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 Deer Management
There is no question that deer herds must be managed. Because of
human populations and changing land practices have led to less
available deer
land while deer herds have continued to increase, which has led to an
overpopulation of deer in many areas. This has compelled people to take
more
does to keep the balance wildlife.
The deer management practices revolve around the need to balance
the deer herds in relation to the habitat while still trying to keep
deer
populations high enough for hunting, with hunting as the primary method
of deer reduction. The current practice of keeping deer populations high
enough that they can be hunted, and the past management practice of
bucks only hunting, combined with the belief by many hunters that they
should
only shoot bucks if they want to keep deer numbers high, is precisely
the reason why there are too many deer, particularly does.
It is usually too many does , not too many bucks in a herd and
eventually this becomes a cycle and both the deer and the habitat
suffer. The
effects of this cycle generally result in low buck:doe ratios and lower
numbers of dominant breeding bucks, which leads to rut periods that are
later, and longer, than they should be. Resulting in poor survival rates
of fawns.
To add to the problem of too many deer, and less bucks, the
interest in trophy hunting for white-tailed deer has become overwhelming
in the past
few years. This interest in whitetail racks by numerous hunters puts
more pressure on the already depleted number of large antlered animals,
and
further lowers the number of available older dominant breeding bucks.
Less numbers of bucks, particularly older dominants, result in less
contacts
between the does and the dominate bucks. When these contacts are absent
the does may come into estrus from as early as mid-October to as late as
January.
Sex, Social Class and Antlers
Antlers
Speaking of animals that produce horns or antlers such as deer and
elk, and those that don't such as horses. Generally speaking the horns
or
antlers of individual species are larger on males than they are on
females, causing males to look different than females. This in
appearance causes
the males to be more susceptible to injury and death due to predation
and to hunting pressure. Because of this increased predation and hunting
pressure males that carry antlers learn how to avoid predators, usually
at a young age.
Antlers are shed yearly by male animals, making it difficult to
tell the difference between the males from the females while they males
are not
carrying their antlers. The absence of antlers makes the males less
conspicuous and therefore less susceptible to predation, giving them a
better
chances of survival. However, because antlers are used as a means of
expressing dominance, and are used to attract females during the rut,
they are
often present during the rut, making antlered males highly conspicuous
and susceptible.
Prime age males often carry the largest antlers which makes them
conspicuous and highly susceptible to predation. Senior males, may start
start
losing antler size but, may still carry large antlers, making them also
susceptible to predation. Because their advanced age does not allow
senior
males to escape as easily as younger males they are extremely
vulnerable. Both prime age and senior males must try to avoid predation
and hunting.
The older the animal; the less likely that it will participate in the
rut, and the more likely it will choose secluded home ranges, travel at
night, and limit it's movements.
In the case of the heavily hunted white-tailed deer, which is
prized for large antlers, they either learn to avoid hunters, or they
are shot at and
may die. Each year that a buck survives it will learn more about when
and how to avoid hunters. Because of this older whitetail bucks are
smarter
and warier than younger bucks. These large deer are less likely to be
seen.
Buck Habits
While dominant floater bucks are active in the rut, they learn to
move at times and places where they are less likely to be seen. Senior
bucks
(which may have large or heavy antlers) on the other hand, do not
participate in the rut and move less or at night. Some younger bucks may
also not
participate in the rut low testosterone levels, and other factors.
Because bucks look different they are forced to react differently
than does in order to survive. It is also known the older the buck is
the better
it becomes at avoiding hunting pressure and contact with humans.
Because hunting has the ability to affect deer health and security they
can be
considered as Deer are subjected to different behavior throughout the
year.
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Zeroing your scope
Pre-sighting
You will save a significant amount of expense and frustration by
pre-sighting the scope to the rifle before you take it out for zeroing.
Collimating, the most accurate and simple technique for pre-sighting,
is the system most often used by gunsmiths. It can be done quickly in
the
shop before leaving for the range.
If a collimator is not available, you can still do a good job of
pre-sighting by a method known as " bore-sighting". At the range, set
the scoped
rifle up on sandbags or other steady rest and place a target at 100
yards. With the bolt removed, look through the chamber and move around
the bore
until you can see the bulls eye centered in the bore.
Without moving the rifle from this position, glance through the scope
and note where the reticle is positioned on the target. If the scope
reticle is
not closely aligned to target center, you need to adjust the base
mounting screws. Do not use the scope windage and elevation adjustments
for these
pre-sighting adjustments or you will run out of adjustment for final
zeroing.
All ABO (USA) serviced scopes are tested to be certain that they provide
maximum internal adjustment range. After testing, the reticle is
centered in
the scope optically and mechanically. However, variations in rifle
receiver dimension, mounting holes drilled out of alignment with the
receiver or
barrels threaded into the receiver at an angle will cause initial scope
misalignment.
Therefore, it is important to make all major bore sighting adjustments
using the mount adjustment screws. Make only final adjustments using the
scope's internal windage and elevation screws. This will prevent running
out of internal adjustments.
Note:
There is no acceptable way to increase elevation adjustments except to
shim. Shim stock .010" thick, placed under the rear of the mount base
will
raise the point of impact about 7". To lower the point of impact, place
the shim stock under the front end of the base.
Zeroing a scope
The range at which a scope should be zeroed is a matter of personal
judgment. If you anticipate using the scope at distances of 100 yards or
less,
naturally a 100 yard zero is appropriate. Mid-range trajectory would be
about 1" above the line of sight and you could hold directly on target
all
the way out to about 125 yards. If the anticipated hunting distances are
200 yards or more, you should zero your rifle at the longer ranges. The
MRT
for a rifle zeroed at 200 yards is minimal for most cartridges (usually
about 1.5" to 2") and you can hold directly on target for ranges out to
slightly more than 200 yards.
If a 200-yard range is not readily available, you can obtain a
satisfactory 200-yard zero on a 100-yard range by zeroing about 1.5 .
high.
A good rest, such as sandbags or steady rest to reduce sighting errors,
will help you hold more steadily on target. Rest the forearm, not the
barrel,
on the rest. If possible, zero in a no-wind condition to establish a
standard zero. If you must zero in a wind, make a note of the amount of
drift
attributable to wind effect and when finally zeroed, make a compensating
adjustment to leave the scope at standard (no-wind) zero. For example: a
15MPH wind from the right at the 3 o'clock position will normally drift a
.30-06 factory bullet about 1.5" to the left. When you have finished
zeroing in a 15MPH wind, simply adjust the Windage knob 1.5" to the
left. This will result in standard no-wind zero.
The first time about 25 yards out from the muzzle. You can utilize this
fact by firing your first zero shot at 25 yards target. If the first
shot
prints very close to the center of the bulls eye at this range, you can
be confident that it will print on paper at 100 yards. If there is a
significant error at 25 yards, make compensating changes to bring the
point of impact to zero. Since the distance is only 1/4 of the 100 yard
final
zero distance, you will need to make 4 times as much adjustment as you
would at 100 yards.
For final zero, move the target to 100 yards (assuming this to be the
desired zero distance) and fire at least 3 shots to establish a pattern.
Using
the center of this group as a reference, make any necessary adjustments
to move the point of impact to center. You should fire another group of
3
shots to verify that this adjustment was correct. Do not trust a
one-shot zero as accurate.
Note:
For maximum precision, allow the barrel to cool between shots. A warm or
hot barrel shoots differently than a cold one. In the field a shot
taken at
game is usually from a cold barrel, so you will want to have your gun
zeroed when cold.
Making windage and elevation adjustments
The elevation knob is marked "UP" with an arrow indicating the direction
to turn the knob to move the point of impact up on the target. The
windage
knob is marked "R" with a similar arrow indicating the direction to move
point of impact to the right.
Many scopes have a graduated scale around the adjustment knob which
increments representing a certain amount of point of impact movement on
the
target. The most common increment is 1/4 minute of angle which means one
click or per increment adjustment moves the point of impact 1/4" at 100
yards.
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When to hunt?
Before we can answer the question of when to hunt, we need to go over
a few things about deer. Deer are nocturnal animals. Nocturnal means
that
deer can see at night, which is one of the reasons they are more active
at night. Deer have more light-detecting cells in their eyes than
humans,
which aids their nocturnal vision. However, a deer's nocturnal vision is
not perfect on a very dark night. A deer will spend more time looking
for
food and less time eating food on a dark night, than they would on a
clear night with a full moon. Deer tend to be the least active on days
following a clear night, because their stomachs are usually fuller and
they are content to stay near their bedding area until sundown. As
sundown
approaches the deer will start the feeding cycle all over again.
Deer travel to their feeding area from their bedding area in the
last minutes of daylight. On the reverse trip they travel from their
feeding area
to their bedding area in the first minutes of daylight. In most areas
you are allowed to hunt from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes
after
sunset. This one hour time period is usually the most productive time of
day to hunt. Many hunters seem to avoid this hour of daylight, I guess
it
is just not convenient for them. If a hunter is going to waste an hour
of their hunting day, they should choose one at mid-day when deer are
less
active.
A deer's behavior is not set in stone. Their behavior is easily
altered by several factors. The most common of these factors are
precipitation,
wind, hunting pressure and the rut. Deer will usually stay in their
bedding area during times of heavy rain or snow. When the storm stops,
deer
will start moving for a couple of reasons:
-
The trees and brush are usually dripping with rain or snow and this
noise will make the deer nervous, so they will move about.
- They will also start moving if the storm lasted through their
feeding period. They will be hungry and out looking for food.
When the wind blows it becomes noisy in the woods and the deer can't
hear approaching danger, so they get nervous and start moving. Windy
days in
the woods can be very dangerous for hunters. The wind can cause tree
limbs to fall and even trees can topple over. If you choose to hunt on
windy
days use extra caution.
Deer hunters roaming through the woods will cause deer to move
from their bedding area. If other hunters are in your hunting area, this
might be a
good time to stake out a deer trail or crossing and let the other
hunters chase the deer to you.
The rut is the period of time when bucks mate with does. The rut
usually lasts about a month. In most parts of the country the rut occurs
in
November, although this varies depending on geographic location. During
the rut all deer are more active, especially the bucks. It is not
unusual
to see a buck chasing a doe during the middle of the day, when they are
normally resting. It can be said that the rut clouds a buck's judgment
as
they are often seen doing things they wouldn't normally do. I have
observed a similar behavior in other animals, down at the bar on Friday
night!
One last factor that seems to have an affect on deer movement is
the position of the moon. Most of you have probably heard that the
position of the
moon plays a big part in the activity of fish. The moon also seems to
have an effect on deer movement. The peak of this activity is when the
moon
is directly overhead.
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Trophy Care
You can figure on spending a pretty good amount of money these days to
have a shoulder mount of that trophy buck done by a competent
taxidermist.
So it makes sense to do everything you can to ensure that your buck of a
lifetime is a mount, which you are proud to display in your home.
The first step is choosing a taxidermist. How do you select a
good one? That's easy: just look at their work. Shop around and visit a
number
of taxidermists. You don't have to be an art critic to pick out the deer
that look the best to you. And don't let money be your deciding factor.
Sure
it is tempting to go with that $200 special, but only rarely will you
get the same quality for bargain prices.
It is your responsibility to see that your buck gets to the taxidermist
in good shape. To ensure that it does, follow these suggestions:
Avoid A Neck Shot
Many hunters like a neck shot, but if you plan to have a deer mounted, a
neck shot is risky. If that bullet exits it might just blow a big hole
in
the cape. Aim for the shoulder instead. And if a deer is down, but you
need to deliver the coup de grace, don't shoot it in the head or neck if
you
plan to have the deer mounted. And for heaven's sake do not cut the
deer's throat to bleed it out.
Cut Carefully
When field dressing the buck, do not cut up the chest past the
breastbone. You can reach up in the cavity to remove the lungs, heart
and windpipe
without splitting the buck from stem-to-stern, as they say.
Handle With Care
Many capes are ruined or damaged during transport. If you must drag the
buck, do not tie the rope around its neck or the base of the antlers.
Try to
keep the head and neck up off of the ground as you drag the deer, or
better yet lay the deer on a sled, cart or tarp.
Don't Snag Hair
When you load the deer into the back of your pickup or onto a
four-wheeler, lay the deer onto a tarp so that the hair is not snagged,
bent or broken.
Get To The Taxidermist ASAP
And then get the deer to the taxidermist as soon as possible. Most
taxidermists charge a little extra for skinning and caping, but it is
money well
spent.
If Not ....
If you are not able to get the deer to a taxidermist right away, follow
these steps:
- Start about a foot behind the legs and make a cut completely around
the body;
- Cut around both knees;
- Cut up the inside of each leg to the armpit (leg pit?);
- Cut to the original cut you made around the body;
- Take your time to avoid mistakes and skin towards the head of
the deer;
- When you reach the skull, use a meat saw to remove the head;
- And store the head and cape in a freezer or a cool place until
you can get it to the taxidermist.
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