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Entries for 'Gray Loon'
Bait and Switch
By Bob Humphrey
If you’ve heard mixed reviews on using feeders, join the crowd. QUESTION: My state now allows baiting, but I’ve read big bucks won’t come to a bait pile, or even a feeder. Is that true? ANSWER: There are very few absolutes in deer hunting, and different factors vary, sometimes considerably, from one place to another. That being sa... READ MORE
The Early Bird
By Bob Humphrey
Be on the lookout for deer sign while you're in the turkey woods this spring. QUESTION: While turkey hunting this spring, are there things I can watch for that will help me in deer season, or will the sign be meaningless by the fall? – Tom J. ANSWER: Any time you're in the woods, there's a chance you can find helpful deer sign, no matter wha... READ MORE
To Drive or Not to Drive
By Bob Humphrey
It’s difficult to get to a stand unnoticed, no matter what method you choose. QUESTION: I am disabled and can’t walk to my deer blind. Will it affect my deer hunt if I drive my SxS to my blind? – Randy B. ANSWER: The short answer is: Probably. Any time you enter their domain, whether by ATV, truck or even on foot, it affects deer... READ MORE
Where’s the Venison?
By Bob Humphrey
Get to know the nutrition facts about venison so you can share with your friends.
QUESTION: I know wild game is better for you than red meat from the store, but are there some numbers on how much better and why? I’d like to tell my non-hunting friends about it. – Larry A.
ANSWER: Both beef and venison lack carbohydrates and are comple... READ MORE
Which Seed?
By Bob Humphrey
What to plant in your food plot depends on your goals and circumstances. QUESTION: I live in northwest Indiana and have room for a 1-acre food plot. What should I plant? – Jim E. ANSWER: A lot depends on your objective. Given that you have room for only one plot, you can probably rule out year-round nutrition or warm-season feeding plots. Tha... READ MORE
Tick Tock
By Bob Humphrey
Why biting insects are as big a concern for hunters as big-name viruses. QUESTION: Everybody is worried about Corona virus, but I’m getting ready to spend a lot of time away from everyone in the turkey woods. I’m more worried about Lyme disease. Are ticks as much of a problem in the spring as they are in the early bow seasons? What can ... READ MORE
Down But Not Out
By Bob Humphrey
Deer are tough – there’s just no other way to put it. QUESTION: This winter, I shot a buck and knocked it right down, but then it got up and ran away. We tracked it for a long way and found two large puddles of blood but did not find the deer. Then we brought in tracking dogs and jumped the deer, but it ran away and we did not recover i... READ MORE
They’re Not Squeamish
By Bob Humphrey
It’s okay to keep hunting an area where someone else has taken a deer. QUESTION: I’m a pretty new hunter and hear and read lots about deer and their fantastic noses. Will blood from a wounded deer keep other deer away from that area? If so, how long will they avoid the blooded area? – Bill F. ANSWER: The short answer is probably n... READ MORE
A Little Help from my Friends
By Bob Humphrey
Your buddies might be right about food plots, but they might not be. QUESTION: I have a small 20-acre tract on the Edwards Plateau around Harper, Texas. I would like to create a food plot but don’t know what to use, where to buy it, and if everything I’ve heard about food plots is accurate. I know where feed stores are, but I would appr... READ MORE
She Didn’t Do It
By Bob Humphrey
We’re still learning about how whitetails interact with scrapes. QUESTION: Does the hot doe ever pee in a scrape to let the buck know she is ready? – Scotty W. ANSWER: It was once widely thought that bucks opened scrapes as an invitation to does, and that the does would then urinate in the scrape to announce they are ready and willing t... READ MORE
Go the Distance
By Bob Humphrey
To beat the pressure on public land, get off the beaten path. QUESTION: I hunt in Oconto County in Wisconsin. It’s made up of a lot of tall hardwoods and pines but does have some diversity. I’ve put 10 miles on foot scouting and cannot locate any deer. The land is heavily pressured. I tried getting off the paths and going way back into ... READ MORE
Who Started It?
By Bob Humphrey
We just don’t know everything there is to know about scrapes. QUESTION: Who starts the scrape, and what do the does have to do with it? – Scotty W. ANSWER: Bucks typically do most of the scrape initiation and tending. While we still don’t fully understand their function, it is largely accepted that scrapes represent a scent signp... READ MORE
It’s a Guy Thing
By Bob Humphrey
Buck decoys seem to draw more attention in more situations. QUESTION: When hunting during pre-rut or the rut, is a doe or a buck decoy more enticing? – Jim ANSWER: If I had to pick one or the other, I would opt for a buck in both situations. During the pre-rut, before does start coming into estrus, bucks are still working out and maintaining... READ MORE
God Bless You!
By Bob Humphrey
You’ve probably heard a deer blow-snort, but have you heard one sneeze? QUESTION: I have heard deer blow or snort many times, but this fall I heard a deer making a noise that sounded more like a person sneezing. I know it was a deer because I saw it doing this. It was much quieter than a snort, and the deer kept doing it. What is the signific... READ MORE
If You Build It...
By Bob Humphrey
Deer get used to permanent stands, but they also learn to avoid them. QUESTION: I put up a shooting house this fall in a location where I found several heavy trails crossing. Then I noticed during bow season that most of the deer I saw passed by some distance out of range. Do you think they are avoiding the stand, and should I move it? ANSWER: Ther... READ MORE
Don’t Spoil the Meat!
By Bob Humphrey
Here's another buck myth that needs to go away. QUESTION: I harvested my first deer this fall, a buck. When my neighbor came over to see it, he told me I needed to cut the tarsal glands off or it would spoil the meat. I never heard that and am wondering if that's true. ANSWER: No, it's not. I guess you might call that a rural legend. Myths like onc... READ MORE
One Tough Myth
By Bob Humphrey
The spike question has more lives than Rasputin. QUESTION: Does a spike always remain a spike? Or next year could he become something more? It seems like people believe once a spike always a spike, but when I ask someone they all say that’s what I’ve been told. I don’t know who this person is, but he or she sure seems to know a lo... READ MORE
A Spoonful of Sugar
By Bob Humphrey
It might take your deer some time to start using a brassica plot. QUESTION: I planted brassicas for the first time this year, and so far the deer have not touched them. They seem to be using our other plots but not the brassicas. Is there anything we can do to attract deer to these brassica plots? ANSWER: I had a similar experience the first time I... READ MORE
No Guts, All Glory
By Bob Humphrey
Why it's okay to leave field-dressing remains in the woods. QUESTION: I'm hoping you can settle an argument for me. When I shoot a deer, I always field-dress it where it lays. I was recently hunting out of state, and they asked me to bring out the whole deer because gut piles in the woods attract predators. What are your thoughts? –Rodney D. ANSWER... READ MORE
Night Shift
By Bob Humphrey
Could year-round food plots encourage night movement? QUESTION: We are hunting 200 acres and have 12 acres of food plots. The first two years we had mostly daylight movement the whole season. But we did not have any year-round food at that time, just fall plots. We are on year six now. For the past two years we also have year-round food plots and h... READ MORE