Science

Idaho Record Muley?

GerryBethge — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:54:01 -0500

Word just in on this awesome muley deer...Taken during the Idaho muzzleloader season (Unit 45), it is said to be the new state record.

Outfit My Rig!

BrianLynn — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:55:08 -0400

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After being without a truck for some months, I finally bit the bullet and bought a used 2001 Chevy Blazer LT. While I'd prefer a truck, the Blazer fit the four requirements I had: four-wheel drive, big enough to haul the dog, room/a place to put the kiddo's car seat and within my budget (those aren't listed in any particular order, by the way...).

What accessories have you SUV (and truck/car guys) enjoyed the most? Are there certain brands you like better than others? Are there budget-saving brands/ideas out there? I want to hear some thoughts on how best to outfit this baby for hunting, fishing and dog training.

Below are some ideas on things I might want to add on, please let me know what, if anything, I'm missing and/or things that really aren't worth it.

Sunstein on Hunting and Animal Rights

BrianLynn — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:01:24 -0400

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In the Gun Shots blog, John Haughey, and by proxy, Alan Clemons, does a great job outlining the danger Cass Sunstein, Obama's pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (for which he might be confirmed as early as today), poses to hunting and how/why hunting and firearm organizations oppose his nomination.

I thought I'd take it a step farther and provide you with the source material, straight from the horse's mouth, and some of the highlights from his University of Chicago White Paper (along with some of my own comments), entitled "The Rights of Animals: A Very Short Primer".

The Freak Show!

outdoorlife-editor — Wed, 31 May 2006 20:00:00 -0400

On opening day of Ohio's 2005 bow season, Mike Rex shot a 17-pointer with 14-inch brow tines and stickers all over. Total score: 220 inches. In Pepin County, Wis., Tom Lee grunted in a beast with 30-inch beams and a palmated, caribou-like G-2 on the left antler. Score: 187.

I even got in on the action up in Saskatchewan, felling a black-racked 22-pointer with junky daggers and bases the size of a can of Red Bull. Score: 181. And this is just a minuscule sampling of the monstrous non-typicals that hit the dirt last season. What's the deal with all of these freaks breaking into the record books each fall?

WEIRD-RACK FACTS

One factor that leads to bizarre rack growth is an injury to growing antlers. Two years ago in Wyoming, I killed a 160-class 10-point with a fist-sized blob for a right G-4. He'd smashed the tine on a tree or hooked it on a fence or something earlier that summer. But injuries are the exception. Freaky racks are mostly about genetics.

"In my opinion, genetics are the primary cause for non-typical antler growth anywhere in the country," says Mick Hellickson, chief wildlife biologist for the King Ranch in Texas. He says that many bucks have the genetic ability to grow junk on an otherwise typical 8- or 10-point rack, but most of them are shot by hunters or hit by cars before they get the chance. Hellickson's research shows that atypical antlers generally don't occur until bucks are 5 to 7 years old.

Another top whitetail scientist concurs, even going a step further. Dr. Grant Woods of Missouri feels that most whitetails have non-typical characteristics in their genes. "It's rare for a six- or seven-year-old buck to be a straight-up typical these days, especially on private land where there's lots of nutritious food," he says.

WHERE THE FREAKS ROAM

Since 1950, more typical racks (5,441) than non-typical (3,021) have been entered into the Boone and Crockett Club record book. But the freaks are on the upswing. From 1995 until present, more than 1,400 non-typical bucks were registered with B&C.

Compare that to the previous decade, when 801 abnormal racks were put in the book. And these figures don't take into account the thousands of junky, three-beamed 140- to 180-inch trophies shot by hunters in just the last few years.

The heartland is producing the most monsters by far, including the highest-scoring whitetail ever shot. Young Tony Lovstuen killed his 38-point, 307 5/8-inch giant in Monroe County, Iowa, in 2003. The region has fertile river bottoms and fields of corn and soybeans. Plus, quality deer management has exploded, with many landowners planting food plots and passing up young bucks.

Abundant feed is helpful, but a buck's age is the number one freak factor. Take Saskatchewan, which has produced 34 non-typical B&C entries since 2000. The soil is not particularly rich, crops are thin in the northern part of the province and the growing season is short at that latitude. But what Canada does have is millions of acres of sparsely populated spruce and fir forest. In spite of the cold and the wolves, many bucks live 5½ years or more in the bush and grow those big racks we all dream about.

To see photos of the record racks, go to outdoorlife.com/hunting/whitetails

TOP 5

NON-TYPICAL WHITETAIL RECORD-BOOK ENTRIES BY STATE

Illinois 128

Iowa 72

Wisconsin 60

Kansas 55

Ohio 54

MASS: Show me an old buck with beer-can thick bases and heavy mass throughout the main beams and I'll show you a giant that will make a hunter faint.

WILD FACT: Masswise, the largest antler base on record is 8 inches in circumference (the right base of the No. 3 all-time Tony Lovstuen Buck, which scored 307 5/8).

DROP TINES: The sight of a drop tine, large or small, will jazz any hunter. Maybe that's because drops or "clubs" occur on relatively few whitetails. Usually only a single or double drop grows.

WILD FACT: The No. 1 nontypical, which was picked up in St. Louis Co., Mo., in 1981, has six measurable drops on its 333 7/8-inch rack.

POINTS ALL OVER: While B&C scorers talk inches, the average hunter still talks points. Want to impress? Tell a guy you just killed a 15- or 22-pointer and watch his jaw drop.

WILD FACT: The No. 7 nontypical, a 284 3/9-inch giant killed in Texas way back in 1892, has 47 points (21 on its right beam, 27 on its left).

JUNK: While points and mass add up to an amazing trophy, the bucks that attract the most gawkers sport all kinds of junk, like beams that branch into stubby crowns or kicker and sticker tines.

WILD FACT: The No. 5 Tony Fulton Buck, which scores 295 6/8, has two big, matching sticker blobs on each beam, with a drop tine below each.

Mike's Quick Tip

Medical studies show your heart can reach 118 percent of its maximum rate when you're fixing to shoot a deer. Hold on to your ticker if you see a big freak marching through the woods! To calm down a bit, pull your eyes off that rack, focus on a patch of shoulder hair, breathe deep and kill the beast as fast as you can.

Deer Discoveries Research findings that will help you get your buck

outdoorlife-editor — Fri, 30 Apr 2004 20:00:00 -0400

I don't know about you, but every time I see the words "according to biologists in so-and-so state" or "researchers at the University of such-and-such recently found," I pay attention. I don't believe everything I read, but I do put a lot of stock in what most deer biologists say. From PhDs to graduate assistants, most wildlife professionals are conscientious and passionate about their data's accuracy, even if they don't always realize how much their research helps us hunters. Here are a few recent gems. I'm sure you'll put them to good use.

WHITETAIL LINGUISTICS

Deer specialist Karl Miller, PhD, and some associates at the University of Georgia categorized 12 whitetail deer vocalizations and broke them into four categories: contact (soft grunt), antagonistic (grunt-snort-wheeze), mating (tending grunt) and maternal (fawn bleat).

"The grunt-snort-wheeze is the most aggressive call," says Miller. "You can use it to bring in a dominant deer, but it can also scare off some bucks."

As for mating calls, the researchers say bucks make the tending grunt when an estrous doe is in sight. They also found that bucks sometimes grunt long and gutturally when on the prowl for does during the rut.

USE SMALL WORDS

At a recent seminar I heard Maryland biologist C.J. Winand tell the audience, "Bet you didn't know the average length of a buck's grunt is seven-tenths of a second long." I know researchers overzealously analyze whitetail biology, but I still found that interesting. Because realism matters, when you're not blowing the long and animated tending call, try short, snappy grunts to lure in a buck.

VARY YOUR LOCATION

I've perused several studies in which biologists say that does feed rotationally to keep from burning out food sources in their home range. They speculate that this might also be a survival mechanism. As does and fawns move from, say, an acorn flat to a honeysuckle thicket to a shaded edge where persimmons fall, they keep coyotes and other predators off guard. With this in mind, it makes sense to hang and rotationally hunt several stands near various pockets of mast and browse.

HUNT MIDDAY

In Solving the Mysteries of Deer Movement (Institute for White-tailed Deer Management and Research, 1996), Texas researchers Dr. James Kroll and Ben Koerth suggest that deer get up and feed every four to six hours. The biologists point out that the animals feed mostly at dusk and at night, but flurries of daytime feeding occur regularly. The lesson here is that you should increase your time in a stand downwind of browse back in the timber, where bucks feel more comfortable moving in daylight hours. You might spot a hungry buck anytime.

Kroll and Koerth also found that although does seem reluctant to move on very windy days, wind speed doesn't affect buck activity all that much during the rut.

HUNT ESCAPE COVER

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has fitted hundreds of bucks with radio collars to determine whether the state's 2-year-old point-restriction program is working. Now more than three years into the study, researchers' preliminary findings show that the restrictions are working. But it's an ancillary finding that should interest deer hunters. The PGC found that when gun season opened, the bucks didn't go anywhere. They just became nocturnal and sat tight in thicker areas.

WHAT SCRAPES TELL US

In the late 1990s, researchers at the University of Georgia studied the scraping behavior of free-ranging, hunted whitetails on a 3,400-acre tract [see Whitetails, August 2003]. The biologists noted that some of the most intense scraping occurs right after dusk from mid-October through early November. It stands to reason, therefore, that if you watch a sign-blazed ridge or bottom near a hot food source every evening you'll spot bucks--and sooner or later Mr. Big.

The biologists' trail-monitoring cameras also revealed that while as many as 13 bucks of all ages visited some scrapes, few if any deer hit other scrapes just a few hundred yards away. So remember this: If you watch a set of scrapes for a few days and don't see any deer, stop wasting your time. Scout for hotter scrapes to hunt.

Here's one final bit of information: A Texas study found that bucks split their time almost equally between mock scrapes juiced with doe pee and mock scrapes filled with buck urine or tarsal scent. Since the scent you use doesn't seem to matter much, you might as well dump a little of each in a scrape near your stand.

Look for a Sign

Dr. Grant Woods believes that bucks 3 1/2 years old and older blaze "signposts," those thigh-size trees that are rubbed repeatedly during fall year after year. "Our research suggests signpost rubs play a critical role in the social dynamics of a deer herd," says the respected Missouri biologist. Woods points out that mature bucks deposit pheromones on the rubs. Does and bucks will visit these places, especially in the pre-rut.

Deer of the Year

DEER HUNTERS:

Mail a color photograph of you and your memorable deer, along with a brief story of the hunt and any notable measurements of the animal and its rack, to: Outdoor Life, Deer of the Year 2 Park Ave., New York, NY 10016 or online at www.outdoorlife.com We'll consider the following criteria:

--Quality and tastefulness of the photograph --Size of the deer and its antlers --Uniqueness of the story --First-time successes

Six lucky hunters whose photos and stories run in the feature will be chosen at random to receive Mathews Outback bows (below, right). One hunter whose photo and story runs in the feature will be chosen at random to receive a Yamaha generator (below, left). Other entrants whose stories and photos are published will receive OL baseball caps.

Photos cannot be returned. Results will appear in the August 2004 issue. Deadline is May 15, 2004 Sponsored by:

YAMAHA(r)

MATHEWS SOLOCAM Catch us if you can!

DODGE GRAB LIFE BY THE HORNS

LEUPOLD AMERICA'S OPTICS AUTHORITY(tm)

Savage(r) Arms The Definition of Accuracy

Rattle For Results Research that will help you get your buck this fall

outdoorlife-editor — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 20:00:00 -0400

Over the next few months, deer hunters will hit the woods packing a set of antlers and some big expectations. They'll climb into a stand, mimic a buck fight and wait for a monster to charge within bow or gun range. Most of the time, none will. After a few tries, many of these hunters will go home, throw the horns into the garage and decide that rattling doesn't work outside of Texas.

Well, I beg to differ. If you whack the horns right, if you do it during the right phase of the rut and if you keep your confidence up, you can rattle in a buck or two. No, rattling is not a sure thing; it's a tool that, when used at the right time, can bring a big buck in. So just when is the right time? A wildlife biologist decided to find out. Here's what he learned.

THE TEST PROCEDURE

Mick Hellickson, chief wildlife biologist for the King Ranch in southern Texas, worked with several college interns to conduct three years of research on a large refuge in San Patricio County. The deer population in the study area was high, the buck-to-doe ratio was fairly balanced and the age structure of the bucks was very good. Plenty of middle-aged bucks (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years old) and mature males (5 1/2 years and older) prowled around in search of does. They were the perfect candidates to rattle up.

Hellickson asked himself, "What type of rattling attracts the most bucks?" To find out, he developed four sequences. The "short and quiet" (SQ) and "short and loud" (SL) routines included three 10-minute segments (1 minute of rattling followed by 9 minutes of silence per segment). The "long and quiet" (LQ) and "long and loud" (LL) sequences included three 10-minute segments (3 minutes of horn cracking followed by 7 minutes of silence per segment). During the quiet sequences, the rattlers avoided loud antler clashes. For the loud routines, they whacked the horns as hard as they could and also broke branches and scraped the ground to further simulate a battle.

The researchers worked in two-man teams. A camouflaged observer climbed into one of the 30-foot towers scattered across the refuge. A rattler, also in camo, climbed into a clump of brush upwind and went to work. When a buck responded, the researchers took notes, videotaped the deer and estimated its age and Boone and Crockett Club score.

WHAT THEY LEARNED

Over the three-year study, researchers rattled 171 different times during the pre-rut, peak and post-rut phases in November and December. During this time they lured in 111 bucks. They had an overall response rate of 65 percent.

During the pre-rut, 18 bucks responded to 60 rattling sequences for a response rate of 30 percent. The silver lining in the pre-rut is that many of the bucks that responded at this time were mature animals.

The peak of the rut was Hellickson's most productive time. During the wild days, 65 bucks responded to 60 rattling sequences. Often multiple 8- and 10-pointers charged or circled in.

For the last few years I've been telling anyone who would listen that the first weeks of the post-rut, when gnarly old bucks cruise for the last hot does, are prime for trophy hunting. As further confirmation, I point out that this phase is when Hellickson and his team rattled up the most mature bucks. Of the 29 bucks that responded to 51 post-rut rattling sequences, ten were 5 1/2 years and older, and another ten were 3 1/2 to 4 1/2. Don't give up on rattling too soon.

I've always had the best luck rattling in the morning. So did the researchers. Sixty of the 111 bucks (54 percent) came in between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. Cool days with 75 percent cloud cover and light winds were best.

RATTLING SETUPS

An astounding 67 of the 111 bucks (60 percent) that came to the horns were first spotted downwind of the tower stands. Interestingly, immature males were just as likely as older bucks to approach from downwind to try to sniff out the source of the rattling. Most of the bucks spotted upwind of a stand before a rattling session circled downwind as they approached the ruckus. The lesson is simple: Always set up to rattle where you can see downwind.

While the observers in the towers spotted all the bucks that responded, the rattlers on the ground failed to see 63 of the deer (57 percent). Think back to all those "dismal" days when you sat against a tree and banged the horns. I don't think it's a stretch to say that on some occasions bucks came in downwind, but you just couldn't see them. Get some elevation--rattle in a tree stand or on a point overlooking a river bottom--and you'll eyeball more bucks.

TURN UP THE VOLUME

"If you aren't totally exhausted after a sequence, you probably didn't rattle loudly enough," says Hellickson. He and his crew rattled hard 85 times and attracted 81 bucks. Their 86 quiet sequences pulled in only 30 bucks. Crashing the horns, along with cracking sticks and beating the ground to mimic the mother of all buck fights, was nearly three times more effective than the passive approach.

The length of a rattling session didn't matter much. Forty-nine bucks responded during the first 10-minute segment, 37 during the second and 25 during the third and final portion. "To see a majority of the bucks that respond to your rattling, stay put for at least thirty minutes," advises Hellickson.

RATTLING IN YOUR WOODS As compared to the refuge where this study took place, the ground you hunt likely holds fewer mature bucks, and the buck-to-doe ratio and age structure of the males is probably not as good. Still, wherever you hunt, you can learn from Hellickson's research. Climb into a tree stand on a cool, cloudy, windless morning during peak rut or post-rut, whack the horns like a wild man in short, explosive volleys till your hands go numb, and keep your eyes peeled downwind and your confidence up for at least 30 minutes. Oh yeah, and get your bow or gun ready, because Mr. Big might show up any minute.

When Rattling Works

Rattling Sequences PRE-RUT RUT PEAK POST-RUT Short and quiet 13% 29% 43% Short and loud 38% 194% 62% Long and quiet 13% 50% 67% Long and loud 57% 150% 58%

The bar graph shows the buck response to rattling sequences during each segment of the rut. Dr. Mick Hellickson also tested types of rattling sequences during each rut phase--"short and quiet," "short and loud," "long and quiet" and "long and loud." The percentages represent the average number of bucks that responded to each routine--one buck per routine equals 100 percent, two bucks per routine would equal 200 percent.

Quick Tip "I'm sure imitation antlers will attract bucks, but I prefer to use the largest, freshest set of shed antlers I can find." --Mick Hellickson, deer hunter and chief wildlife biologist at Texas's King Ranch

Where the Deer Disease Is Found

outdoorlife-editor — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 20:00:00 -0400

Last hunting season, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) jumped onto the national stage like never before, with nearly every state (and Canadian province) testing wild deer for the always-fatal brain disease. More than 100,000 deer, plus thousands of elk, were tested for CWD in 2002, and the good news is that only a relative handful of CWD-infected animals were discovered. Unfortunately, CWD extended its reach into Illinois, Wisconsin and Utah, and it was also found over much of far-western Colorado.

Last year's CWD testing programs varied widely. Some targeted only sick-looking animals; others surveyed roadkills and some hunter-harvested deer. A few states, including Wisconsin, collected a statistical sampling of deer to scientifically determine exactly where CWD was or wasn't. Expect CWD testing to become a regular part of the fall hunt since, at this point, the disease still appears to be expanding. --Brian McCombie

Chart indicates the number of animals tested by species followed by the number of CWD-positive animals founds.

[+] States with CWD-positive animals

AK: Moose 50/0*

WA: MD 296/0 WT 188/0 BT 290/0 Elk 113/0

OR: MD 240/0 WT 17/0 BT 162/0 Elk 410/0*

NV: MD 335/0 Elk 102/0

CA: MD 240/0 BT 200/0 Elk 10/0

ID: MD 496/0 WT 164/0 Elk 71/0*

UT: [+] MD 1,400/1 Elk 64/0*

AZ: MD 352/0 WT 82/0 Elk 143/0

MT: MD 595/0 WT 196/0 Elk 222/0*

WY: [+] MD 1,508/87 WT 247/18 Elk 795/5*

CO: [+] MD 10,888/247 WT 523/15 Elk 14,777/43*

NM: [+] MD 350/5 Elk 350/0*

ND: WT 439/0 MD 31/0 Elk 25/0

SD: [+] WT 821/6 MD 522/3 Elk 607/0*

NE: [+] WT 2,069/6 MD 2,161/6 Elk 25/0*

KS: WT 1,154/0 Elk 16/0

OK: WT 978/0 Elk 22/0

TX: WT 2,000/0

MN: WT 4,401/0

IA: WT 3,160/0

MO: WT 6,000/0*

AR: WT 250/0 Elk 17/0*

LA: WT 1,100/0

WI: [+] WT 41,245/207*

IL: [+] WT 4,060/7*

MI: WT 3,737/0 Elk 83/0

IN: WT 1,000/0

KY: WT 2,465/0 Elk 19/0*

TN: WT 1,400/0

MS: WT 980/0

AL: WT 90/0

OH: WT 500/0

WV: WT 370/0

GA: WT 336/0

FL: WT 500/0

VT: WT 251/0

NY: WT 936/0*

PA: WT 500/0

VA: WT 1,047/0

NC: WT 135/0

SC: WT 103/0

ME: WT 831/0

NH: WT 259/0

MA: WT 80/0*

RI: WT 40/0*

CT: 0/0*

NJ: WT 952/0*

DE: 0/0*

MD: WT 306/0

Species Key WT: Whitetail deer MD: Mule deer BT: Blacktail deer Elk: Elk

Canada Newfoundland/Labrador: 0/0 New Brunswick: 0/0 Ontario: WT 151/0 Manitoba: WT 490/0; Elk 130/0 Saskatchewan: Animals Tested 6500/11MD; 1WT; 0 Elk Alberta: MD 546/0; WT 409/0; Elk 95/0 B.C: MD 103/0; WT 71/0; Elk 42/0

*Notes:

AK: The state tested the moose between 1999 and 2002. Officials plan to test 500 Sitka blacktail deer this fall.

AR: In November 2002, the Game and Fish Commission found that a Colorado deer taken to an Arkansas processing plant had CWD.

CO: Could test 50,000 animals this fall, depending on hunter demand.

CT: Did no testing in 2002. Will test over 200 whitetail deer this fall in a regional sampling program with Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

DE: Plans to test 300 whitetail deer in 2003.

ID: Moose 1/0; Fallow deer 1/0

IL: So far, CWD positives have been limited to three northern counties. Illinois recently announced that it found seven more CWD-infected deer (with animals tested in 2003) in the same areas it had found the previous seven. The new positives were identified from culls the Illinois Department of Natural Resources did this past February and March.

KY: 11 target animals were also tested (escaped exotics).

MA: Results pending

MO: 2002 was the second year of a plan to test 200 deer in every county by 2005.

MT: CWD is closing in on Montana from three sides (Wyoming, South Dakota and Saskatchewan).

NE: The CWD-positive animals are still relegated to the Panhandle but they have now been found in three separate locales, including a troubling cluster in northern Sioux County.

NJ: Also tested 502 deer in 1998 and found no positives.

NM: Oryx 5/0; Bighorn sheep 1/0. The state found the first CWD-positive mule deer in 2002; severl more have been found since.

NY: In November 2002, three resident hunters were ticketed for bringing Wyoming elk carcasses into New York, a violation of a temporary ban on importing any deer or elk into the state.

OR: 266 Rocky Mountain Elk, 144 Roosevelt Elk

RI: Result pending

SD: If the infection rate goes above 3 percent, the state's management plan calls for aggressive culling of infected wild herds.

UT: In May 2003, a second mule deer tested positive near Moab, more than 100 miles south of first CWD-positive muley killed in 2002.

WI: In April the Department of Natural Resources asked to double the size of the eradication zone to more than 800 square miles.

WY: CWD jumps the Continental Divide here in 2002 in one deer killed near Saratoga, Wyoming, and in another near Baggs, Wyoming.

For more information, go to www.outdoorlife.com/newsandfacts

Flipping The Switch Deer movement isn't so easy to predict

outdoorlife-editor — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 20:00:00 -0400

It's happened to you: On those days when you just know the deer will be moving throughout the woods, they don't. Despite being in your best stand on a morning when everything about the weather seems to be perfect, a deer never comes within view. Nothing is stirring in the woods except the breeze. Wouldn't it be nice to discover the "switches" that start deer moving in the woods and keep them going? Then we'd know which days to hunt, which days to work and perhaps even which tree stands to sit in. It was this pursuit that led me to Grant Woods, PhD, one of the nation's foremost whitetail research biologists. What I hoped would be an elementary question for someone of his background ended up being anything but simple. Our telephone discussion was enlightening, although not in the way I expected.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW

"What is the switch that triggers the short-term spikes in movement I see only a couple of times each fall?" I asked. When Dr. Woods began chuckling on the other end of the phone line I knew I was in for an education.

"I only wish I knew the answer," he replied. "I feel safe in saying that no one knows the answer to that. It's the puzzle many deer researchers are working to solve. Over the past several months I've been doing some very interesting research using GPS receivers attached to deer collars. After studying that information I have to eat some of the things I've preached for years. Predicting movement is much more complex than I thought."

For one thing, Woods now believes that deer react to imminent changes in weather patterns that they detect with their heightened senses. These changes won't occur for 24 to 48 hours, but when the conditions are right, deer are driven to feed. "We've tried all the simple correlations--barometric pressure, the moon, weather conditions--and none of them have shown any degree of accuracy," says Woods. "We just don't have the right kinds of data yet that will show exactly what combination of factors deer are sensing, but I'm sure the answer is out there. This is an exciting time to be involved in deer research."

PARTS OF THE PUZZLE

Maybe we can't predict exactly when deer will move best based on factors that we can't measure, but we have a good idea how whitetails are affected by factors that we can observe.

BAROMETRIC PRESSURE: This is widely held to be one of the chief catalysts for deer movement. In his book Whitetail Movement, deer authority John Wootters notes that deer activity on his Texas ranch was greater when the barometric pressure was changing and at its highest when pressure was rising. He based that finding on years of observations and collected data.

TEMPERATURE: Deer are dressed in their winter coats by November. If you put on all your warmest clothes and then try to run around all day long in 80-degree heat, how long will you last? Based on my experience, and that of my many hunting contacts throughout the continent, daytime buck movement declines when the temperature rises more than 15 to 20 degrees above the norm.

WIND: The first few days of a high wind (above 25 mph) produce less deer movement. If the wind persists, deer become accustomed to it and move anyway. There is a limit, however. When a high wind gusts and reaches speeds high enough to snap off branches and blow debris from the trees, deer will stay put and wait until it passes. Such conditions generally are associated with a passing front and don't last more than a day. I don't like dead-calm weather either. The deer I hunt in the Midwest move noticeably less on mornings when a breeze is barely stirring. I suspect that it is due to their reduced scenting ability and to the fact that, because they can hear so well, they become extremely alert and nervous. It might also relate to barometric pressure. As far as I'm concerned, the worst time to hunt is on a warm, humid, still morning.

RAIN AND SNOW: There's nothing more beautiful to a hunter than the sight of a nice buck coming through the timber with a thin layer of snow blanketing his back and antlers. Deer move well in the light snow that comes with a weak winter front. A misting rain associated with a falling barometer is also generally fine and deer will move well in it during any part of the season. However, when the sprinkles turn into a steady downpour, deer hole up. You probably should too.

MORNINGS VS. EVENINGS: Three sources have convinced me that mornings are better--my own experience, Wootters' data and a study done by Brad Herndon of the Pope and Young Club records book staff. Record applications indicate that the number of trophies per man-hour is skewed toward the morning.

LOCAL FACTORS: What's happening in your neck of the woods is much more important than general climatic conditions when predicting buck movement. For example, if one estrous doe passes your stand in the early hours you might think every buck in the state is on the move, while a buddy one ridge over might see nothing. By the same token, if a hunter passes through the area before you get there and has bumped the deer out, you might be willing to swear that every whitetail on earth is holed up.

PERFECT CONDITIONS: Give me a cool morning that dawns 10 degrees below normal with a light, steady breeze of about 5 to 10 mph and a rising barometer. Generally, it doesn't matter what part of the season you're hunting; when those conditions exist you'll see above-average activity in any area where there is a decent population of deer.

We are probably still years from predicting the exact conditions that trigger brief spikes in movement. Maybe we'll never know for sure. Yet that's part of what makes each day of hunting special in its own way. Anything can happen at any time, but you have to be present to win.

Does the Moon Mean Anything?

Dr. Grant Woods has stopped publishing his profitable Daily Activity Index (DAI) calendar, mainly because his studies led him to believe it wasn't altogether a reliable tool for hunters. The DAI was extrapolated from information regarding lunar phases and the daily rise and set times of the moon.

"I had to give up on the DAI because a recent study of deer movement showed that it just wasn't accurate enough to be completely effective," says Woods. "At best, the moon is a minor secondary factor in predicting periods of daily activity and is easily overwhelmed by many other local factors such as wind speed, hunting pressure and air temperature."

On a different tack, some researchers--whitetail lecturer and writer Charles Alsheimer among them--contend that moon phase can be relied upon as a rut timer in northern latitudes: the Northeast, Midwest and Northwest. Alsheimer says his system has been tested with eight years of data and is an accurate predictor of those days when the rut will be "hottest." According to Alsheimer, serious rutting activity begins shortly after the "rutting moon," the second full moon following the fall equinox (September 21), and peak breeding will occur during a two-week period starting one week after the rutting moon.

From personal experience in the field (I hunt every day of the rut each season) I'd say there is definitely merit to Alsheimer's findings and I take them seriously. For more information on the subject consider Alsheimer's book, Hunting Whitetails by the Moon, www.charlesalsheimer.com.