34
votes
Accepted
Why are there separate seasons for archery and firearm hunting for deer?
I think the main reason for this is that the hunting styles are a lot different between the two. Archery hunters often don't wear orange and get very close to the their prey while gun hunters wear ...
- 69.2k
24
votes
Accepted
Why do predators seem as abundant as prey in trail camera footage?
If the footage has been put on YouTube, it's probably been edited. Reasonable editing would be to show the range of species and/or behaviour in the area - after all, it's entertainment or at most ...
- 26.1k
20
votes
Accepted
Deer activity in the wet
This behavior is well-known to be honest. There's this myth that white-tail activity increases if it rains (the deer seeks shelter). However, the truth is that this doesn't really affect the daily ...
- 23.5k
18
votes
Accepted
Are elk and deer colorblind to blaze orange/pink clothes?
Humans have trichromatic vision. Deer, Elk (wapiti) and some other animals have dichromatic vision. It's not that deer and Elk can't "see" oranges and reds, they just perceive them differently.
...
- 1,857
12
votes
Trustworthyness of a claim that a "not hung" doe can't be completely processed
You really shouldn't waste any time after you shoot a deer, how long you wait to dress your deer can affect the taste of the meat.
The first thing that happens after you kill a deer is rigor mortis. ...
- 53.5k
10
votes
Accepted
What is an appropriate caliber for hunting mule deer?
In theory you could hunt Mule Deer with .223. I had friends who hunt boar with .223 and mule dear aren't really any tougher than a boar. That being said, smaller caliber equals less expansion and ...
- 32.1k
9
votes
Are elk and deer colorblind to blaze orange/pink clothes?
I can't take any credit for already knowing this, all my information comes from an article from Penn State University, entitled Deer-Forest Study: The eyes have it!
Some of the information in this ...
- 5,168
9
votes
If you get a "clean" kill on a deer how long do you have to field dress?
You field dress the deer as soon as possible while maintaining your own safety. That really means that as soon as the deer is down, I go take care of it, except if I have shot it during the last few ...
- 1,766
8
votes
Things to consider when approaching deer
The animal may startle causing harm to itself or others.
For example Nature Workshops says:
Wild animals that have been approached too closely, have:
Been startled and run into traffic where they ...
- 10.7k
8
votes
Why are there separate seasons for archery and firearm hunting for deer?
One shooting the other basically. It's a safety measure.
Where I live we don't have hunting season. We hunt the whole year round. I'm a bow-hunter and I've encounter myself looking up the barrel of a ...
- 2,338
8
votes
Why do predators seem as abundant as prey in trail camera footage?
I think there might be another reason beyond the accepted answer.
Predators have to roam a lot more throughout their territory in order to find food and if they fail an attack on a prey they have to ...
- 721
7
votes
Why are there separate seasons for archery and firearm hunting for deer?
Hunting serves several purposes, a few of which are to:
Allow residents (who own public game animals) to harvest meat;
Follow long-held traditions;
Manage game populations
The two most common types ...
- 1,802
7
votes
Accepted
Things to consider when approaching deer
The biggest things are scent, movement and not seeing what the deer can see. Most people trying to approach a deer are not seeing the forest, field, meadow or whatever, as the deer sees it. Crouch ...
- 980
6
votes
Things to consider when approaching deer
There are three things deer will pick up on
Sound - Especially sharp sounds like leaves crunching and twigs snapping are the worst.
Movement - Deer see movement pretty well and will alert on it. ...
- 32.1k
6
votes
Accepted
Does it harm deer when I walk on their trails?
No, human smell is only potentially harmful to small fawns, a doe may abandon her infant fawn if it smells of human. At least this is what we're told as kids when we're hiking a trail and encounter a ...
- 53.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Does a small antler really mean "bad genes"?
Genetics is one factor contributing to a deer's antler size, but certainly not the only factor. In many cases, maybe most, it isn't even the most important factor.
Age: Young bucks that aren't fully ...
- 4,219
6
votes
What is an appropriate caliber for hunting mule deer?
.30 cal is about where big game hunting starts. You could get away with .223 with smaller white tail deer, but you'll increase how often you need to track your deer and that's less humane.
For mule ...
- 4,802
6
votes
How should I manage my woods to attract more deer?
Deer are browse feeders. They nibble on shrubs during the winter. You want to keep the forest clear enough of trees that shrubs do well. In our region (Alberta) dogwood and alder are the big ones ...
5
votes
Accepted
Can you train wild deer to get "used to" your scent before the hunting season
This is not going to be effective.
You and your 3 week old shirt are going to smell different. The shirt smells like you, but it ages, when the deer smell the live you, they will know that that person ...
- 30.3k
4
votes
Accepted
When is a good time to go hunting for deer antler sheds?
You want to go after they have dropped their antlers and before the grass has really started growing again in the Spring since that will hide the sheds.
When they shed can vary depending on the area ...
- 69.2k
4
votes
Trustworthyness of a claim that a "not hung" doe can't be completely processed
The butcher's comments sound completely bunk to me. Although there may be some difference in overall taste by not keeping your meat vertical with good air circulation, this variable is often out of ...
- 1,766
4
votes
How do I neutralise the smell of a human on a fawn/roe deer?
I have read that a Mother will not abandon the fawn even if it is touched by a human.
Fawns are odorless for first few weeks, that way they cannot be smelled by predators.
But if touched by a human, ...
- 1,059
4
votes
What is an appropriate caliber for hunting mule deer?
My deer rifle is a .270. That is a smaller caliber than what either of the two current answers recommend. My father frequently carries only his .44 magnum bear pistol when hunting bear and/or deer. ...
- 9,678
4
votes
Things to consider when approaching deer
You should consider that an angry or surprised deer can decide to attack. Deer kill people, excluding the 120 to 200 or so by auto accident in the US, deer also kill by attacking. reference1 ...
- 30.3k
4
votes
Accepted
Deer with strange growths
I think that these will be fibromas, likely caused by a papillomavirus, but could also be caused by a poxvirus.
Exactly which papillomavirus or poxvirus is dependent on the particular species of deer ...
- 9,664
3
votes
Accepted
How do I neutralise the smell of a human on a fawn/roe deer?
Please also note Captain's answer. First of all he's describing how to avoid touching deer in the first place (what should be of course the way to go), second he came up with some nice references (...
- 23.5k
3
votes
Will bug repellent repel deer?
During turkey season I practically bathe in regular deet based spray since turkeys can't smell. Thing is, this spring I had a deer walking around calmly 10-15 yards from me more than once. Can they ...
- 31
3
votes
How should I manage my woods to attract more deer?
First decide want you want to do. Here in East TX wooded areas , the deer come in and eat about anything , no matter how small the area. This severely limits what can be grown. If we want deer , a few ...
- 1,152
3
votes
Has Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) suddenly gotten worse in the United States?
I do not have a global (US-wide) answer to the question. However, I can point to my state, where CWD is not getting worse, suddenly or not. In fact, it seems to be getting better.
In New Mexico, 58 ...
- 1,824
3
votes
Accepted
For what reasons might a male deer in the wild approach a human?
It's certainly reasonable that the deer could be acclimated to human contact, possibly having been fed in the past.
It could also have been a territorial response- this has been documented more than ...
- 46
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible