 210.767.8300 or visit www.TexasDeerAssociation.com

About:
Headquartered in San Antonio, the Texas Deer Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of Texas deer herds, and to developing ways to improve deer quality in Texas. For more information on the Texas Deer Association, call 210.767.8300 or visit www.texasdeerassociation.com. As a part of its public education efforts, the TDA publishes Tracks, a full-color
bimonthly magazine that updates members on legislative news, deer genetics and game management issues

Hunter's Specialties

Cedar Rapids, IA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Hunter’s Specialties new Velvet Whitetail Clover provides much needed nutritional benefits to deer while enhancing food plots by putting nitrogen back into the soil.

Designed for spring or fall planting, Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail brand Ladino Clover contains a proven mix of high performing clovers including Alsike, Dominion Red, Medium Red and Crimson, along with White Clover.

Hunter's Specialties Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover Mix

The mix grows extremely tall and spreads by stolons for a thicker food plot, producing tons of highly palatable and sweet tasting forage per acre. All Vita-Rack seed mixes feature high germination rates and a low percentage of foreign matter, making them a great value, as well as providing better plant coverage across the food plot.

Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover can save landowners up to 45% on fertilizer costs when used in a crop rotation with other Vita-Rack seed mixes, including the new Booming Beans™ and Winter Forage™ mixes. Clover is a legume, which pulls nitrogen out of the air and fixes it in the ground, where it can be used by other plants. Typical costs per acre to apply 17-17-17 fertilizer would be $93.00. By using Vita-Rack Velvet Whitetail Clover in a crop rotation the costs would drop to $52.00. [click here for more information on crop rotation]

For more information, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website at www.hunterspec.com, write to 6000 Huntington Court NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, or call a Consumer Service Specialist at 319-395-0321.