July 30, 2012
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Early in July, Dr. James Kroll released his long awaited “Deer Report” to the people of Wisconsin. Kroll, aka: Dr. Deer, is a well-known figure in the deer community and was hired by Governor Scott Walker to fulfill a campaign promise he made to Wisconsin deer hunters upset with how deer were being managed in their state. The report is significant for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the politics involved when a governor goes “outside” to review the work of hundreds of state wildlife workers.
But of more relevance are Kroll’s findings and recommendations, which included changing the way the state manages deer. And, while not directly stated, the overarching theme of the report is to get Wisconsin’s deer hunters and the professional deer managers of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on the same page.
Toward that end, Kroll and his team dug into their bag of deer management tricks and pulled out a tried and true deer management tool called the “Deer Management Assistance Program” or DMAP. DMAP is the brain child of Dr. David Guynn of Clemson University who first introduced the concept in the early 80’s. Since then, DMAPs have been adopted by at least 20 states as an effective tool for improving deer management and involving landowners in the deer management process.
[ Read Full Post ]July 26, 2012
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When contemplating food plots for whitetails, you need to understand the fundamental difference between a plot that is designed to provide deer with quality nutrition for antler growth over an entire growing season and a plot that is intended to draw deer over a shorter period of time so that you can hunt them.
Feed, or all-season, plots are typically perennial-heavy and feature deer favorites such as clover, chicory, birdsfoot trefoil, and alfalfa. By contrast, hunting plots contain mostly annuals such as brassicas, winter peas, turnips, soybeans, winter oats, and beets.
Food plot aficionados prefer a blend of the two.
[ Read Full Post ]July 25, 2012
by It’s been a very warm and dry summer and while the record highs and drought conditions make it miserable for us, they’re a recipe for disaster for Kentucky’s whitetail population.
In Kentucky, the Department of Fish and Wildlife along with the state’s sportsmen are concerned that the deer herd could soon be under attack by the midge fly – a tiny biting insect that can spread Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD as it’s commonly referred to.
[ Read Full Post ]July 24, 2012
by While deer season slowly approaches, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) keeps making headlines and eating away at the flourishing whitetail populations across the country.
A yearling doe killed during the 2011 season in Sumner County marks the first deer to test positive for CWD in south-central Kansas. Nine deer tested positive for CWD out of 2,400 samples that were sent for testing last year, according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Of the nine positive results, six were from northwest Kansas, while Ford, Stafford and Sumner counties reported their first ever case of CWD.
[ Read Full Post ]July 17, 2012
by We were all taught at a young age that stealing isn’t good. Some people just don’t learn. People steal everything from clothes to cars, but what about deer semen? Ever think that someone would steal that?
An Illinios man has pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining deer semen from a Texas buck, reports chron.com. In February 2007, fifty-five year old Raymond Favero obtained 184 straws of whitetail deer semen from a Texas buck named “Diablo” that Favero knew had been illegally taken out of Texas. Favero’s semen collection from Diablo was valued at a hefty $92,000. The following year he took 110 straws of semen from another buck, “Thunderstruck.”
[ Read Full Post ]July 16, 2012
by Governor Andrew Cuomo has a bill on his desk that will kill the long-awaited youth deer hunt currently adopted by the New York Department of Conservation. You read right, the DEC finally adopted a special deer hunt for kids but the Legislature sent a bill to the Governor prohibiting it.
For years, New York’s hunters and the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have been kicking around the idea of a special youth deer hunt. The hunt made it into the DEC’s 5-year deer management plan and really started to gain traction among NY hunters. The DEC moved forward with the adoption process, which included conducting hunter surveys, holding public hearings, and collecting and reviewing public comment. In spite of opposition by The New York Bowhunters Inc. and others opposing the kids’ hunt, it was determined that the majority of hunters in the state favored a youth hunt for deer.
[ Read Full Post ]July 16, 2012
by Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, just won't go away. While it most likely developed in domestic herds of deer, the disease has made its way into wild populations of deer across the country with the latest hotspot being West Texas, according to the El Paso Times.
For the first time in Texas, CWD has been confirmed in two mule deer that came from the Hueco Mountains. The good news is that officials believe this is an isolated incident in a remote part of the state near the New Mexico border.
Now that officials know the disease is active in Texas, they must figure out how they’re going to manage it and keep it from spreading. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is working with experts who have dealt with CWD in other states to ensure the right processes and procedures are put in place.
[ Read Full Post ]July 12, 2012
by Attention deer hunters of Wisconsin -- major changes are on their way following the release of the final report from Dr. James Kroll on Tuesday.
The 136-page report has been dubbed “the reset button” by Kroll who says, “If we're going to continue to have the hunting heritage in Wisconsin, we're going to have to do this.” Kroll’s biggest fear with the current state of the deer management in Wisconsin is that if changes aren’t made now then management of the state’s deer herd will fall victim to political interests.
[ Read Full Post ]July 12, 2012
by In the State of Minnesota there’s a new nuisance animal roaming the woods – hunters. An alarming problem has been raised at a recent St. Louis County Board workshop – the state’s hunters have been clearing shooting lanes that look more like highways on public lands.
As a bowhunter, I understand the necessity of clearing shooting lanes. I do it every year for almost every stand location I have – and I have dozens of stand locations -- however, I’m mostly on private lands and I always make sure to cut only what is absolutely necessary to give me two or three small clearings out to 25 yards. The result is several branches in the ½” to 3” diameter range being cleared to allow my arrow to fly without any obstructions in it’s way. It only takes the slight deflection of an arrow off a tiny branch to turn a deadly kill shot into a wounded animal that’s not recovered.
[ Read Full Post ]July 9, 2012
by It’s no secret that whitetail populations are exploding in subrban areas across the country. And each year, an increasing number of suburban areas look to hunters as their deer populations grow out of control.
That’s now happening in Bloomington, Indiana and the County Deer Task Force has recommended that deer within the city limits be hunted in order to reduce the population.
It’s a common scenario in suburban areas. The deer become a nuisance to the general public, a task force is put in place to assess the situation and provide recommendations. The options are either expensive sharpshooters, ineffective deer birth control, or effective hunting by local citizens free of charge. The latter inevitably wins.
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