Deer Hunting 101...Questions and Answers

[MoeBirds]

Question ??

When I was in school we studied where deer travel in what are called: "elipticle movement patterns"; meaning they (mostly doe's), if left undisturbed, will travel using the same routes to-and-from food source to bedding sites day-in-day-out.
This refers to momma does who begin the pattern (initial route) and her female off-spring will move in a pattern parallel to her's which will overlap at certain points in and around food sources.

Knowing this allows a researcher (or hunter) to pattern their movements, which might vary by as little as a few minutes some days and maybe an hour on others.

Has anyone ever actually used this information before to bag a buck who's followed a doe along these routes, or have we all at one point or another and never realised it ??

 

[PHIL M]

Most of the mature bucks I have shot came during the roaming stage of the rut. I dont think bucks always follow does into their domain. If its a mature buck. I think the does will pretty much hang out at his bachlor pad until the buisiness at hand is done. Does prefure mature bucks to father their fawns.

 

[marathon]

Thanks to all who have participated so far. I myself have learned a great deal from this. Season is getting nearer and hopefully we still have some more Q's & A's out there.

 

[justus3131]

15:1

 

[marathon]

15:1

 

[fulldraw74]

2+5

 

[GaBowman21]

Deer Scents?

What particular brand or type of deer scents does everyone use and when do you find to be the best time to use them.
I have used Tinks 69 for a long time and it has proven to be quite effective during the pre-rut, rut and post-rut stages.
I have also used code blue, but with little success b/c I have only used it for one season.
Has anyone used the expensive code blue that is like $30.00 a bottle? Had any success with it?

 

[Ozzie]

White Oak Acorns = Success!

For the new hunters, one of the single best things you can do to help your hunting is to learn to recognize what a white oak looks like. There's lots of different kinds of oaks, and the deer by far prefer the white oak acorn above all others. The easiest way to do this while scouting is to look up the trunk and you'll see the bark gets kind of "shaggy" about 20 feet up the tree. If you find a mature old white oak in a creek bottom that is really dumping the acorns you've got it made!

 

[DCHunter]

I got my first bow recently which is a PSE cheapo. I expected it to be loud, but what kind of things do you do to quiet them down? I don't think mine has anything on it for that purpose, so where would you start? Or is it just hopeless with my bow?

 

[PHIL M]

Limb savers, and string leaches, or whiskers, and a dampening stabilizer.

 

[DCHunter]

I suppose it has to be put on a press to install the dampening stabilizer? The bow actually came with Bow Jax string silencers but the both broke off the second day of shooting it. What kind of string silencers do you recommend?

 

[deersled]

bump

 

[the HEED!]

do deer wonder if WE taste like chicken?

 

[the HEED!]

seriously, when and at what time, kill, run or drt or anything else, which do you recall as the meat tasting the best

 

[DAWGFANinTN]

The mythical rut

I've read all the books and they all seem to refer to the area north of Georgia (2nd full moon after the fall equinox). They all say they don't know about the south. But there also seems to be different times even between north and south Georgia.

In particular what are some of your experiences in extreme south Georgia and Northern Florida. My dad says September. Alabama's is in January. Are there any books written on the rut in the "deep South"?

 

[whitetailaddict]

I've read all the books and they all seem to refer to the area north of Georgia (2nd full moon after the fall equinox). They all say they don't know about the south. But there also seems to be different times even between north and south Georgia.

In particular what are some of your experiences in extreme south Georgia and Northern Florida. My dad says September. Alabama's is in January. Are there any books written on the rut in the "deep South"?

early to mid october in se ga, but our doe to buck ratio is so out of whack that you will see bucks chasing all season long.

 

[Timberman]

In particular what are some of your experiences in extreme south Georgia and Northern Florida.

In Thomas, Brooks, and Madison(Fl) counties, most big deer as I remember came around Christmas and New Years. In Gadsden(Fl) and Decatur counties, mid January was when the big ones showed up. In Decatur the season has ended by the time the rut gets going big time. The season needs to be later in SW Ga...

 

[Torupduck]

How much should I use a grunt call opening day of bow season and which level? (Dominant buck, mature buck, doe etc.....) How long should I wait in between grunts?

 

[corn grinder]

What particular brand or type of deer scents does everyone use and when do you find to be the best time to use them.
I have used Tinks 69 for a long time and it has proven to be quite effective during the pre-rut, rut and post-rut stages.
I have also used code blue, but with little success b/c I have only used it for one season.
Has anyone used the expensive code blue that is like $30.00 a bottle? Had any success with it?

I think Tinks 69 is some of the best. If you can get to Stone Mountain Ga. to the Yellow River Game Ranch on Hwy. 78. The've got home made lure. Where they hang bags on mature does that bucks are following. Man this stuff is dynamite and as fresh as you can buy. Bucks will trail a drag rag right up to your stand. I watched a buck follow my exact trail across a field, weaving around the same patch of saw briers that I had too. I always hang my drag rag on a limb 4 to 5 feet off the ground, hoping the scent will carry. He scraped that little tree to death right under me. He finally left mader than a wet hen, with my drag rag tangled in a big knot in his rack I was laughing so hard I could'nt shoot him. But ever since that morning I only use the game ranch formula during the rut. And Tinks 69 any other time!

 

[goodoleboy1012000]

Hot weather?

Most of my trail cam pics are right after it gets dark this is all deer including does. Do you think when and if the weather ever gets cooler this will change?