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Entries for 'Gray Loon'
Turkey Invaders
By Bob Humphrey
Contrary to the myth, deer and turkeys do quite well together. QUESTION: I live in Maine, and the state started transplanting turkeys into my area about 10 years ago. Now we have lots of turkeys and fewer deer. The turkeys seem to be outcompeting deer for things like acorns and possibly causing more disturbance to them. What do you think? — K... READ MORE
Dog-Gone
By Bob Humphrey
Does the presence of dogs push deer off a hunting property? QUESTION: If there are dogs running wild on our hunting lease in North Georgia and they are running the deer year ‘round, will this lower the deer density on our 1,605 acres? Also, do these wild dogs find and eat the fawns like coyotes? I would say yes, but I am not a biologist. We h... READ MORE
Early Bird
By Bob Humphrey
How soon do mock scrapes become effective in drawing bucks? QUESTION: I was thinking about setting up a mock scrape this year, but someone told me I should wait until the rut before setting it up or I’d just be wasting time and money. What are your thoughts? — Chris C. ANSWER: While I have no scientific evidence to support it, I see no ... READ MORE
Where the Girls Are
By Bob Humphrey
Should you find a new place to hunt if all you see are does? QUESTION: My trail camera is loaded with doe pictures, and the area I hunt is filled with does. I have seen a few trophy bucks, but at random and never consistent. Should I look elsewhere for a hunting spot if the bucks aren’t showing themselves? — Chris W. ANSWER: If your goa... READ MORE
Got Milk?
By Bob Humphrey
It’s common for does to have milk in their udders in deer season. QUESTION: I had a friend tell me it’s impossible to shoot a doe that is lactating legally because it would be too late in the season in the fall. Another friend told me that if you shoot a doe that is lactating, the meat will taste bad. What are your thoughts? — Hen... READ MORE
Velvet Mystery
By Bob Humphrey
Have you ever seen ticks on a velvet buck’s antlers? QUESTION: How come when you're looking at dear you see ticks on the back of their ears, their face and their neck but never on velvet antlers? You would think with all that blood in the antlers they would be covered up. — Duane F. ANSWER: That’s a good question, and my investiga... READ MORE
What’s the Magic Number?
By Bob Humphrey
When hunting small parcels, much depends on your neighbors. QUESTION: How many deer can be harvested in a season off a 10 acre piece of land? It has not been hunted in 10 years and is in Texas. — Chris F. ANSWER: I can’t give you a definitive answer without considerably more information. That fact that it hasn’t been hunted is a g... READ MORE
Mix It Up
By Bob Humphrey
Whitetails like variety in both their diet and habitat. QUESTION: Can I put a fall food plot in a field where the rest of the field is left overgrown with natural browse? — Ray H. ANSWER: Absolutely. In fact, it might even be more effective than converting the entire field to a food plot. Deer like variety, both in their diet and their habita... READ MORE
Deer Vampires
By Bob Humphrey
Is there anything we can do to help whitetails get rid of ticks? QUESTION: Why hasn't there been some form of treatment developed to put in our feeders to help deer with the severe tick problem we have down here in Florida and in many other locations? They have pills for dogs and cats that can be put in their food. It really pains me to see so many... READ MORE
Planned Deerhood
By Bob Humphrey
How effective are deer sterilization programs compared to hunting? QUESTION: Parts of a town near me are being overrun with deer, and some folks want to allow bowhunting. Opponents say that’s cruel and that we should just sterilize the does. What can I tell folks to convince them sterilizing is a bad idea? — Curtis F. ANSWER: First you ... READ MORE
Numbers Game
By Bob Humphrey
So how exactly do states determine how many permits to issue every year? QUESTION: The gun season in my state is bucks only unless you are selected for a doe tag. Then you can shoot any deer. The number of doe tags given out changes, sometimes a lot from year to year. My question is, how do they decide how many doe tags to give out? — John D.... READ MORE
Bros Before Does
By Bob Humphrey
There might be survival advantages to bucks forming bachelor groups. QUESTION: I’ve been observing and getting trail camera shots of several bucks together on my food plots this summer. I know that it is common for bucks to form bachelor herds, but I’ve always wondered why they do this. — Dan S. ANSWER: Much is known and much has ... READ MORE
The Answer My Friend...
By Bob Humphrey
Geography plays a role in how whitetails react to wind. QUESTION: I recently read somewhere that according to research, high winds don’t affect deer movement. How can this be true? — David W. ANSWER: I can’t answer directly without knowing the source, but I suspect the author might be over generalizing. I’ve read several stu... READ MORE
Feathers, Guts and All
By Bob Humphrey
Why do Southerners drag out their deer without field-dressing them first? QUESTION: I am from New York. Last year I did my first out-of-state hunt, in Alabama. The people I hunted with told me not to field dress my deer, but to bring it back to camp whole. At first I thought they were just kidding me, but they were serious. When I asked why, they j... READ MORE
Hair Club Bucks
By Bob Humphrey
We wonder if there’s a market for Rogaine for whitetails. QUESTION: Last fall, I noticed a couple bucks with bare spots on their back or rump. I have seen this before and was wondering what might cause it. — Ron C. ANSWER: There are several plausible explanations. Bare spots can be caused by repeatedly going under or through wire fences... READ MORE
Fawn Shortage
By Bob Humphrey
Is it getting more common to see adult does with only one fawn? QUESTION: It seems like does in my area have been having fewer fawns over the past few years. We used to see them mostly with twins, but now they just have one, and sometimes none. Can you tell me why? — Will W. ANSWER: I can’t say for sure, but I can offer a few possibilit... READ MORE
Mythbuster
By Bob Humphrey
Bob lays to rest another legendary deer camp myth. QUESTION: In the area I hunt, I usually find two different types of deer droppings. One is the usual piles of pellets; the other is more of a solid mass. I have been told that the pellets are made by does and the large masses are from bucks. My question is, can you tell the sex of a deer by its dro... READ MORE
They’re Ugly, But ...
By Bob Humphrey
Abnormal skin growths are not always a serious problem QUESTION: I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and we have a deer that comes into our yard quite often. She is nice and fat but has terrible looking growths. It started with just one clump, and now they are huge. I would like to know if these tumors can be spread to other deer. ANSWER: The growths p... READ MORE
Why the Big Increase?
By Bob Humphrey
What’s up with increasing doe tags when the herd needs to recover? QUESTION: Where I live in Maine, the deer herd has been in rough shape for many years, mostly because of hard winters and coyotes. Last winter, we had a mild winter and now our state is proposing to increase the number of doe permits by quite a bit. My question is, why would t... READ MORE
Designer Footwear
By Bob Humphrey
Like most coloration oddities, the cause is likely genetics. QUESTION: I shot a big buck in 1992 that scored 174. I got a half body mount should have got a full body. Anyway, his front feet are white and on the back feet, one toe is black and the other one is white. Could you tell me what causes this? — Ed ANSWER: We get a lot of questions ab... READ MORE