Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference: A Database for Hunters and Rural Landowners Interested in Deer Management
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About this ebook
Get the answers to your deer hunting questions right now, in the field, with this pocket size, take-with-you, reference book. Use it to settle those campfire debates or to figure out a hunting technique for that elusive buck you have been tracking or to mix your own special food plot seed mix.
For the first time, here is a unique reference book that is filled with a collection of useful information to help make you a more successful deer hunter and a better woodsman. It’s like having an expert in your pocket.
This book includes
Facts about the deer
Food plot information
Deer caliber ballistic tables
Trophy scoring and score sheets
Land measurements
Butchering how-to
Hunt lease management
Survival and safety
Field judging bucks
And much, much more
Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
J. Wayne Fears
J. Wayne Fears is a wildlife biologist by training who has organized big-game hunting camps, guided canoe trips, and run commercial getaway operations. Former editor of Rural Sportsman magazine, he has written more than more than twenty books on a variety of subjects ranging from cabin building (including How to Build Your Dream Cabin in the Woods) to survival (The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide) to cookbooks (including The Complete Book of Dutch Oven Cooking), and more than four thousand articles for major outdoors magazines. A member of the International Dutch Oven Society and an accomplished writer and skilled outdoorsman, Fears lives in Cross Creek Hallow, Alabama.
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Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference - J. Wayne Fears
Copyright © 2010 by J. Wayne Fears
Originally published in 2010 by Pro Tool Industries, Inc.
First Skyhorse Publishing edition 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.
Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.
Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Cover design by Richard Rossiter
Print ISBN: 978-1-63220-590-2
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-020-3
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Section 1: White-Tailed Deer Profile
White-Tailed Deer Subspecies – US & Canada
Deer Hunting/Management Glossary of Terms
Deer Management Strategies
Section 2: Deer Harvest
Recording Harvest Data
Measuring Antlers for Harvest Records
Pulling a Deer Jaw for Aging
How to Make a Deer Jaw Extractor
Deer Aging Chart
Deer Weights When a Scale is Not Available
Field Dressing a Deer
Carcass Care
Finding Hit Deer
Approaching Downed Deer
Field Judging Bucks by Age Class
Typical and Non-Typical Scoring Sheets
Minimum Scores for White-Tailed Deer
Cuts for Capping Deer
Butcher Cuts
Photographing the Trophy Buck
Section 3: Food Plots
Two Basic Types of Food Plot Crops
Steps to Locating and Planting a Food Plot
Understanding pH and Food Plot Crops
Procedure for Taking Soil Samples of a Food Plot
Planting Guide for Deer
Seeds – Know What You are Buying
Inoculants for Food Plot Legumes
Food Plot Crop Profile
Custom Food Plot Seed Mixes You Can Mix Yourself
Wildlife Food Plot Record
Making a Salt or Mineral Lick
Deer Exclusion Cage
Deer-Resistant Plants
Section 4: Mast & Browse Plants
Some Common Mast & Browse Plants Preferred by White-Tailed Deer
How to Fertilize Mast-Producing Trees
Planting Bareroot Seedlings
Use Tree Shelters When Planting Hardwood Tree Seedlings
Oakes Used by Deer
Prescribed Burn Plan
Make a Deer Corridor
Restore Old Apple Trees
Section 5: Hunting Lease Management
Land Measurement
Pond Measurements
Volume Measurements
Subdividing One Section of Land
Sample Land Lease Agreement
Sample Deer Cooperative Agreement
Sample Hunt Club Bylaws
Deer Observation Form
Topographic Map Symbols
Weather Map Symbols
Section 6: Firearms
White-Tailed Deer Ballistics Tables
Federal Premium Ammunition
Winchester
Remington
Range in Yards at Which Deer Cartridges Retain 1200 Foot-Pounds of Energy
Sight-In Deer Rifle with Six Shots
Vital Areas of a Deer
Section 7: Safety
10 Commandments of Firearm Safety
Elevated Stand Safety
Avoiding Hypothermia
Wind Chill Chart
Beaufort Wind Scale
Lightning Rules When Deer Hunting
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Heart Attack – Symptoms and Treatment
Stroke – Symptoms and Treatment
Items for Deer Hunter’s Survival Kit
What to Do When Lost
How to Search for a Missing Hunter
Section 8: Where to Get Information
Wildlife Management Assistance (by state)
State Forestry Agencies (by state)
Wildlife Seed and Plant Sources
Hunting Cabin Packages
Hunting Insurance Companies
Deer Management Organizations
Trophy Scoring Organizations
Deer Management Tools Resources
Mapping Programs
ATV Food Plot Accessories
Index
SECTION 1
WHITE-TAILED DEER PROFILE
White-Tailed Deer Profile
Common name: White-tailed deer
Scientific name: Odocoileus virginianus
U. S. White-tailed deer population when first Europeans arrived: 23–34 million
By 1900 – 300,000
Current – 30 million
Number of subspecies: 38total—17 in U. S. and Canada and 21 from Mexico south to Peru
Height at shoulders: 36 – 40 inches
Buck weight (average): 150 pounds, however it can range from almost 400 pounds in the far north to 50 pounds in the tropics. A buck may loose 25% of his body weight during the rut.
Doe weight (average): 100 pounds, 50 to 250 pounds depending upon where located
Life expectancy: 3-5 years in the wild, 20 years in captivity
Breeding date: October to February
Doe estrus cycle: 21 to 29 days, recycle up to seven times
Heat period: 24 hours
Gestation period: 190 to 210 days
Weight at birth: 4 to 8 pounds
Sexual maturity, doe: 1½ years. Under good nutritional conditions as high as 60% of 6-month old doe fawns will breed.
Sexual maturity, buck: 1 ½ years
Daily food intake: 4 to 6 pounds of food per 100 pounds of body weight.
Food variety: deer feed on over 600 different varieties of plants in the U.S.
Stomach: deer have four chambers in their stomach
Water intake daily: average 1.5 quarts
Home range: from 1 sq. mile to an elongated range that may be as much as 5 miles
Glands: Seven external glands that are part of the communication system of deer
1. tarsal gland on the inner surfaces of the hind leg
2. metatarsal gland on the outer surfaces of the hind legs
3. interdigital gland between the hooves
4. preorbital gland in the corners of the eyes
5. preputial gland inside the buck’s penile sheath
6. nasal gland inside the nostrils
7. forehead gland between the eyes and the antler bases
Sense of smell: can detect a hunter from ½ mile away. Their sense of smell is at least 10 times more acute than man. Also, they have a vomeronasal organ in the roof of their mouth which allows them to taste odors in the air.
Eyesight: 310 degrees of vision around their head, can detect the slightest motion, excellent night vision. They can see more than black and white, as once thought, but can see a wide range of colors.
Hearing: Large ears form sound funnels. Their hearing is several times greater than humans.
Attention span: deer have a short attention span, about 3 minutes. However they can be conditioned to react to human activity and even change their movement patterns.
Hair: the hair on a deer is hollow giving it great insulating value
Droppings: deer defecates about 12 times every 24 hours.
Teeth: 32 teeth. They do not have front teeth on the upper jaw.
Running speed: 36 miles per hour
Jumping ability: 7 feet from a standing start, 8 feet with a running start.
Fawn spots: loses its spots at 3 months of age
Fawn odor: fawns are odorless the first month of life
Fawns are weaned at 4 months
Rubs: a mature buck may make as many as 300 rubs on trees each fall. Older bucks usually make rubs first in the fall.
Swimming: deer are excellent swimmers
Vocalization: deer make at least 15 distinct vocalizations
Antlers: are shed annually after the rut. New antlers are grown from late spring until early fall.
Approximate annual U.S. deaths due to deer/auto collisions: 150
Deer/vehicle collisions in U.S. annually: 1.5 million collisions cost in property damage $1.1 billion.
White-tailed Deer Subspecies U. S. & Canada
borealis – northern woodland white-tailed deer
clavium – Key deer, Florida
carminis – Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer, Texas & Mexico
couesi – Coues / Arizona white-tailed deer
dakotensis – Dakota white-tailed deer
hiltonensis – Hilton Head white-tailed deer, South Carolina
leucurus – Columbian white-tailed deer, Oregon & Washington
macrourus – Kansas white-tailed deer
mcilhennyi – Avery Island white-tailed deer, Louisiana
nigribarbis – Blackbeard Island white-tailed deer, Georgia
ochrourus – Idaho white-tailed deer
osceola – Florida coastal white-tailed deer
seminolus – Florida white-tailed deer
taurinsulae – Bulls Island white-tailed deer, South Carolina
texanus – Texas white-tailed deer
venatorius – Hunting Island white-tailed deer, South Carolina
virginianus – Virginia white-tailed deer
Deer Management/Hunting Glossary of Terms
Abomasum
The fourth, or digesting, chamber of the stomach of a white-tailed deer. Biologist often use an abomasal parasite count as an index of deer condition and density relative to carrying capacity.
Aerial photo
An aerial view of a property for use in making land management decisions. Aerial photos are available for purchase from the NRCS and for free on-line viewing at www.msrmaps.com or www.googleearth.com.
Age class
Deer in the same age range. Since deer are usually born in the early summer and harvested in late fall their ages are usually discussed by biologists in ½, 1 ½, 2 ½, 3 ½, etc. age class as they are aged when harvested. A 2 ½ year age class buck is two and one-half years old.
Albino Deer
A genetic anomaly where deer lacks skin pigmentation. They have completely white coats, pink hooves and red eyes.
Antler
The branched bony growth on the head of any animal of the deer family. They are shed and re-grown annually.
Bawl
A sound made by a deer that has been injured or scared. Bawls are given by deer of all ages in situations of distress and is an alarm call.
Base camp
The central or main camp within a hunting territory.
Beam
The main branch of an antler from which tines grow. It is commonly called the main beam.
Bed
A place were a deer has laid down. A depression in grass or laves.
Bedding Area
Areas where deer take refuge. Bedding areas are often in areas that allow the deer to see and hear approaching danger. It is usually thick cover such as young planted pines, broom sedge fields, cane breaks, cedar swamps, or thickets of saplings and vines.
Bleat
A sound made by fawns to stay in contact with their mother. This sound may also be made by disturbed fawns.
Browse
Twigs, forbs, and tender woody growth that deer eat when traveling in their territory.
Brow tine
The first fork of the antler on a deer. On trophy score sheets it is the G-1 tine.
Buck
A male deer.
Buck: doe ratio
The ratio of bucks to does on a given tract of land. If a property has 20 bucks and 100 does the buck:doe ratio is said