Question: “We’re getting on a new deer hunting lease and need to build some feeder pens. No feral hogs on this place, but we need to put some barb wire to keep the cows off of the protein feeders. What’s the smallest deer feeder pen size. that will work in this situation? I would think one could make smaller feeder pens with barb wire than hog panel pens because the deer won’t have to jump them. We just want to provide some feed for deer without letting the cows eat it all. We want the deer to feel comfortable too. As far as height, we are thinking just three wires and about 40 inches high.”
Deer Hunting Pros: There is only one rule you need to know when it comes to deer feeder pen size: BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER! It does not matter what type of fence you choose to go with, larger feeder pens are preferred by whitetail. This helps in many ways. The closer to the feeder the cattle are the more problems you will have when it does get really dry and they run out of things to eat on your lease. This sounds trivial until you find your feeder emptied out way too earlier. The extra cost of materials that will allow you to build a much bigger feeder pen will be less the cost of losing a feeder full of protein to hungry, disrespecting cows. Read more »
Question: “My wife and I enjoy deer hunting, but really have some questions about around our house. We live in a suburban area with lots ranging from 4 to 10 acres. Good area for deer. First question is: Why would a whitetail buck shed his antlers almost 2 months before the rest of the other bucks? Next question, what type of grass do deer not like to eat, if any? I know whitetail deer prefer forbs and browse plants, but is there a native grass that they would not eat. Thanks for the info.”
Deer Hunting Pros: Whitetail bucks that are in poor body condition tend to shed antlers earlier. My guess is the buck you’re asking about is either in poor condition, may have suffered from injury or from illness in the past. Could of had something like EHD or bluetongue the year prior. There are many things that can cause a deer to be in poor condition. It can even result from poor nutrition, since you may have a deer overpopulation in your suburban area? Read more »
Question: “I have always heard the whitetail deer hunting in Mills County can be good. I’ve hunted near this part of Central Texas before when we had a lease just south of San Saba. Currently one of my friends and my brother and I are looking at 320 acre deer lease just southeast of Goldthwaite. Do you have any experience with the deer hunting in this area? We have heard that there are lots of deer, but that they are not very big? What do you got?”
Deer Hunting: That part of Texas can be really good for whitetail deer and often some incidental exotics, as well, though they are few and far between. As you stated, the deer population can be high in certain locations in that part of Central Texas. The deer hunting in Mills County will be best along the major creeks and the Colorado River. Same for the turkey hunting. There will be more deer in the drainage areas, but the quality of animals will depend upon overall management in those areas. Read more »
Question: “We want to improve the deer hunting at our lease. We are thinking about adding supplemental protein to our deer lease. We are looking at the tube feeders to dispense pellets, but also like the idea of an open trough type feeders. What is the best protein feeder for deer out there? Do you think a tube style or trough style will work best? Also, what are the pros and cons of each feeder type? Will the addition of feed help deer hunting or just up our feed cost?”
Deer Hunting: When it comes to deer feeders there are a million of them on the market. But you are aware of this and that is likely why you have asked your question. To answer your last question first, the answer would be, yes! Supplemental feed can make a big difference from a deer management standpoint and that can lead to healthier, bigger deer, both bucks and does. Food is typically the limiting factor when it comes to body and antler growth in whitetail deer. Read more »
Question: “Moved to central Texas just a few months ago from the mid-west and looking to do some deer hunting. Been conspiring with one of my co-workers to find a place to go hunter and it looks like a deer lease is going to be our best option in Texas. We spoke with a group that needs some additional hunters on their lease. How has the whitetail deer hunting been in Schleicher County in recent years? He also said there were exotics, specifically axis and aoudad, on the property as well. Does this sound right?”
Deer Hunting: Most of Texas is home to good deer hunting, but it always depends on the property in question as well as the hunters expectations. What will satisfy some folks with disappoint others. The deer hunting in Schleicher County can be fair to very good. I have seen some good deer in that part of Texas, both from the road and hunter-harvested. Read more »
Wisconsin deer hunting is known for producing some truly giant bucks, both in terms of body size and antlers. This year, a giant main-frame 8 point buck was shot near the town of Ridgeway. The heavy-set buck has 8 normal points and 2 abnormal points, both of which are drop tines! One on each side. This is prime example of a monster whitetail buck that most hunters can only dream about. At this time, I don’t know who shot the deer, or who even commented on the deer, but here is what they had to say about this Ridgway beast of a buck:
Unknown Author: “Here’s the big 8 point buck shot while deer hunting in Wisconsin, longest tine is 17 inches. It’s already insured for $10,000.00 and in a vault. Rough estimate of the deer’s age by the DNR is 3 ½ years old, Boone and Crockett representative is scheduled to score the rack in about 40 days, buck shot on opening day. Trail camera pic’s started to show up after the buck was shot; no one talked about it prior to the kill (imagine that). Read more »
Question: “We never deer hunted our property because there have never been any deer, but that has changed. Behind my barn I have recently found three does and a fawn on my game camera. These deer have been out there for about 3 months, but are coming from an adjacent property. One doe has a fawn so I know there is at least one buck somewhere around there. However, I have yet to see a buck on my game camera. Any suggestions on attracting bucks to come to my corn feeder from the neighboring lands? It’s buck-only during the deer hunting season and I’m hoping he shows up. Thanks.”
Deer Hunting Pros: Deer hunting would be so much easier if we could just bring them in on a string, but deer have a mind of their own. Free ranging whitetail deer have the luxury of selecting when and where they want to go. Bucks will cover more acreage than does, so the buck that sired the fawn you observed on your game camera may be miles away from your property today. Read more »
Question: “I deer hunt a suburban tract of woods directly behind my house. I live on the edge of a subdivision and own the 50×100 yards of woods that divide the subdivision and a horse farm. Its a natural funnel for whitetail deer that are traveling between two large-acre tracts of woods and I regularly see 18 to 25 deer a day walking through.
I shot a big, well for South Carolina, 8 point buck last week during the first days of the rut. I just moved here last spring and have never hunted in this type of situation before and never put much thought into this but… I know bucks get territorial during the rut. I do know this was the 8 pointers main area because I watched him run a nice 10 point out about two weeks ago. Read more »
Question: “I’m deer hunting in Coleman County, about 10 miles north of the county line. So far, deer movement has been slow. We have not seen any signs of rutting or chasing by bucks going on to date. We are seeing a few scrapes and rubs, of course, and it looks like bucks are checking scrapes some on our piece of real estate. I didn’t get to hunt the past weekend, I was in Coke County with a friend on his property. Has anyone seen or reported any rutting activity while deer hunting in Coleman County this year?”
Response: My cousin hunts in central Coleman County and yes, he has been seeing some rutting activity with bucks chasing does. He says bucks are checking out the estrus he’s using regularly. In their area, they have a lot of acorns on the ground, so they hunted away from the feeders on their ranch. This past weekend they sat in areas where they could see some country and looked for cruising deer. Read more »
Question: “I started bowhunting this season and deer are smelling me! Whitetail deer hunting is definitely a different game when you try to go close range. It’s just amazing that I was rarely detected while gun hunting from a blind, but now that I am bowhunting the deer just keep picking me up. I need a scent eliminator/killer suggestion and a procedure/recommendation from the deer hunting pros in a hurry. I’ve got a wall-hanger 10 that needs to be on the ground.”
Deer Hunting Pros: Here is a little known deer hunting secret, hunt the wind. Okay, I lied. It’s not a secret but a simple piece of advice that is 100 percent true. Don’t fight the wind because the deer will smell you and you will lose. Scent killers are not totally effective and I would argue may not even be half effective for whitetail deer or anything else. Read more »
May 14, 2013 | 
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