Ask The Biologist

Entries for 'Gray Loon'

Better Late than Never

Better Late than Never

By Bob Humphrey

While we sometimes see late-born fawns, it’s not the norm. QUESTION: I live in southeastern Connecticut, and this past season through the month of October I watched a doe and her fawn. The fawn was very small and still had its spots. The last week of October the doe was killed by a car in front of my property. I saw the fawn wandering around ... READ MORE

It All Depends

It All Depends

By Bob Humphrey

There is no set way to prepare a food plot since conditions are different everywhere. QUESTION: How soon after spraying to kill weeds and grasses can you plant a food plot? Should the plots be disced, or planted using a no-till drill? — Harold ANSWER: Conventional wisdom suggests you wait about two weeks between spraying and planting. As for ... READ MORE

Talk About Perfect

Talk About Perfect

By Bob Humphrey

First-time food plotter’s ideal setup could be even better with this. QUESTION: Hi from Elizabethtown, Ky. This summer, I cleared a 4,000-square-foot spot in the middle of my woods for a food plot. The pH was above 7 and did not need lime, and I fertilized according to the soil sample. I ran irrigation to the plot. I planted an annual mix of ... READ MORE

Timing Is Everything

Timing Is Everything

By Bob Humphrey

We talk about breeding as an absolute window, but it’s not that exact. QUESTION: I’ve been running trail cameras year-round for a while now and never saw a picture of a fawn born in April until this year. Most years, it’s June before I see any. This doe must have been bred early, or she’s got a fast reproductive system. Just... READ MORE

Missing Bucks

Missing Bucks

By Bob Humphrey

With so many factors out of your control, QDM doesn’t always work. QUESTION: For several years now on the property I hunt, we have been practicing QDM by passing up yearling bucks. My goal is to shoot a mature buck, but I have yet to even see one. We run several trail cameras and I have not even gotten any pictures of a mature buck. My neighb... READ MORE

SOS

SOS

By Bob Humphrey

It’s time to cull the myth and not the spikes. QUESTION: I’ve been trying to establish a new hunt club in middle Georgia, only 400 acres with six members. This is our third year upcoming and we’ve noted several bucks under the age of 2 1/2 to 3 that have one long spike and a button on the other side. We’ve had a lot of discu... READ MORE

Generally Speaking

Generally Speaking

By Bob Humphrey

These simple steps are the cornerstone to improving any deer herd. QUESTION: We have a hunting club in North Texas and I was just wondering what to do to improve the quality of our deer. We have deer, turkey, quail and hogs. I would like to focus on the deer and quail quality. – Mike M. ANSWER: Yours is a very general question so I’ll o... READ MORE

Dog Gone

Dog Gone

By Bob Humphrey

Even with predator control, you might not see more fawns. QUESTION: I am in a deer management cooperative with several other landowners. Part of the reason for forming it was that we were seeing a lot of predators, mostly coyotes, and there seemed to be a lot of does with only one fawn, or no fawns at all. Three years ago, we started an aggressive ... READ MORE

Play Time

Play Time

By Bob Humphrey

Just because deer don’t usually do something doesn’t mean they won’t ever do it. QUESTION: I consider myself to have pretty good knowledge of deer and their habits. I deer hunted for years before my disability. Now I watch our deer cam. We just had a doe give birth to twins. The doe had the babies out one night about 2 to 3 a.m., ... READ MORE

Pee Brain

Pee Brain

By Bob Humphrey

We still don’t know exactly how much information whitetails get from urine scents. QUESTION: There are so many brands and types of doe in heat scent. Does one work better than others? Do deer smell different from region to region? For example, will an off-the-shelf doe in estrus scent work the same in Wyoming as it would in Illinois? Do you h... READ MORE

Doe Dilemma

Doe Dilemma

By Bob Humphrey

Antlerless deer are the key to managing population numbers. QUESTION: My state recently announced that they are giving out a lot more doe tags this year than they did last year. I have not harvested a deer in three years and am hoping that getting a doe tag will make it easier. However, I’m also concerned that if hunters harvest too many does... READ MORE

It’s Complicated

It’s Complicated

By Bob Humphrey

Whitetail digestion isn’t rocket science, but it’s close. QUESTION: Someone recently told me that deer have four stomachs. Is this true? ANSWER: No. Like all mammals, deer have one stomach. However, like all ruminants, theirs consists of four chambers: rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. A large portion of a whitetail’s diet is... READ MORE

A Different Kind of Decoy

A Different Kind of Decoy

By Bob Humphrey

Is putting a mannequin in your stand going to far? QUESTION: I’ve got a question for you about deer sight. While in a treestand, do they perceive you as a blob or large object? Or do they perceive your clothing pattern/detail and not so much on the exact image of  your body? I hope this makes sense. Also, I’ve seen articles about p... READ MORE

Bear Pit

Bear Pit

By Bob Humphrey

Maine’s deer numbers are low, and predators could be part of the problem. QUESTION: We have a lot of bears where I live in Maine, and the state is trying to figure out how to get hunters to shoot more. We also used to have a lot more deer. I’m wondering if the bears might be eating more deer now that there are more of them. How common i... READ MORE

Head & Shoulders

Head & Shoulders

By Bob Humphrey

Hair clumps in spring don’t necessarily mean a dead deer. QUESTION: While out turkey hunting this spring I came upon several areas where I found patches of deer hair. We looked all over the area and never found any bones or other parts. There are lots of coyotes in my area and I’m wondering if that’s what got the deer. How far wil... READ MORE

Over the Rainbow

Over the Rainbow

By Bob Humphrey

Kansas newcomer wonders if the rut will impact gun season. QUESTION: I’m new to east Kansas and would like to know when the rut happens in Miami County. The gun season for whitetails starts the 6th of December this year. – Bill ANSWER: I recently completed a revision of the Buckmasters Rut Calendar, which gives rut dates for all states ... READ MORE

Boomer Sooner

Boomer Sooner

By Bob Humphrey

Okie wants to know what to plant this fall. QUESTION: What’s the best food plot to plant in Oklahoma? ANSWER: The answer depends partly on your objective. If you’re looking to plant cool-season (fall/winter plots) hunting plots, crops like wheat, rye and barley are probably your best option as they’re relatively inexpensive, may d... READ MORE

Is Cotton King?

Is Cotton King?

By Bob Humphrey

There are many types of deer feed, but each has its drawbacks. QUESTION: I’ve been reading about feeding cotton seed for deer protein and the qualities of this feed. It’s waterproof, reasonably priced and feeders or not required. But some believe it reduces fawn production and say you should stop feeding the seed from September through ... READ MORE

Play the Numbers

Play the Numbers

By Bob Humphrey

Doe groups will always draw bucks during the rut. QUESTION: They say you should hunt does during the rut because that’s where the bucks will be, but that doesn’t seem to work for me. My experience has been that does nearing estrus want to get away from other does. Am I on to something, and if so, where should I focus my rut hunt efforts... READ MORE

Hold the Onions

Hold the Onions

By Bob Humphrey

Watch what you eat to help reduce your odor footprint. QUESTION: Are there certain foods I should avoid while deer hunting? I’ve heard onions and other foods can actually release scent through your pores. What do you think? ANSWER: Certain things like coffee and asparagus are know to produce foul-smelling urine. Eating some foods, like onions... READ MORE

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