An untrained eye's first glance at the following photo might elicit a response of, "Huh, that's cool." To a trained eye, however, the image is a stark reminder of a bad situation for both deer and their habitat.



You will be hard-pressed to find a more dramatic example of a deer browse line than the one shown in the following photo. Turkey & Turkey Hunting Editor Jim Schlender snapped this photo while chasing gobblers in Upper Michigan this past weekend. The image not only underscores the reason why Northern cedar stands are on the brink of extinction, it serves as an indication of deer overabundance. Overpopulated Northern deer herds simply will not allow cedar regeneration, especially white cedar. Browse lines become this prominent over time when deer do not have access to other quality foods in winter, or they are drawn to an area where heavy baiting and feeding is prevalent. Although cedar is not a quality deer food, whitetails obliterate it because provides a lot of roughage.

Dan Schmidt, Editor

Centerfire rifles were the most popular choice for deer hunters during the past season, according to a recent national survey.
 
An April 2008 survey by Southwick Associates of 3,700 deer hunters nationwide showed that 28 percent of those who pursued America’s top big-game quarry used rifles to harvest their deer.
 
Bows were the second most popular choice, used for deer hunting by 21 percent of survey respondents last season. Muzzleloaders, the choice of 18 percent of hunters surveyed, were not far behind.
 
Fewer hunters used shotguns (15 percent) or handguns (5 percent). In some areas, especially more densely populated regions, rifle hunting is not allowed, so hunters must use a shotgun, bow, or muzzleloader to harvest their deer.
 
Another 12 percent of survey respondents reported that they did not hunt deer at all last season; and 1 percent listed their top weapon choice as “other.” Deer hunters were asked to select their top choice of weapon, in order to allow the survey takers to account for hunters who participate in multiple deer seasons—for example, general gun, bow, and muzzleloader.
 
Source: Rob Southwick at HunterSurvey.com.
 
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White-tailed deer behaviorists and those who raise deer for research purposes mostly agree that white-tailed does are typically not that vocal during the rut. In fact, in their reports in Deer & Deer Huning over the past 30 years, many of the top behavorists and researchers have stated that does are most vocal during the fawning season.

Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III was possibly the first behaviorist to document this whitetail tendency, noting how does make a soft, cat-like mewing sound when they call for their hidden fawns. While photographing whitetails in the 1950s, Rue noted how fawns, after hearing a doe’s bleats, jumped to their feet and went to their mothers to nurse.

Despite a doe’s mute tendencies in autumn, both Rue and Charles Alsheimer agree that bleat calls (tubes and cans) are extremely effective for attracting adult deer during fall hunting seasons.

These seemingly contradictory observations bring rise to an interesting question: Are all whitetails trained at birth to respond to doe bleats?

We might never know, but we do know that calling elicits a definite and pronounced response in deer. To learn more, check out my new article, "Bleat Performance," in the September issue of the magazine. It hits newsstands on June 24.

Dan Schmidt, Editor

Attached is a picture of a deer I have seen on my way to work every day for the past month.

I grew up knowing that if I asked someone nicely, I could hunt or fish on their property. One deer season many years ago, I was driving home from a morning hunt when I spotted a nice buck and several does about 200 yards into a field. I took the next gravel road off the highway and knocked on the door of the first house I came to. An older lady and her son answered the door.  I told them about the deer I had spotted and asked if I could go in after him. They said go ahead, but watch out for the cattle back there. I drove back toward the highway, parked in a field entrance, grabbed my rifle and started sneaking back toward the area where the deer had been. I was about 2 or 3 hundred yards from the truck when I spotted white flags bouncing over a hilltop.

I thought I had lost my chance but something caught my eye, antlers. The buck was still standing but I could only see his head and antlers when he raised them to check the situation. I  could get no closer than I was, and a head shot was all I had. I was prone and had a good steady rest with my .270 and took the shot. He was out of sight, but I couldn't tell if he ran or was down. After walking to the sight I fount that he was not just beyond a ridge, but standing at the edge of a washout. He was now laying in the bottom of a steep muddy gully. I grabbed his antlers to take a look and he came back to life. I jumped back and the buck began lungeing like a horse does when it tries to get up. After several tries I thought he was going to get up so I shot him again, and that killed him quickly.

After checking him out I found the first shot had left a bare streak up the flat spot on his head, right between the antlers. It had knocked him out. It was quite a chore to get him up out of that gully.I took the deer back to the landowners house to show them and thank them, and they were more excited than I was. The old woman was acting like a kid that had just taken the deer herself. Just before Christmas that year I dropped by their house and gave them some sticks of summer sausage and the excitement started all over again.

That was a long time ago, and I bet there are very few folks that would let a complete stranger hunt like that anymore. The grandkids inherit the farm, don't know how to run it or are just too lazy, and they sell it to hunting clubs.This "business" of hunting leases, and landowners becoming more concerned about liability is going to be the death of hunting as I know it, and it is a crying shame. I live in the country but do not own enough land to hunt.

Fortunatly, I have good relations with some neighbors that own lots of good hunting ground. They let me hunt, and I keep and eye on their ground, clean up the trees that fall into the fields after high winds or ice, and give them some deer meat. No money ever changes hands, and thats the way it should be.
 
Robert Rowland
A long-time D&DH reader from northwest Missouri

Talk about a few bad apples spoiling the bushel.

Thanks to the actions of some hooligans, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are considering enacting laws and seasons on the gathering of shed antlers from deer and elk.

According to published reports, wildlife officials from those states have seen an increase in activity from individuals who harass deer and elk in efforts to get them to shed their antlers prematurely. For example, in April, Nevada game officials apprehended a man who used an ATV to chase mule deer through sagebrush in attempts to get them to drop their antlers.

Montana has been dealing with this problem for several years, and has already implemented closed seasons on shed hunting in certain parts of its elk range. Fines for harassing deer and elk in that state can range up to $500 per violation.

Other reports include violations in Idaho where shed hunters were using off-road motorcycle to chase animals.

A date-specific shed-hunting season? Now I think I've heard it all.

--Dan Schmidt, Editor