Deer signs
Even though the time to legally harvest a white-tailed deer has passed, you may want to keep an eye out for signs of white-tailed deer. While out and about enjoying the spring weather take a look around. Learning the areas you plan to hunt is important throughout the year.
Taking a moment to scan the area while trodding along the banks of your favorite trout stream this spring, can reveal many deer signs. Often, deer will leap up banks causing an impact and jarring loose antlers from their heads. Usually, deer will begin to lose their antlers in January after the breeding season. If animals who value these antlers as a food source haven’t carried them off by now, they may be found where deer cross fences, in thick brush, near agricultural fields, near food sources, along trails, and other core areas.
Besides shed hunting, other deer signs can also be found. Heavily used trails are less hidden by tall grass and leaves. Scrapes used during the breeding season are still visible. Buck rubs should be easier to find. Some rubs occur close to older rubs, revealing areas where deer return each year.
If whole skeletons are found, those deer may have been hit by a car or shot poorly during hunting season. If scouting about the woods reveals a shed or two; this deer may have survived. By identifying which bucks survived the hunting season, automobile fatalities, and harsh winter conditions, you may be able to determine if these same deer will be around come next hunting season.
Using trail cameras to monitor the areas you wish to hunt well before the season may also give hunters an idea of what to expect next deer season. Deer behavior can be unpredictable at times but patterning their core areas can pay off.
0 评论: